Do You Think The Reason 'The Tony Randall Show' Failed Was Because He Was Typecast?

[Brian Damage]

I never saw this show so I really don't know if it was any good. I do know it didn't last very long. Was it because viewers just couldn't see Tony in anything other than the role of Felix Unger?

[Stuck In The '70's]

I don't know. It's funny how Jack Klugman wasn't typecast because he went on to do Quincy. I do know that this show was very good. I watched it every week. His relationship with Diana Muldaur was great and his father played by Hans Conried was a scene steeler. It should have lasted longer.

[Brian Damage]

I don't know. It's funny how Jack Klugman wasn't typecast because he went on to do Quincy. I do know that this show was very good. I watched it every week. His relationship with Diana Muldaur was great and his father played by Hans Conried was a scene steeler. It should have lasted longer.


Quincy is a great example Sonny. The only thing I can guess is that was a drama & this show was a sitcom. I know after Quincy, Jack Klugman starred in a sitcom with John Stamos that failed.

[TVFactFan]

I only seen 1 episode but it looked like it started out well because it was renewed after it's first season. But it was cut midway through season 2 after being put in the Saturday Dump Slot

[Stuck In The '70's]

I only seen 1 episode but it looked like it started out well because it was renewed after it's first season. But it was cut midway through season 2 after being put in the Saturday Dump Slot
It was canceled by it's original network ABC after the first season and picked up by CBS for it's second so I don't know how great the ratings were. Saturday wasn't a dump slot back in those days. All in the Family had soared to #1 while on Saturday a few seasons before. I also remember WGN showing the show in reruns in the early 80's. I believe the show was an MTM production and MTM had aired on Saturday during the 1970's.

[TVFactFan]

It was canceled by it's original network ABC after the first season and picked up by CBS for it's second so I don't know how great the ratings were. Saturday wasn't a dump slot back in those days. All in the Family had soared to #1 while on Saturday a few seasons before. I also remember WGN showing the show in reruns in the early 80's. I believe the show was an MTM production and MTM had aired on Saturday during the 1970's.

Wow, I wonder why it was it was picked up by another network when it was still new?

[Brian Damage]

Wow, I wonder why it was it was picked up by another network when it was still new?


I would think because Tony Randall was a proven star.

[Jude The Obscure]

Wow, I wonder why it was it was picked up by another network when it was still new?

I got my info from former kid actor, Brad Savage, who played Tony's son in the series. He said the show switched networks because ABC wanted to renew the show only for 13 episodes. CBS offered Tony a full 22 network episode guarantee, so that is why the series jumped ship.

[Samme]

I watched the show when it was on and it was a big disappointment. I loved The Odd Couple and thought Tony was a great comedy actor and that this show was a sure thing. The problem seemed that no one behind the show had any judgement even though it was a first class production and they dumped a lot of money into it. It didn't fail because Tony was typecast as Felix but because this show didn't know how to play to his strengths. Other older comedy actors redefine themselves by getting dramatic shows and avoiding any comparison. Tony was good enough to create another comedy character but the judge he played in this was just bland, unfunny, and nasty. They left the funny stuff to the other characters (who weren't very funny) and the Tony played the sane center who sneered comments at them all. Tony should have been a funny character not a staid one. It seemed his only humor was making sarcastic remarks to his housekeeper played by Rachel Roberts. This was a running joke and it started to take on a continual nasty tone that was unpleasant to watch. I remember his son as being too cutesy. Later they added Michael Keaton and he was a bright spot and worked well with Tony but it was too late. I don't remember if the show improved much other than him or if it was worth saving, but I doubt it. Sadly Tony never did a series on TV after The Odd Couple that was worthy of his talent. He was still a fantastic guest on talk shows, but acting wise it didn't happen. His TV movie, Love, Sidney, was pretty good but the series that followed was much worse and had even less judgement than this one.

[OOliver]

Quincy is a great example Sonny. The only thing I can guess is that was a drama & this show was a sitcom. I know after Quincy, Jack Klugman starred in a sitcom with John Stamos that failed.


The sitcom you were thinking of was called "You Again" on NBC.

Mary Tyler Moore also tried her hand at doing another sitcom in 1985 for CBS called "Mary" in which she played Mary Brenner, and worked at a newspaper. The sitcom failed miserably, as audiences had 'Mary Richards' embedded in their brains.

She also tried two other variety shows for CBS (in 1978, titled "Mary", and in 1979 titled "The Mary Tyler Moore Hour" which was a revamp of "Mary") - both were bombs.

Valerie Harper essentially played her character "Rhoda" in two other sitcoms - "City" in 1990 and "The Office" in 1995....both were axed in no time.

She broke away from the "Rhoda" persona when she played Valerie Hogan in the 1980s sitcom "Valerie"- this time she was a stay-at-home mother of three, and the focus was around the whole family.