US shows which are mentioned a lot in US pop culture but unknown in the UK

[willbo]

I was watching a youtube this morning about "Angry Video Game Nerd"s fave tv shows, and he mentioned Gilligan's Island and Family Matters, (the African American sitcom with a nerdy boy called Urkel). I know nothing about "Island" or what its about, despite hearing it mentioned in lots of other shows like Simpsons that I watch. Are there any other shows with this phenomenon

[Magnum Valentino]

There was a time when this might have been different - when I was young, let's say the 1990s and maybe into the early noughties, US sitcoms were shown regularly on the BBC and Channel 4 so I became as familiar with The Munsters, I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched as telly fixtures as I was with Last of the Summer Wine and other shite that was "ours". BBC even ran Top Cat at like fucking lunchtime on weekdays. Who was that for?!

What I mean is that time was, there was a space for that sort of thing on British schedules, fucking ace American sitcoms from the 1960s like, even when there was only five terrestrial channels. I think today, if there was anything like that, it would be buried deep in the freeview schedules and less likely to have kind of minor cultural impact.

To answer your question, some of the American soaps seem to come up a lot, like Days of Our Lives. Unlike Australian soaps, I'm not sure any of that ever crossed over, did it? Dallas and Dynasty don't count as unless I'm mistaken they were soap-adjacent straight drama shows.

[dontpaintyourteeth]

Family Ties, Full House, Who's the Boss, Perfect Strangers, Sanford and Son, Growing Pains, Webster, Night Court...

[willbo]

BBC even ran Top Cat at like fucking lunchtime on weekdays. Who was that for?!

I read once that during the 80s, Postman Pat's elderly viewership was almost as big as its kid viewership, and the BBC used to get letters from older fans asking when it would be back on, etc.

I became as familiar with The Munsters, I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched

I watched those too, but there's so many more that didn't seem to get through, I love Lucy for example I've never seen though heard of

[jobotic]

I Love Lucy was shown here at the same time as The Munsters etc, I'm sure.

What's the one where the bloke threatens to punch his wife "Pow right in the kisser" as referenced on Family Guy? Lovely stuff

[George White]

That's The Honeymooners.
Shown by  a few ITV regions in the 50s, was big in Ireland (Jackie Gleason being the son of parents from Cork), and repeated in the 90s by BBC2 - but never caught on.

Family Ties, Full House, Who's the Boss, Perfect Strangers, Sanford and Son, Growing Pains, Webster, Night Court...

Family Ties was on C4.
Who's the Boss was on ITV or c4. It's in the RT Guide to Comedy.
Perfect Strangers was shown in the UK too, while Night COurt was one of those things briefly shown late night and never noticed.

One of the big ones would be the Andy Griffith Show.
Never even shown in Ireland.
Griffith being really only known on this side of the Atlantic for Matlock, and maybe a few of his film (A Face in the Crowd) /miniseries roles (Washington - Behind Closed Doors was a big thing on BBC1 in the 70s).
SPawned Gomer Pyle, Barney Fife, the career of Don Knotts and of course, launched 'Ronny' Howard.

Gilligan's  Island was shown on a few ITV stations - less than ten eps shown on Thames in '74 and never shown  again.

RE:US soaps, loads of them were on Sky in the late 80s as filler.
Santa Barbara I think was the only one to be shown on terrestrial, and that was simply as a Shakin' Neighbours (even had an AUssie star in Dame Judith Anderson).
 Sunset Beach and a few others were on 5 in the early days. 

Apparently, my grandad watched Postman Pat when he was dying.

Green Acres was massive in the US, often referenced. It was shown in the UK on BBC1, but only last a few dozen eps there. Was repeated on RTE a lot, though.
I Love Lucy was huge in the 50s in Britain - one of the first hits on ITV.

[Gulftastic]

Family Ties, Full House, Who's the Boss, Perfect Strangers, Sanford and Son, Growing Pains, Webster, Night Court...

Who's The Boss got a showing over here, but the UK remake with one of the McGann's overshadowed it.

Perfect Strangers used to air in the post Grandstand Saturday slot. I remember being well cheesed off when they cancelled an episode for coverage of the Herald Of Free Enterprise disaster.

Channel 4 showed I Love Lucy early in it's existence

[bigfatheart]

Would Jeopardy! count? A few attempts at British versions that seem to have largely faded from the collective memory, but it seems to be massive in America.

[Fambo Number Mive]

I watched a bit of Gilligan's Island, curious about it given how much it was mentioned in American novels and shows. It's pretty rubbish.

[willbo]

What about Taxi (the sitcom with Andy Kaufman, DeVito etc)? I remember it being repeated on daytime TV in the 90s, but it seems a bigger deal in the US than it ever was here.

Obv with Sanford there was no reason to show it here as it was a remake of Steptoe, but both Friends and Simpsons have jokes requiring the viewer to know the theme tune is associated with trash/rubbish

[George White]

It was  a big deal on BBC2, IIRC.
Gilligan's Island - weirdly I think the closest British equiv may be Rentaghost. It's basically a kids' show.

RE:Sanford and Son, it really is nothing like Steptoe. THe big difference as Ocho pointed out, 'they have friends?' thanks to Redd Foxx shoehorning in all his mates from the chitlin' circuit.

All in the Family was shown briefly on BBC1, but never really hit. Archie Bunker's Place, the renamed later post-Edith series were on C4, though.
I was surprised RTE (who showed all kinds of shows that never even hit ITV regions - Bat Masterson, Peter Gunn, but esp. sitcoms  - the Real McCoys, Donna Reed, Leave it to Beaver, Patty Duke, Dobie Gillis) never picked it up esp. as it had an Irish star in Carroll O'Connor (US-born, but an Irish resident in the 50s), but they didn't show Gilligan either.
 

[jobotic]

Seems like All in the Family spin off Maude was only in a few ITV regions.

Sounds like that was quite good.

[willbo]

I Love Lucy was huge in the 50s in Britain - one of the first hits on ITV.

I think its memory/repeats may have lasted longer in the US though

What about Diff'rent Strokes?

[checkoutgirl]

I was watching some thing on youtube this morning about "Angry Video Game Nerd"s fave tv shows, and he mentioned Gilligan's Island and Family Matters, (the African American sitcom with a nerdy boy called Urkel). I know nothing about "Island" or what its about, despite hearing it mentioned in lots of other shows like Simpsons that I watch. Are there any other shows with this phenomenon

They're unknown to you so that makes it a phenomenon? Other people have heard of them though. Urkel is mentioned in The Simpsons a fair bit. Gilligan's Island is referenced in other shows.

However there is a vast ecosystem of people in America who can sustain a career without even being that famous in America, let alone the rest of the world. Hat designers, computer game players, fitness instructors and shit like that.

There's a show called fucking Duck Dynasty about some racists who sell things to lure ducks for people who shoot ducks. I think it might even has a spin off or two.

[willbo]

I think the phenomenon, for me, is mainly based around Simpsons and Friends. Those 2 shows are so widely seen here that anything which is referenced in them, but not known here, is going to cause curiosity. Like Oreo Cookies being mentioned a lot in Roseanne before they were sold here, or Twinkies being the "fat person's fave food" in lots of comedy films.

[dontpaintyourteeth]

I don't think any of the ones I mentioned are well known or well remembered here particularly though.

The Honeymooners and I Love Lucy are big shouts, at least in terms of how often they are quoted/referenced

I would not personally have known what Matlock was without the Simpsons

[dontpaintyourteeth]

was actually quite excited to try Twinkies (I bet you were etc)

they're the weirdest things. barely even food.

[Gulftastic]

I think its memory/repeats may have lasted longer in the US though

What about Diff'rent Strokes?

Deffo aired over here. A popular playground rumour was that Gary Coleman was in his 30s when he played Arnold.

[George White]

Maaaattlock was definitely in the Murder She Wrote/DIagnosis Murder lunchtime slot, along the same level as Father Dowling Mysteries. 

Twinkies - artificial bread with sugar and semi-cream.

[willbo]

Then there's the whole thing with Seinfeld never managing to catch on here? Which is weird cause stereotypically I think you could consider it more British in style than most US sitcoms (in being sharper, ruder, less sentimental etc).

[checkoutgirl]

I would not personally have known what Matlock was without the Simpsons

Matlock was on telly in Ireland in the 80s and maybe 90s.

[dontpaintyourteeth]

Actually I barely even know what Matlock is now. I always confuse it with Walker Texas Ranger

Anyway don't thank me, thank the moon's gravitational pull etc etc

[elliszeroed]

Different Strokes and Family Ties were on Sky One in the late eighties. Family Ties was religious viewing for us. My family still quotes it today - the dead aunt Trudy episode and the Rooms for Rent episode and the Pick Up A Penguin episode.

Brady Bunch used to be shown on Sky One at 1600, so I would watch it when I got home from school. This is why I think The Brady Bunch movie is one of the best comedies ever. Marcia Marcia Marcia!

Never seen Gilligans Island, Full House, or any of the American soaps.

I don't think Seinfeld, like Larry Sanders, ever had a regular slot, or promotion on BBC/ terrestrial. If you wanted to watch it you had to look for it.

[Brundle-Fly]

What about Taxi (the sitcom with Andy Kaufman, DeVito etc)? I remember it being repeated on daytime TV in the 90s, but it seems a bigger deal in the US than it ever was here.

Taxi was pretty popular in the UK in the late 1970s, early 80s, shown late on BBC1, (possibly Sunday nights)?

[bgmnts]

Sanford and Son perhaps?

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Taxi was repeated on BBC 2 in the late 90s.

I ate some Twinkies a few years ago and found them disappointingly middling. After all those years of yank pop culture references, I was expecting something either amazing or gross, but they're really just like a slightly below average Swiss roll. Strangely oily and with a bit of a chemical aftertaste, but nothing to make them as iconic as they are.

[letsgobrian]

Taxi was pretty popular in the UK in the late 1970s, early 80s, shown late on BBC1, (possibly Sunday nights)?

https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/4fffac06c18466ca25b109f45bd00ecc

Debuted on BBC1 Thursdays 8PM in 1980.

[Brundle-Fly]

This is my favourite 'old TV show reference that meant sod all to the average Brit'

And even this Seinfeld episode is a quarter of a century old, nostalgically recreating the early 1970s talk show. Curb Your Enthusiasm should now recreate that particular Seinfeld episode next season to continue the twenty five year cycle. Meta-tastic.

[Brundle-Fly]

https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/4fffac06c18466ca25b109f45bd00ecc

Debuted on BBC1 Thursdays 8PM in 1980.

I'm sure it was moved to a much later time, because I remember the wistful end titles and getting ready for bed. I was 14 at the time but wouldn't have been calling it a night at 20:30 on a Thursday.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Deffo aired over here. A popular playground rumour was that Gary Coleman was in his 30s when he played Arnold.

Yeah, Diff'rent Strokes was shown on ITV all throughout the '80s.