Shark Bytes

To Jim Nasium: Absolutely correct, pretty much all shows have some element of repetition. My point was that the quality of a show can easily decline through over-dependence on (and thus over-familiarity with) the very factors you mention. Sooner or later, 'Sorry about that, Chief', the Cone of Silence, the 'would you believe...' gags and so on stop being cute attractions and start being irritating burdens. Catch-phrases and uniquely wacky situations have a use-by date, and you're also correct when you say that if repetitive plotlines and gags is a reason for a show to JTS, then they all did. It's a question of degree, but yep, all the examples you provide certainly did, and repetition was a big part of their problem. Let's also not forget (as in the case of 'Happy Days') that a show may JTS some time before it is cancelled (and arguably it usually does), and that there are people who continue to quite like a show well into a considerable decline in its quality. In short, everything new gets old, and repetition helps that process along immeasurably. Cheers.

Kind of a late response, but back in November, Slammerworm said, "Drifting away from warmer cultural waters, the show also sank its own ship with the repetitive gags and plotlines, and a lack of character development"

I'm probably missing a show or two, but off the top of my head, I can't recall any show (read: sitcom) of which there weren't repetitive catch-phrases, gags and plot lines. Let's think of a popular show:

Happy Days: Wow, talk about repetitive! Fonzie's ever-present "Aaaayyy!" "Sit on it!" Cool it!", etc. Richie's "I found my thrill". Chachi's annoying "Wa-wa-wa-wa!". And talk about repetitive gags. Every episode (the last few seasons, anyway) was the Fonzie Show. Fonzie making things happen by snapping his fingers, tapping a machine to make it work, etc. Happy Days was truly repetitive.

Three's Company: Here we have the almost weekly-recurring plot line of one of the cast 'misunderstanding' something that was said by another. Someone would overhear a conversation and inevitably jump to the wrong conclusion and the episode would unfold from there. Yes, Three's Company was VERY repetitive with respect to plot lines.

Let's go back a ways... I Love Lucy: Oh boy, talk about repetitive plot lines and gags! Practically every other episode featured Lucy trying to worm her way into Ricky's show or else she was trying to meet a celebrity who was guest starring on the show. Her trademark whine was also present on just about every show, which was a never-ending gag.

The Brady Bunch: Again, very repetitive plot lines. How many episodes featured celebrity guest stars whom the Bunch came to befriend? Even the plots within the show itself were recycled to fit a different character. The same problem Cindy would have with self-consciousness would be Bobby's problem in a later episode. Bobby is upset in one episode because everyone else has won awards except him so he goes about trying out for everything in sight or attempting to break some sort of record in order to win any kind of award. In another ep, it would be Jan's turn to do the exact same thing (the famed "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia") episode. The Brady Bunch is yet another example of repetitive plots.

Let's try one more - M*A*S*H*, one of the most popular shows ever. Yep, many recurring themes, plots and gags. How many episodes featured one of the gang receiving a gift from back home that everyone else in the camp wants? (Hawkeye gets some long johns during a cold spell, Winchester gets a batch of newspapers that the camp goes nuts over, Hawk and Beej send away for a bathtub, etc). And the many shows where practical jokes are constantly played on each other. And the repetitive gag of Klinger wearing women's clothes.

I think you get my point. I may be missing something, but I really can't think of ANY television show that doesn't use repetitive plots and gags. If this is a reason for a show to JTS, then they ALL did.

Peace.

The first three seasons were terrific and the fourth season mediocre. The fifth, and final, season sucked (the victim of bad writing and the show losing steam).

My husband & I always liked the show. His favorite character was Sigfried.Can't wait untill it comes out on DVD.

The first few seasons were sheer brilliance, but the show definitely JTS when Max and 99 got married, and the last season was almost unwatchable.

One of the greatest comedy series in TV history. Funny in all major categories: characters, situations, lines. Don Adams was perfectly suited for Max. It's impossible to imagine what this show might have been like with the man originally slated to play him: Tom Poston. And Barbara Feldon - one of the great TV hard-ons of the 60s, along with Mary Tyler Moore on The Dick Van Dyke Show, Diana Rigg on The Avengers and Julie Newmar as Cat Woman. It's safe to say that this show spawned more catchphrases than any other show in history (even SNL): "Sorry about that chief," "Would you belive...," "Zis iss Kaos! Ve don't BLANK here!," etc. Kudos, too, to Dick Gauthier as Hymie, Joey Foreman as Harry Hoo, and the guy who played Laramie. Shark time: when Max and 99 had twins.

A genuinely funny, near-satirical series with sharp writing and an excellent core cast (Barbara Feldon; smart as a whip, sexy blue-blood accent, those big expressive eyes.. And comic timing, too. Ahhhhh), but Indexit (Nov 05) nailed the main problem; Spoof shows which lampoon current cultural obsessions almost invariably have a use-by period. The Cold War/James Bond-inspired 'spy boom' began around 1964 and petered out long about 1967-68, when things cultural went 'psychedelic'. Drifting away from warmer cultural waters, the show also sank its own ship with the repetitive gags and plotlines, and a lack of character development (marriage, pregnancy and parenthood notwithstanding). Comedy is hard to sustain at the best of times, let alone when the original climate which generated it has irrevocably receded. A couple of years on from the demise of Get Smart and popular nostalgia for the 1950s (borne aloft amid the turbulent hedonistic 1970s) made it possible for a spoof show like Happy Days. And therein lay the foundation-event which precipitated the climate of nostalgia/cynicism in which this fine website itself would generate. G'Night Jim-Bob.

"You've heard of de Dousand islands? Count again" you mean? "Dousand unt Vun"
Siegfried is the best character portrayal in Television. i've seen a lot of comments about how this jumped the shark when they got married. but that's not true in my op. the marriage created a lot of plot points that got us involved. instead of looking for the jokes, we look to see what happens to the characters.The Last season on CBS, save the cool theme song, was terrible, almost unwatchable. They seemed to really be going through the motions. Nothing was funny anymore, and they were still doing the same jokes from 5 years ago. They just didn't really seem to be trying. Maybe they just lost their prospective,That can always happen. Don Adams was always a crumudgeon when i waited on him at the deli i worked at. he wasn't mean, mind you. just sorta unfriendly. Hey, he was an old guy. We didn't care, really, everybody over 40 that goes into a deli just wants to be left alone. One day i mentioned to him that i wish i had brought my Get Smart Book. it's a book i happened to have had
for a few years with interviews, quotes, pics, stories, background, everything about that show. He seemed to perk up right away. This was not vanity or anything, i figure he prolly didn't think some Black waiter in a deli would know who he was. Well, He knew about the book and became the cool guy i knew he was. it was cool to see that.

One of my favorite scenes was when Max was interrogating a Kaos agent called "The Claw." Only thing was "The Claw" was Asian and couldn't pronounce "Claw" in English.
Max: "You think you're pretty smart, eh Craw?"
Claw: "Not Craw, Craw!"

Loved this as a kid and I clearly recall thinking this was my favorite show on TV in about 1966. Part of several comedy shows on Saturday night and this was the best. Why so good, well for a 10 year old very funny (spoofy and goofy very appealing at that age), gadgets (they were often fun but still sort of a James Bond thing), and very likable characters. Max and 99 did compliment each other quite well. I do recall losing some interest in later seasons, especially the period when 99 was prego. It just did not seem like a secret agent and infants would work very well and it got a little sentimental, not really a Get Smart sentiment. Also I think many spoof shows have a time limit as the spoofing naturally starts to lose some of it's edge (one rare exception is WKRP). The cone of silence routine certainly became somewhat redundant. Also the secret agent fad was long spent at this point, especially as Vietnam picked up steam. So the show really ran it's course, really thrilled me early on as a kid (thank you for making Saturday night better), and probably ended at the appropriate time.
As a probably not so interesting side note I know Barbra has done a lot of voice over work in commercials for the past 40 years. The last one I heard several months ago it sounded like her voice was wavering and suspect this aspect of her career may be limited. I always liked hearing her voice overs because she had a great voice but also made me fondly recall Get Smart.

I didn't mean to (and I don't think I did) imply that Barbara Feldon was not very attractive and well cast as 99. Just that Tisha Sterling who was even prettier than Feldon and as Ms. Sterling was good going at under cover would have been even better as 99.

Truly a great show that spoofed the spy genre to great effect. Don Adams was the heart and soul of the show and he is missed. Barbara Feldon was quite the looker, perfectly cast as "99". Bernie Kopell was brilliant and hilarious as Siegfried. Classic slapstick humor and some really funny lines. "That's the second largest magnet I've ever seen" Chief: "Max, You completely bungle every assignment. It's as if you haven't had any experience or training at all". Max: "Just what is it that you're trying to say, Chief?"

Never jumped. It was good right to the end. But I have two comments to make.

1)As good as Barbara Feldon was as 99 (particularly with shoulder-lenghth hair) I could think of an even better lady to have played her. In one ep Max helped protect this young beauty contestant named (I believe) Tisha. She was played by sexy actress Tisha Steling. In 1974 Sterling did a tv movie called Betrayal, where she played a lady who went under different aliases and disguises. She was fabulous in it! It made me realize how great she probably would have been as 99! Her chemistry with Don Adams was fine too!

2)Of the two movie reunions (one theatrical, one tv) Ms. Feldon was absent from the first (called The Nude Bomb) as, I read, she was terrified of the actor who played the Chief in the film. That actor was Dana Elcar and he was a good friend of Don Adams. Elcar had previously been on a couple eps of Get Smart and Feldon found him beyond scarey as a person (he had previously been on Dark Shadows, the vampire soap so perhaps he had a terrifying air about him). As she had plenty of other work at the time the theatrical film was about to be shot she passed on being in it for that and her fear of Elcar!

I agree with the post who said that this was a very funny show in small doses(weekly instead of daily).Maybe that's why you don't see it in syndication as much.Will reserve seeing the movie until after the release & I hear some reviews.99(pardon the pun) % of movies made from tv shows are real klunkers!That's why M.I. I,2,& 3 are movies I've never seen & never will because while I'm sure they're good action movies,they will not come close to the original tv series,which I watched very faithfully!

Never jumped! 99 was my childhood heroine - she had great mod clothes and packed heat. What more could a little girl want in a role model? I can't wait for the movie!