Which failed show from the past would be a hit today?
Which failed TV series from the past do you think would become a hit
today? — Stephen Izen
The wild fan base for Chappelle's Show — and even Blue Collar TV — tells me maybe The Ben Stiller Show would now be properly embraced. The 1992-93 series, which launched the careers of Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, Bob Odenkirk, and Andy Dick, won an Emmy but was canceled after 12 episodes. Today, I think an audience steeped in pop-culture satire and the
surreality of shows like The Simpsons and South Park would dig skits like ''Manson.'' That'd be a Lassie spoof in which Odenkirk plays a
jabbering Charles Manson as the courageous family dog. We have proof
other bits hold up: In 1992, Stiller did ''Cops in Salem, Mass.,'' with Puritans busted at a witch-burning; in 2004, Blue Collar did the similar ''CSI: Greater Greensboro Tri-County Area.'' Still works.
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