identify this mysterious tv show

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My friend swears there was a TV show (sitcom?) about
an asian foreign exchange student that lasted all of about
three or four episodes. He can't remember anything about it
(title, actors, story) but it is driving us all nuts.
There may have been a math contest involved.

Anyone know of this?

― tv, Monday, 29 November 2004 23:00 (twenty-one years ago)

is he thinking of that dude on barney miller?

― cinniblount (James Blount), Monday, 29 November 2004 23:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Hahaha

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 29 November 2004 23:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Can I just take this opportunity to mourn the passing of What's Alan Watching after a brilliant pilot? I wonder if that pilot will ever get released on DVD.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 29 November 2004 23:08 (twenty-one years ago)

was that show anything like herman's head?
i've seen herman's head referenced no less than 2x on the simpsons.

― tv, Monday, 29 November 2004 23:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Herman's Head gets the Simpsons nods because two of its cast members -- Yeardley Smith and Hank Azaria -- were doing it at the same time as the Simpsons (there may have been some writer overlap, too, since they were both Fox shows).

― Tep (ktepi), Monday, 29 November 2004 23:50 (twenty-one years ago)

o man who was hank azaria on herman's head? (was he 'lust' or something?) i remember yeardley smith, i watched more episodes of that show than i'd prefer to remember

― cinniblount (James Blount), Monday, 29 November 2004 23:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Haha well over half the cast of Herman's Head does the voicework for the Simpsons and Herman's Head used to be on right afterwards so it is kind of an inside joke.

But no it wasn't like Herman's Head. Eddie Murphy was in it and it revolved around this totally TV obsessed kid and his TV which was apparently only tuned to coverage of James Brown's (played by Murphy) legal woes. It was really weird and very funny.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 29 November 2004 23:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Hank Azaria was one of the co-workers, Blount. So was Smith.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 29 November 2004 23:53 (twenty-one years ago)

He was Herman's buddy (i.e. not in the Head), who I kind of remember as being smarmy, maybe one part Larry from Three's Company and one part Oliver Platt on Huff.

xpost

― Tep (ktepi), Monday, 29 November 2004 23:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Was it this?

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 29 November 2004 23:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Although when I say "Oliver Platt on Huff" I should add "minus the coke and bondage antics."

― Tep (ktepi), Monday, 29 November 2004 23:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, Azaria was the completely lecherous best friend/co-worker.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 29 November 2004 23:55 (twenty-one years ago)

i remember i missed that 'what's alan watching' (it only aired like twice right?) and kept hearing about it at school, at the time murphy was still a god who could do no wrong to us

― cinniblount (James Blount), Monday, 29 November 2004 23:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes, Dan that is What's Alan Watching?

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 29 November 2004 23:55 (twenty-one years ago)

It features some of Eddie Murphy's funniest schtick. The "Free James Brown" bits are classic.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 29 November 2004 23:56 (twenty-one years ago)

man i bet corin nemec got parker lewis off of this

― cinniblount (James Blount), Monday, 29 November 2004 23:56 (twenty-one years ago)

I have no recollection of Pauly Shore or the Smothers Brothers or BRENT SPINER being on the show, but this just cements the knowledge that it was totally classic in my mind.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 29 November 2004 23:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Hahaha I conflated the thread question with Alex's post about "What's Alan Watching?"!!!!!! I R DUM.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 29 November 2004 23:57 (twenty-one years ago)

It would be an amazing coincidence though if I have completely repressed an exchange student on the pilot and IT REALLY WAS THE SAME SHOW.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 29 November 2004 23:59 (twenty-one years ago)

And yeah Nemec (or the producers) totally ripped it off for Parker Lewis Can't Lose.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 29 November 2004 23:59 (twenty-one years ago)

man parker lewis totally set up the fox tv sitcom template

― cinniblount (James Blount), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 00:00 (twenty-one years ago)

What came first Parker Lewis or Saved by the Bell?

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 00:03 (twenty-one years ago)

the bell. nothing of worth predates the bell.

― cinniblount (James Blount), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 00:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Okay, I just IMDB's Parker Lewis, which led me to Corin Nemec, which led me to THIS.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 00:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Except What's Alan Watching? Although they seem to date from about the same time.

SBTB Trivia: When the original series "Good Morning, Miss Bliss" (1987) was being developed, producers were considering casting Brian Austin Green, Jaleel White, and Jonathan Brandis!!!

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 00:12 (twenty-one years ago)

HAHAHA oh jeez that looks amazing, Dan.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 00:13 (twenty-one years ago)

We can only hope it gets made.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 00:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Parker Lewis was great -- I just saw a torrent of the pilot the other day! -- but dude, BEANS BAXTER, hello.

What's Alan Watching? sounds great, I wish I'd seen it. That's the kind of thing I'll bet Trio shows/will show eventually.

― Tep (ktepi), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 01:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Does anyone remember that TV show where the girl had a father who was an alien, and also some magic crystal, and she could stop time at will? It really stuck with me (god knows why) but I can't remember the name.

― Laura H. (laurah), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 02:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Would you like to swing on a star ...

Out of This World, with Maureen Flanagan -- and Burt Reynolds as the voice of the crystal (i.e. Alien Dad).

― Tep (ktepi), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 02:41 (twenty-one years ago)

not "From Oregon With Love"?

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 02:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Did anyone ever see Jake's Journey (the series starring Graham Chapman and Rik Mayall)? Did they ever make more than one episode of this? It sounded like it was supposed to be brilliant.

― kyle (akmonday), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 02:51 (twenty-one years ago)

What's Alan Watching? was awesome... I taped it and remember watching it over and over. Alas, I probably taped it with Cinemax softcore porn.

From the Free James Brown bit... Woman walks up and says, "Why aren't you trying to get Nelson Mandela out of jail?" "Look lady, we let the I-talians take care of their own."

― Aaron W (Aaron W), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 03:32 (twenty-one years ago)

William Ragsdale, star of "Herman's Head" - born in El Dorado, Arkansas.
Corin Nemec, star of "Parker Lewis Can't Lose" - born in Little Rock, Arkansas.

I didn't see either of them at the library opening, tho'.

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 03:33 (twenty-one years ago)

seven years pass...

Bump. The trailer for BBC spooky thing Crickley Hall has half-reminded us of something which may have been a tv series or a one-off drama or possibly a film. Almost definitely British. The protagonist lived in or visited a big old house, possibly following the death of his family, ghostly children and wife-corpse seem familiar. He might have gone mad and either shot his wife or else shot at the non-existent imagined form of his wife.

Not much to go on, I know. The main character possibly played by some guy who is in tons of British tellydrama but I have had a look at the filmographies of Nesbit/Glenister/Henshall/Carlyle/Bremner with no success.

Basically, I'm hoping someone else saw the trailer for Crickley Hall and went 'oh, that's really like...' and was able to finish the sentence.

― ailsa, Monday, 26 November 2012 23:41 (thirteen years ago)

sounds a lot like the plot of the awful recent Daniel Craig movie Dream House but that can't be it i assume?

― The Doc Morbama (some dude), Monday, 26 November 2012 23:45 (thirteen years ago)

Is it this? Denholm Elliot. If not, it's still worth watching.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6LGz9TLBzw

― everything, Tuesday, 27 November 2012 00:08 (thirteen years ago)

Think it was more recent than any Hammer House of Horror show, but will give that a watch anyway. I'm pretty sure it's not Dream House either, though the synopsis on Wiki looks *remarkably* similar to what I remember of this thing. Maybe it was.

― ailsa, Tuesday, 27 November 2012 09:31 (thirteen years ago)

did you see any of the show/movie in question or just ads for it?

― some dude, Tuesday, 27 November 2012 09:56 (thirteen years ago)

I think I watched it, or at least was in the room while my other half did (he can't remember anything much of it either). I'll ask him about Dream House when I get home tonight.

― ailsa, Tuesday, 27 November 2012 10:10 (thirteen years ago)

That trailer has a very similar feel to the Awakening (BBC film from 2011)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB8UAuGBJGM

― Albert Crampus (NickB), Tuesday, 27 November 2012 10:15 (thirteen years ago)

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