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Comment by BelleOfTheBall | Hacker News Reader

It's always amusing when I see an old show described as a hit only to run for 3 years. Today's hits (Grey's Anatomy, The Simpsons, any sufficiently popular show on Showtime) are milked until the bitter end. I know it doesn't apply in this case, as this was a political decision, just made me remember it.

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The show was wildly popular. It ran for only three years because it was cancelled under political pressure. Interestingly enough, Star Trek TOS ran for the same period ('67-'69).

You can watch this episode for more info. It contains an introduction and epilogue describing the controversy.

Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour ~ Never Aired Episode

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

'64 to '74, UK & America, has to be one of the most intense 10 years of change in any culture ever, so for a TV show with any sort of a fashionable pop culture hook to survive very long would be really unlikely

Yes, continental europe too, and the 50's also, but I wanted to choose a decade, and kick it off with Beatlemania and wrap it up with the end of Viet Nam, start of the energy (economic) crisis

It's really hard to do these days but I suggest you try to find a U.S radio station that plays 60s songs. And I mean full 60s. With genre varieties. It's downright schizophrenic.

Post 66 might as well just be a different universe as far as music was concerned. You had the 50s clean cut shit lingering around doused with 'controlled risqué' Surfer Rock and neutered Elvis doing films. Sinatra and the Rat Pack are in full swing gaining Second Wind, and ...suddenly it all gets blown the fuck out with psychedelic, progressive, and raga rock. Then two years later blues and heavy metal really start bubbling in. 60's counter culture was NOT a joke. The groundwork was laid in '64 like you pointed out, but by 66 it really went off the rails. Genuine night and day difference.

FWIW, Deadwood and Chappelle's Show were two other hits which ran for 3 years.

"Deadwood: HBO's hit drama series that follows the evolution of an American frontier town, and the ruthless power struggle between its inhabitants." - https://www.hulu.com/series/deadwood-6baae385-fa66-4af3-953b...

"early 2000s comedy hit Chappelle's Show" - https://www.newsweek.com/chappelle-show-netflix-controversia...

There's probably many more.

Outside of the US it's pretty common for shows to end after, comparatively, very few episodes. Especially places like the UK.

Though, lightly-scripted comedy and current affairs shows tend to go on much longer and it's quite surprising when they're cancelled.

Another example; "telenovelas tell one self-contained story, typically within the span of a year or less", and there have been many hits. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telenovela .

"comparatively, very few episodes. Especially places like the UK"

OK - Fawlty Towers: 12 episodes. Now, look up the Two Ronnies, Morecambe and Wise, Victoria Wood, Absolutely Fabulous, French and Saunders, Lenny Henry, Monty Python's Flying Circus, Ben Elton, The Fast Show, ... oh and I'm watching Dawn French doing current stand up right now. Jo Brand, ... oh this is getting boring and I've missed out loads. That's just a few comedians.

We have a few soaps that have stood the test of time too and a few current affairs programmes that have been around for a while: Coronation Street, East Enders, Have I got News for you, QI, The Archers, Panorama.

The BBC alone has been running for quite a while and I'll finish with an honourable mention for Blue Peter.

I haven't really refuted your argument but then that was pretty arse to start with. Gave me an excuse to reminisce for a while 8)

Now you've got me wondering if it's time to buy some fork handles. ;)

I was six in 1976 so too young to understand the original. I think I would have been 10 or so when I first saw a repeat with the family around the box and got it!

Ironically enough its called, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Candles, the Four Candles sketch. Everyone I know, including you, call it "fork 'andles".

It was and is a work of genius. 53 year old me still loves it as much as 10 year old me!

Well, Chappelle's Show was a matter of him not wanting to do it due to compensation issues. Had no idea Deadwood was an actual hit, though, I assumed it was one of those "cult following" shows.

Well, what makes "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" an actual hit and not one of those cult following shows?

It was ranked #16 in 1966-1967, #18 in 1967-1968, and #27 in 1968-1969.

1966-1967 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top-rated_United_States_televi...

1967-1968 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top-rated_United_States_televi...

1968-1969 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top-rated_United_States_televi... says The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour was ranked 27.

It was on Sunday nights against Bonanza. Merely surviving makes it a hit.

There were NO "cult following" shows in prime time in the top 30. Maybe on late nights.

That's really more a matter of individual perspective, yes?

I mean, https://www.ranker.com/list/best-1960s-cult-tv-series/ranker... lists Smothers Brothers as a cult show.

To be fair, Smothers Brothers is not listed at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cult_television_shows while Deadwood is.

On the other hand, that Wikipedia list includes Miami Vice (ranked #9 in 1985-1986 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top-rated_United_States_televi... ), The Golden Girls ("ranked among the Nielsen ratings' top ten for six of its seven seasons" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_Girls ), and X-Files (ranked #11 in 1997-1998, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top-rated_United_States_televi... ).

And X-Files regularly shows up on lists of cult shows, like TV Guide's at https://www.tvguide.com/news/reacher-season-2-release-date-c... .

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