Bob Patterson | The Seinfeld Curse Files
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2024
- Written, Presented & Compiled by Joe Ramoni
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Larry Rosenfeld
Bob Patterson was an American television sitcom starring Jason Alexander. The series premiered on ABC on October 2, 2001, and the final episode aired on October 31 of that year.
On the last day of filming, Jerry gathered up the whole gang and said "From this point on, nobody will ever be able to think of one of us, without thinking about all of us. And I cant think of any 4 people I'd rather that be true about."
They all cried.
"Onions... Who the hell is chopping ONIONS in here?" (British guy doing my frankly faultless Costanza)
Thank you, that was beautiful, stay safe mon ami... 🇬🇧🏆🇺🇸
Friendly reminder that Jerry Seinfeld was dating, and likely had sexual relations with, a 17 year old girl while filming Seinfeld.
@@venator0405 And?
Have you never opened a history book?
@@venator0405 ok...
@@venator0405 reminder that one of your playlists are nazi March music
My favorite line from Bob Patterson "The only thing standing between you and your goals is you, and your goals. "
Gold, pure gold
Great advice & the route to its application is right there in the direct center of said advice.
@@davidhutchinson7888 It’s good Jerry! GOLD!
Me too. Such a funny line.
There's an alternate universe out there where The Office was cancelled after the first season and Bob Patterson was a mega hit.
Oscar is in both so thats a thing lol
The office almost didn't make it in the beginning.
@@ZoneGlazed Yeah, the office was almost cancelled right after the duwalhi episode. It was 40 year old virgin becoming a hit and them making, shit, that long already, that star character more likeable. They even changed his hairstyle.
God I wish that could have been the case...
@@ZoneGlazedwe almost got a better world
There are like ten funny clips from the office in it’s entirety, that’s why every meme from the office is only like one of a handful of different things. The rest of the time the show is just boring and I’ve never made it through more than a few episodes
Watching clips from this show just serves as a reminder of how wildly talented Jason Alexander is. I wish he got more roles these days, man.
woah you know his real name??? 😮😮😮are you a real life friend of George from Seinfeld???🤔🤔🤔 or are you just a superfan??? 🤯🤯🤯
The cast was unbelievably annoying.
@@snakelama He's the Claw asshole, show some respect.
@@mrmusickhimself he’s not going to fuck you
He has a semi recurring role in Young Sheldon where he plays a drama teacher/real estate agent that’s really funny. George was by far the funniest most interesting character on Seinfeld . There were other high profile actors that tried for it. I think Jerry originally wanted Chris Rock and I’ve heard that Danny DeVito was thought about. Both probably would have worked but Jason took it too a whole nother level. Danny ended up in the perfect role anyway
Jason Alexander is so likable, it actually hurts me too that Bob flopped. My friend told me he and his family were in LA when he was a kid and happened to spot Jason at a restaurant so he got excited and went up to him and asked for an autograph. Jason smiled and patted his head (friend was a young kid at that point) and apologized, saying he's off-limits when he's out with his family but he still appreciated him going up to say hi to him anyway. I thought that was really cool and admirable 😁 Long live JA/GC
Is your friend Bob Sacamano?
I’m pretty sure that was Art Vandelay. He’s a famous architect. Don’t feel bad, very easy to confuse the two
so the boy asked for his autograph and Jason turned him down, and that is your anecdotal example of him being a great guy in real life?
I loved him on Duckman. A now mostly forgotten animated series that ran on USA Network. I don't know the history of it, but I have fond memories of watching it as a kid.
Duckman was great
RebelTaxi has a great video on it
Cornfed rocked and then became the Sprint guy.
@@eddiedingle767 Thanks I'll check it out
Greatest cartoon ever made
It's still a tragedy/mystery that JA did not receive even one Emmy for playing George.
He lost so many to Kramer! (Also Niles Crane)
"George is gettin' upset!"
There are Bob Patterson ads on the bus shelters shot around Ground Zero on 9/11. I'm reminded of this show once a year.
That must make for interesting conversations.
"What comes to mind when you think of September 11?"
"BOB BOB BOB BOB B-B-BOB BOB BOB BOB. . ."
Alexander has suggested that 9/11 changed the national temper such that people weren’t as much in the mood for “Bob Patterson”’s comedy as they otherwise would have been. So, add *that* to the possible list of culprits for this show’s early demise.
@@brettfawcett2306
That makes sense. Something else nobody mentioned after 9/11 was that "because I got high" song.
@@brettfawcett2306 it Is around the time single cams became big and multi cams not on cbsdied
wat.
This show would have been a perfect Seinfeld spinoff. Have George become a self help guru who believes his own hype. It would have been hilarious. Call it The Costanza Mantra.
The Human Fund!
I don’t know exactly how such things work, but I’m guessing that financially, it was more profitable to create a new character.
Serenity now!
Bruh that's genius 🤣🤣🤣
Ohh snap that would have been perfect
Does it surprise anyone else that The Michael Richards Show had four co-creators? That is an insane amount of creative bankruptcy.
How I feel when a film has a minimum *four* screenwriters 😬
That's 1/8 as many producers on Picard.
@@BaranoffIsaac the NBC executive was correct, Seinfeld was hot, a true Kramer sitcom would get numbers, Michael Richard's playing a tall normal detective wasn't going to work.
Friends had at least 3.
I don't know. When you take the most popular side character in a series and give them their own spinoff, especially if they're the wackiest characters, you really set the show up with expectations it can't possibly follow. The wacky characters need the more restrained characters to work off of. Imagine if instead of Frasier, they spun off Cliff or Norm. It would all be a "sounded like a good idea at the time" when they ran out of wacky things for them to do. A Kramer series would sound like an obvious success, but without Jerry, George, and Elaine to keep him in check, his wacky misadventures being the entire show would get stale. And that would also affect the new cast members. Would we either have stand ins of the Seinfeld gang to balance him out, or are they going to make him the straight man of the group and give him even wackier, cartoonish characters?
This is honestly an amazing premise for a sitcom. Shame it didn't really last
Was thinking the same thing. And Alexander seems like he had a great feel for the character. Had to be something political behind the scenes that sunk it.
Honestly it's just the premise of Frasier
@@PureWaterGuy I mean their office looks like Frasiers but that’s about it
@@DrunkenSlob He's a therapist, Bob is a self help guru. I get what the guy's saying, but its a stretch.
And Frasier isn’t really neurotic outside of a few episodes, for the most part he’s just a snobbish prick
10:42 ... I was not expecting to see Oscar from the office popping up as a random extra in this
Fr lol
Another person cursed by the show that will forever be bigger than them. Him and like 95% of the cast
@@funnybone6149 excuse me, oscar stays booked and busy
Right? With his name tag also reading "Oscar"
@@dm9489 opportunity wasted there for a guest starring role (Jason Alexander in the Office)
I never thought that the problem with the Seinfeld actor's solo shows was that they were different, it was that they were too much the same. Bob Patterson would've worked if the character wasn't at all George. The Michael Richards Show would've worked if it wasn't at all like Kramer. Veep works because Selina Meyer isn't Elaine. See my point? Audiences are savvier than the networks think they are. We want different but familiar. These actors are familiar enough that we didn't need George and Kramer clones to drive that point home.
Agreed. One wonders what tv execs think while watching movie actors play completely different roles in multiple movies. Good actors become the role they’re playing and can change between them. George Clooney isn’t even a great actor, but Monument Men is a far cry from a Coen brothers’ film, which is a far cry from Ocean’s anything. Audiences can keep up if the actors can act persuasively.
Yeah it’s like the execs were still playing to the mindset of tv consumers from the 60s and 70s. The audience wants to see new and different things now.
Seinfeld wouldn't have worked if they cut the cord after 5 episodes. These shows would have all found their audiences and voices.
Veep was kept on the air because it was pushing a political agenda and had a woman in it. Plus Julia most likely has more pull than Alexander and Richards.
Good show but that is most likely why.
@@johntallanger4036 Veep was kept on the air because it had great writing and was funny.
HBO isn't in the business of keeping bad shows that don't pull ratings on their network.
I've had a few HBO shows that I loved get cancelled prematurely.
HBO rarely misses.
@@DPMusicStudio lol
Jason was also the star of Duckman. That show is incredible
Agreed. That duck was such a funny, arrogant scumbag.
Great show!
Unfortunately still a flop. I love that show
@@zacharycollett5456 what makes you say it was a flop? 70 episodes and a fan base that loves it.
It blows my mind it isn't streaming anywhere. They did reruns on Comedy Central for a while like 20 years ago.
Beethoven’s Symphony Number Five with the Seinfeld Bass. That should not have made me laugh as hard as it did.
George Can't stand ya is the best TV character of all time.
Was... then the true Costanza emerged in Larry David on Curb Your Enthusiasm.
@@themonkeyhand That show doesn't count because it was on cable.
@@TheTenCentStory Well, I'll take that as we're both right then!
@@themonkeyhand Cable shows just have more freedom. You wouldn't compare a Netflix mini-series to a sitcom on a standard TV or an HBO show. They have different standards.
I believe it's pronounced Cartwright lol.
Much like the Michael Richards Show, I think the networks were making Jason portray his character exactly like his Seinfeld counterpart. People were still reeling over the ending of that show and they wanted to retain the magic. They figured people wouldn't have watched these shows if they didn't feature Kramer and George carbon copies.
Well said
A few years after that he did a show called “Listen Up”, and I thought the same thing. He’s still playing George.
@@fstrgray82 actually he was playing Tony Kornheiser in that one
He said in the video that Jason himself admittedly brought a lot of George's character to the show, so no, the networks weren't exactly forcing it to be another George Costanza
@@Echidneys Apparently Jason wasn't quite ready to let go of George. Maybe what he should have done instead was ask Jerry if he could use the character in his own spin-off, but maybe he did and Jerry said no.
It's sad when Bob Patterson has more episodes than Police Squad!
Friends has more episodes than Seinfeld.
Friends is dog shit.
...though TBF, Police Squad spawned a movie trilogy.
@@madmaxandrade fair.
and both Bob Patterson and The Michael Richards Show could gone great if they mirror that same formula, the original concepts work better as movie series!
Alexander was always a stage guy, he didn't even want to audition for george as it was television - he went back to being a successful stage actor after the show and his two aborted television shows
The reason why Julia managed to break the "curse" is because she didnt play Elaine in her other projects...Michael played Kramer, Jason played George, and of course their shows sucked without Larry David writting the scripts, especially in the latter case, because Larry IS George.
The networks probably pushed for this because of how popular Seinfeld was, but the actors should have stayed their ground...like Julia did.
Veep is so good
Sweet profile pic
Agree about Julia, but she DID have one forgotten failure--Watching Ellie. Asked him to cover that one in my above comment, so we'll see what happens!
Julia just got lucky tbh.
She also has her billionaire dad backing her so she could be choosy with her jobs as Jason and Michael have to continue to work to make a living.
Bee Movie should have had a Jason Alexander cameo
Yeah
Yes
If only
Bee Movie was awful. Good for him that he wasn’t in it.
You should do a show on SNL failures. There's tons of them. Some are good, like The Critic, and some are very bad, like It's Pat.
Pat skits were pretty funny imo
@@Echidneys exactly, skits. A full movie? Nope
Hot take: The Critic was better than most of The Simpsons. I adore, ADORE that show
@PestoMayo The Critic hit the ground running, as The Simpsons was also at its peak at that time. I know people hate Al Jean, but it is a marvelous show. A rare example of a program that got even better after introducing a permanent new character/live interest during its second season
“We have a saying back home in Tennessee. Be a mensch, not a schmendrick.”
@@J.S.3259 Al Jean?
I’d like to think this series was responsible for the joke about Castanza’ book in Curb Your Enthusiasm.
They also did the private bathroom bit in Curb
@@jjryan1352 That was a takeoff from George quitting because his boss wouldn't let him use his private bathroom.
It's interesting that you inserted a reference to Curb Your Enthusiasm. You pretty much answered the question of why Bob Patterson couldn't work. Granted, there is only one George Costanza, but there is only one Larry. Larry took George back and re-wrote him for Curb. That was smart because George needed to be exposed for what he really was; Larry David. Jason did an amazing job, but Larry is just a natural at it. He took out some of the extreme "neurotic-ness" of George and channeled it with Larry.
Plus, by the time Bob Patterson came out, Larry was already a massive ratings hit, so there was most likely no room for two Larrys/Georges.
A George divided against itself cannot stand!
@@davidgalinat4257 Georges colliding
I loved that about the reunion. Cheryl starts liking Jason Alexander, and Larry is just like that's not Jason thats George, that's me lol.
So what you're saying is "Sorry, we've already got a George" ?
When Joe said that the final episode that aired was just pure George and then he showed the scene where Bob Patterson was complaining about other people using his restroom, I thought to myself that he actually reminded me more of Larry David there.
This show had way more potential than most of the other Post Seinfeld shows for the cast. Insane to me that they didn’t give it more of a shot considering the fact that Seinfeld itself took a couple seasons to become successful. You’d think they’d learn from that model.
Very true. The first 2-3 episodes of Seinfeld and Cheers are virtually unwatchable. Imagine if they were cut off after just 5 episodes?
No network exec willing to take a chance.
TV execs never learn cos TV execs wouldnt have commisioned Seinfeld in the first place if theyd been paying full attention to it, Seinfeld the show really slipped under the radar amidst a sea of family sitcoms. And you find that with just about anything fresh or unique TV executives are the last ones to realise what they have, the same went for Monty Pythons Flying Circus, the BBC took no notice of it til it started getting complaints.
"The Office" is a rare example of where they did a scenario kind of what you're describing. The first season had low ratings and wasn't well received critically, and they were going to cancel it. The only reason they gave it a second season was "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" was coming out and they thought that Steve Carrell's new boost in popularity might help the show. (It was also retooled a fair bit with the writing). The gamble paid off big time.
They tried to create a new Frasier and got warmed-over George leftovers.
Lovely observation, I was getting mild Frasier vibes too
Haha i don't think George ever had any leftovers!! Munch a bunch portly guy.
Yeah, I'd say one of the many reasons for this show's failure was that it somewhat seemed like a Frasier ripoff.
Fraiser was by far the most annoying character on Cheers. The only good part of his spin-off was his dad's dog.
@@tearfulsmiles9901 tell us how you really feel 😂
I think there are some aspects of the Bob Patterson premise that could still work today, especially with the increased prevalence of self-help/financial gurus and MLM reps selling the dream. There’s so many opportunities for parody and satire. I’m glad he went on to do the Donny Clay character.
Yes i would love this now
Jason Alexander has a freaking Tony Award, so it’s fitting that he would semi-adapt the character into a live stage format!
Luckily for them, Seinfeld is as fresh today as it was 30 years ago and is a timeless classic that will be remembered lost after more successful actors careers are long forgotten.
@Stellvia Hoenheim I do
So relatable like when you have to change the tape on a girls answering machine because you left embarrassing messages on it?
Timeless!
@Stellvia Hoenheim Eww, Anti Semitic
@@TheWinstonSlip it will be year 2050 and that wont get old
@Stellvia Hoenheim Or if you can relate to getting caught... by your mother.
A Bob Patterson mockumentary would've been a big hit!
Julia Louis-Dreyfus is probably one of the better Seinfeld Curse survivors due to the success of New Adventures of Old Christine and Veep. Watching Ellie notwithstanding.
and now also part of the MCU
@@johansvensson833 she's in the MCU?
Veep is fantastic. Not only because of the speed of the gags but for how accurately it portrays how politics actually happens behind the scenes.
@@jjryan1352 The Thick of It is much better though, Veep is a bit disappointing after it.
New Adventures of Old Christine was great.
Jason is always so committed in how he delivers every line
I honestly died at the Seinfeld-esque music at the beginning. 😂
That sad bass line had be cracking up
Jason Alexander is always a delight when I see him in anything.
I agree, good actor
Same here. He’s been in a couple of episodes of Young Sheldon and he’s great.
Mosquito coast
The Merv Griffin Show episode is my all time favorite Seinfeld episode.
Classic
"What is this?" "We're trying out a new formula, Scandals and Animals!"
I watched it a couple nights ago because my partner didn't remember it and we both were in stitches! I love that seinfeld holds up
Jerry really didn't try or care about finding another sitcom. He never considered himself an actor anyway. He just went back to stand-up, as he wanted to do.
he just went back to bunk tier garbo standup, like he always wanted.
I went to theater camp and did a few shows with Jason Alexander's son, who's name is also, coincidentally, Gabriel and is a phenomenal actor in his own right.
Omg das sooo cool!!!!!
I feel like the world has grown into the premise of this kind of show. Considering fake gurus are absolutely everywhere these days, especially online.
I somehow still remember that episode where he laid on a bed of spikes. Amazing the random stuff you remember even though you only saw it once 20 years ago.
I’ve always said that Jason Alexander was the best actor on Seinfeld. He’s criminally underused, like pepperoni.
Pepperoni is a violently murdered Living being that anted to live with emotions and feelings. Go vegan.
He absolutely is. I’ve always felt that jerry is actually the worst
@@pilapila183 I’ve thought that too. To be fair, Jerry’s just a comedian - he’s good enough in that he understands setup and payoff, the rule of 3, absurdity, timing, etc.
@@pilapila183 Jerry actually said this when he gave a speech when Julia won the Mark Twain Prize for comedy.
Yes! Been looking forward to more of these Seinfeld forgotten failures!
Same here man!
Damn, only five episodes went on? That’s brutal. I suppose a fair amount of why it doesn’t quite work is that the pitiable Jason Alexander schtick works only in doses and can’t carry a whole show. The footage you showed looks like more of the same from Seinfeld, but only more of the same.
Love the hei pfp
What if they made a show about someone crashing into their car, but he don't have insurance or money to pay for the repairs, so he ends up being their butler for a month?
I like it! And if it flops we can pitch it to Japan!
The Seinfeld curse might also have to do with viewers not wanting more Seinfeld without the entire cast, or, it might have been Seinfeld fatigue... could be either of those.
At least Jason Alexander still has Duckman to his name.
and Shallow Hal.
He has a recurring role in Young Sheldon as a drama teacher/real estate agent
and Dunston Checks In
Almost cult-classic idea: Cheech and Chong's non-stoner movie called The Corsican Brothers. A silly and smart comedy that demonstrates a range of abilities from Cheech Marin and Tommy chong.
Maybe in comparison to Gene Wilder's Start the Revolution Without Me which is also a take on The Corsican Brothers?
Most recently, Jason was in an Adult Swim pilot called The Mark Lembeck Technique (which has similar self-help guru infomercial energy while also infusing surreal psychological darkness) that I absolutely ADORED. I think it's impossible for me not to enjoy Jason, no matter what he's in. He's won a Tony, a Grammy, VERY NEARLY had a whole bunch of Emmys (especially considering his success as, let's face it, the heart and soul of Seinfeld [which makes no sense but is true])... let's get him a really meaty role to win an Oscar for, consarn'it!
He has a recurring role in Young Sheldon as a drama teacher/real estate agent that’s really funny
LOL. I love what you said... "Make no sense but it is true."... I get that! Seinfeld HAS no soul... "No hugs no learning."
It’s a shame that Jason Alexander and Michael Richards shows didn’t do well. Both are talented, but unfortunately too many people just wanted them to essentially play the same Seinfeld characters in different shows with different names. At least Julia Louis-Dreyfus has had better success over the years by being able to branch out and play characters that aren’t exactly like Elaine, which is good. It’s just unfortunate that when people play a character for so long, that many people want them to play that character in essentially everything else they do, when actors generally want to stretch and want to leave certain characters behind to avoid being typecast.
Not even when they play them for so long. Look at Mark Hamill.
Michael Richards isn't talented.
@@parlinmains To be Fair at this point he Is More well known as the joker too, and he Is even better in that role
This show felt like it could have had a chance, but still had the shadow of Seinfeld looming over it
I have always thought in a weird ways the Seinfeld characters especially the male characters mirrored Mickey and friends. Jerry = Mickey, Kramer = Goofy, and George = Donald. And of those characters who had the best solo cartoons, who are you most interested in spending time with, Donald Duck. Look at the comic book sale. What was I talking about again? Yeah George was the best character.
Cool comparison. That's gold yszman. Gold!
@@jjryan1352 Well if I can go further into my Donald / George comparison, which I just thought of now. (and yes I am going more into comic book Donald than cartoon Donald) But an argument one can make, that Frank was George's Uncle Scrooge. And to a lesser extent and I admit this a big stretch, that Loyd Brawn is George's Gladstone.
I feel like that's a common trope. The Comic Trio.
Jason’s work on Duckman will always be my second favorite thing he’s done since Seinfeld.
Jason Alexander is so talented. He can sing, he can dance, he can do magic, he can write, he can act, he's a quintuple threat.
I think Alexander said it perfectly when he said he wished he could go back and redo some things but keep the concepts because he’s knows they would work. I think if they did something more akin to the righteous gemstones it would of been an awesome show.
He is a massive talent (not just in comedy, but in drama and even in musicals). ABC should have given him a proper shot to get it off the ground, but I do think the notes you gave here are also really smart (as well as the ones on the MR show episode).
I was waiting for this. Jason’s best work post-Seinfeld was one of the most underrated comedies of the 2000’s - Shallow Hal.
The Seinfeld Curse is tragic for the former actors on this show. Also, Poor Jason Alexsander.
Julia broke the curse with Veep
She had another long running show before veep and after Seinfeld... New Christine
I highly doubt he's poor. Seinfeld re-runs started before the show even ended and never stopped.
He was in Everybody Hates Chris as well
@@salamisumo2 The thing with Julia is that she did something the others didnt; she didnt play Elaine.
Which was always the issue, Jason was still playing George, and Michael was still playing Kramer.
It seems only Julia Louis-Dreyfus had a successful television career after Seinfeld ended. Not that they need to work ever again.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus had her own failed sitcom around this time called *Watching Ellie* , which I’m pretty sure will make this series of Seinfeld Curse Forgotten Failures
I remember this show, I actually liked it. I found it funny and then, it just disappeared like it never happened....never knew why. Good to see someone talking about this hidden gem.
This one seems better than the Michael Richards show, I’d actually check it out
I’ve seen a few episodes of both and you are absolutely right. Bob Patterson has its charm; after the pilot, The Michael Richards show is nearly unwatchable.
Kramer was a fun over the top character but we didn’t need any more of him and that’s Richard’s main schtick, that really physical comedy. I really liked him on Fridays and was delighted when I saw him on Seinfeld but was a little disappointed that the character was so small. Once the show started taking off and he had more freedom to play Kramer the way he wanted it was great.
I figured the one actor to break the Seinfeld curse would be the actor who played Jay Peterman. He starred on dance with with the Stars, hosted Family Feud, and is currently hosting the Thanksgiving day dog show on NBC.
John O'Hurley?
@@ExplorerDS6789 yes
@@wstine79 Not to mention, Joe said "four actors" at the beginning, surely he doesn't mean Jerry too? Jerry pretty much retired after Seinfeld ended, and he only emerged to make Bee Movie.
Bryan Cranston aka Tim Whatley has done pretty well
He's also hosted the revival of To Tell The Truth . Also Bob Odenkirk played Elaine's boyfriend and is doing pretty well.
On a positive note, apparently Robert Klein was able to stop his leg.
Ha!! Now that’s old school
I always remember this show was set to premier on Tuesday September 11th 2001. No one was watching sitcoms that night.
Bob Patterson’s snafu at the baseball game reminds of Larry on CYE, tripping Shaq a few hours short of proclaiming that he can’t stand the Lakers
I had *never* heard of "Bob Patterson" until now! 🤓
Neither had I. I wasn’t watching a lot of tv back then.
And now Elaine is the Contessa.... I think at least she’s okay
Those interviews with Jason Alexander for the archive of American television are fantastic (as was this video)
2:22 It’s Babu Bhatt! 😄
10:42 and Oscar, pre-Office 😳
Guess this show had good guest cameos if nothing else 😅
"What's a Babu Bhatt?" 🤣
@@jjryan1352 he was a recurring character on Seinfeld he owned a restaurant and was Jerry’s neighbor
@@bjones8470 whooooooooosh
Some helpful info to add to these videos about failed shows is what time of year they debuted: fall, mid-season or summer; night of the week/lead-in/time slot competition; the ratings themselves.
TV after Seinfeld was just Christopher Guest movies shortened for TV
Exactly they really ran with that format
Jason Alexander was great as the voice of Catbert in the 2-season Dilbert cartoon in the late 1990s.
You are such a true and pure historian of pop culture. The things you are curating are wonderful glimpses into the past that have been forgotten with time but I hope as your channel grows and grows they won't be forgotten. And that's something to respect and admire.
10:35 That is definitely Oscar from The Office US.
dont knotts and bob newhart are two of the few actors who have been successful at carrying their characters through multiple shows
I remember the marketing for this show. They rarely said that it was a sitcom, and almost never mentioned Jason Alexander's name. They presented it as a self-help show by guru Bob Patterson There were a lot of people on the internet forums at the time who were confused by this technique, and kept commenting that this Bob Patterson guy looks a lot like George from Seinfeld.
Yeah I think they did that on purpose thinking it would be some kind of viral “secret” that would spread among the subset who (hee hee hee) get it. Backfired horribly.
That theme song is incredible.
I remember in the 90s Mad magazine did an article about various Seinfeld spinoffs. This reminds me of that.
Dunstan Checks in is a brilliant example of Jason being a fantastic out of character actor.
Indeed. I still watch that movie whenever it comes on television even as an adult since it has a certain kind of charm that endeared it to me in spite of all the mixed reviews it garnered from critics upon its release.
Dunston Check In is underrated as hell.
I think it was actually the hair piece. When he put it on he was no longer George
@@jamesburke2759 Wait. He had hair in that movie? Pretty sure I remember him looking just like he did in Seinfeld, though I did look it up and sure enough, Jason’s sporting a pretty obvious toupee in that film. Either I’m misremembering the film or it’s yet another Mandela Effect, just sayin’. 👽🛸
James Burke Haven't seen it--I know it's a comedy, but does he play a serious role?
I'd say that they had a solid concept, but it feels the network damned it to being a laughtrack series. Of course, I found this series at least creative, where as his follow up "Listen Up" was just generic, crummy, family sitcom with the same family sitcom brand of lame jokes and just absolutely wasting Jason's talent. I agree completely. Had this been more satirical of the self help guru industry and had a more theatrical format like The Office, there could have been major improvements down the line. Problem is, that format was too new at the time for the network to want to gamble on. Also, I HAVE to shove in this reference because of my Seinfeld character OCD, but "BOB IS GETTING UPSET!!"
If he tried to do this again I have a feeling it would be a hit.
Not to mention that even if he retread his George Contanza persona, nowadays nostalgia for Seinfeld would play in favor of that.
Bob the TH-camr
I wonder how these post-Seinfeld shows would have turned out if they only had a little more time. Seinfeld itself was hated by test audiences, and didn’t really become the classic it was meant to be until a season or two in.
Good point but often there are other factors other than ratings which affect success like time slot, creative control, network support, disputes over money etc.
Wow, never heard of this show before! I knew Jason did that Listen Up sitcom post Seinfeld, but I had no idea he did that one too! Thanks for sharing! 👍
at least he had duckman
Whenever I see Jason Alexander in anything post-Seinfeld, I always get this goofy grin, I love seeing him in anything!
This isnt a curse. Its called success and its pitfalls. Look at famous bands. Most will do solo projects that are naturally not as good as the bigger, more popular bands they came from. Doesnt mean they're cursed. It just means they're more known for being the singer of that bigger band instead of the singer for their new side project.
Finally! I was waiting for your video on Bob Patterson.
The only thing I remembered about this show before watching this is that WWE ripped off the gimmick for Diamond Dallas Page.
I remember seeing a billboard for this show as a kid.
I understand why networks don't air all episodes when a show is struggling. But why do they remain unaired decades later? Is it because they would have to pay residuals?
The new adventures of old christine is so underrated I really hope he covers it
I’m rewatching it now along with Veep on HBO. Both are great
Are you doing Old Christine next? Because I wouldn't consider that a forgotten failure at all. Ran for quite a while, still remembered. Just overshadowed completely by the lead actors going on to Veep and the MCU.
Absolutely fantastic video! This will most likely get lost in the sea of comments, but I created the Bob Patterson lost media wiki page last year after seeing that the show was mostly lost, and I'm so happy that this show is starting to be talked about.
I doubt my wiki page had much influence on this video, but I do know that "Bathroom Bob" was uploaded by a wiki contributor! Where did you find that pic for the thumbnail though? I've literally looked through the 12th page of google for info from this show but NEVER seen that pic before, I'm impressed haha
I used your great Wiki page for research! Particularly the link to the archived Bob Patterson website. Thanks so much for archiving that stuff. I can email you the Bob Patterson image if you like. I found it on a Google deep dive.
@@HatsOffEntertainment Oh my god that's so cool! And you're very welcome! I found that website from that promo you included at the beginning of the vid. Totally email it to me, I'd love it! Where should I give my email?
@@cinnamongeek have you done others?
@@bjones8470 done other what? done other articles? Sorry I’m not sure what you’re asking me
@@HatsOffEntertainment Can you still send me that image? I’ll give you my email
This show might actually play better today. I laughed at most of those clips. I could see it being filmed like The Office or something.
You could probably do a "Friends Curse Files" series if you wanted too, since most of that show's cast had the same experience after it ended.
The shit sitcoms they all had BEFORE Friends are fascinating debacles
Episode from last season of Curb Your Enthusiasm has a similar plot line to the last episode of this series... Larry can't use his doctor's bathroom ... as he calls it a "pure George" plot line.
This show was legit good, it's a shame it got cancelled.
The thing about the Seinfeld characters is that they worked in moderation. Each of them individually was too extreme. A show with just that character without any room to breathe was exhausting and boring. Just when you were getting tired after seeing George for two minutes it would switch to Kramer or Elaine. While it was all a different variety of neuroticism, it was just different enough to refresh the palette. And when the neuroticism got to be too much in total it would switch back to Jerry who would ground the audience again.
You forget the drama that was going on behind the camera. Jason was so difficult to deal with they had to redo the cast and writers because they either quit or were fired. It was doomed from the start
Really? Was he that bad?
are u going to cover his other show that failed to and its called Listen up! and he also had hit the road tv show that failed to
You're definitely right about audiences tiring of the sitcom format. Sadly, almost no comedy series today tries to take a fresh approach to it. In fact, the comedy is the ONE genre of television that has never been allowed to evolve. Drama, sci-fi, action, it has all evolved into resembling mini-movies, but not comedies. It's STILL the traditional multi-camera setup with a stupid laughtrack. What is up with the laugh track? That went out of style in the SIXTIES! Why haven't they let that die out yet? Not to mention the standard sitcom is now made up of cheap laughs and stereotypical, cliche characters, like it's the same damn show every time. Why can't comedies be allowed to evolve and adapt to the times? The sitcom era died out in the '90s, that's why shows like Bernie Mac, Scrubs and Malcolm in the Middle (as you said) tried something fresh and original with the format, so why don't newer series follow suit?
Why couldn't George be a spin off I mean look what happened to Three's Company and doing spin off using the likeness.
So many title ideas. Colliding Worlds is an obvious choice. Assuming the no happy ending format is kept.