Heil Honey I'm Home!

Well, what can be said about "Heil, Honey I'm Home"? Basically, any sitcom about Adolf Hitler living next door to a Jewish couple is destined for disaster from day one. The fact that there were only eight episodes filmed but only one was ever shown says it all. This was made by the old BSB satellite company back in the days when satellite TV was something of a joke in the UK. Looking back at this programme makes it easy to understand why this was the common presumption.

The content of the programme was shocking, especially when it is from the so-called "more understanding" 90's rather than the politically-incorrect 70's. An example of the crass, offensive content is a scene in which Adolf is almost suffering a nervous breakdown. His wife Eva tells him to "think happy thoughts". "Poland!" shouts Hitler, with a devilish grin. And this is funny?!

Living in a small Berlin apartment with a Jewish couple for neighbours, the Hitlers (Der Führer Adolf Hitler und Frau Eva Braun-Hitler) bicker and squabble in the years leading up WW2. The single broadcast episode (of 8 made) of the tactless Brit-com is remarkedly unfunny, considering that it is a parody of the easily parodied American sitcoms of the '50s and '60s (especially the shows with a 'gimmick': witches, genies, talking cars, etc.). 'Heil Honey' does a good job of replicating the look and sound of its targets (the predicable jokes, the intrusive laugh track, the canned applause when characters enter the scene, etc.) and with a bit more cleverness might have made for a memorable 15-minute skit on Monty Python or SNL, but as a 30 minute episode of a proposed TV series, it wore itself out by the end of the first act. Needless to say, the show was vilified for making light of Hitler, of antisemitism, and of the events leading up to the war, but, while it no doubt offended many people, 'Heil Honey, I'm Home' was clearly intended as an over-the-top parody not to be taken seriously whatsoever (in the same vein as 'Hogans Heroes', 'The Producers', or any of the multitude of satirical cartoons, songs, movies, etc that came out when the war was still being fought). The only parts I found amusing was the image (referred to but not shown) of Herr Joseph Goebbels at the Berlin airport holding up a cardboard sign reading "Neville Chamberlain" while awaiting the arrival of the British Prime Minister and the show's alternate 'animated opening'. Of interest only of you want to prove to yourself that the show actually existed or to see what 'all the fuss was about' (I first heard of it when surfing 'worst' lists).

It's a spoof of 1950's sitcoms starring Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun and their wacky interactions with their Jewish neighbors. Yes, that's the plot. Are you laughing yet?

This was a show that was cancelled after just one showing. It was something that for the longest time existed only as legend and some thought it was never real but some wacky late night sketch show that people had mistaken for an actual sit com. But no, it was real and it was incredibly unfunny.

I'm not the type that says that there are certain subjects you can't make fun of but there is this thing called "tone" and how it's used. The tone for this show is all wrong. I get what it was they were going for. It's a spoof. They use all those tropes from the 1950's with catchphrases, wacky situations and colorful characters but it's just not done properly. This could have worked had they just added a little more subtlety.

But no, it was a failed experiment and it's remembered strictly for the fact it was cancelled after one episode. There are copies floating around out there if you care to see it out of curiosity but don't expect to laugh.

As a Jewish person of course I find anything related to the nazi's and late 1930's - 1945 events very insulting. But somehow this was pretty funny . Not that much and there where a few part that where unfunny or corny but I thought it was a okay premise.

Sometime in the mid 1980s. A Channel 4 sketch comedy show mocked the BBC sitcom Allo Allo. They had a similar premise set in modern day Belfast.

Heil Honey I'm Home! Had a same type notion but it was set in the late 1930s. Only one episode was broadcast, then again British Satellite Broadcasting was short-lived. Running out of cash it merged with Sky television by the end of 1990.

It is set like the typical 1950s/60s US sitcoms. The only difference is, Adolf Hitler is the fuhrer, living with Eva Braun in the next door apartment to the Goldsteins.

In the first episode, Hitler is going to have a visit from the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. He does not want the Goldsteins to know about it as they seem to find out everything. Little knowing that Eva spills the beans.

Neville wants Hitler to sign an important document called Peace In out Time. Something Hitler is reluctant to do.

Somewhat ahead of its time. The Marvel show Wandavision parodied US sitcoms. Mainstream news channels in 2023 both in America and Europe parrot and promote fascistic talking points. The enemy are liberals and Antifa (short for anti-fascists.)

So in that context if you approach the show with an open mind. It is very well made for 1990 but not that funny. It works better as a spoof of old US sitcoms but has less satirical bite when it comes to Hitler and what the Nazis stood for. Although here Neville embarrasses Hitler to sign the document as a signal that he really is a nice guy.

If it was made a few years ago, it would have been a perfect fit for the Murdoch owned Fox network and they would have been sympathetic to the Nazis.