Danny

The keys to a successful comedy usually involve a clever story line, funny comedians and a believable laugh track.

CBS's "DANNY" possesses none of these things.

Originally and appropriately titled "AMERICAN WRECK", the producers of this show did an about turn and quickly changed the title of this sitcom after realizing that they could be setting themselves up for media ridicule once this show hit the air.

Daniel Stern portrays a single father of two teenage brats. He also runs the local community center and is facing a mid-life crisis. Apparently, the producers of this show thought that 'turning 40' meant having your life turned upside down... God only knows how they would have portrayed life for those poor people out there who are going on 50!

The comedy itself is missing from this show. One ridiculous scene had a bunch of little girls dressed up as ballerinas in the community center squealing and crawling all over him, and the audience is supposed to be laughing at this? This was about the exact time that I changed the channel.

Airing a successful comedy in the Friday night time slot is not an impossibility. Guess where 'EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND' got its start.

CBS gets a thumbs down for bringing this show to our living rooms, but also gets a thumbs up for giving it a rightfully-deserved axing. At the end though, you do have to wonder... 'What exactly was the point of all of this?'

Rewatching this from my original recording back in 2001, it's definitely the typical show that would be aired at that time on CBS. Love Daniel Stern. I feel there was potential if it would have survived longer.

CBS is no stranger to generic sitcoms, but to be fair, a generic sitcom doesn't always have to be bad, because the formula is essential, and good characterization or an ounce of bearability can bring it a long way, CBS had those in spades.

Danny isn't good, but it's not that bad either. The show follows the sitcom conventions to a tee with very little divergence. The staying power it would ultimately have was determined by its early cancellation two episodes in.

While Daniel Stern is no stranger to family sitcoms, one of his two most notable roles in that realm was The Wonder Years, but it seems he couldn't shake the stigma of Marv, he had nothing else going for him.

Danny has no interesting qualities, or at least those not done better in other sitcoms. The odd things that occur with or by him are random, sure, but they feel abrupt. Random oddities work better with either a good set-up or flow to it.

Admittedly, the show was easy to sit through, and I do like the single camera approach, plus it can do wonders with most of its good-natured humor.

But at best, this feels more like filler than anything else, I imagine they wanted something to fill the season's schedule. Interesting trivia, one of the producers behind this would go on to produce Reba.

Only one episode has resurfaced of this show, and honestly, one is enough. This is basic sitcom 101, but at least it's easy to sit through.