Doctor Doctor

I just rediscovered this series due to having to transfer the videos I taped off USANetwork on to DVD. Doctor, Doctor is one of those rare TV series which still works 10 plus years after its production. Some of the humor is tied to pop culture at the time, but if you were alive then, you can pick up on it.

The show had a good balance of zaniness and pathos. Matt Frewer as Dr. Mike Stratford played the character as not a total goof ball, but as a real person in extraordinary circumstances. As hard as it is to imagine, Mike Stratford was the straight man for all the craziness happening around him. Much like Frasier Crane would later do for his family and friends.

I am hoping this show would find some sponsorship for a DVD release. The humor is mild but intelligent, but not too high brow. Stand it up against most shows today and the present shows should curl up in shame. A true classic, CBS should be ashamed of itself at canceling this show. It could easily had had the life of a show like Frasier. But this only says Doctor, Doctor was ahead of its time.

P.S. Am very chuffed, I found some original recordings I made at the time the show first aired on CBS. I don't have all the episodes, but I think I have most of them anyway.

This series stands along with Fawlty Towers as the most hilarious and short-lived series on television.

As with Max Headroom, Frewer was far ahead of his time and the show's humor and situations (i.e. his gay brother) were too controversial for 1989 audiences.

I think Frewer's talents have been grossly under-exploited and all of his work since, has been good, but has not provided a good vehicle to exploit his strengths. (The ad-lib outtakes seen on a CBS blooper show in '89 were outrageously funny!!)

Given the right situation he would be one of the comic geniuses of our time.

I keep hoping to see a DVD set or a run on cable so I can tape it.

CBS has been the number three network for a long time and a major reason for that is their poor use of excellent shows. Doctor, Doctor is a prime example of that. This sitcom was hidden at 10 o'clock on (I think) wednesday night after a full night of bad programming. This was however the funniest sitcom ever. Where shows like Friends entertain me and make me laugh out loud, this was the only show to ever make me laugh so hard that tears ran down my face. This show was taken off the air after only a short time in CBS' Witness Protection Program, so I never saw a rerun of any of the episodes, but I can still remember whole scenes. Matt Frewer came to do this show shortly after the Max Headroom craze he started and this was where his comedic skill really showed through. This show will never be on DVD and I will never get to see any of these episodes again, because the same genius that took this show off the air has thrown these tapes all the way to the back of the vault, where they will never be found; but I will never forget the scene where Matt Frewer's character was on the news explaining what happens in an accident that causes whiplash. He had this little girls' doll and was showing how the accident makes the head go back and then forward which is what causes the injury. The thing is that the dolls head came off in his hand. With a news anchor sitting next to him wondering how to get him to just shut up and the cameras on him he proceeded to try to put the head back on and "professionally" finish his segment. It didn't work. The next segment (when I finally was able to control my laughing) showed him in his office with the doll trying to figure out how to put the head back on and obviously feeling like an idiot because of what he had done on live TV. He then gets too frustrated with the doll and drops the head on the table, and next he uses the doll to kick the head off the other side of the table. It is of course impossible to explain a visual joke well, but the tears started coming down again.

I'm remembering all of this after seeing this scene once 14 years ago. It says something either about the quality of the show or the state of my mind. I think it's the show. My dream DVD list includes this series, but I guess I'll only keep the part that's in my head.

Matt Frewer, best known for his "Maxx Headroom" Coke commercials, had a great series going with "Doctor, Doctor". I was pretty young when it was on, but I remember my Dad and I used to laugh and laugh. It was one of those shows he'd anticipate watching (a big deal, as he's someone who regards watching T.V. as a huge waste of time). If you have an opportunity to see it, you should. Personally, I'm emailing networks that air reruns and suggesting DD. Funny stuff. Makes you wonder: how does a great show like DD get canceled, yet insipid tripe like "My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance" is a huge hit. To quote Sideshow Bob, TV has become a "chum bucket". Bring back shows like DD and let's obliterate 95% of "reality" shows.

I loved every second of this show, and hated how the network just kept bouncing it around until it died.

My favorite episode was when Dr. Mike's Dad was getting a divorce and Dr. Mike was dressed as a clown.

And who could forget the way he messed up deidre, erm deedree I mean diedri's name all of the time.

Classic comedy the likes of Lucille Ball and Robin Williams.

If anyone knows how I can get tapes of the series episodes please let me know.

Thanks!