Open All Night

This show was based on an English show of the same title, I believe. It was written well and not short on laughs. A line that sticks out happened when the son, Terry Feester played by Sam Whipple, was eating frozen french fries and the father told him he was supposed to cook them first and, in a very Jeff Spiccoli manor, he replied, "Not if you like them crunchy." Much like Kramer on Seinfeld, the son would come in at inopportune times with lines like, "Have you seen my Hulk head?" George Dzundza as Gordon Feester was excellent. There were only twelve shows and I think it only lasted four months. I'm pretty sure it ran on Friday nights. Maybe if they had tried another time slot. Too bad they didn't give it a chance.

Amazing! 35+ years later, I remember something from such an obscure show.

Gordon is complaining that Susan's neer-do-well ex is back on the scene, and that he'll never change from being a jerk.

Bubba Smith says with perfect dryness:

"People do change. Look at me - 15 years ago, I was a little white man from Switzerland!"

I thought this was a hysterical TV show! I wish it would have lasted longer!! It was about a convenience store, like AM/PM and they were open all night(hence the title), and it was a Mom and Dad and their adult son! The family actually lived above the store! So, funny! The son was a total idiot, but he made the show!! They should make more like it!

I, too, was randomly inspired to look this show up just now. I was 12 when it aired, so I don't know how I'd react to it now, but most of the shows I liked back then have held up reasonably well -- and I'm a pretty harsh critic.

I recall the show as being absolutely hilarious in an oddball way that -- whatever the actual quality of the execution -- was ahead of its time. My best friend and I (who have long thought we were the only people in America who actually watched it) were quite disappointed, if not surprised, when the show was canceled, and have been lamenting its passing -- and quoting it -- ever since.

I'm also interested to note that it starred George Dzundza, an obscure but brilliant actor best known for his powerful work in The Deer Hunter and as the first-season lead on Law and Order. I hadn't made that connection.

I must check YouTube to see if anyone has been kind enough to preserve some remnant of the series.

Funny you mentioned that. I don't know what in the heck made me look it up tonight, but I did. My brother and I watched that show religiously. That episode when they were robbed, I thought you were gonna say (when the Dad rescued him from the freezer chest) the Dad says "What are you doing Lyin in the freezer" and the kid goes "I'm not lying (we really were robbed)" I mean, yeah, you had to see it (people are reading this going 'yeah, boring') But it was so cool. I was jacked to see it on this site. It was a great show! I mean right up there with John Caponera's sitcom and the 'Neuman from Seinfeld" spin off. The good shows never really seem to last.