She TV

She TV was a limited summer replacement series that ABC tried out in 1994. It had about six episodes, and was not picked up or run again. It was a skit comedy show, focusing on pop culture and a feminist take on life. One of the better recurring skits had a cast member as Chelsea Clinton on the phone as a normal teenager, commenting on US and world politics (much funnier than it sounds). Another recurring gag was Nick Bakay as Rush Limbaugh, spoofing the man mercilessly. Most were one-shot skits, such a group of drunken Barbie dolls dealing with a new Barbie doll (a la Toy Story) and a Midge doll that would not take a hint ('Back off, Midge, just back off'). Wished I had taped it when it ran.

Indeed, She TV was a limited run show but quite honestly, it was funnier than most. Despite being feminist it wasn't too feminist: as a young teenage boy at the time I could still watch it and be moved to gales of laughter. Truly a lost classic.

There was a great mock advert for the Ford Bronco using footage from the OJ Simpson slow-speed chase. The lyrics to the jingle they came up with are half-remembered and most likely wrong but posted here in case someone can correct them or point me to video of the advert...

Bronco! The new Ford Brocno, the truck we know you'll love. Try the new Bronco, it fits you like a glove! Bronco! The new Ford Brocno, it's a show stopper - grabs the attention of every passing chopper! Bronco! The new Ford Brocno, for work or play or sport - when you drive a Bronco, you get a police escort! Bronco!

Nick Bakay ended up the true star of the show in its short run. Perhaps the most memorable running joke throughout the series for me was the recurring lampoon of NYPD BLUE, then a hot newish show on ABC, but already familiar enough for Bakay, portraying the David Caruso character, and the various other cast members to consistently ask each other, with heads cocked to one side, "You OK?" Since this seemed to happen at least once every ten minutes on NYPD BLUE, it hit home. As a whole, the sketches that made up most of the episodes were less than stellar, but there was usually enough to make any given installment worth watching. Bakay, after his penance on the first shipwreck of a Dennis Miller talk show (syndicated in a time when there were many slots open for late-night syndicated talk shows), went on to shine in another largely female context, doing voiceovers in the teen-oriented but initially clever fantasy sitcom SABRINA, THE TEENAGED WITCH.