Spatz

This was one of my favourite shows when I was 7. I ended up working in McDonalds at the age of 15 and I always used to think about episodes of Spatz whilst I did mundane jobs around the restaurant. Watching again on YouTube recently has reminded me how good it really was.

I'm the only person I know who remembers this show, so it's nice to find out it wasn't in fact a figment of my imagination.

I was about 8 when I watched this, and all I can remember is fancying TJ something rotten, and being deeply jealous of Karen - even an 8 year old could see what was going on there. I also remember a scene where Karen dropped her contact lenses in a fish tank and had to wear glasses - years later I now sympathise - when she thought she'd found them she stamped on her glasses, but it was a fish egg or something.

This show would be worth repeating for kids (and adults) of today - you can find find the opening credits and a brief glimpse of an episode on Youtube - it really doesn't look very dated. I'd watch it!! Chalice

Initially a joint venture between UK and Canadian TV companies, Spatz was an inspired sitcom for young teenagers that worked for adults too. It blended the great British tradition of farcical comedy with the sophisticated, quick-fire dialogue of the best American sitcoms - and it ran circles around most kids' dramas! TJ Strickland was the all-American (well, Canadian) nice-guy who managed the UK's only branch of fast-food chain, Spatz. Handsome and easy-going, his life was made a lot more difficult by another Canadian, Karen Hansson, Spatz's European Co-coordinator, who shared his office. A cross between Jerry Hall and Cruella De Ville, the only language Karen spoke was money. The show's best moments came from her verbal sparring with TJ; their banter was infused with the same sexual tension that kept everyone hooked on 'Moonlighting'. There were some great comebacks and one-liners too. Downstairs on the shop floor was where the Brits ruled the roost: brazenly ambitious Dexter, wannabe-wide-boy Vince, sensible-but-dull Debbie, and clueless Stanley. In the first series the burgers were also flipped by Lily (working to pay for university) and token northerner, Jo, who was often Vince's partner-in-crime. The second series saw the introduction of Freddy, a mad Celtic fan who seemed to come from the Private Frazer (Dad's Army) school of superstitious Scots. As the series progressed the stories became more and more ludicrous and far-fetched, but that was part of the fun. It's a scandal that they didn't commission a fourth series!

I didnt actually watch this until its re-runs in the mid-1990s and although I can only manage to remember 2 of the characters (one of them, an American woman), it was incredibly funny enough to keep me glued to the TV set every Saturday afternoon at the age of 9, so i would naturally recommend this to kids. Good stuff.

I just checked this out and I wanted to thank the writers of the comments about Spatz. We had a lot of fun doing the show and it is extremely gratifying to hear that it was so enjoyed. As to the comments about the sexual tension between Jenifer Calvert as Karen and myself, I think it really added something to the show. The writers of the show, Grant and Lee really gave us wonderful material to work with and the entire cast worked very hard to make the show work. Also, our primary director. Stan Swann deserves a lot of credit for the look and feel of the show, he was tireless and very patient. Once again thanks and best wishes to all those viewers. sincerely Paul Michael AKA TJ.