Anybody Else Remember These Shows? Part 2!

A couple months ago, I wrote a post about TV shows no one seems to remember. You know, those shows that you watched at some point but were obscured by the years. And then, when something triggers your memory of it, you’re not sure it wasn’t all just a dream.

Well, since I wrote that post, I’ve had my memory triggered a few more times and remembered some other shows my subconscious tried to bury. And I just feel so alone. I can’t sit here by myself remembering these long-forgotten shows. We need to remember them together.

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1. Complete Savages

I remember watching this show as a kid, but I’m not sure I actually liked it. It’s about a single dad and his five sons and they’re all, well, complete savages. They’re messy and rowdy and… actually, that’s it.

It ran for one season back in 2004-2005. That should tell you what the quality of the show was. If that doesn’t do it, then this will: their family name was Savage. As in, “The Savages are savages.” Wow. Ingenious. Maybe it’s better this show remain forgotten.

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2. Hope & Faith

Did you know Megan Fox got her start on a mediocre sitcom? Well, it’s true. It follows a straitlaced sister and a wild sister, one a mother and homemaker and the other a soap opera star. Kelly Ripa played the soap opera star. I don’t remember if Ripa was a former soap opera star in real life, but it feels autobiographical.

I enjoyed the show as a kid because Ripa was on it and I knew her from Live! With Regis and Kelly. Was it good? I don’t know. I don’t remember. I know it ran for three seasons. I know it gave us Megan Fox. But I suspect, somehow, it didn’t give anyone hope or faith.

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3. Carpoolers

This is a show that was hit by a double whammy. Not only was it put on hold during the Writers’ Strike of 2008, but then ABC declined to pick up more episodes. So, technically speaking, this show only ran for half a season. It’s no wonder everyone forgot about it.

The show is about four guys who work in the same building complex, so they carpool to work together. The reason I remembered this show is because I was reading a book and a character named Laird was mentioned. This triggered a memory of a sitcom where a guy told his wife who his one exception was (you know, extramarital sex) and made her tell him hers and she blurted out his attractive friend Laird. Then things were super awkward.

I spent nearly a half an hour searching online for a sitcom with a character named Laird. Then I looked up mid-2000s sitcoms. It took me forever, but I finally found it. And it was this show. I really liked this show back in early high school. And then forgot about it as soon as it went off the air. Out of sight, out of mind.

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4. Scare Tactics

This was a prank show hosted by Tracy Morgan and my mom and I were obsessed with it. We used to watch it for hours. It was so funny. At least, we thought it was. Would it hold up today? How the hell should I know? I didn’t even remember it existed until recently.

Part of our love of the show was the clever pranks. The rest was Tracy Morgan. We found him hilarious. Or maybe that was just me. I’m not sure. Either way, I need to find this show online somewhere so I can watch it again.

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5. Alcatraz

Developed by Lost creator J.J. Abrams, this show follows Detective Rebecca Madsen after she discovers fingerprints that belong to a former Alcatraz inmate. Soon, more former inmates come back to life and pick up right where they left off.

My dad and I were super into this show. It was such a cool twist on the crime show. And then it was canceled— on a cliffhanger, no less! It’s probably because I was so devastated by all my unanswered questions that I put this show from my mind. I put Alcatraz in brain jail.

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Do you remember any of these shows? Are there any other shows that have been erased from the public consciousness? Let’s have a discussion in the comments!

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