This was one witty sitcom that was so avante-garde that depicted the total nuisances of people who were just very irritating characters to watch ran for one season when it aired on CBS-TV from September 20,1976 until April 30, 1977 producing 24 episodes. The seldom seen sitcom "All's Fair" really brought Broadway sensation Bernadette Peters into the spotlight in her very first television series,and to everyone's surprise,even the critics who really bardbombed this show,didn't even make the entire jump over the shark tank--it never even made it across-- just sink quickly to the bottom of the TV trash graveyard of lost shows,and it goes to show this was an prime example of shows that were incredibly over the top and so revolting to watch,it was never to be heard from again.
By the way,this was produced by Norman Lear,who was one of the biggest producers in the 1970's--the man who brought viewers "All In The Family","Maude","Sanford and Son","Good Times","One Day At A Time",and "The Jeffersons".
What can I say about this show? Let me described some of the adjectives to this show: For one it was way too acrimonious for its own good,and secondly,some of the characters on the show were just total idiots and repulsive nuances from which they came from since this show premiered in 1976-the year of the nation's 200 bicentennial celebration and the beginning of the Carter Administration. The show itself dealt with some of the major issues of the era,which to some was definely the big picture or situation in some of the episodes. But to say the least,the stars Bernadette Peters and Richard Crenna really became very successful in the careers in movies and television,especially Peters,whom before she came onto this show was a huge Broadway star,and in several theatrical feature films and not to mention a huge recording star........You also had in the short-lived series a very young Michael Keaton,who would go on to become a very successful star in the movies and not to mention one of the biggest powerplayers in Hollywood...... Oh yeah,it also had the great Lee Chamberlain("The Electric Company" & "All My Children"),and Jack Dodson("The Andy Griffith Show" & "Mayberry RFD"). Can you believe that the same people who produced this sitcom were behind some of the best sitcoms of the 70's? Bob Weiskopf was one of the writers who was behind the sitcoms "Maude",and "All In The Family",while Bob Claver and Hal Cooper were behind "Bewitched","The Partridge Family",and "I Dream Of Jeannie"? Very interesting.
After this fiasco,Peters returned to her Broadway and movies roots,but came back to prime-time television for a brief run on the short-lived "The New Carol Burnett Show",aka "Carol and Friends" in the early 90's, and did voiceovers for several animated cartoons including Steven Spielburg's animated hit "Animaniacs". As for Richard Crenna,her co-star went on to glory in the hugely successful "Rambo" films starring Sylvester Stallone. "All's Fair" was placed on CBS' prime time Monday night schedule where the powers that be thought it would be successful opposite ABC's Monday Night Football which clobbered it in the ratings.
