![]() You don't have to look further than decisions like this to see that the producers had some serious "don't have a clue" moments. Contrast them with the much more frequent stuff involving Charles Robinson's Newdell, which was generally awkward and forced both the writing and the execution. These provided an amazing mix of comedy and poignancy yet they were far too few. The cast was rarely the problem, although someone should have figured out that the best moments seemed to come when Dabney Coleman and Pippa Peartree were interacting as father and wayward daughter. ![]() If they saw a dog episode they would never watch again. If it happened to be the right episode they would be hooked. Friends could be talked into one viewing. Episode 7 "Guess Who's Coming To Buffalo?" was an absolute gem, and several other episodes were equally inspired but you never quite knew what you would get. I hung with it throughout its entire broadcast run and was amazed by the wild swings from week-to-week. Unfortunately, "Buffalo Bill" was perhaps the most inconsistent series in the history of television. Once firmly established a show has the luxury of an occasional clinker episode. Generally this only works if the show has figured out what it wants to be and consistently delivers a weekly product. ![]() ![]() The progress only happens if it "holds" onto its initial group of viewers while adding new viewers each week that it is broadcast. If a quality show is a little different (insert "The Big Bang Theory" here) it will start slow and must show "steady" progress toward building a larger viewing audience. Awards and critical acclaim won't take a show very far especially back in the days when the three networks were pulling in the vast majority of television viewers. Despite the many conspiracy theories there is little actual mystery regarding the early cancellation of Coleman's series it simply failed to find an audience large enough to sustain it. Imagine that "The Dick Van Dyke Show" had centered on Carl Reiner's Alan Brady character and you will have a pretty good handle on Dabney Coleman's "Buffalo Bill" series. ![]()
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