MovieChat Forums > Too Close for Comfort (1980) Discussion > Great show, but...

Great show, but...

posted 11 years ago by robken0174
4 replies | jump to latest

What is with the "the man is always wrong" theme that seems to run through most of the series? When they have any episode which deals with the differences of the sexes, it seems it's always the male character with the flaws, or he's incredibly sexist, jealous, or ignorant. Yeah, I know guys can be those things, but I've met plenty of women who are filled with those negative qualities as well.

If a guy wrote this show (which I believe he/they did), he must have had a serious case of 'male-guilt' he carried around. If it was a woman writing the episodes, they must have been one bitter, misadristic monster.

Don't get me wrong, I love the show, just a bit tired of seeing the guy in the wrong almost all the time. Get ready for this, ladies...you CAN be (and are) wrong on certain issues and points of views.

These pc-obsessed times are getting old.

[–] jarrodmcdonald-1 11 years ago

Though it is supposed to be a different show and a different character, in many ways Henry Rush is a continuation of Ted Baxter from the old MTM show. So I think Henry is probably atoning for Ted Baxter's sins. In other words, Ted Knight probably wanted to play the character as acknowledging his shortcomings, instead of being less pompous and arrogant as what he played on the earlier show. He was trying to present a more humanized version of what is almost the same character.

[–] YankeeDood 10 years ago

In case you haven't noticed, that goes on way more in today's shows and commercials than it did in the 80's.

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[–] candrew088 10 years ago

Ted Knight's formula was to play pompous and arrogant followed by contrite and groveling. That was more or less his bread and butter.

Why mess with success? He played it for over 15 years on MTM and TCFC. Knight was in the rarefied air of comedic actors (Gleason, Carroll O'Conner) where you mostly knew what he was going to say or do and you'd still laugh your ass off.

[–] mactach 10 years ago

There's probably been thousands of shows like that on TV over the years.