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<blockquote data-quote="Crimson" data-source="post: 439472" data-attributes="member: 5079">I don&#039;t disagree with any of that, but I agree less than before my last rewatch.&nbsp; The 1st season of TLS is very similar to the 1st season of ILL -- messy, uneven, figuring things out.&nbsp; A few duds, a few classics, but still overall very funny.&nbsp; The difference is ILL locked in and became a classic; TLS changed course and became a mess.&nbsp; Without Jess Oppenheimer or even Desi, TLS never found its footing.&nbsp; Madeline &amp; the 3 Bobs could still write funny episodes at that point, but they couldn&#039;t pull it together in a cohesive direction.&nbsp; I think the TLS premise could have worked if they hadn&#039;t flinched.&nbsp; KATE &amp; ALLIE pulled it off for six years.&nbsp; Someone at CBS called TLS &quot;The Dyke Sans Dick Show&quot; and the show shifted away from its mixed family premise.I think the 2 sons were fine as child actors go, but agree about Candy Moore.&nbsp; I suspect Lucille got a hold of her and gave her bad advice about &quot;projecting&quot; her voice.There&#039;s a stretch in the middle of the 1st season of TLS where things started to gel.&nbsp; There&#039;s an episode about Lucy &amp; Viv double dating with Harry &amp; Eddie, their casual beaux, that I think is as close in spirit to ILL as anything Lucille did after 1960. Obviously Harry &amp; Eddie weren&#039;t as well developed as Ricky &amp; Fred, but the show established potential in a few directions.Watching TLS season over season is remarkable in its ability to self-destruct; it&#039;s just a string of bad creative choices.&nbsp; Once Mr. Mooney was introduced, I found the show increasingly unpleasant.&nbsp; The entire show was refocused on a screaming jerk and a crying middle aged woman.&nbsp; I made it through S2 and S3 mostly because of Viv.&nbsp; She never gave Mrs. Bagley the same nuance as Ethel, but Vance was a whip with a quip.&nbsp; I realized every time I laughed, it was her sarcastic comments rather than Lucy&#039;s antics.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Crimson, post: 439472, member: 5079"] I don't disagree with any of that, but I agree less than before my last rewatch. The 1st season of TLS is very similar to the 1st season of ILL -- messy, uneven, figuring things out. A few duds, a few classics, but still overall very funny. The difference is ILL locked in and became a classic; TLS changed course and became a mess. Without Jess Oppenheimer or even Desi, TLS never found its footing. Madeline & the 3 Bobs could still write funny episodes at that point, but they couldn't pull it together in a cohesive direction. I think the TLS premise could have worked if they hadn't flinched. KATE & ALLIE pulled it off for six years. Someone at CBS called TLS "The Dyke Sans Dick Show" and the show shifted away from its mixed family premise. I think the 2 sons were fine as child actors go, but agree about Candy Moore. I suspect Lucille got a hold of her and gave her bad advice about "projecting" her voice. There's a stretch in the middle of the 1st season of TLS where things started to gel. There's an episode about Lucy & Viv double dating with Harry & Eddie, their casual beaux, that I think is as close in spirit to ILL as anything Lucille did after 1960. Obviously Harry & Eddie weren't as well developed as Ricky & Fred, but the show established potential in a few directions. Watching TLS season over season is remarkable in its ability to self-destruct; it's just a string of bad creative choices. Once Mr. Mooney was introduced, I found the show increasingly unpleasant. The entire show was refocused on a screaming jerk and a crying middle aged woman. I made it through S2 and S3 mostly because of Viv. She never gave Mrs. Bagley the same nuance as Ethel, but Vance was a whip with a quip. I realized every time I laughed, it was her sarcastic comments rather than Lucy's antics. [/QUOTE]

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