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The Office and 25 TV shows that were never supposed to be hits

By Kareem Gantt

MALIBU, CA - APRIL 14: Actors Rainn Wilson (L) and Steve Carell attend "The Office" 100th Episode Celebration at the Calamigos Ranch on April 14, 2009 in Malibu, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
MALIBU, CA - APRIL 14: Actors Rainn Wilson (L) and Steve Carell attend "The Office" 100th Episode Celebration at the Calamigos Ranch on April 14, 2009 in Malibu, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images) /
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THE CONNERS – “The Separation of Church and Dan” – When Geena learns that D.J. hasn’t been taking Mary to church while she’s been away, she insists they go as a family to uphold her traditional values. To make matters worse, Mary refuses to attend without her cousins Harris and Mark, leaving D.J. in the last situation he wants to be in – at the mercy of Darlene. Meanwhile, Mark’s attempt to conduct an unbiased survey on the upcoming election for his school project goes south when Jackie volunteers to help, on “The Conners,” TUESDAY, OCT. 23 (8:00-8:31 p.m. EDT), on The ABC Television Network. (ABC/Eric McCandless)JOHN GOODMAN
THE CONNERS – “The Separation of Church and Dan” – When Geena learns that D.J. hasn’t been taking Mary to church while she’s been away, she insists they go as a family to uphold her traditional values. To make matters worse, Mary refuses to attend without her cousins Harris and Mark, leaving D.J. in the last situation he wants to be in – at the mercy of Darlene. Meanwhile, Mark’s attempt to conduct an unbiased survey on the upcoming election for his school project goes south when Jackie volunteers to help, on “The Conners,” TUESDAY, OCT. 23 (8:00-8:31 p.m. EDT), on The ABC Television Network. (ABC/Eric McCandless)JOHN GOODMAN /

10. Roseanne (ABC)

Series run: 1988-1997 (9 seasons/231 episodes)

By the late 1980s, there weren’t a lot of shows on primetime that depicted the struggling, blue-collar family.

In fact, one can make the argument that it was non-existent. That’s why Roseanne was such an important show on network television.

Premiering in 1988, Roseanne wasn’t like The Cosby Show or Growing Pains. While the sitcom did have the family mold that dominated the small tube at the time, the series, which centered around then up-and-coming comedian Rosanne Barr, was one of the first to actually showcase the plight of Middle America, where the family struggled to get by.

The true star of the show was Rosanne, who’s outspokenness resonated with those who grew up with All In The Family, though she wasn’t racially insensitive as Archie was (at the time). She really brought humor to the struggle of Middle America, and the show’s realness and down-to-Earth topics made Rosanne a rating powerhouse on ABC.

By the ninth season, the show’s quality diminished as it moved away from its original theme and became more of a caricature of itself, and it was canceled in 1997. The show was revived in 2018, but thanks to some not-so-flattering tweets by Barr, it was yanked after its first (really, 10th) season, becoming the highest-rated program in television history to be pulled off the schedule after just one season.

It was revived, without Barr, as The Conners, but I’ll let you be the judge of that.

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