I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I’m barreling toward my 40s, but as of late, I’ve been getting super nostalgic for things I used to watch in my younger days.
If I’m having a midlife crisis, I guess this is healthier than buying a motorcycle, or having an affair. But, it does probably say quite a bit about my personality, that instead of going bungee jumping, I’m instead obsessing over Fox TV shows from my childhood like New York Undercover.
But, having already written about my favorite Dick Wolf show, New York Undercover, I thought it was time to write about some other Fox TV shows from my youth that still live rent-free in my head. Now, keep in mind, I’m not going to be talking about popular shows like The Simpsons, which is currently the best thing on Disney+, or Married…with Children, which may or may not need a revival. Yes, I did watch those shows (and so many more), but they’re a bit too mainstream to appear on a list like this. No, this list is all about the deep cuts still living in my head. Oh, and speaking of heads…
Herman's Head (1991-1994)
Before there was Inside Out (and I still have strong emotions about there being an upcoming sequel) there was Herman’s Head. It was about an office drone at a magazine company who has a lot on his mind while going through his day-to-day life. What made this show stand out was that we could actually see his emotions, often bickering and trying to get their way inside Herman, and these emotions were represented as Angel (Molly Hagan), who was his sensitive side; Animal (Ken Hudson Campbell), the horn dog; Wimp (Rick Lawless), the more reserved side; and Genius (Peter Mackenzie), his actual thinking side.
What made Herman’s Head so interesting to me back then, and even now, was the dichotomy of his outer life and his inner life. In his outer life, we got not one, but TWO The Simpsons’ alums in Yeardley Smith and Hank Azaria, who both worked with Herman, and then you had his inner life, which was always really fascinating to me. As a kid, I was always more interested in the inner thoughts, but, as an adult, I kind of more enjoy his workplace relationships, so, yeah. I love Herman’s Head.
Boot Camp (2001)
One thing that I used to LOVE about Fox was that it used to take huge swings for the fences. They did this with scripted shows like In Living Color, and Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, but also with their reality TV shows, and Boot Camp was one such example. On the show, a bunch of contestants had to essentially go through the boot camp experience (with Full Metal Jacket-style drill sergeants), and they also had to take on leadership roles. It was all pretty intense, especially when the drill sergeants would get in their faces and scream at them. Good stuff.
But, maybe also plagiarized stuff? The famous television producer, Mark Burnett, actually once brought the show to court for being too much like Survivor. Since I was always a Fox loyalist, I never watched Survivor. That said, from what I gather, Boot Camp really did seem like its own unique thing, which is why it still lives rent-free in my brain, even to this day.
Man Vs. Beast (2003)
I haven’t seen the most recent, well-reviewed, Guardians of the Galaxy movie, but I’ve heard that animal cruelty may play a part in the film. Well, as bad as animal cruelty is – and I’m very much against it – I still must say that I think about the television special, Man vs. Beast, quite often, as it truly does feel like a fever dream.
The show is what it sounds like, and maybe a little bit more. People competed against animals. But, this wasn’t a game of survival. Oh no. Instead, it was a series of events that really had to be seen to be believed. For example, former hot dog eating champion, Kobayashi, tried to out-eat a Kodiak bear in a hot dog eating competition. I’m dead serious. They even put a Japanese flag behind Kobayashi, and an American flag behind the bear, as if he’s our champion (he won, of course). They also had a man race a giraffe (which the man beat), but then also a zebra (which the man lost to, if you’re keeping score).
I mean, jeez Louise, it was such a ridiculous concept, but Fox being Fox went totally overboard with it, which is why I regularly think about this show, because gee golly whiz, it was so weird.
The Rebel Billionaire: Branson’s Quest For The Best (2004)
Earlier, I mentioned how Fox was sued for Boot Camp, which I thought was a pretty silly suit. Well, even though Fox didn’t get sued for the Richard Branson-led show, The Rebel Billionaire: Branson’s Quest for the Best, I think NBC could have potentially had a lawsuit on its hands if they wanted one, as this show was pretty much just a rip-off of our former president’s show, The Apprentice, but with some physical challenges, and some different continents sprinkled in.
The show was often frenetic and fun. In one episode, the cast had to get a band to perform at a concert, and some of the contestants had to actually perform in front of a massive crowd (much to their embarrassment). I wasn’t really sure what this had to do with taking over Richard Branson’s Virgin enterprises, but it was enthralling to watch all of the contestants so harried and rushed. It was a weird show, and one that is pure-early 2000s Fox, no question.
Drive (2007)
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Everybody is always like, Firefly was canceled too soon. It didn't get the shot that it deserved. Boo, hoo, hoo. Well, at least YOUR Nathan Fillion show got 14 episodes AND a movie. You know how many episodes my Nathan Fillion show got? Six. And only four of those six initially aired.
I'm still pretty bummed about this. Drive, which also starred a young Emma Stone, was about a race across the country that some people wanted to be in due to the large cash reward, while others - like Fillion's character - were forced in for various reasons. It was a killer premise, and a pretty damn good show, and it still upsets me that it was dropped before it could really hit its stride.
Do any of these Fox TV shows live rent-free in YOUR head? For more news on all things Fox-related, make sure to swing around here often.
