Fri 21 Dec 2012
A TV Review by Michael Shonk: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF BEANS BAXTER (1987-88).
Posted by Steve under Reviews , TV mysteries[6] Comments
THE NEW ADVENTURES OF BEANS BAXTER. Fox, 1987-88. CAST: Jonathan Ward as Benjamin “Beans†Baxter Jr., Jerry Wasserman as Number Two, Stuart Fratkin as Woodshop, Karen Mistal as Cake Lase, Elinor Donahue as Susan Baxter, Kurtwood Smith as Mr. Sue, Scott Bremmer as “Scooter†Baxter, and Rick Lenz as Benjamin Baxter Sr. Theme composed by Joseph Vitarelli, Trumpet solo by Maynard Ferguson. Opening animation by International Rocketship Limited– Marv Newland. Creator/Executive Producer: Savage Steve Holland. Producer: Anthony Eaton.
Recently, I had put on my Indiana Jones hat and went off to explore a land of lost treasures … my storage locker. There I found some ancient Kodak Videotapes, one of which contained three episodes of a forgotten favorite of my past … THE NEW ADVENTURES OF BEANS BAXTER.
It is 1987 and Fox network had just begun. It had placed a lineup that included 21 JUMP STREET and MARRIED WITH CHILDREN on Sunday prime time. The network then turned to Saturday. Originally, Fox had announced its Saturday lineup, that included spy sitcom THE NEW ADVENTURES OF BEANS BAXTER, would premiere May 30 1987, but that was delayed until July (BEANS premiered on July 18, 1987). In the June 8, 1987 issue of “Broadcastingâ€, “FBC†(what the magazine called the Fox network) President James Kellner claimed the reason for the delay was so the network could focus all its promotional efforts on the encouraging ratings of the Sunday lineup.
The original order for BEANS was for thirteen episodes (“Broadcasting†7/13/87). The 8/17/87 issue of “Broadcasting†reported Fox had renewed BEANS and ordered thirteen episodes. While only seventeen episodes were aired, BEANS would remain on the air in reruns from December 1987 until April 1988.
Beans Baxter was a typical 16-year old boy with a sitcom family of a younger brother, Mom and Dad. Dad worked for the Post Office or so the family thought. Dad’s new position forced the family to move from Kansas to Washington D.C. One day Beans sees his Father killed, then learns that his Dad is a spy and still alive. Dad works for the American spy organization called The Network. He had been kidnapped by an evil organization called UGLI. Network’s “Number Two†agrees to let Beans help find and save his Father.
Beans would receive his assignments in ways mocking MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE and GET SMART, from a master of disguise who turns up in such places as a toilet seat cover dispenser in a men’s room stall or the family toaster.
The series was a one-camera sitcom that featured silly, absurdist humor with little concern for reality or deep thought. Creator Savage Steve Holland off beat humor has been featured in such films as BETTER OFF DEAD (85) and animated kid series EEK THE CAT (92).
The cast was believable, a challenge considering the scripts and premise, but beyond that nothing memorable. The opening animation for the theme by Marv Newland (BAMBI MEETS GOZILLA, GARY LARSON’S TALES FROM THE FAR SIDE), and theme music fitted the fun off beat silly mood of the series.
EPISODES WATCHED:
“Beans Runs for President.” (8/1/87) Written and Directed by Savage Steve Holland. Guest Cast: Karen Haber, Taylor Negron, and Adrian Darval *** Beans must interrupt his campaign for High School President to save the daughter of the United States President who had been kidnapped by some angry Clowns.
Silly, brain-dead fun. The daughter is doing something she believes in as she joins an anti-nuclear protest … she believes it is a great place to find a boyfriend. It was 1987 and Clowns were just beginning to become clichés, yet even today the visual humor, such as the group of Circus Clowns armed with machine guns patrolling the hideout, holds up.
Ratings: 3.2
Opposite BEANS was ABC’s Movie CHAPTER TWO (79) repeat: 5.4; CBS’s Movie STILL IN THE NIGHT (82) (rating unknown); and NBC’s 227 repeat: 11.6
“Beans & Satanical Backwards Masking Conspiracy.” (8/8/87) Written and Directed by Savage Steve Holland. GUEST CAST: Dee Snider, Tim Stack and Lorraine Foreman *** Mother approved music is turning teenagers into evil demons lounge lizards who play the accordion. It is all a plot by Mr. Sue and UGLI to take over the World. Can Beans, Dee Snider and rock and roll save the day?
A very funny Exorcist take off with Snider the perfect choice as the music Exorcist.
Ratings: 3.6
Opposite BEANS was ABC’s THE ELLEN BURSTYN SHOW 4.8, CBS’ Movie GUILTY CONSCIENCE (85) repeat 6.8, and NBC’s 227 repeat 12.1
“Beans’ Wicked and Awesome Adventure at College.” (8/15/87) Written and Directed by Savage Steve Holland. Guest Cast: Ian Tracey, Amanda Wyss and Jennifer Stewart *** The Network is after a college student radical in search of information about UGLI. They want Beans to find out if the student radical’s ex-girlfriend and member of a college sorority know where he is.
Cake is tired of Beans ditching her (due to his spy work) while they are on dates, so she decides to follow him. She becomes convinced he is gay. Confusion and misunderstandings cause much of the humor resulting in a weak stupid sitcom episode.
RATINGS: 3.3
Opposite BEANS was ABC’s THE ELLEN BURSTYN SHOW at 3.3, CBS’ Movie CHASE repeat 10.6, and NBC’s 227 repeat 12.7.
So does my old favorite hold up or disappoint? While THE NEW ADVENTURES OF BEANS BAXTER is nothing special, this mash-up of typical mindless 80s sitcom and spy thriller had enough moments to make me hope I have the rest of the episodes on tape somewhere in the forgotten areas of my storage locker. That maybe the only way to see them again as even the collectors market seems to have forgotten this one.
Additional Source: TvTango.com
December 21st, 2012 at 7:59 pm
I remember this one, but I hadn’t thought about it for years. Can it be 25 years ago? Fox was the new guy in town, and I sampled almost everything they offered. I think I stayed with this one the longest, but I do remember crossing it off my “to be watched” list when I decided it was becoming just too silly.
But I watched more of this one than I did 21 JUMP STREET, and as for MARRIED WITH CHILDREN, once was enough.
December 21st, 2012 at 10:18 pm
The “New” Adventures would imply there were previous adventures. Or maybe Savage Steve Holland, who is still working regularly as a director, was just being impish. Or just silly.
December 21st, 2012 at 11:44 pm
#2 Dozy, the “new” bit does seem like a silly joke that was more confusing than funny. Or it could refer to Beans being a Jr. His Dad is Benjamin Baxter Sr and Beans or Benjamin Baxter Jr takes his place as a top spy The Network depends on.
December 23rd, 2012 at 8:59 pm
@michael
Good points.
December 26th, 2012 at 10:37 am
As they say, timing is everything. Savage Steve Holland has said the only reason this show stayed on the air as long as it did — despite the ratings — was that Fox, being new at the time, had nothing in the hopper.
Here’s an interview with Holland for anyone who wants to read more about him:
http://www.massivehysteria.net/?p=3493
He pitched this show as a “teenage James Bond,” which struck a chord with one of the Fox programming execs.
Holland was a former animator and had made two John Hughes-like teen romantic comedies in the eighties with John Cusack — Better Off Dead and One Crazy Summer (the latter co-starring Demi Moore) — so he was a pretty hot commodity at the time, particularly with the young demo Fox was chasing. Apparently Better Off Dead was playing at the hotel where Fox execs had grouped to brainstorm over what the programming identity of the channel would be.
Neither Holland nor anyone else involved in the show seems to have emerged the better for it. Even in books about the formation of the Fox network or about Gen X TV there seems to be very little attention devoted to The New Adventures of Beans Baxter.
December 26th, 2012 at 3:56 pm
#5. Thanks, David for the link to the interesting interview. I have always hated teen movies so I have not seen his movies. But my first love is the comic strip and I have a strong interest in animation, so I am a fan of Savage Steve (there is also a Steve Holland out there who has worked mainly in TV, such as STRIPPERELLA and BIG BANG THEORY).
The interview you linked to had Savage comment BEANS almost killed the network. Not true. Reading in “Broadcasting” at the time, BEANS and WEREWOLF were the two most successful shows on Saturday. The rating problem went beyond the national numbers but was really centered on the local stations numbers. FOX reached only part of the country so it was at a handicap when compared to the other three networks that had more stations and reached more viewers. Most of the affiliates were former independent stations, often the weakest station in town and usually UHF. These stations wanted a rating that was better than they were getting with the programming they were airing before they joined FOX. Another factor was the delay of the Saturday lineup from May to July. Many affiliates were hurt by that and some refused to carry the network’s Saturday primetime lineup when it did premiere.
The early history of FOX TV tends to focus on its successes 21 JUMP STREET, MARRIED WITH CHILDREN and TRACY ULLMAN SHOW. They would like to forget such classic sitcoms as WOMEN IN PRISON and MR PRESIDENT (with George C. Scott in a sitcom about the President of the United States and family). Toss in that many of those responsible for FOX survival would move on to WB, and FOX likes to forget those early hard times.
I have a fondness for the forgotten. Early Big Three Network, early FOX, the failures of DuMont, WB and UPN are of interest to me. BEANS BAXTER was a live action cartoon, but that was its appeal. The series deserved a better fate, but probably would never existed at that time on any other network.