9 episodes

Geoff Houtman was part of the team that created the worst sitcom ever made. It's haunted him for 25 years. Now he's on a quest to find out what went wrong and to see what lessons we can learn about failure in general.

The Worst Sitcom Ever Made RNZ Originals

    • Comedy
    • 4.3 • 31 Ratings

Geoff Houtman was part of the team that created the worst sitcom ever made. It's haunted him for 25 years. Now he's on a quest to find out what went wrong and to see what lessons we can learn about failure in general.

    The Worst Sitcom Ever Made - Ep 8: 'I just want to go now'

    The Worst Sitcom Ever Made - Ep 8: 'I just want to go now'

    So how did the failure that was Melody Rules affect the people involved? In this final episode, Geoff's on the road to find out and to discover what he's learned about himself and his perceived failure.
     

    • 20 min
    The Worst Sitcom Ever Made- Ep 7: 'The Network would say, here's what we're going to do, blah blah blah'

    The Worst Sitcom Ever Made- Ep 7: 'The Network would say, here's what we're going to do, blah blah blah'

    What were the Network people thinking when they made Melody Rules? Geoff gets their - surprisingly positive - take on the experience.

    • 22 min
    The Worst Sitcom Ever Made - Ep 6: 'There was just ... vitriol in the air'

    The Worst Sitcom Ever Made - Ep 6: 'There was just ... vitriol in the air'

    Melody Rules is finally unleashed on a hyped-up New Zealand public and is greeted with virtual (and actual) hostility.

    • 20 min
    The Worst Sitcom Ever Made - Ep 5: 'The one-eyed man in the kingdom of the blind'

    The Worst Sitcom Ever Made - Ep 5: 'The one-eyed man in the kingdom of the blind'

    Geoff tracks down John Vorhaus, the sitcom guru. How did John get the job of training the young writers and what did he make of it all?

    • 24 min
    The Worst Sitcom Ever Made - Ep 4: 'Just f#&%ing stand there and say your line!'

    The Worst Sitcom Ever Made - Ep 4: 'Just f#&%ing stand there and say your line!'

    Geoff tracks down the man who directed all 40 episodes of Melody Rules and hears about the challenges he faced: inexperience,arguments with the actors, news cameras on loan, making a sitcom in a broom closet.

    • 21 min
    The Worst Sitcom Ever Made - Ep 3: 'Even I thought I was a terrible choice!'

    The Worst Sitcom Ever Made - Ep 3: 'Even I thought I was a terrible choice!'

    Even a badly chosen idea and a micro-managed script needs someone to play it. And casting is crucial ... especially with inexperienced actors.

    • 22 min

Customer Reviews

4.3 out of 5
31 Ratings

31 Ratings

Zombielover748292 ,

Longer eps plz

Very funny and very interesting subject matter, but the short length of the episodes means a good percentage is taken up with intros and outros which can be annoying when you binge listen.

Lambda4S ,

Enjoyable and many-layered

This ended up being much more than just a laugh at a past embarrassment. I think it will be of interest to all involved in any creative activity, artistic or technical. Like all the best stories, it's told by the people who were involved, who happen to be engaging personalities.

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