This show is an unexpected hidden gem, about a family of puritans colonizing the land of America. The comedy in this show is very well paced, with clever jokes and a great cast of actors. The show is witty, and places creative touches with the storytelling while not be restricted with the time period. My only gripe is about the supporting cast not being as prolific, or used often in the show. We had a radical missionary, an almost flamboyant doctor, and an out of it married couple with countless children. It was a shame that a gem like this was canned to soon, this should have been a show they place in reruns every Thanksgiving. However I am thankful that I got to see this situational comedy during my lifetime, so "Thanks."
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zachary_wilson197527 August 2008This show, to put it succinctly, Plymouth Rocks. It shows the terrible hardships of early settlers and their foibles and hubris. Somehow the puritanical Puritans remain human throughout.
Sarah Vowell has a great bit on this show from "This American Life" that you can listen to at: http://thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=328
While it's sad that the show is canceled it is more remarkable that it even got made. Can you imagine the pitch meeting?
Pitcher: "Um, yeah, I have this idea for a comedy set in the 17th century Puritan community of New England."
Pitchee: "Wow. What's the funniest part, the 50% mortality rate or the hellfire and damnation preaching?"
Pitcher: "I saw you last night at Spago's with a woman who I know is not your wife"
Pitchee: "Let's make this sumbitch!"
If you can find it on DVD anywhere let the IMDb community know. This is the kind of comedy we need. -
sandracolton25 March 2006I loved this show. It got buried during the dog days of summer but Entertainment Weekly raved about it. So I tried it out and was hooked. Funny, smart and also sweet. The lead Father was sexy and terrific. How can a smart satire on early America not last but Jim Belushi stays on season after season? Grrrr. Why doesn't CBS show THANKS every Thanksgiving? I bet tons of people would watch it.
We were going through an old VCR tape and I came across the tobacco episode. I showed it to some friends and they were howling. That's what made me think of it recently and I wanted to look up the name of the lead actor. Glad to see there are others who appreciate smart comedy. God Bless THANKS! -
shark-4323 September 1999I agree with the first comment, this was a wonderful show, a breath of fresh air when sitcoms are full of tired "Friends" rip-offs. Thanks was witty and cleverly written. The episode where tobacco was introduced to Plymouth Colony was so funny with great satirical bits about the modern tobacco industry. My housemates and I loved every episode and we hope CBS will order more. bring back the dysfunctional Pilgrims!
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tgibbs27925 June 2001CBS's decision to cancel "Thanks" says a lot about the sad state of modern-day network television. This show at least attempted to be different. Unlike almost every other sitcom on TV, "Thanks" wasn't set in New York, wasn't about a bunch of whiney twentysomethings, and wasn't just a collection of tired sex jokes. "Thanks" probably never had a chance. It wasn't the kind of show a focus group would have approved. Maybe it wasn't the best show of all time, maybe it was imperfect, but at least it tried to bring a fresh kind of comedy to network TV. It was different. It didn't try to be the umpteenth "Friends" clone. It deserved a longer run, in part because it dared to be original. "Thanks" lasted five or six episodes. "Suddenly Susan" ran for years. That's modern television in a nutshell.
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miooolre2 March 2006A friend of mine tapes EVERYTHING and one night he told me Cloris Leachman had been in this weird funny twisted sitcom about Early America and he looked through his video collection and showed me the first three episodes. I cant believe this show isn't more well known - it was soooo funny and Leachman is great in it (as is the rest of the cast). The satire and dark humor reminded me of The Simpsons and the show where the whole town of Plymouth gets hooked on tobacco was laugh out loud funny. I guess it was on CBS one summer but man, this thing should have been given a chance. Now I'm determined to track down the last three! CBS - DVD release??
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Leikela429 August 1999This show was a relief for anyone that was stuck at home during the summer watching reruns. It is a comedy about a pioneer family in the New World. It should have been a normal show during the regular season because I've seen the adds for the other new shows and they don't even compare to this.