Do Not Resuscitate: Coach

Written Asking to Leave Football on The Weekends by Bridger Cunningham

Revivals are touted everywhere this decade!  Dallas, One Day at a Time, Full House, Roseanne, Murphy Brown, Will & Grace, Boy Meets World...  What is next?  "ABC announces it will be rebooting old sitcom treasures such as Work It, Super Fun Night and The Real O'Neal's."  TVRG, like so many other media outlets has a simple message -- "Knock it Off With the Reboots!"

The Original Hit Machine -- Coach (1989-97)

Debuting mid-season in the 1988-89 season behind newfound hit Roseanne, Coach found a welcome niche, following football coach Hayden Fox's (Craig T. Nelson) everyday life managing the fictitious Minnesota State University (and later, fictitious NFL team Orlando Breakers).  He was joined by assistant coach Luther Van Dam (Jerry Van Dyke) and dim Dauber Dybinski (Bill Fagerbakke), with his daughter Kelly (Clare Carey) and girlfriend Christine Armstrong (Shelley Fabares) rounding out the cast.  The series was  a commercial success, reaching 5th Place at its heights when it was not awkwardly scheduled on undesirable evenings such as Mondays. 

Reasons This Series Needs to Stay Cancelled

• 1. NBC already attempted a revival in 2015, cancelling the efforts early on. The premise would have followed Hayden's son Timothy receiving his first coaching gig. Most of the cast would have returned save for Shelley Fabares, with Christine having died.
• 2. Series original Jerry Van Dyke just passed away on January 5, 2018.  How lighthearted would the series be without Luther?
• 3. Shelley Fabares turns 74 this year and is hardly in any condition to take on a starring role due to a battle with autoimmune hepatitis.  Once again, the dynamic would have changed without Christine present.
• 4. The series explored nine seasons and a retooling the premise in Season 8, with the setting moving from Minnesota to Florida.  It also delivered a heralded wedding for Hayden and Christine, whose relationship was the focal point of the original series.
• 5. Although it was a top 20 favorite for most of its run, Coach's success hinged off its lead-in, Roseanne.  The series bounced around the lineup throughout its 9 seasons, demonstrating it was not as strong of a player as represented by the ratings.

Sometimes, cancelled is better.  If fans really want to get their fix of this hit series, they do not have to search too far, as high-channeled Antenna TV airs the series daily.

Coach CANCELLED by NBC

Thanks for letting me know, Hunter, that plans to revive the somewhat forgotten ABC 90s sitcom Coach have been scrapped by NBC. This leads me to speculate that they cannot find room for the show, opening up a strong possibility for at least one of Mr Robinson and The Carmichael Show to get renewed.

What are your thoughts on this surprise cancellation? Did NBC make the right or wrong decision? Let us know in the comments below!