The Final Dance!

Dancing with the Stars begins its final season this fall with another 13 pseudolebrities prancing around awkwardly for an uptight Englishman.  Sorry, I should point out that the upcoming season is not officially the last, but read the writing on the wall folks.  The lights are going out and the stage is closing up.  Unless you missed it, which I would believe without question, the cast has been announced and among the “dancers” is none other than show killer Ted McGinley.

It’s bad juju when McGinley shows his mug on the set of your favorite show.  What should the star of a hit show do when learning that Ted is joining the cast?  Call his agent, that’s what, because it will soon be time to find another gig.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike McGinley, I just know he is a harbinger of doom.  Ted has heralded the demise of such shows as Happy Days, The Love Boat, Dynasty, Married with Children and Sports Night. I make no claims regarding the quality of those shows, merely point out the McGinley presence in the latter seasons of each.  Not that much could have been done to make Hope and Faith a good sitcom, but it must be addressed that Mr. McG started out in episode 1 of that dog.

If this is the first you have read of the McGinley curse, I wish I could claim discovery of the phenomenon but, unfortunately, I cannot.  Lost somewhere in the fog of internet memes is the name of the one to first point out the voodoo that does do so well.  Don’t believe me?  Google it and see one of the 29,200 hits.  It’s true!  You can also follow this little link:  The McGinley Curse

So enjoy it reality show lovers but hear the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make way on the schedule for a new ABC show since Dancing with the Stars is in its death throes.

As an aside, I have never watched a single episode of Dancing with the Stars and I regard it as bad TV. I remain intractable regarding this point, freely and proudly admitting a bias against reality TV (call it a game show if it helps you sleep).  That said, why Cloris Leachman, why?