Shaky Ground

Shaky Ground
Genre Sitcom
Created by Bob Keyes
Chip Keyes
Doug Keyes
Directed by Max Tash
Art Wolff
Scott Baio
Shelley Jensen
Starring Matt Frewer
Robin Riker
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Matthew Brooks
Bradley Pierce
Harold Sylvester
Opening theme "Shakey Ground" performed by Phoebe Snow
Composer(s) Bruce Miller
Country of origin  United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 17
Production
Executive producer(s) Bob Keyes
Chip Keyes
Doug Keyes
Running time 30 minutes
Production company(s) Keyes Brothers Productions
Lorimar Television
Distributor Warner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original network Fox
Original release December 27, 1992 (1992-12-27) – May 23, 1993 (1993-05-23)

Shaky Ground is an American sitcom created by Bob Keyes, Chip Keyes & Doug Keyes, which starred Matt Frewer as Bob Moody, a hapless, but supportive and caring father. Robin Riker played his wife and Matthew Brooks, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Bradley Pierce played their children. The show aired on Fox for the 1992-1993 season.

Theme

Bob Moody was mid-life, mid-career, middle-management and middle-class. He worked as a quality control inspector for United General Technologies. He loved his family and worked hard to support them, but in ways was struggling with adulthood as well. Episodes often focused on Bob's thwarted ambitions at work, or the fact that he was not a traditional husband and father at home. Bob managed to get by as a result of finding the confidence to accept himself. Some episodes were surrealistic in nature, such as Bob trying an experimental hair restoration product only to find it has resulted in him slowly becoming a werewolf. In another episode he takes up "Dance Fu", a combination of the martial arts and jazz dancing, in order to protect his family's right to go to a restaurant after a bully from work threatens him. Other episodes were more down to earth. In one Bob stages a sit-in in his younger son's treehouse in order to protest oppressive zoning laws which demand the treehouse be demolished. In another episode Bob is asked to stay in the kitchen in order to avoid embarrassing his daughter at her first party. But when the party proves a disaster, Bob livens it up with disco music and a game of Twister to the enjoyment of all involved; he then helps his daughter approach a boy she liked. However outlandish the situations became, the series was always grounded in family life.

The series finale had Bob circulating a petition to save the local school music program, ultimately Bob is tackled by Secret Service agents when he tries to get newly elected President Bill Clinton to sign the petition—in a men's room.

Scheduled against powerhouse 60 Minutes, Shaky Ground struggled in its time slot, while retaining a small but devoted cult following. Howard Rosenberg of the Los Angeles Times described the show as "sneaky-funny" in his 1992 review. This series is not yet available in DVD.

Cast

Episode list

Nº Title Directed by: Written by: Original air date
1"Honey, I Shrunk the Paycheck"Max TashBob Keyes, Chip Keyes & Doug KeyesDecember 13, 1992 (1992-12-13)
Bob loses a promotion to a much younger manager and quits his job, but then must break the news to his wife.
2"Fight Night"Max TashBob Keyes, Chip Keyes & Doug KeyesDecember 20, 1992 (1992-12-20)
Bob has Carter play sick so he can stay home to "nurse" him, but actually he wants to watch the hottest fight of the year and avoid having to attend The Nutcracker with Helen and the in-laws.
3"The Amazing Chimney Boy"Max TashKevin KeltonDecember 27, 1992 (1992-12-27)
Bob tries to clean the chimney, but when Dylan gets stuck inside, Bob's marriage may go up in smoke.
4"House Party, Too"Max TashEric Brand & Robert KurtzJanuary 3, 1993 (1993-01-03)
Bob moves his poker game to his house so he can chaperone Bernadette's party, a move sure to embarrass her.
5"Pet Sematary"Scott BaioShari Hearn10 January 1993 (1993-01-10)
Bob's in-laws leave their dog behind when they vacation in Hawaii and when it suddenly dies, Bob could find himself in the doghouse.
6"The Scarlet Letter"Scott BaioVirginia K. Hegge & Christopher VaneJanuary 17, 1993 (1993-01-17)
Bob and Helen's fifteenth anniversary is clouded when Bernadette finds a love poem from one of Helen's old flames.
7"Of Human Bonding"Steve ZuckermanTom Devanney24 January 1993 (1993-01-24)
After spending long hours at work away from the family, Bob tries to bond with youngest child Dylan.
8"Asbestos and Costello"Max TashVirginia K. Hegge & Christopher Vane7 February 1993 (1993-02-07)
Before their broken furnace can be replaced, the Moodys must contend with the cold reality of costly asbestos removal — and living in a small trailer in their back yard.
9"Sudden Impact"Scott BaioBob Keyes, Chip Keyes & Doug KeyesFebruary 14, 1993 (1993-02-14)
After Bob restores a sports car with Russell and Carter's help, Carter takes it out for an unauthorized spin and wrecks it.
10"Mr. President"Max TashEric Brand & Robert KurtzFebruary 28, 1993 (1993-02-28)
When the school board considers axing Dylan's music classes, Bob takes a stand against budget cuts and starts a petition drive — without much success. When President Clinton visits a local mall, Bob decides his would be the one signature that could turn his cause around.
11"The Tree House"Richard CorrellStuart SilvermanMarch 7, 1993 (1993-03-07)
12"Misery"Jeff MelmanKevin KeltonMarch 21, 1993 (1993-03-21)
13"School Daze"David TrainerKevin KeltonMarch 28, 1993 (1993-03-28)
14"Love Thy Neighbor"Shelley JensenBob Keyes & Tom DevanneyApril 18, 1993 (1993-04-18)
15"Faulty Attraction"David TrainerTom DevanneyMay 2, 1993 (1993-05-02)
16"Toupee or Not Toupee"Robert BerlingerShari HearnMay 9, 1993 (1993-05-09)
17"Stayin' Alive"Robert BerlingerEric CohenMay 23, 1993 (1993-05-23)
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