Theme Music: "Uncle Buck," written by Steve Dorff and John Bettis; performed by Ronnie Milsap

SYNOPSIS

When this short-lived "family" sitcom (adapted from the movie of the same name starring John Candy), made its TV debut, it was immediately denounced by critics and rejected by viewers.

Buck was one of TV's most unlikely father figures - a fat, gruff, immature, cigar-smoking, beer-drinking slob. Following the deaths of his brother and sister-in-law in an accident, he had become guardian to their three children. Tia, the oldest, was a bright, but lazy boy-crazy teenager who was forever trying to get around the household rules by sporting miniskirts and black pantyhose to get hot dates; Miles and Maizy were TV's typical wise-cracking kids.

The program garnished its bad reputation during the first few seconds of the opening episode when adorable little Maizy came through the kitchen door and abruptly shouted at her brother, "Miles, you suck!" When Buck mildly objected, she yelled back, "he called me a frecklebutt and I don't have freckles on my butt - they're beauty marks!" The laugh tracks were the only thing laughing as parents, watching at home with their kids, were disgusted. Gross-out humor permeated the show.

Although Buck had moved into the children's neat suburban home, he continued his old bad habits. He constantly invited over his poker-playing buddies Skank and Rafer - much to the disgust of the kids' fearsome grandma, Mrs. Hogoboom. She fould nothing in Buck to trust as a positive role model and threatened to have his guardianship revoked, until she realized that, despite all that was wrong with, he had a heart of gold. He did love the kids and tried to guide them down the right paths - if not by example then by wisdom.