Watch $#*! My Dad Says
- TV-14
- 2010
- 1 Season
-
6.2 (5,300)
"$#*! My Dad Says" is a half-hour sitcom that first aired September 2010. "$#*! My Dad Says" was based on Justin Halpern's Twitter feed, "Shit My Dad Says," which was also turned into a book called "Sh*t My Dad Says," co-written by Patrick Schumacker and released May 4, 2010. The feed is a random collection of amusing, uncensored lines from Justin Halpern's father, Sam Halpern.
If the Twitter feed and the book were any indication, "$#*! My Dad Says" had a chance at becoming a very popular and amusing television show. William Shatner was cast in the role of the father and given the name Ed. Halpern and his brother feature in the feed and the book, but names were changed to Henry and Vince in the sitcom. Many of the lines that Shatner delivers as Ed are nearly word for word the lines that Halpern's father delivered in real life.
Unfortunately, the series didn't even make it to the end of its season. It disappeared from the CBS lineup after episode 18, which aired February 17, 2011. In May 2011, CBS announced that "$#*! My Dad Says" had been cancelled. So, why was the TV series not as well received as the Twitter feed and the book? The stories and lines delivered by Halpern's father are certainly funny and should have translated well to television.
The answer lies in the fact that the lines were edited to remove all the not-suitable-for-TV language that Sam Halpern is so fond of using. As an ex-military man and retired doctor, Sam Halpern is directly quoted by Justin in the Twitter feed and the book. Most of the quips contain language that can't be used on network television, but Sam's unadulterated "I'll say what I want, when I want and how I want" attitude is hilarious when full force.
The watered down versions of the quips fans of the Twitter feed and book had grown used to, despite being expertly delivered by Shatner in an amusing manner, were just simply not as funny as the raw originals. There has been some speculation that had the adaptation been picked up by a premium network, like HBO or Showtime, with Shatner in the lead role, "$#*! My Dad Says" would have translated much better since the lines and situations would not have needed to be censored so much.