{{short description|American sketch comedy television series}} {{Infobox television | image = She_TV_logo_and_title_screen.png | based_on = | creator = Tamara Rawitt | genre = Sketch comedy | starring = Jennifer Coolidge<br/>Linda Kash<br/>Simbi Khali<br/> | country = United States | language = English | company = | location = Los Angeles | network = ABC | first_aired = {{Start date|1994|08|16}} | last_aired = {{End date|1994|09|13}} | num_episodes = 6 | num_seasons = 1 | executive_producer = George Schlatter<br/>Bonnie Turner<br/>Terry Turner }}
'''''She TV''''' is a short-lived sketch comedy television series that aired on ABC in 1994. The show was created by Tamara Rawitt, a producer on ''In Living Color'', and featured a majority-women cast intended to distinguish it from male-dominated comedy shows of the time. The show was meant to "explore the female point of view" and satirize current events but was not, according to the show's producers, intended to be feminist.<ref name="Sandler">{{cite journal |last1=Sandler |first1=Adam |title=She TV review |journal=Variety |date=August 16, 1994 |url=https://variety.com/1994/tv/reviews/she-tv-1200438190/ |access-date=20 September 2025}}</ref><ref name="Glimpse">{{cite news |last1=Glimpse |first1=Jennifer |title=On View : 'She TV': Comic Role Reversals |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-08-14-tv-26905-story.html |access-date=20 September 2025 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=August 14, 1994}}</ref><ref name="Roanoke">{{cite news |title=`SHE TV' LIGHTENS UP 10 P.M. SLOT |url=https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/ROA-Times/issues/1994/rt9408/940813/08160020.htm |access-date=20 September 2025 |work=The Roanoke Times |date=August 13, 1994}}</ref>
During its run, ''She TV'' occupied a popular Tuesday night time slot normally reserved for the more serious police drama ''NYPD Blue''. Only 5 episodes aired of a 6-episode order,<ref name="BroadcastingAndCable">{{cite journal |title=In Brief |journal=Broadcasting & Cable |date=September 19, 1994 |page=80 |url=https://archive.org/details/bc-1994-09-19/page/n83/mode/2up?q=%22She+TV%22 |access-date=20 September 2025}}</ref> but the show featured early starring roles for actors such as Jennifer Coolidge and Simbi Khali. The cast in general was unknown to the public and was drawn from the stand-up world, the Groundlings, and Second City.<ref name="Glimpse"/> The show itself was produced by industry veterans and featured major guest stars such as Tony Curtis and Bea Arthur.
==Cast== {{columns-list|colwidth=15em|style=width: 600px; font-style: ;| *Jennifer Coolidge *Linda Kash *Simbi Khali *Becky Thyre *Linda Wallem *Henriette Mantel *Nick Bakay *Carl Banks *Elon Gold }}
==Reception== ''She TV'' received mixed reviews. ''Variety'' panned it as "[failing] to score on any level".<ref name="Sandler"/> The ''Chicago Tribune'' argued the show was "fenced in" by the standards of network television, and that its unwillingness to be overtly feminist made it feel "muted" and unappealing.<ref name="ChicagoTribune">{{cite news |title=Comedy Hour |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1994/08/15/comedy-hour/ |access-date=20 September 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |date=August 15, 1994}}</ref> A ''Time'' review, however, called the show a "breakthrough" and one of the best "in years," bemoaning the fact that it failed to find an audience.<ref name="Zoglin">{{cite journal |last1=Zoglin |first1=Richard |title=TELEVISION: She Who Laughs Last ... |journal=TIME |date=September 12, 1994 |url=https://time.com/archive/6725979/television-she-who-laughs-last/ |access-date=20 September 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
Several explanations were offered for the show's failure beyond its quality. Comedy shows were uncommon to see as the last show in a network's primetime lineup, and audiences may have preferred dramas at that time.<ref name="Roanoke"/>
The show may have also been too ambiguous in its mission, failing to either reach a broad audience or deliver fully on its women-centered premise. Critics speculated that the show's focus on a majority-women cast may have "scared off" male viewers.<ref name="Zoglin"/> Comedian Jane Lynch joked about that possibility in her memoir, describing the show as "an all-female comedy teeming with fresh, new girl talent and writers—and so of course, it failed almost immediately."<ref name="Lynch">{{cite book |last1=Lynch |first1=Jane |title=Happy Accidents |date=2011 |publisher=Voice/Hyperion |location=New York |isbn=9781401341763 |page=165 |edition=1st}}</ref>
Despite having a majority-women cast, other critics noted that it was only a slight majority (five of eight main cast members) and the show had numerous male writers. Wary of alienating male viewers, the show's producers may have failed to embrace a stronger and more provocative point of view. As one critic noted, ''She TV'' "wimps out" on its premise and is "just too nice."<ref name="Richmond1994">{{cite news |last1=Richmond |first1=Ray |title='SHE TV' misses feminist opportunity |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/530464536/?match=1&terms=%22She%20TV%22 |access-date=9 October 2025 |work=The Messenger |date=August 19, 1994}}</ref><ref name="Lacey1994">{{cite news |last1=Lacey |first1=Liam |title=She TV Is Still Where the Men Are |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1221690456/?match=1&terms=%22She%20TV%22 |access-date=9 October 2025 |work=The Globe and Mail |date=August 16, 1994}}</ref>
After its cancellation, fans campaigned unsuccessfully to revive the show, arguing it was canceled due to misogynistic beliefs of network executives.<ref>{{cite news |title=We Want Our She TV |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/334681525/?match=1&terms=%22She%20TV%22 |access-date=9 October 2025 |work=The Signal |date=September 23, 1994}}</ref>
===Rush Limbaugh outrage===
Conservative talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh denounced ''She TV'' after the show aired a sketch mocking him as a racist. Limbaugh demanded an apology and retraction from ABC, which he did not receive, and also threatened a boycott of the network.<ref name="Kurtz">{{cite book |last1=Kurtz |first1=Howard |title=Hot Air: All Talk, All the Time |date=1997 |publisher=Basic Books |location=New York |isbn=9780465030743 |pages=248–249 |edition=1.}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb title|id=tt0108924}}
Category:1994 American television series debuts Category:1994 American television series endings Category:1990s American sketch comedy television series Category:American Broadcasting Company original programming Category:English-language American television shows