''What a Country!'' is an American

sitcom A sitcom, a Portmanteau, portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troup ...

starring Garrett M. Brown and Yakov Smirnoff that aired in

first-run syndication Broadcast syndication is the practice of leasing the right to broadcasting television shows and radio programs to multiple television stations and radio stations, without going through a broadcast network. It is common in the United States where ...

from September 27, 1986, to May 23, 1987. The series is based on the British sitcom ''

Mind Your Language ''Mind Your Language'' is a British sitcom that premiered on ITV in 1977. It was produced by London Weekend Television and directed by Stuart Allen. Three series were made by the London Weekend Television between 1977 and 1979 and briefly revi ...

'' and was intended as a showcase for Ukrainian-American comedian Yakov Smirnoff, whose catchphrase provided the show's title.

Synopsis

''What a Country!'' is set in a class of recent immigrants to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

who are trying to pass the citizenship test. Their teacher, Taylor Brown (played by Garrett M. Brown), is a part-time substitute teacher looking for a high school soccer coaching job, while the students are: # Nikolai (a Russian taxi driver), # Laszlo (a retired Hungarian doctor), # Ali (a Pakistani), # Robert (the son of a deposed African king), # Maria (a housekeeper working for a rich Beverly Hills family), # Victor (a Hispanic in love with Maria), and # Yung Hi (a shy Chinese woman). Gail Strickland initially played the character of Principal Joan Courtney, though she was replaced by

Don Knotts Jesse Donald Knotts (July 21, 1924February 24, 2006) was an American actor and comedian. He is widely known for his role as Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife on ''The Andy Griffith Show'', a 1960s sitcom for which he earned five Emmy Awards. He also ...

during the series' run.

Cast

* Garrett M. Brown as Taylor Brown * Yakov Smirnoff as Nikolai Rostopovich *

George Murdock George Peter ("Pete") Murdock (May 11, 1897 – March 29, 1985), also known as G. P. Murdock, was an American anthropologist who was professor at Yale University and University of Pittsburgh. He is remembered for his empirical approach to eth ...

as Laszlo Gabo *

Vijay Amritraj Vijay Amritraj (born 14 December 1953) is an Indian sports commentator, actor and retired professional tennis player from Madras. He was awarded the Padma Shri, India's 4th highest civilian honour, in 1983.In 2022, he was honored for his cont ...

as Ali Nadim *

Harry Waters, Jr. Harry Tunney Waters Jr. (born April 13, 1953) is an American actor, singer and theatre director, best known for his portrayal of Marvin Berry in '' Back to the Future'' (1985). His renditions of " Night Train" and " Earth Angel" are two of the ...

as Robert Muboto * Ada Maris as Maria Conchita Lopez * Julian Reyes as Victor Ortega * Leila Hee Olsen as Yung Hi * Gail Strickland as Principal Joan Courtney (episodes 1–10) *

as Principal F.J. "Bud" McPherson (episodes 11–26)

Episodes

References

External links

* 1986 American television series debuts 1987 American television series endings 1980s American sitcoms American television series based on British television series English-language television shows First-run syndicated television programs in the United States Television shows set in Los Angeles Television series by Tribune Entertainment Television series by CBS Studios {{US-comedy-tv-prog-stub