''Woops!'' is an American
postapocalyptic
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; ast ...
sitcom that aired on the
Fox network from September 27 to December 6, 1992. The series was created by
Gary Jacobs, and produced by
Witt/Thomas Productions in association with
Touchstone Television.
Synopsis
The series centered around the six survivors of a world
nuclear holocaust. They live together in an abandoned farm house while trying to survive and re-establish civilization. Thirteen episodes were made, but only 10 were aired before Fox cancelled the series.
In July 2002, ''
TV Guide'' named ''Woops!'' the
42nd-worst TV show of all time, and referred to as a "post-apocalyptic ''
Gilligan's Island
''Gilligan's Island'' is an American sitcom created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz. The show's ensemble cast features Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Tina Louise, Russell Johnson and Dawn Wells. It aired for thr ...
''".
Characters
* Mark Braddock (
Evan Handler), formerly a
schoolteacher, is the narrator of the show by writing in his
journal. The pilot episode focuses on Mark, showing him finishing his classes and making a deposit at a drive-up window at the bank when a flash of light (the nuclear attack) occurs, and everything is turned to ruins except for Mark and his automobile, which was a
Volvo. (The joke being that
Volvos have a reputation for being well-built, reliable, and safe cars.)
* Jack Connors (
Fred Applegate Fred Applegate may refer to:
* Fred Applegate (baseball)
* Fred Applegate (actor)
Frederick Applegate (born February 20, 1953) is an American actor, singer and dancer.
Early life and education
Applegate grew up in Maplewood, New Jersey and So ...
), formerly a
homeless
Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are:
* living on the streets, also kn ...
man and a great
practical joke
A practical joke, or prank, is a mischievous trick played on someone, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, or discomfort.Marsh, Moira. 2015. ''Practically Joking''. Logan: Utah State University Press. ...
r, revealed he survived the nuclear war because he was sleeping under an expressway
overpass
An overpass (called an overbridge or flyover in the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth countries) is a bridge, road, railway or similar structure that crosses over another road or railway. An ''overpass'' and ''underpass'' together form ...
, whose structure protected him. Jack considered his finding the farm advantageous, as he is no longer homeless.
* Alice McConnell (
Meagen Fay) was a progressive
feminist
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
stereotype. She reveals she worked in an old bookstore that had been built in the 1960s and equipped with a fallout shelter, which was converted into the basement. She ran out of register tape and went to the basement to get a fresh roll, thus being spared when the attack occurred.
* Frederick Ross (
Cleavant Derricks) was formerly a research
biologist
A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual cell, a multicellular organism, or a community of interacting populations. They usually specialize in ...
. His excellent knowledge of science is vital to the survival of the community. Although he considered it ironic that he was possibly the only Black man to have survived the nuclear war, and occasionally mused over the possible loss of a Black female companion, he genuinely enjoyed his White friends and living on the farm.
* Suzanne Skillman (
Marita Geraghty), a
hair salon employee, ia a
dumb blonde stereotype, although her hair color was clearly brunette.
* Curtis Thorpe (
Lane Davies) was formerly an aggressive
venture capitalist. He finds adjusting to farm life difficult, as most of the business skills he had before are not needed on the farm, although he was surprisingly athletic, having participated in
track and field at Harvard.
Episodes
See also
*''
Whoops Apocalypse'', a 1982 television sitcom that aired on
ITV detailing the weeks leading up to the apocalypse
*''
The Last Man on Earth'', a 2015 postapocalyptic comedy that also aired on Fox, but with greater success
References
External links
* {{IMDb title, id=0103583, title=Woops!
1992 American television series debuts
1992 American television series endings
1990s American sitcoms
English-language television shows
Fox Broadcasting Company original programming
Television series by ABC Studios
Post-apocalyptic television series
Television shows set in Los Angeles