Shaky Ground

Theme

Bob Moody was mid-life, mid-career, middle-management and middle-class. He worked as a quality control inspector for United General Technologies. He loved his family and worked hard to support them, but in ways was struggling with adulthood as well. Episodes often focused on Bob's thwarted ambitions at work, or the fact that he was not a traditional husband and father at home. Bob managed to get by as a result of finding the confidence to accept himself. Some episodes were surrealistic in nature, such as Bob trying an experimental hair restoration product only to find it has resulted in him slowly becoming a werewolf. In another episode he takes up "Dance Fu", a combination of the martial arts and jazz dancing, in order to protect his family's right to go to a restaurant after a bully from work threatens him. Other episodes were more down to earth. In one Bob stages a sit-in in his younger son's treehouse in order to protest oppressive zoning laws which demand the treehouse be demolished. In another episode Bob is asked to stay in the kitchen in order to avoid embarrassing his daughter at her first party. But when the party proves a disaster, Bob livens it up with disco music and a game of Twister to the enjoyment of all involved; he then helps his daughter approach a boy she liked. However outlandish the situations became, the series was always grounded in family life.

The series finale had Bob circulating a petition to save the local school music program, ultimately Bob is tackled by Secret Service agents when he tries to get newly elected President Bill Clinton to sign the petition—in a men's room.

Scheduled against powerhouse 60 Minutes, Shaky Ground struggled in its time slot, while retaining a small but devoted cult following. Howard Rosenberg of the Los Angeles Times described the show as "sneaky-funny" in his 1992 review. This series is not yet available in DVD.

Cast