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The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer

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TV Series

The Resume

    (October 5, 1998-October 26, 1998)
    Aired on UPN
    Chi McBride as Desmond Pfeiffer
    Dann Florek as Abraham Lincoln
    Christine Eastbrook as Mary Todd Lincoln
    Premise: Pfeiffer, a black English noble forced to flee the UK due to gambling debts, becomes valet to US President Abraham Lincoln

Why The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer might be annoying:

    The ‘P’ in ‘Pfeiffer’ wasn’t silent.
    It drew complaints from several organizations, such as the Hollywood chapter of the NAACP, about making light of slavery.
    In an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to milk the controversy for ratings, UPN ran newspaper ads announcing ‘The Critics Hate It.’
    Its first episode ranked 116th out of 125 programs for the week; ratings did not improve in subsequent weeks.
    It was cancelled after four episodes aired.
    Entertainment Weekly called it ‘this season’s winner of the ‘what drugs were they smoking when they created this show?’ award.’

Why The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer might not be annoying:

    Despite the 19th century setting, much of its intended humor came from lampooning (none too subtly) the Clinton administration.
    When the Los Angeles City Council unanimously passed a resolution demanding a community screening of the pilot episode to see if it was appropriate for broadcast, network CEO Dean Valentine responded, ‘In a city with problems ranging from education to crime to city services, poverty, and racism – a lot of incredibly pressing social issues – it’s almost laughable, if it weren’t so sad, that our representatives are devoting their attention to UPN’s Monday night schedule.’
    It got shout outs from the similarly short-lived ‘Clerks: The Animated Series.’

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying