Voting Station

Major Dad

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TV Series

The Resume

    (September 17, 1989-May 17, 1993)
    Born in United States
    Originally aired on CBS
    Situated at Camp Singleton (season 1) and Camp Hollister (seasons 2-4)
    Premise: A conservative US Marine Corps Major tries to balance his professional life in the military with that of his marriage to a liberal journalist and newfound family.
    Gerald McRaney as Major John D. MacGillis
    Shanna Reed as Polly Cooper MacGillis
    Marisa Ryan as Elizabeth Cooper MacGillis
    Nicole Dubuc as Robin Cooper MacGillis
    Chelsea Hertford as Casey Cooper MacGillis
    Matt Mulhern as Lt. Gene Holowachuk

Why Major Dad might be annoying:

    It was described as being 'too honest' by critics.
    John was always addressed as 'Major', rather then his first name in non-military situations.
    Its opening sequence had to be changed, due to the scene of Casey taking the Major's Marine hat and putting it on her head drew complaints from USMC officers.
    Its show plot was heavily edited for the second season, to focus more on establishing John as a family man.
    Due to the Major adopting Polly's daughters, it was seen as being a military style version of 'The Brady Bunch.'
    It used the conservative vs. liberal viewpoints of the two main characters as a source of humour.
    The show's star, Gerald McRaney frequently butted heads with the show's writers in regards to his character's development.
    It was moved from its original spot on Monday night to a Friday night spot, which caused ratings to plummet dramatically.
    It wound up getting cancelled after the fourth season as a result.

Why Major Dad might not be annoying:

    It portrayed the Marines in a positive light.
    It altered its opening sequence in its second season from Casey taking off the Major's hat to attempting and being rebuffed.
    It showed the struggles that military families experience with having to relocate unexpectedly.
    Gerald McRaney went to Camp Pendleton to observe the Marine Corps officers in order to prepare for the role.
    It paid close attention to real life military events, in order to incorporate them into the scripts.
    It tackled serious topics such as the Gulf War, burglary, domestic violence and child abuse.
    During the closing credits of the episode 'Conduct Unbecoming,' Gerald McRaney and Nicole Dubuc, both out of character advocated a hotline number for abuse survivors.
    It was fully endorsed by the United States Marine Corps, due to its sincere portrayal of the military forces.

Credit: Ricky


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 225 Votes: 54.67% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 6 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 26 Votes: 42.31% Annoying