The Robinsons

Poor Ed Robinson. No matter what he does, misfortune and disaster follow in the comedy series The Robinsons. When his girlfriend is promoted and becomes his boss, Ed loses both the relationship and his job in marine reinsurance. He flounders about, trying to move on, but forever feeling he can't measure up to the success of his siblings. Brother George is a time management consultant, and sister Vicky works in interior design. Both of them are overbearing, unpleasant people with little time or sympathy for others. George is married to Maggie, the most "normal" person in the family, but otherwise is friendless and socially inept. Vicky can't stay in a relationship, mainly due to her hostile and hyper-critical personality.

The parents, played by Richard Johnson and the wonderful Anna Massey, criticize each other constantly and are blamed by Ed for all his failures. The series features some unusual aspects, such as Ed pointing out how traits of his can be traced to various Robinson ancestors throughout history.

The show only lasted one season, but ended on something of a cliff-hanger. The writers obviously thought the show would continue. It had some amusing points, but the characters were, for the most part, so unlikeable that there was really no sympathy for anyone.
Final Verdict for The Robinsons: Two Gherkins, for some unusual storytelling techniques, but overall unpleasant cast of characters