Television series

Going Places

Name: Going Places
Genre: Comedy
Released: 1990
Cast: Alan Ruck, Heather Locklear, Hallie Todd, Staci Keanan, Jerry Levine

Other titles called Going Places: the 1974 film.

Comedy
Light-hearted

A breezy 1990s workplace comedy about four twenty-something producers living together while making a hidden-camera prank show. It's light, fizzy ensemble fun with that particular sitcom charm of the era—quick jokes, warm chemistry, the kind of show that makes you smile without demanding much thought. Perfect for nostalgia or background comfort viewing.

If you liked this

Friends1994

Six friends navigating careers and relationships in New York with effortless chemistry and genuinely funny writing. It redefined the ensemble sitcom and did what Going Places was aiming for, but with slightly sharper scripts and cultural staying power.

But The constant will-they-won't-they romantic tension can feel manipulative by season three. Also genuinely uneven—some episodes are dead weight.

Living Single1993

Six Brooklyn friends sharing apartments, working chaos jobs, and finding both comedy and heart in real friendships. It has the same warm ensemble DNA but a fresher, more diverse energy and better jokes about the actual working world.

But Starts a bit rough and takes time to find its rhythm. By season two it soars, but there's wading to do first.

Kate & Allie1984

Two best friends find themselves living together and rebuilding their lives. Excellent character work, real laughs that come from knowing these women deeply, and surprisingly touching without ever being maudlin.

But It's slower-paced than modern comedy. The jokes are more about behavior and timing than zingers, which means some episodes land quiet rather than big.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Going Places

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

WKRP in Cincinnati1978

Both are ensemble comedies centered on people working together on a show—but WKRP treats the workplace as genuinely dramatic terrain where characters grow and actually fail, rather than just a backdrop for apartment shenanigans.

Radio station staff navigate chaos, romance, and their own incompetence while actually caring about each other. It's a workplace ensemble with sharper writing and real stakes—people have actual struggles, not just sitcom problems. Genuinely moving at times.

But Much of the workplace humor relies on 1970s radio station culture that requires some patience to understand. Less concerned with being constantly funny than with being real.

Diff'rent Strokes1978

An adoptive family of mixed races navigating life in a wealthy household. It's got the ensemble warmth, the workplace comedy bones, and that 1970s-80s sitcom earnestness where character matters as much as the gag.

But Some episodes tackle serious social issues in ways that feel heavy-handed by today's standards. Also genuinely dated in its humor.

My Three Sons1960

Three brothers and their father figure out life together. It's the proto-ensemble living situation sitcom—warm, genuinely funny at times, with real affection for its characters and their messy cohabitation.

But Moves at a stately 1960s pace. The humor is gentle to a point where modern viewers might feel they're watching paint dry.

Bosom Buddies1980

Two guys posing as women to afford an all-women's hotel. It's ridiculous, energetic, and genuinely has moments of sweetness beneath the high-concept premise. Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari have real chemistry.

But The central joke is a man-in-drag premise that hasn't aged gracefully. The comedy often relies on it rather than around it.

Three's Company1977

Three roommates in a Santa Monica apartment juggling careers, dating, and each other's chaos. The physical comedy is excellent and the ensemble warmth carries you through even the creakier plots.

But Relies heavily on misunderstandings and innuendo that feel tedious now. Some character behavior is genuinely frustrating when you're not in the mood for it.

The Odd Couple1970

Two men forced to share an apartment after divorce learn to tolerate each other's fundamentally incompatible lives. The writing is genuinely sharp and the central dynamic—neat vs. sloppy—mines more laughs than you'd think possible.

But Takes a while to stop feeling like a stage play adapted for television. The pacing can feel stagey and occasionally the humor gets repetitive.

Melrose Place1992

Same demographic, same setting (young people sharing housing), same workplace chaos—but Melrose Place asked what happens when the comedy stops and the melodrama starts. It's the dark mirror of the cozy ensemble.

Eight twentysomethings sharing an apartment complex navigate career disasters, betrayals, and melodrama that escalates from believable to genuinely unhinged. It's soapy, it's trashy, and somehow it becomes genuinely addictive television.

But It is absolutely a soap opera pretending to be a drama. If you want subtlety or restraint, this will read as campy excess. The later seasons especially are absurd.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show1970

Going Places is trying to be a workplace show about making television, but Mary Tyler Moore actually perfected that formula. It's the show that every ensemble workplace comedy since has either followed or deliberately rejected.

A woman building a career at a Minneapolis TV station while living her own life. It's the template for smart ensemble workplace comedy—funny, warm, genuinely about adult life and the friendships we choose. Revolutionary for its time.

But Moves slower than modern television. The humor is about character and situation rather than jokes-per-minute. Some episodes feel almost sitcom-shaped to the point of blandness.