The late comedian Jim Varney had struck a cultural gold mine with a series of commercials playing country bumpkin Ernest P. Worrell during the 80's. While we never saw Ernest's pal, Vern, whom he was always addressing in the ads, Worrell himself became a pop icon, such that Varney parlayed the character's success into a series of feature films, along with a short-lived Saturday morning series on CBS that aired in 1988. Unfortunately, the local affiliate opted not to air the show. Here's a sample episode, courtesy of YouTube:
DIC & Varney took a chance by giving a daytime berth to a character who actually was more suited for prime time, and the gamble ultimately failed. Hey, Vern, It's Ernest! bit the dust after 1 season, and Varney soldiered on, continuing with the "Ernest" series of feature films. It's a wonder CBS never considered trying it at night, because that might've saved the show. Since I never saw the show, I can't give it a rating.
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