The Nerd (1989 TV Movie) User Reviews

"Nice fella, probably."

[lopezemm · 3/10 · 8 March 2021]

Oh boy. "The Nerd" is an unsold pilot show made back in 1989. And they ultimately let it air in 1996. This show's premise would have been based on the play of the titular name. In this Rick Steadman, saved the main character of this pilot in and in an attempt to "pay it forward" allows for Rick to stay at his house. Typical boss comes dinner sitcom premise. It attempts to be another odd couple, however it ends up falling short as Rick just isn't funny. He's Obnoxious. It would be very interesting to see how they would have incorporate the plays biggest reveal that Rick Steadman was a hired actor to teach the protagonist who there real priorities are . However I doubt this failed pilot as a show would have been able to do this. Perhaps an episode mocking the idea of the play called "Rick, Deadman"- In which our protagonist find out that there invited to the real Rick Steadman funeral. I honestly believe this play could have worked as a sitcom premise, however this pilot lacks the comedic aspect of a sitcom. Definitely should have re-wrote the titular nerd. Maybe make him liked by the boss, but hated by the couple. Instead of having us forced to watch 4 people constantly complain about his antics. It's very much deserved not to be made. But, "Maybe it just needed to have his life interfered with a little, that's all."

Instead of being a nerd, Rick is simply a complete jerk...and an unfunny one at that.

[planktonrules · 1/10 · 23 May 2017]

"The Nerd" was an unsold pilot show made back in 1989. It was ultimately aired in 1996...and considering the quality, I am shocked it ever aired anywhere except, perhaps, by some monsters in order to torture their victims! Yes, it is THAT bad.

The show begins with a couple inviting an important guy over for dinner and they wanna impress him. However, Rick (the ill-named Robert Joy) arrives unannounced and they feel obligated to invite him to stay for dinner. However, Rick soon shows that he is LESS cultured and mannered than any of the Three Stooges or Pauley Shore and he single-handedly ruins the evening with his obnoxious comments and boorishness.

If you think Rick's shtick could have been funny, you are mistaken. It's god-awful and the sort of thing almost all viewers would turn off after the first five minutes...it's THAT bad.

"The Nerd" proves NBC Saturday is "Please Watch TV"

[kszaflik · 1/10 · 28 June 2007]

"The Nerd" is a lame comedy based on a play by Larry Shue about the lives of William and Tanzi Boyd and how a simple act of kindness can ruin their lives. The premise of the show is that William Boyd was in a burning apartment building when a stranger named Rick Steadman saved him. William never met his rescuer, but promised him anything he wants in a letter Boyd sent to him. Out of the blue, William receives a telephone call from Steadman who promptly shows up to ruin his dinner party with a potential client and his wife. The program begins with an interesting concept, but after the first commercial break it becomes clear that the plot is nearly non-existent with one cliché after another. Mr. Walgrave, William's potential client, is a politically incorrect sexist chauvinist. Tanzi Boyd on the other hand, is obsessed with the Woman's liberation movement. They constantly argue with each other until Steadman shows up. Rick Steadman, portrayed by John Dye, looks amazingly like Bill Gates. There are innumerable plot twists the writers could have used to add a third dimension to the characters and to build the plot. An interesting concept they could have used was guests always admire the nerd, but the Boyds can't stand him, or vice versa. But instead the remaining 20 minutes of the programs features the five of them bickering to the point of nausea. The camera work is awful. It looks like it was filmed by a sixth grade audio-visual club. There are numerous jump cuts. The crew either hasn't blocked the script or the camera operators just aren't ready. They constantly missed their mark on simple close ups and long shots. Though, after closer inspection, I believe the actors missed their marks on where to stand and the camera operators were not able to adapt quickly enough. The opening credits scene seems to have been tacked on at the last moment. For sixty seconds the three main characters dance around the set for no apparent reason. Even after watching the entire program, this opening makes no sense. There are many shows that use this same technique such as "Blossom" and "The Cosby Show." In those instances, within the context of the show, they make sense. Three of the Russos were musicians on the show, that is probably why the opening credits have them playing the piano and dancing. "The Nerd" does have some redeeming qualities. The music by Stewart Levin adds emotion to otherwise pointless scenes. Even though the script is poorly written with stupid sex jokes, John Dye adds depth to a flatly written character. It will be interesting to see him other roles in upcoming projects. It is necessary to point out these observations were based solely on the pilot episode which aired on March 2nd. Since then, it has been preempted for several sporting events and another program "Malibu Shores," has taken its original time slot. Will "The Nerd" return on another date and time? Or was this a leftover pilot that didn't make it into the lineup but due to contract negotiations needed to air? At this writing, NBC Entertainment hasn't answered my correspondence. Won't the networks learn? This fall on CBS another similar show called "Dweebs" was canceled after four weeks. NBC Saturday night sitcoms have always played down to the lowest common denominator in terms of plot and characterization. They seem to have a hat full of stereotypical characters they assemble into a program. What do you get when you mix a feminist wife, a sexist client with a kleptomaniac wife, a computer geek and a business man? A four week run program airing on the lowest rated night of the week. "The Nerd" airs Saturday nights at 7:30 PM on NBC.