History YMMV / MyMotherTheCar

* AudienceAlienatingPremise: Easily one of the most notorious cases of this in television history. Even in an era where other sitcoms featured a fantastic gimmick, such as [[Series/MisterEd a talking horse]], [[Series/{{Bewitched}} a witch living as a common housewife]], [[Series/IDreamOfJeannie a female genie obedient to (and trying to be hidden from everyone by) the astronaut who found her]], or [[Series/TheFlyingNun a flying nun]], a show about a talking car (and one who talks because its owner's mother reincarnated into it at that) was found to be too preposterous a premise, resulting in its infamy. One contemporary critic noted that television was used to talking animals like ''Mr. Ed'', and ghosts coming back to haunt the living as the premise of a sitcom in ''Series/{{Topper}}'', but the combination of both gimmicks (with a car instead of an animal) in one show struck as ludicrous.

* AudienceAlienatingPremise: Easily one of the most notorious cases of this in television history. Even in an era where other sitcoms featured a fantastic gimmick, such as [[Series/MisterEd a talking horse]], [[Series/{{Bewitched}} a witch living as a common housewife]], [[Series/IDreamOfJeannie an female genie obedient to (and trying to be hidden from everyone by) the astronaut who found her]], or [[Series/TheFlyingNun a flying nun]], a show about a talking car (and one who talks because its owner's mother reincarnated into it at that) was found to be too preposterous a premise, resulting in its infamy. One contemporary critic noted that television was used to talking animals like ''Mr. Ed'', and ghosts coming back to haunt the living as the premise of a sitcom in ''Series/{{Topper}}'', but the combination of both gimmicks (with a car instead of an animal) in one show struck as ludicrous.

* WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs: The premise of the show (and the fact it made it onto NBC's schedule) would seemingly suggest there was a lot of LSD going around the TV industry in 1965.

* PoorMansSubstitute: No offense to Jerry Van Dyke, but he does seem to be playing the same sort of character his brother played in ''Series/TheDickVanDykeShow.'' Jerry Van Dyke may have even been partly responsible for a major change in the appearance of Maggie Pierce, the actress who played his character's wife on the show, after comparing her in an interview to Creator/MaryTylerMoore (who played his brother Dick's wife on Dick's show) and who happened to have shoulder-length brunette hair similar to Moore's, as she would sport a blond bouffant style in the show (though the director claimed that the change was because her dark brunette hair didn't show up well in color).

* SoOkayItsAverage: Wild premise aside, the majority of it is just kind of bland and doesn't really do much with said premise. This is largely due to many episodes barely using Mother outside of one brief scene, making many episodes into standard era sitcom fare.

* PoorMansSubstitute: No offense to Jerry Van Dyke, but he does seem to be playing the same sort of character his brother played in ''Series/TheDickVanDykeShow.''

* AudienceAlienatingPremise: Easily one of the most notorious cases of this in television history. Even in an era where other sitcoms featured a fantastic gimmick, such as [[Series/MisterEd a talking horse]], [[Series/{{Bewitched}} a witch living as a common housewife]], [[Series/IDreamOfJeannie an female genie obedient to (and trying to be hidden from everyone by) the astronaut who found her]], or [[Series/TheFlyingNun a flying nun]], a show about a talking car (and one who talks because its owner's mother reincarnated into it at that) was found to be too preposterous a premise, resulting in its infamy. One comtemporary critic noted that television was used to talking animals like ''Mr. Ed'', and ghosts coming back to haunt the living as the premise of a sitcom in ''Series/{{Topper}}'', but the combination of both gimmicks (with a car instead of an animal) in one show struck as ludicrous.

%% * AudienceAlienatingPremise: Easily one of the most notorious cases of this in television history. %% Please explain why the show's premise is seen as alienating to some people.
* BileFascination: Perhaps the only reason the show is still remembered.

* FridgeHorror: In addition to the below ParanoiaFuel, the fact that Mother came back as a car provides a horrific thought: she explains that she didn't get to decide what she came back as which resulted in her coming back as a car. That means any man-made object could potentially be housing a reincarnated soul. And worse than that, what happens to cars and house hold items that break, that can't be repaired? They get thrown away (in a car's case, either left sitting in the backyard to rust or worse, taken to a junkyard). Until the item was destroyed, the souls trapped in them would be in [[FateWorseThanDeath the non-functioning items with no way to relieve the passing of time]].

* FridgeHorror: In addition to the below ParanoiaFuel, the fact that Mother came back as a car provides a horrific thought: she explains that she didn't get to decide what she came back as which resulted in her coming back as a car. That means any man-made object could potentially housing a reincarnated soul. And worse than that, what happens to cars and house hold items that break, that can't be repaired? They get thrown away (in a car's case, either left sitting in the backyard to rust or worse, taken to a junkyard). Until the item was destroyed, the souls trapped in them would be in [[FateWorseThanDeath the non-functioning items with no way to relieve the passing of time]].

* FridgeHorror: In addition to the below ParanoiaFuel, the fact that Mother came back as a car provides a horrific thought: she explains that she didn't get to decide what she came back as which resulted in her coming back as a car. That means any man-made object could potentially housing a reincarnated soul. And worse than that, what happens to cars and house hold items that break, that can't be repaired? They get thrown away (in a car's case, either left sitting in the backyard to rust or worse, taken to a junkyard).

* ParanoiaFuel: While the show wasted a lot of opportunities by only having mother talk to Dave, her reasons for doing so make sense- if everyone knew the car was alive, she would be either stuck on public display or studied endlessly by curious parties(who would probably have her dismantled, which could be potentially fatal). Keeping quiet was a self-preservation move.

** A series about a talking, near-indestructible car that can drive itself? Series/KnightRider would do a similar concept but far more successfully about 15 years later... on the same network, no less!

* SoOkayItsAverage: Wild premise aside, the majority of it is just kind of bland and doesn't really do much with said premise.

* AudienceAlienatingPremise: Easily one of the most notorious cases of this in television history.

* HilariousInHindsight: Mother refuses to talk to anyone else besides Dave because she's afraid she would be put on display in the Smithsonian Institute, or on "...the [[Series/TheTonightShowStarringJohnnyCarson Johnny Carson show]]." The show would be the subject of much ridicule from Carson.

* PoesLaw: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuYCgbuPuSY Series co-creator Allan Burns says]] this show was meant to be a parody of fantastical sitcoms that was popular the time, but it ended up playing the trope so straight that nobody realized it was supposed to make fun of the genre.

** A series about a talking, near-indestructible car that can drive itself? Series/KnightRider would do a similar concept but far more successfully about 15 years later.

* HilariousInHindsight: Mother refuses to talk to anyone else besides Dave because she's afraid she would be put on display in the Smithsonian Institute, or put on "...the [[Series/TheTonightShowStarringJohnnyCarson Johnny Carson show]]." The show would be the subject of much ridicule from Carson.

* SoBadItsGood: The show is simply too bizarre to pass up. But...
** SoOkayItsAverage: The majority of it is just kind of bland and doesn't really do much with its wild premise.

* ValuesDissonance: Besides the fact it's a '60s sitcom, it's a little strange to see a classic, vintage automobile treated like TheAllegedCar rather than a museum piece. Dave acts a little similar to an enthusiast, at least.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: The premise is a bit unsettling to anyone who has the book of or seen the movie of ''Literature/{{Christine}}''.
* HilariousInHindsight:
** The premise, with all its lovely Freudian undertones, becomes even funnier if you've seen a certain HumongousMecha show ([[spoiler:''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'']], for those not afraid of spoilers).
** Mother refuses to talk to anyone else besides Dave because she's afraid she would be put on display in the Smithsonian Institute, or put on "...the [[Series/TheTonightShowStarringJohnnyCarson Johnny Carson show]]." The show would be the subject of much ridicule from Carson.

* SnarkBait: The show would be all but forgotten if not for its terrible, terrible concept.

* EarWorm: Say what you will about the show, it certainly had a catchy theme song. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kz3hfJweE0 Judge for yourself.]]

* WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs: The premise of the show (and the fact it made it onto NBC's schedule) would seemingly suggest there was a lot of LSD going around the TV industry in 1965.

** Mother refuses to talk to anyone else besides Dave because she's afraid she would be put on display in the Smithsonian Institute, or put on "...the [[Series/TheTonightShow Johnny Carson show]]." The show would be the subject of much ridicule from Carson.

* HilariousInHindsight: The premise, with all its lovely Freudian undertones, becomes even funnier if you've seen a certain HumongousMecha show ([[spoiler:''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'']], for those not afraid of spoilers).