Out of Control is a comedy series that ran on Nickelodeon from 1984 to 1985. It was hosted by a pre–Full House Dave Coulier, who ran a news show (in the loosest sense of the word). Joining him were:
- Angela “Scoop” Quickly (Jill Wakewood): An Intrepid Reporter. She was somewhat clueless.
- Hern Burford (Marty Schiff): Her caustic rival.
- Waldo (David Henstrom): A goofy inventor.
- Diz Aster (Diz McNally): The overly shrill stage manager.
Segments on the show included:
- Let’s Eat - Dave travels to many eating establishments, where he offers them a trophy topped with chattering teeth.
- How NOT to Do Things - a do-it-yourself segment. Disaster ensues.
- It’s Alive - a segment about animals.
- Are We There Yet? - about interesting locations.
- It’s Probably True - Facts are examined.
- Adult Education - A little girl is the teacher to a group of adults.
- Fast Told Fairy Tales - Diz tells fairy tales while being timed.
- Hurry Up! - Upon request, Dave uses a machine to speed up a mundane activity.
Tropes include:
- As Himself: Dave Coulier, the host of the show.
- Butt-Monkey: The Cartoon Critic is the recipient of a lot of slapstick.
- Catchphrase: Dave's "Cut-It-Out" and Diz's "Lucky!" and "Excellent!". There’s also the Cartoon Critic, whose catchphrase is “That’s stupid!”
- Food Porn: The "Let's Eat" segments show Dave's fascination with the meals served to him.
- Motormouth: Diz can talk pretty fast, particularly when she delivers her “Fast Told Fairy Tales”.
- Nerd Glasses: Waldo's glasses have to be seen to be believed.
- No Name Given: The Cartoon Critic has never been called by name.
- Only One Name: Waldo’s surname is never revealed.
- Punny Name: Diz Aster.
- Small Name, Big Ego: Hern considers himself to be the best reporter on the show.
- Valley Girl: Diz, full stop.
