I first watched it on Public Television in the 80's as a kid but it disappeared until the late 90's. I wish it had more of a following here. I seldom find anyone who knows it or any of the players. They're more likely know Jen Saunders or even Dawn French... I heard that the bands were added to bill the show as a variety program and thus get more pay.
I think it's definitely a candidate for best British sitcom af all time. I was too young for the first series, when it first aired, but I was allowed to watch the second series by my mum and dad, and I can still remember how excited I was watching it. Great memories.
Quote: catskillz @ May 7 2011, 11:57 PM GMTWhat did the Yanks make of the Young Ones? I've never heard any of them talking about it.
Most of the American "Generation X" crowd, which includes me, discovered the show in the mid 1980s and again in the early 1990s through re-runs on MTV. And to answer your question, we loved it. The more clever members of my generation would agree that The Young Ones was one of the most brilliant and important comedy programs on either side of the Atlantic. Most of the general public over here, however, had no idea what it was. But slowly, by word of mouth, and through the sharing of video cassettes, the show began to make its way around the country via the American youth. Our "alternative" scenesters LOVED it. It was dangerous and new. I remember having to sneak downstairs after my parents were asleep and watch it in the living room with the lights off and the volume turned down so I wouldn't be discovered. Yes, many of us enjoyed the show very, very much and still enjoy it today on DVD, the internet, etc. Even my wife loved it, which is one of the many reasons I married her 
FYI, the show featured Americans Jackie Earle Haley (who went on to be quite famous) and Robert Bundy (who did not).
Quote: DrSPants @ 27th July 2012, 10:21 AMFYI, the show featured Americans Jackie Earle Haley (who went on to be quite famous) and Robert Bundy (who did not).
Jackie Earle Haley was already quite famous from the Bad News Bears franchise and from Breaking Away.
Quote: Michael Monkhouse @ 8th May 2011, 10:19 AMi've gone nutsy looking for this too. There's nothing around except the odd scrap of info e.g. http://www.faqs.org/faqs/tv/british-comedy/young-ones/part2/ ...
Years later I've nothing to add except that the animated clay opening used to be on Boobtube.
It's my Beatles to Ringo Starr albums mentality: you know it'll be f**king shit but it's connected in some tenuous way. Curiosity and cats.
Quote: HatedNYC @ 8th May 2011, 8:41 PM. I heard that the bands were added to bill the show as a variety program and thus get more pay.
Yes. It's also why the only bandless ep, 1.6, had a lion tamer instead.
So I've started to look for this pilot again, hoping that over the years someone somewhere may have put the show on the web, or at least put up a clip. Sadly there is still very little info out there.
All I could initially find is the opening animation sequence, a brief bit of info on Wikipedia, and a page on IMDb that lists the cast. All of these though have been around for some time. But then I found an article on LMW. To be honest it doesn't offer much more info than the three things mentioned above, but one interesting thing it said was how they only had three main characters whereas TYO had four. The article suggests that the only available clip of the show is that animation opening sequence.
Link: https://lostmediawiki.com/Oh,_No!_Not_THEM!_(partially_found_unaired_American_adaptation_pilot_of_%22The_Young_Ones%22;_1991)
I think I'll park this search for another few years and then try again!