In 1983, CBS aired a half-hour comedy pilot called Great Day, and almost no one remembers it today.

Starring Tim Conway at the height of his television career, Great Day follows a suburban family dealing with a bizarre burglar who steals small items and leaves polite notes behind. The show never moved forward as a full series, quietly disappearing after its initial broadcast.

What makes Great Day especially interesting today is a brief early appearance by Bill Paxton, years before he would become a Hollywood mainstay in films like The Terminator, Aliens, and Weird Science.

In this review, I revisit this obscure and largely forgotten TV pilot to explore why it failed, what it gets wrong, and whether there were any elements that could have worked as a full series. From its flat comedy and repetitive structure to its squandered premise, Great Day offers a fascinating look at how even projects with major talent can completely miss the mark.

Force Five is a series dedicated to breaking down movies and television in about five minutes, focusing on forgotten media, deep cuts, and overlooked curiosities.