The fall of 1993 was a time of monumental change for late night TV. The undisputed king, Johnny Carson, had retired after decades of being top dog. After years and years of the status quo, networks and comedians were ready to shake things up. The throne was empty and everyone was fighting for it.

It was around this time that Fox, still a fledgling network attempting to find its way in the world, jumped into the late night game. They were not content to watching Jay Leno sweep up the ratings while his now-competitor David Letterman started a new legacy at CBS. Fox had the money, Fox had the affiliates and marketing power, why didn’t Fox have a late night show of its own?

So they did what anyone does in a time of need: they called upon Dolly Parton.

The top brass at Fox asked Parton if she would like to host her own nightly talk show, something that could go toe-to-toe with Leno and Letterman. Now, I know what you’re thinking: Dolly Parton?! Country singer Dolly Parton?! Hosting a late night talk show? What sort of half-baked idea is that?

Well, it’s a far better idea than the one they tried next.

Parton passed on the project because she isn’t a moron and that left Fox searching for a different host. Parton herself suggested one: Chevy Chase. The former Saturday Night Live star made sense on paper. He was a well-known name, his movie career wasn’t exactly booming which meant he had time to dedicate to the show, his work in Hollywood had made him a lot of connections and that meant his couch would always have someone famous sitting on it. Plus the man did really well during his brief stint on SNL. His time at the desk for Weekend Update was adored by many across the country. Giving Chevy Chase an entire episode of television nightly just made sense.

Or so we thought. In the end, his The Chevy Chase Show ended up being a total disaster, lasting only five painful and humiliating weeks. It embarrassed Chase, turned him into a punch line and scared Fox away from ever attempting another late night show. It is a perfect example of a network taking a chance on someone they thought was bankable but being woefully incorrect.

What went wrong with The Chevy Chase Show? Well, a lot. Most obviously, Chase was not a good host. Yes, he could do Weekend Update and, yes, he is good at slapstick comedy but hosting a talk show is a whole different animal and Chase was just not cut out for it. His humor felt awkward. His delivery fell flat. His interviewing skills were dreadful and he always appeared completely out-of-place and uncomfortable. It was surprising to see Chase perform so poorly. He was lost at sea. Nothing fit: the hooting and hollering audience was bizarre, the set was too large and spacious, the outfits Chase wore were oversized. Everything was…off

And then there was the “comedy”. Chase’s monologues were cringe-worthy and filled with bad jokes and a rambunctious crowd that seemed better suited for Married with Children. Chase’s attempt at his own Weekend Update spin-off (“News Update”) was painful, proving that it wasn’t Chase who made Weekend Update work, it was the SNL writers. His interviews felt almost creepy, with a lot of stumbling and vacant stares from Chase. And any of his ad-libbed interactions were nightmares. Take a look at the clip below, which features Chase serenading Goldie Hawn’s son, Oliver, with “Happy Birthday” and a cake.

You can see the joke Chase and his writers thought they were making with the cake and the song. Chevy dropped the cake ha ha ha! It’s hilarious! But it just didn’t play and Chase didn’t sell it. By the time the first cake was on the ground, he was bounding upstage for a replacement. He seemed so uncomfortable with any of the comedy.

But nothing — nothing — was more uncomfortable than watching Chase dance onstage with Goldie Hawn. The way he told (begged?) the audience to get up and dance with them makes your heart hurt. It is like he was crying for help. I have never wanted a show to go to commercial as badly as I did watching that clip.

When The Chevy Chase Show ended, no one was happy. Fox admitted that things didn’t work, the affiliates sighed relief after the cancellation and Chase himself went on the record stating how miserable he was. The series never made it to DVD and it’s damn hard to find clips of it online, as if all involved just wanted it erased from existence.

Since the show ended, Chase has repeatedly talked about how much he hated the show and Fox, usually a daring network, hasn’t been brave enough to try late night again. That says a lot. The Chevy Chase Show proved a lot of things. It proved that late night TV isn’t as easy at it seems. It proved that not every funny actor or actress can effortlessly host a show. It proved that good comedy needs good writers and a host who feels comfortable in the position.

And it really, really proved that Chevy Chase can’t dance.

Watch the entire first episode of ‘The Chevy Chase Show’ below (if you dare)