Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Saturdays, I will be reviewing the Canadian sitcom, Check it Out, which ran in syndication from 1985 to 1988.  The entire show is currently streaming on Tubi and Peacock!

This week, Howard is getting sued!

Episode 3.17 “Fatal Harrassment”

(Dir by Alan Erlich, originally aired on January 10th, 1988)

The newest cashier at Cobb’s, Kim Dillard (Lolita Davidovich, in a very early role), is suing Howard for sexual harassment!

Actually …. yeah, I could see that.  Everything about Howard screams lawsuit, if not for sexual harassment than for something else.  The same can be said of the behavior of just about everyone who works at Cobb’s.  One thing I’ve noticed over the years that I’ve spent watching old sitcoms for the site is that, in the 80s and 90s, everyone just harassed everyone else and regularly made comments that would end friendships and lose jobs today.

Anyway, Howard swears that Kim was actually coming onto him and that he’s being set up.  Yeah, whatever, Howard.  No one buys that!  Except, it’s true!  It turns out that Kim has a history of taking jobs and then suing her boss for sexual harassment.  Since most of her bosses settle to avoid the bad publicity that would come with a trial, Kim makes a lot of money without having to prove anything.  Howard, however, threatens to go to court, which cause Kim to drop her suit.  Howard keeps his job, disappointing Christian who was hoping to take over the store.

This episode wasn’t great but it wasn’t terrible.  It was very middle-of-the-road, featuring a lot of obvious jokes that were saved by the cast’s third season chemistry.  That said, it also painted Kim as too obvious a villain and it again left me wondering why Edna is still wasting her time with Howard.  For three seasons now, Edna has been complaining about dating Howard.  Strangely, Edna always says that she’s been dating Howard for “Seven years,” even though three years have passed since she first said that.  Poor Edna!