Mr. Smith(1983)

He's the chimp who can think

Mr. Smith is an American sitcom that aired on NBC in fall 1983, centered on a talking orangutan navigating life alongside human characters. The premise was straightforward: an intelligent ape learns to communicate and gets caught up in everyday situations that blur the line between animal instinct and human behavior. The series lasted just thirteen episodes before cancellation. The orangutan cast member had previously appeared in Clint Eastwood's Any Which Way You Can and Every Which Way But Loose, bringing established star power to the role. Despite its novelty hook and familiar animal actor, Mr. Smith couldn't sustain an audience beyond its brief run, making it a curious footnote in 1980s television comedy.