This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Back in 1990, CBS turned the 1989 John Candy movie "Uncle Buck" into a sitcom.

It did not go well. Critics (including yours truly) hated the show, which starred Kevin Meaney as the title character — a slob named guardian of his young nieces and nephew after his brother and sister-in-law were killed.

It was canceled after airing 16 episodes.

What's a bit hard to believe a quarter of a century later is that the sitcom engendered so much controversy. The first line spoken came from 6-ish Maizy (Sarah Martineck), who yelled at her brother, "Miles, you suck!"

And that set off a kerfuffle about the declining standards of network television. Really.

How many times do you hear "suck" on TV today?

ABC is once again attempting an "Uncle Buck" sitcom, this time with an African-American cast that features Mike Epps in the title role. And, once again, "sucks" is part of the dialogue.

But this time, the context is considerably different.

In the new version, which debuts Tuesday at 8 p.m. on ABC/Ch. 4, the kids' parents — Will (James Lesure) and Alexis (Nia Long) — aren't dead. They're busy with their careers and looking for someone to mind the kids.

And they are not pleased when they discover teenage daughter Tia (Iman Benson) studying in her bedroom with a boy. With the door shut.

"What the hell was that boy doing in your room?" Will demands.

"Wasn't he the guy that drew a penis on your friend Gary's forehead?" Alexis asks. "I don't want him tutoring you into an early pregnancy."

"This sucks!" Tia exclaims.

That would never have gotten on the air in 1990.

The first episode includes words that would have been at least mildly controversial in 1990 — "hell," "ass" and "damn" — but are not even a blip in 2016. Uncle Buck even says to Tia, "Why you sittin' there being such a b-i-t-c-h?"

"We can spell," says her 12-ish brother, Miles (Sayeed Shahidi).

If there's a child in America who hasn't heard all those words and more, he/she clearly has never watched TV. Or gone outside, for that matter.

The new "Uncle Buck" has a lot in common with the old version. They both, well, suck. ABC's sitcom is not funny. It's unoriginal and tedious.

While the criticism of the 1990 show seems sort of quaint, there's a bit in the 2016 premiere that is indeed reprehensible. And it's somewhat astonishing that no one at ABC recognized that fact.

That teenage boyfriend, Jordan (BJ Mitchell), encourages Tia to take a topless selfie and send it to him.

"C'mon, I sent you a pic without my shirt," he says. "Now it's your turn."

And Buck walks in on Tia when she's taking that picture.

OK, this is 2016. This happens. It's something parents should talk to their kids about. If "Uncle Buck" prompts such a conversation — great.

But — SPOILER ALERT — Buck's solution is deplorable. He sneaks in and takes a nude photo of Jordan as the boy gets out of the shower.

"You gonna delete all them little girls' photos outta your phone," he says, "or I'm gonna Instagram your little ding dong all over the internet."

Jordan is not a good guy, but an adult taking a nude photo of a teen and threatening to put it online is a crime in many jurisdictions.

It's supposed to be funny. It's kind of appalling.

On the bright side, ABC ordered just eight episodes of "Uncle Buck." It's burning them off this summer. It will soon join the other "Uncle Buck" in TV oblivion.

Scott D. Pierce covers TV for The Salt Lake Tribune. Email him at spierce@sltrib.com; follow him on Twitter @ScottDPierce.