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Other characters include Julia's philandering husband, their three children (two oversexed teens and an eight-year-old), her husband's mistress (who is a Soviet agent), the mistress's boss (the head of the KGB and [[PlayingTheirOwnTwin identical twin of the Soviet premier]]), her National Security Advisor (who is even more oversexed than all the previous), her TokenBlackFriend Secretary of State, her GeneralRipper head of the Joint Chiefs, her friend and OnlySaneMan SouthernGentleman Senate majority leader, and her CampGay Secret Service bodyguard.
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Other characters include Julia's philandering husband, their three children (two oversexed teens and an eight-year-old), her husband's mistress (who is a Soviet agent), the mistress's boss (the head of the KGB and [[PlayingTheirOwnTwin identical twin of the Soviet premier]]), her National Security Advisor (who is even more oversexed than all the previous), her TokenBlackFriend Secretary of State, her GeneralRipper head of the Joint Chiefs, her friend and OnlySaneMan SouthernGentleman Senate majority leader, and her CampGay Secret Service bodyguard.
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Other characters include her philandering husband, their three children (two oversexed teens and an eight-year-old) her husband's mistress (who is a Soviet agent), the mistress's boss (the head of the KGB and [[PlayingTheirOwnTwin identical twin of the Soviet premier]]), her National Security Advisor (who's even more oversexed than all the previous), her TokenBlackFriend Secretary of State, her GeneralRipper head of the Joint Chiefs, her friend and OnlySaneMan SouthernGentleman Senate majority leader, and her CampGay Secret Service bodyguard.
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Other characters include her Julia's philandering husband, their three children (two oversexed teens and an eight-year-old) eight-year-old), her husband's mistress (who is a Soviet agent), the mistress's boss (the head of the KGB and [[PlayingTheirOwnTwin identical twin of the Soviet premier]]), her National Security Advisor (who's (who is even more oversexed than all the previous), her TokenBlackFriend Secretary of State, her GeneralRipper head of the Joint Chiefs, her friend and OnlySaneMan SouthernGentleman Senate majority leader, and her CampGay Secret Service bodyguard.
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''Hail to the Chief'' was a short-lived 1985 sitcom on Creator/{{ABC|US}}, in which Creator/PattyDuke played Julia Mansfield, the first woman President of the United States. The show was created by Susan Harris, the creator of ''Series/{{Soap}}'', which ''Hail to the Chief'' was a CreatorDrivenSuccessor to: a half-hour sitcom with open-ended storylines that parodied soap operas while skirting the edges of acceptability on American broadcast TV.
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''Hail to the Chief'' was a short-lived 1985 sitcom on Creator/{{ABC|US}}, in which Creator/PattyDuke played Julia Mansfield, the first woman President of the United States. The show was created by Susan Harris, the creator of ''Series/{{Soap}}'', which ''Hail to the Chief'' was a CreatorDrivenSuccessor to: a half-hour sitcom with open-ended storylines that parodied soap operas while skirting what were then the edges of acceptability on American broadcast TV.
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[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hail_to_the_chief.jpg]]
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''Hail to the Chief'' was a short-lived 1985 sitcom in which Creator/PattyDuke plays Julia Mansfield, the first woman President of the United States. The show was created by Susan Harris, the creator of ''Series/{{Soap}}'', which ''Hail to the Chief'' was a CreatorDrivenSuccessor to - a half-hour sitcom with open-ended storylines that parodied soap operas while skirting the edges of acceptability on American broadcast TV.
to:
''Hail to the Chief'' was a short-lived 1985 sitcom on Creator/{{ABC|US}}, in which Creator/PattyDuke plays played Julia Mansfield, the first woman President of the United States. The show was created by Susan Harris, the creator of ''Series/{{Soap}}'', which ''Hail to the Chief'' was a CreatorDrivenSuccessor to - to: a half-hour sitcom with open-ended storylines that parodied soap operas while skirting the edges of acceptability on American broadcast TV.
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* TemptingFate: Oliver having one last fling with Darlene, after his wife forgave him.
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''Hail to the Chief'' was a short-lived 1985 sitcom in which Creator/PattyDuke plays Julia Mansfield, the first woman President of the United States. The show was created by Susan Harris, the creator of ''Series/{{Soap}}'', which ''Hail to the Chief'' was a SpiritualSuccessor to - a half-hour sitcom with open-ended storylines that parodied soap operas while skirting the edges of acceptability on American broadcast TV.
to:
''Hail to the Chief'' was a short-lived 1985 sitcom in which Creator/PattyDuke plays Julia Mansfield, the first woman President of the United States. The show was created by Susan Harris, the creator of ''Series/{{Soap}}'', which ''Hail to the Chief'' was a SpiritualSuccessor CreatorDrivenSuccessor to - a half-hour sitcom with open-ended storylines that parodied soap operas while skirting the edges of acceptability on American broadcast TV.
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* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''Series/{{Soap}}''. It has a very similar feel, of arc-driven over-the-top drama in the context of a half-hour sitcom. It has a token gay character who has actual stories. It even has the same style of PreviouslyOn, ending with something like "Confused? You won't be after this episode of Hail to the Chief."
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* TheCheerleader: When we finally meet Muffin, she's coming to dinner in her cheer outfit.
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* EqualOpportunityOffender: Word-for-word in the ad shown above.
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->''In the last episode of "Hail to the Chief", Oliver, the President's husband, went crazy, because Julia, who is the President, is always working, and Julia's a little crazy because Oliver can't make love. But the craziest thing of all is that an officer went crazy, took over a missile base, and threatened to launch a nuclear strike to rid the world of Communism. Julia briefed her advisors about the emergency, and they're all going crazy, because time is running out, plus which, none of them are crazy about each other. Luger, the National Security Advisor, is really crazy, because this crazy crisis is forcing him to break some big dates with women he's crazy about. Oliver has a mistress who's making him crazy. Randy, the President's Secret Service agent who happens to be crazy about men, knows what Oliver is doing and warned him he'd be crazy to continue. Oliver, thinking the world was going to end, went crazy and confessed his affairs to Julia, which made her completely crazy. Crazy? You won't be after this episode of "Hail to the Chief".''
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->''"In the last episode of
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* TheCasanova: Luger. While dealing with the Brower crisis, he complains about having to miss a date with someone on ''Series/{{Dynasty}}''.
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* TheCasanova: Luger. While dealing with the Brower crisis, he complains about having to miss a date with someone on ''Series/{{Dynasty}}''.''Series/{{Dynasty|1981}}''.
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* ArtisticLicenseMilitary: it's highly unlikely that Oliver would be allowed to remain on active duty while married to the Commander-in-Chief.
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* ArtisticLicenseMilitary: it's ArtisticLicenseMilitary:
** It's highly unlikely that Oliver would be allowed to remain on active duty while married to theCommander-in-Chief.Commander-in-Chief.
** Randy wouldn't have been able to get a security clearance, as being gay was (until 1995) absolute grounds for denial due to blackmail risk. Anyone guarding the President must have Top Secret clearance and a comprehensive background check due to the likelihood they will overhear classified information.
** It's highly unlikely that Oliver would be allowed to remain on active duty while married to the
** Randy wouldn't have been able to get a security clearance, as being gay was (until 1995) absolute grounds for denial due to blackmail risk. Anyone guarding the President must have Top Secret clearance and a comprehensive background check due to the likelihood they will overhear classified information.
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* TheCasanova: Luger. While dealing with the Brower crisis, he complains about having to miss a date with someone on Series/{{Dynasty}}.
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* TheCasanova: Luger. While dealing with the Brower crisis, he complains about having to miss a date with someone on Series/{{Dynasty}}.''Series/{{Dynasty}}''.
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* PreviouslyOn: Used for comedic effect, as ''Series/{{Soap}} did before it. A condensed montage of what happened in the previous episode, frequently focusing on one word (such as 'crazy') points out the absurdity of the plot, ending with "Confused? You won't be after this episode of Hail to the Chief."
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* PreviouslyOn: Used for comedic effect, as ''Series/{{Soap}} ''Series/{{Soap}}'' did before it. A condensed montage of what happened in the previous episode, frequently focusing on one word (such as 'crazy') points out the absurdity of the plot, ending with "Confused? You won't be after this episode of Hail to the Chief."
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!! Confused? You won't be after we list the tropes in ''Hail to the Chief''.
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* TheWhiteHouse: Frequently shown in EstablishingShot|s, and the primary location where the show takes place.
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* TheWhiteHouse: Frequently shown in EstablishingShot|s, {{Establishing Shot}}s, and the primary location where the show takes place.place.
----
----
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* DawsonCasting: Doug and Muffin (nominally both in high school) are played by 22-year-olds; Lucy is played by an 18-year-old.
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* FakeRussian: Ivan Zolotov, played by American actor Dick Shawn (also known for playing the actor who plays Hitler in the original ''Film/TheProducers''.) His accent is squarely modeled on [[WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle Boris Badenov]].
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* PlayingTheirOwnTwin: Dick Shawn plays Premier Zolotov and his identical twin brother Ivan.
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* WhatAnIdiot: Oliver having one last fling with Darlene, after his wife forgave him.
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Still catching up on series, but this will do for a first draft. More updates to come.
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->''In the last episode of "Hail to the Chief", Oliver, the President's husband, went crazy, because Julia, who is the President, is always working, and Julia's a little crazy because Oliver can't make love. But the craziest thing of all is that an officer went crazy, took over a missile base, and threatened to launch a nuclear strike to rid the world of Communism. Julia briefed her advisors about the emergency, and they're all going crazy, because time is running out, plus which, none of them are crazy about each other. Luger, the National Security Advisor, is really crazy, because this crazy crisis is forcing him to break some big dates with women he's crazy about. Oliver has a mistress who's making him crazy. Randy, the President's Secret Service agent who happens to be crazy about men, knows what Oliver is doing and warned him he'd be crazy to continue. Oliver, thinking the world was going to end, went crazy and confessed his affairs to Julia, which made her completely crazy. Crazy? You won't be after this episode of "Hail to the Chief".''
-->-- The PreviouslyOn for the second episode. Yes, all that happened in the first episode, and more.
''Hail to the Chief'' was a short-lived 1985 sitcom in which Creator/PattyDuke plays Julia Mansfield, the first woman President of the United States. The show was created by Susan Harris, the creator of ''Series/{{Soap}}'', which ''Hail to the Chief'' was a SpiritualSuccessor to - a half-hour sitcom with open-ended storylines that parodied soap operas while skirting the edges of acceptability on American broadcast TV.
Other characters include her philandering husband, their three children (two oversexed teens and an eight-year-old) her husband's mistress (who is a Soviet agent), the mistress's boss (the head of the KGB and [[PlayingTheirOwnTwin identical twin of the Soviet premier]]), her National Security Advisor (who's even more oversexed than all the previous), her TokenBlackFriend Secretary of State, her GeneralRipper head of the Joint Chiefs, her friend and OnlySaneMan SouthernGentleman Senate majority leader, and her CampGay Secret Service bodyguard.
The series did reasonably well for its first episode, but ratings dropped like a stone after that, and it ended up cancelled after just seven episodes.
As a sitcom mocking drama tropes, there are a ''lot'' of tropes in it, both the drama tropes it's mocking and the comedy tropes it's using to do so.
----
* AllGuysWantCheerleaders: Muffin's involved with at least two guys.
* AllJewsAreCheapskates: Luger tells Julia not to call the Russian premier about Major Brower because, among other things, if she waits until after 5 the rates are lower.
* AmbiguouslyJewish: Luger is played by a Jew, and has incredibly Jewish characteristics (see AllJewsAreCheapskates, above), but denies being a 'hymie' during the first episode.
* ArsenalAttire: Phelps has a poison dart gun hidden in his eyeglasses.
* ArtisticLicenseMilitary: it's highly unlikely that Oliver would be allowed to remain on active duty while married to the Commander-in-Chief.
* TheAtoner: Oliver goes to take down Major Brower to atone for cheating on Julia.
* BadassInANiceSuit: Randy, as a Secret Service agent.
* BadassBoast: Randy, after Oliver threatens him.
-->Listen, flyboy, I am the most lethal pansy in the U.S. of A, so watch it.
* {{Blackmail}}: Zolotov blackmails Oliver with film of Oliver and Darlene having sex.
* BlatantLies: Luger's response to Stryker telling him that the girl in the photo is his daughter: "I never saw her before." This after he's waxed rhapsodic about her...flexibility.
* CampGay: Downplayed for Randy. He has camp speaking mannerisms and attitudes, but he's also a top Secret Service agent, a BadassInANiceSuit, and Julia's personal bodyguard.
* CanOnlyMoveTheEyes: Stryker, after he's hit by Phelps's poison dart.
* TheCasanova: Luger. While dealing with the Brower crisis, he complains about having to miss a date with someone on Series/{{Dynasty}}.
* TheCheerleader: When we finally meet Muffin, she's coming to dinner in her cheer outfit.
* TheChewToy: Oliver. He flagrantly cheats on his wife, is casually racist, and gets humiliated repeatedly by his own actions.
* ComedicSociopathy: All over the place.
** General Stryker talks about nuking the world, because, "What the hell, we're here."
** Secretary of State Hawkes's response to General Stryker being hit by a poison dart that will kill him in three minutes unless he gets the antidote is "Let's go get lunch."
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: General Stryker and Secretary of State Hawkes, discussing nuking the world. Stryker mentions Indians having bad teeth, and when Hawkes protests the idea of killing God's children, Stryker says, "No, you negro guys have great teeth!"
* DawsonCasting: Doug and Muffin (nominally both in high school) are played by 22-year-olds; Lucy is played by an 18-year-old.
* DirtyCommunists:
** Premier Zolotov's response to Brower's demands is to immediately try to backstab UsefulNotes/FidelCastro.
** Ivan Zolotov and his agents, trying to damage Julia's credibility by putting her husband in a HoneyTrap.
* DirtyOldWoman: Julia's mother. When we first meet her, Oliver accuses her of sleeping with half the House of Representatives...and she doesn't deny it.
* DumbBlonde: Muffin, when we finally meet her.
* {{Eagleland}}: Oliver in particular seems to come from here. When his younger son says he's being bullied by an Arab boy over their mutual interest in an Indian girl, his initial response is to tell Willy to beat up the Arab, then (on finding out about the Indian girl) to drop her and find an American girl.
* EstablishingShot: Often showing TheWhiteHouse or UsefulNotes/AirForceOne.
* EveryEpisodeEnding: Every episode (except the last) ends with a recap of what happened in this episode and what questions should be answered in the next one. PlayedForLaughs: often the questions are trivial ones like "Which star from Dynasty is Luger's date?"
* ExactTimeToFailure: The antidote to the CIA director's poison dart has to be given within three minutes exactly.
* FakeRussian: Ivan Zolotov, played by American actor Dick Shawn (also known for playing the actor who plays Hitler in the original ''Film/TheProducers''.) His accent is squarely modeled on [[WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle Boris Badenov]].
* FemmeFataleSpy: Oliver's mistress is actually a Russian spy.
* FlexibilityEqualsSexAbility: Luger's description of Stryker's daughter is all about her flexibility.
--> "Ah, my little acrobat girl, the things she can do. She's made of rubber, she's incredible."
* FourStarBadass: Oliver, at least historically. The first time we see him, the camera pans over his Air Force dress uniform (brigadier general), a picture of him as a football quarterback, a picture of him in an astronaut's space suit, and then a picture of him and Julia, with smaller photos of their children in front. He later proceeds to single-handledly take down Major Brower.
* GayBestFriend: Randy plays this part for Julia, being her bodyguard and confidante.
* GeneralRipper: General Stryker. On hearing about Major Brower's threat to nuke Russia, his response is, "I say push the button. What the hell, we're here."
* GoodOlBoy: Reverend Bickerstaff and Senator Cotton.
* GratuitousRussian: The very last line of the show, which doesn't even make sense:
-->'''Bickerstaff:''' Tovarisch, y'all[[note]]Translation: Comrade, y'all[[/note]].
* HayseedName: Reverend Billy-Joe Bickerstaff.
* HeroSecretService: Randy, as a representative of the real Secret Service.
* HoneyTrap: Oliver's mistress is actually a Russian spy. Their last meeting is recorded by the KGB to force him to betray Julia.
* HormoneAddledTeenager: Both of Julia's teenage children. Doug is sleeping with (among others) Muffin; Lucy is trying to sleep with Raoul (and succeeds).
* {{Hotline}}: Julia calls Premier Zolokov on the red phone to tell him about Major Brower. His wife answers, and tells Julia he's asleep. Notably, the phone she uses is on UsefulNotes/AirForceOne.
* HumanMail: Not actually mailed, but Oliver is stashed in a box to sneak him in and out of Zolotov's office.
* IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: Randy warns Oliver about this after telling him he knows about Oliver's affair.
-->'''Randy:''' If you hurt her...I'll ruin you.
* ImmediateSelfContradiction: Luger's response to Stryker telling him that the girl in the photo is his daughter: "I never saw her before." This after he's waxed rhapsodic about her...flexibility.
* InstantSedation: Being shot by the CIA director's poison dart has that effect, causing General Stryker to immediately be immobilized.
* JustAStupidAccent: There are some very, very bad Russian accents in this show. Madame Zolokov has one of the worst, and uses the same accent when talking to Luger (presumably in English) and her husband (presumably in Russian).
* LeftHanging: All the plot arcs, due to being cancelled after seven episodes. The last scene of the last episode shows Zolotov's newest agent, who he intends to put into the White House: Reverend Billy-Joe Bickerstaff.
* TheMistress: Darlene, Oliver's mistress, secretly a FemmeFataleSpy.
* NoGuyWantsAnAmazon: Implied to be part of why Oliver is cheating on Julia. He's a FourStarBadass, but she's the President.
* NotActuallyHisChild: Luger is accused of being the father of Muffin's child, but it's actually Doug.
* NukeEm: Major Brower's plan for dealing with the DirtyCommunists.
* OhCrap: Luger, when Stryker tells him the woman in the photo (whom Luger has been praising the flexibility of) is his daughter, and that she's pregnant.
* OnlySaneMan: Senator Cotton. When Stryker is hit with the poison dart, he's the only one who suggests actually applying the antidote.
* OurPresidentsAreDifferent: Julia is President Minority. The opening caricatures show all the Presidents from UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy to UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan, and then her; however, she notes that she was Vice President and became President when the President "can't fulfill his term".
* PlayingSick: Willy tries this, but doesn't know what disease to try.
-->'''Willy:''' I have an enlarged prostate, Mom.
* PlayingTheirOwnTwin: Dick Shawn plays Premier Zolotov and his identical twin brother Ivan.
* PowerIsSexy: Subverted for Oliver; he finds making love to the President a daunting task.
* PreviouslyOn: Used for comedic effect, as ''Series/{{Soap}} did before it. A condensed montage of what happened in the previous episode, frequently focusing on one word (such as 'crazy') points out the absurdity of the plot, ending with "Confused? You won't be after this episode of Hail to the Chief."
* TheQuarterback: Oliver was the quarterback on a school team, at least according to the photos in his introductory scene.
* RedemptionQuest: Oliver goes to stop Major Brower to redeem himself for hurting Julia.
* SayingTooMuch: Premier Zolotov, talking to Julia about Castro, mentions giving Castro missiles...which she didn't know about. He immediately backtracks, saying, "I don't know what I'm talking about."
* SecretSecretKeeper: Randy knows Oliver's cheating on Julia, and tells Oliver to stop it before Julia finds out.
* SexComedy: A lot of the humor in the show is about people having sex, or trying to have sex. Oliver has a mistress, both Luger and Doug are having sex with Muffin, Lucy is trying to have sex with Raoul...
* SinisterMinister: Reverend Bickerstaff, willing to work with anyone to take down Julia, up to and including the DirtyCommunists.
* SleepingWithTheBoss: Part of Oliver's problem; he's an Air Force general and his wife is his Commander-in-Chief.
* SociopathicSoldier: Major Brower has taken over the Launch Command Center and plans to start World War III. If he were higher-ranked, he'd be a GeneralRipper.
* SouthernGentleman: Senator Cotton, the Senate Majority Leader and a good friend of Julia's.
* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''Series/{{Soap}}''. It has a very similar feel, of arc-driven over-the-top drama in the context of a half-hour sitcom. It has a token gay character who has actual stories. It even has the same style of PreviouslyOn, ending with something like "Confused? You won't be after this episode of Hail to the Chief."
* TakeThat: In the first episode, Senator Cotton comments that "If you'd been one of those cowboys, it might have been all over already." Given how UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan was often portrayed as a cowboy, this seems somewhat targeted.
* TeenPregnancy: Muffin, with an adult (the National Security Advisor) as a potential (but not the actual) father.
* TokenMinority:
** Secret Service agent Randy is the token gay.
** Secretary of State [=LaRue=] Hawkes is the token black.
* TooKinkyToTorture: Randy.
-->'''Oliver:''' You know, I could break you in half, you homo.\\
'''Randy:''' ''(gleefully)'' Oh, good gracious, could you really?
* TwinThreesomeFantasy: Oliver was cheating on Julia with Vietnamese twins at one point.
* VolleyingInsults: Luger, on the phone to the Ayatollah to postpone their meetings. He finishes with a calmer, "Call you tomorrow."
* WhatAnIdiot: Oliver having one last fling with Darlene, after his wife forgave him.
* TheWhiteHouse: Frequently shown in EstablishingShot|s, and the primary location where the show takes place.
-->-- The PreviouslyOn for the second episode. Yes, all that happened in the first episode, and more.
''Hail to the Chief'' was a short-lived 1985 sitcom in which Creator/PattyDuke plays Julia Mansfield, the first woman President of the United States. The show was created by Susan Harris, the creator of ''Series/{{Soap}}'', which ''Hail to the Chief'' was a SpiritualSuccessor to - a half-hour sitcom with open-ended storylines that parodied soap operas while skirting the edges of acceptability on American broadcast TV.
Other characters include her philandering husband, their three children (two oversexed teens and an eight-year-old) her husband's mistress (who is a Soviet agent), the mistress's boss (the head of the KGB and [[PlayingTheirOwnTwin identical twin of the Soviet premier]]), her National Security Advisor (who's even more oversexed than all the previous), her TokenBlackFriend Secretary of State, her GeneralRipper head of the Joint Chiefs, her friend and OnlySaneMan SouthernGentleman Senate majority leader, and her CampGay Secret Service bodyguard.
The series did reasonably well for its first episode, but ratings dropped like a stone after that, and it ended up cancelled after just seven episodes.
As a sitcom mocking drama tropes, there are a ''lot'' of tropes in it, both the drama tropes it's mocking and the comedy tropes it's using to do so.
----
* AllGuysWantCheerleaders: Muffin's involved with at least two guys.
* AllJewsAreCheapskates: Luger tells Julia not to call the Russian premier about Major Brower because, among other things, if she waits until after 5 the rates are lower.
* AmbiguouslyJewish: Luger is played by a Jew, and has incredibly Jewish characteristics (see AllJewsAreCheapskates, above), but denies being a 'hymie' during the first episode.
* ArsenalAttire: Phelps has a poison dart gun hidden in his eyeglasses.
* ArtisticLicenseMilitary: it's highly unlikely that Oliver would be allowed to remain on active duty while married to the Commander-in-Chief.
* TheAtoner: Oliver goes to take down Major Brower to atone for cheating on Julia.
* BadassInANiceSuit: Randy, as a Secret Service agent.
* BadassBoast: Randy, after Oliver threatens him.
-->Listen, flyboy, I am the most lethal pansy in the U.S. of A, so watch it.
* {{Blackmail}}: Zolotov blackmails Oliver with film of Oliver and Darlene having sex.
* BlatantLies: Luger's response to Stryker telling him that the girl in the photo is his daughter: "I never saw her before." This after he's waxed rhapsodic about her...flexibility.
* CampGay: Downplayed for Randy. He has camp speaking mannerisms and attitudes, but he's also a top Secret Service agent, a BadassInANiceSuit, and Julia's personal bodyguard.
* CanOnlyMoveTheEyes: Stryker, after he's hit by Phelps's poison dart.
* TheCasanova: Luger. While dealing with the Brower crisis, he complains about having to miss a date with someone on Series/{{Dynasty}}.
* TheCheerleader: When we finally meet Muffin, she's coming to dinner in her cheer outfit.
* TheChewToy: Oliver. He flagrantly cheats on his wife, is casually racist, and gets humiliated repeatedly by his own actions.
* ComedicSociopathy: All over the place.
** General Stryker talks about nuking the world, because, "What the hell, we're here."
** Secretary of State Hawkes's response to General Stryker being hit by a poison dart that will kill him in three minutes unless he gets the antidote is "Let's go get lunch."
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: General Stryker and Secretary of State Hawkes, discussing nuking the world. Stryker mentions Indians having bad teeth, and when Hawkes protests the idea of killing God's children, Stryker says, "No, you negro guys have great teeth!"
* DawsonCasting: Doug and Muffin (nominally both in high school) are played by 22-year-olds; Lucy is played by an 18-year-old.
* DirtyCommunists:
** Premier Zolotov's response to Brower's demands is to immediately try to backstab UsefulNotes/FidelCastro.
** Ivan Zolotov and his agents, trying to damage Julia's credibility by putting her husband in a HoneyTrap.
* DirtyOldWoman: Julia's mother. When we first meet her, Oliver accuses her of sleeping with half the House of Representatives...and she doesn't deny it.
* DumbBlonde: Muffin, when we finally meet her.
* {{Eagleland}}: Oliver in particular seems to come from here. When his younger son says he's being bullied by an Arab boy over their mutual interest in an Indian girl, his initial response is to tell Willy to beat up the Arab, then (on finding out about the Indian girl) to drop her and find an American girl.
* EstablishingShot: Often showing TheWhiteHouse or UsefulNotes/AirForceOne.
* EveryEpisodeEnding: Every episode (except the last) ends with a recap of what happened in this episode and what questions should be answered in the next one. PlayedForLaughs: often the questions are trivial ones like "Which star from Dynasty is Luger's date?"
* ExactTimeToFailure: The antidote to the CIA director's poison dart has to be given within three minutes exactly.
* FakeRussian: Ivan Zolotov, played by American actor Dick Shawn (also known for playing the actor who plays Hitler in the original ''Film/TheProducers''.) His accent is squarely modeled on [[WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle Boris Badenov]].
* FemmeFataleSpy: Oliver's mistress is actually a Russian spy.
* FlexibilityEqualsSexAbility: Luger's description of Stryker's daughter is all about her flexibility.
--> "Ah, my little acrobat girl, the things she can do. She's made of rubber, she's incredible."
* FourStarBadass: Oliver, at least historically. The first time we see him, the camera pans over his Air Force dress uniform (brigadier general), a picture of him as a football quarterback, a picture of him in an astronaut's space suit, and then a picture of him and Julia, with smaller photos of their children in front. He later proceeds to single-handledly take down Major Brower.
* GayBestFriend: Randy plays this part for Julia, being her bodyguard and confidante.
* GeneralRipper: General Stryker. On hearing about Major Brower's threat to nuke Russia, his response is, "I say push the button. What the hell, we're here."
* GoodOlBoy: Reverend Bickerstaff and Senator Cotton.
* GratuitousRussian: The very last line of the show, which doesn't even make sense:
-->'''Bickerstaff:''' Tovarisch, y'all[[note]]Translation: Comrade, y'all[[/note]].
* HayseedName: Reverend Billy-Joe Bickerstaff.
* HeroSecretService: Randy, as a representative of the real Secret Service.
* HoneyTrap: Oliver's mistress is actually a Russian spy. Their last meeting is recorded by the KGB to force him to betray Julia.
* HormoneAddledTeenager: Both of Julia's teenage children. Doug is sleeping with (among others) Muffin; Lucy is trying to sleep with Raoul (and succeeds).
* {{Hotline}}: Julia calls Premier Zolokov on the red phone to tell him about Major Brower. His wife answers, and tells Julia he's asleep. Notably, the phone she uses is on UsefulNotes/AirForceOne.
* HumanMail: Not actually mailed, but Oliver is stashed in a box to sneak him in and out of Zolotov's office.
* IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: Randy warns Oliver about this after telling him he knows about Oliver's affair.
-->'''Randy:''' If you hurt her...I'll ruin you.
* ImmediateSelfContradiction: Luger's response to Stryker telling him that the girl in the photo is his daughter: "I never saw her before." This after he's waxed rhapsodic about her...flexibility.
* InstantSedation: Being shot by the CIA director's poison dart has that effect, causing General Stryker to immediately be immobilized.
* JustAStupidAccent: There are some very, very bad Russian accents in this show. Madame Zolokov has one of the worst, and uses the same accent when talking to Luger (presumably in English) and her husband (presumably in Russian).
* LeftHanging: All the plot arcs, due to being cancelled after seven episodes. The last scene of the last episode shows Zolotov's newest agent, who he intends to put into the White House: Reverend Billy-Joe Bickerstaff.
* TheMistress: Darlene, Oliver's mistress, secretly a FemmeFataleSpy.
* NoGuyWantsAnAmazon: Implied to be part of why Oliver is cheating on Julia. He's a FourStarBadass, but she's the President.
* NotActuallyHisChild: Luger is accused of being the father of Muffin's child, but it's actually Doug.
* NukeEm: Major Brower's plan for dealing with the DirtyCommunists.
* OhCrap: Luger, when Stryker tells him the woman in the photo (whom Luger has been praising the flexibility of) is his daughter, and that she's pregnant.
* OnlySaneMan: Senator Cotton. When Stryker is hit with the poison dart, he's the only one who suggests actually applying the antidote.
* OurPresidentsAreDifferent: Julia is President Minority. The opening caricatures show all the Presidents from UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy to UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan, and then her; however, she notes that she was Vice President and became President when the President "can't fulfill his term".
* PlayingSick: Willy tries this, but doesn't know what disease to try.
-->'''Willy:''' I have an enlarged prostate, Mom.
* PlayingTheirOwnTwin: Dick Shawn plays Premier Zolotov and his identical twin brother Ivan.
* PowerIsSexy: Subverted for Oliver; he finds making love to the President a daunting task.
* PreviouslyOn: Used for comedic effect, as ''Series/{{Soap}} did before it. A condensed montage of what happened in the previous episode, frequently focusing on one word (such as 'crazy') points out the absurdity of the plot, ending with "Confused? You won't be after this episode of Hail to the Chief."
* TheQuarterback: Oliver was the quarterback on a school team, at least according to the photos in his introductory scene.
* RedemptionQuest: Oliver goes to stop Major Brower to redeem himself for hurting Julia.
* SayingTooMuch: Premier Zolotov, talking to Julia about Castro, mentions giving Castro missiles...which she didn't know about. He immediately backtracks, saying, "I don't know what I'm talking about."
* SecretSecretKeeper: Randy knows Oliver's cheating on Julia, and tells Oliver to stop it before Julia finds out.
* SexComedy: A lot of the humor in the show is about people having sex, or trying to have sex. Oliver has a mistress, both Luger and Doug are having sex with Muffin, Lucy is trying to have sex with Raoul...
* SinisterMinister: Reverend Bickerstaff, willing to work with anyone to take down Julia, up to and including the DirtyCommunists.
* SleepingWithTheBoss: Part of Oliver's problem; he's an Air Force general and his wife is his Commander-in-Chief.
* SociopathicSoldier: Major Brower has taken over the Launch Command Center and plans to start World War III. If he were higher-ranked, he'd be a GeneralRipper.
* SouthernGentleman: Senator Cotton, the Senate Majority Leader and a good friend of Julia's.
* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''Series/{{Soap}}''. It has a very similar feel, of arc-driven over-the-top drama in the context of a half-hour sitcom. It has a token gay character who has actual stories. It even has the same style of PreviouslyOn, ending with something like "Confused? You won't be after this episode of Hail to the Chief."
* TakeThat: In the first episode, Senator Cotton comments that "If you'd been one of those cowboys, it might have been all over already." Given how UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan was often portrayed as a cowboy, this seems somewhat targeted.
* TeenPregnancy: Muffin, with an adult (the National Security Advisor) as a potential (but not the actual) father.
* TokenMinority:
** Secret Service agent Randy is the token gay.
** Secretary of State [=LaRue=] Hawkes is the token black.
* TooKinkyToTorture: Randy.
-->'''Oliver:''' You know, I could break you in half, you homo.\\
'''Randy:''' ''(gleefully)'' Oh, good gracious, could you really?
* TwinThreesomeFantasy: Oliver was cheating on Julia with Vietnamese twins at one point.
* VolleyingInsults: Luger, on the phone to the Ayatollah to postpone their meetings. He finishes with a calmer, "Call you tomorrow."
* WhatAnIdiot: Oliver having one last fling with Darlene, after his wife forgave him.
* TheWhiteHouse: Frequently shown in EstablishingShot|s, and the primary location where the show takes place.
