These seem to have been mostly a creature of the 80’s/early 90’s (not their exclusive domain, however), and they often showed up in first run syndication, sometimes after a botched network run. Different from their more polished network brethern, they were usually quickly made and had an over-the-top premise combined with the production values of a high school play.
Some examples:
Small Wonder (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdukNkdPoEo):
Perhaps the prototypical low budget sitcom, absolutely everything about this show was cheap, awful, and ridiculous. It ran in first run syndication from the mid to late 80’s and was, all things considered, more successful than it should have been.
Learning the Ropes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1fRXCKFrqw):
Coming to us from the great white north, Learning the Ropes featured Lyle Azaldo as Robert Randall, a working father trying to balance his life as a vice Principal and a professional wrestler (zany!). Mostly notable for the truly godawful theme music and frequent appearances from 80’s wrestling stars.
Good Morning, Miss Bliss (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZymBFTofsJU):
The forerunner to Saved by the Bell, Good Morning, Miss Bliss featured Haley Mills as the titular teacher who sheparded a class of idiots through the trials and tribulations of junior high. Not very successful in its initial run, the show was completely retooled in the second season (most of the cast, including Mills, was dropped, the location was changed, and several new characters were added) and later went on to much (unexplained) success as Saved by the Bell.
The most notable commonality between these sorts of shows? Terrible fucking theme songs. Absolutely atrocious.
Anybody have others? I’m oddly fascinated by this sort of awful crap.
