Characters who got dumber and characters who got smarter

[nomadcowatbk]

Got dumber
Homer Simpson
Beavis & Butt-Head
The above were always dumb, but they seemed a little smarter in the early episodes.

Got smarter
Eddie Winslow- Family Matters, he was dumb in the very early episodes

Stayed smart, but got loss nerdy
Carol Seaver- Growing Pains
Steve Urkel- Family Matters

 

[ajc_trw]

Got dumber
Al Bundy

He was funny in the Steve Rhoads years but got dumber later on. Sad really, IMHO.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

Got smarter
Eddie Winslow- Family Matters, he was dumb in the very early episodes

I would also add Theo Huxtable to the "got smarter" category as "The Cosby Show" progressed (or at least got himself more motivated in his studies--compared to his memorable talk with Cliff in his room in the pilot about the importance of education after Theo brought home a D-ridden report card).

 

[bpatrick]

Jennifer Marlowe (Loni Anderson) on "WKRP In Cincinnati"
started out as the stereotypical dumb blonde; after the
show was pulled for retooling she proved to be one of the
most intelligent (if not the most intelligent) people on the
station's staff.

 

[firepoint525]

I remember reading that Joan Girardi of Joan of Arcadia "forgot" (in the second season of the show) some of the lessons that she had learned during the show's first season. I chalk that up to (possibly) different writers.

 

[71dude]

Dumber:

Chrissy Snow - 3's Company
Buddy - Charles in Charge
Eric - Boy Meets World
Vint - Mama's Family
the son on My Wife & Kids

 

[KeithE4]

Got dumber
Al Bundy

He was funny in the Steve Rhoads years but got dumber later on. Sad really, IMHO.

There has to be a Ted McGinley joke in there somewhere. ;D

 

[larkin]

Probably because of the recast, the character of Bobbie Jo Bradley on Petticoat Junction went from a bookworm to a bit of an airhead.

 

[desertv]

Baldrick in the "Black Adder" series

 

[onairb]

Warren 'Potsie' Weber on Happy Days went from 'street smart' to 'endearingly goofy' to a complete moron as that show went on.
Potsie was originally sort of an 'Eddie Haskell' wannabe, the sort of guy who might know about 'all the stuff the parents aren't supposed to know about', but was actually more inept than he let on. Then, as the writers indulged Anson Williams' singing career, Potsie became a would-be pop star/foil to Ralph and Richie's jokes. That changed even more by 1980, when Scott Baio was the 'hot' teen idol, and Anson/Potsie was yesterday's news.
Putting aside the fact that the show lasted four or five years too long, I don't know why Williams remained with the show after Ron Howard and Donny Most left. Williams must have gotten a raise, because he moved up to third billing in the credits in 1980, but his screen time was greatly reduced; he only appeared in about half the episodes, and even then, he often was only in one scene, almost always as the butt of another 'Potsie is retarded, but we love him anyway' joke.

 

[wbhist]

Probably because of the recast, the character of Bobbie Jo Bradley on Petticoat Junction went from a bookworm to a bit of an airhead.

And conversely, after a second recast, Billie Jo Bradley became the level-headed among the sisters.

 

[azumanga]

Richard Moll's "Night Court" character, Bull Shannon, was somewhat smart in the first season, but practically became more mentally-challenged (though not quite "dumb") in later years.

 

[Corky Marlowe]

I'd have to add Frank Burns here. He was originally portrayed as not quite as competent a surgeon as Hawkeye and Trapper, but still decent. By the time his character was written out of the show, he, as we used to say back home, couldn't pour piss out of a boot if the directions were on the heel.

 

[71dude]

Radar O'Reilly also turned into a ninny - and a virgin- along the way.

 

[firepoint525]

Heather Paige Kent as Lydia DeLuca on the (fortunately) short-lived That's Life. She started out as an ambitious young woman who was returning to school to finish her degree, but by the time the series had been cancelled, she had become a bubble-headed, sleeping-around tramp.

 

[fortmill]

Got smarter
Eddie Winslow- Family Matters, he was dumb in the very early episodes

I would also add Theo Huxtable to the "got smarter" category as "The Cosby Show" progressed (or at least got himself more motivated in his studies--compared to his memorable talk with Cliff in his room in the pilot about the importance of education after Theo brought home a D-ridden report card).

Theo Huxtable struggled with schoolwork for several seasons until one of his teachers suggested he be evaluated for learning problems. He was diagnosed as Learning Disabled, which meant he was intelligent but learned best using alternate learning styles. After that point, his success in school improved. He didn't get smarter or dumber, he just learned to maximize his abilities.