Shows That "Collapsed" Right At The End

[BrigThomson]

Most color versions of Andy Griffith...

For me personally the Andy Griffith Show lost its appeal when Don Knotts left. Jack Burns, who replaced Knott's as Andy's Deputy, wasn't funny at all, neither were other replacements: George Lindsey (Goober Pyle), Jack Dodson ( Howard Sprague), Paul Hartman (Emmett Clark).
One of the biggest mistakes the show made was getting rid of Elinor Donohue and replacing her with Aneta Corsaut, who played Helen Crump. Donohue and Griffith made for a better love interest than the milk toast Corsaut.
I do feel bad for Ken Berry however. I read that when he signed on to be Sam Jones on the spin-off, Mayberry RFD, he went out and bought a house thinking the series would be on the air for a few years. Unfortunately that's around the same time some brass-hat at CBS decided to deep-six most of their top 10 shows because many of them had a rural setting. Heaven forbid there are actually people living between New York City and Los Angeles.

A book I once read on older TV shows made the claim that the Andy Griffith Show was a program indeed made for Black & White TV. I think that's true. Of course the switch from B&W to color production pretty much mirrors the transition between the departure of Don Knotts and the arrival of Jack Burns. Any successful TV show if it goes on long enough will wear out pretty much every avenue there is to explore. Plus one thing to remember is that shows like the Griffith Show, and really ANY show done in the later 50's, 60's and early 70's did up to 39 episodes a year. That's a lot of content. If you compare that to the 15-20 episodes done currently, that's a lot of material. Plus, commercial loads were lighter due to FCC regulations, which of course meant more content per show. MASH, just like Andy was on for so long, they had done about everything there was to do and cover. Eventually you've done so much you wind up thinking that hiring Ted McGinley is a good idea!

 

[Kurt Toy]

Makes me think of something I heard one time...Whenever a production hires Ted McGinley, you KNOW the show is nearly over!
That's why he's the patron saint of Jump The Shark. So, will he kill "Dancing With The Stars"?

I probably should elaborate on my previous "Sanford & Son" post...The last couple years it was on, Redd Foxx was gone, and Demond Wilson looked like he'd rather be having a root canal (he supposedly was quite an aficionado of the white powder at that time, too.)

I think people should stop picking on Ted. I personally think he is a very underrated actor and deserves better.

 

[Tim L]

Makes me think of something I heard one time...Whenever a production hires Ted McGinley, you KNOW the show is nearly over!
That's why he's the patron saint of Jump The Shark. So, will he kill "Dancing With The Stars"?

I probably should elaborate on my previous "Sanford & Son" post...The last couple years it was on, Redd Foxx was gone, and Demond Wilson looked like he'd rather be having a root canal (he supposedly was quite an aficionado of the white powder at that time, too.)

I think people should stop picking on Ted. I personally think he is a very underrated actor and deserves better.

That's probably true..Though McGinley has gotten more mileage out of supposedly being in so many "bad" shows than any other actor ..

 

[gr8oldies]

Was there really a reason for "Archie Bunker's Place"? First Meathead and Gloria left, then Edith died, then it was just Archie with Danielle Brisbois and another teenage girl and I forget why they were both there.

MASH, great as it was, ran out of steam toward the end not to mention getting preachy.

 

[mleach]

Was there really a reason for "Archie Bunker's Place"? First Meathead and Gloria left, then Edith died, then it was just Archie with Danielle Brisbois and another teenage girl and I forget why they were both there.

I think the only reason they did Archie Bunker's Place was to show off Brisbois. Whats Happening did this with "Little Earl" in their last season.
Dittos with Gimmie A Break...towards the end of that show with the chief gone and the girls growing up, Gimmie A Break pretty much became "The Joey Lawrence Show".

 

[gr8oldies]

Could be. What about "Good Times" first with Dad gone, then Mom and the kids by themselves?

 

[STF]

I thought McGinley was fantastic on Married...with Children personally.

 

[FreddyE1977]

Happy Days in its last few years with Richie and Ralph gone and Potsie only seen ocasionally limped along its last few years, and when they spun off Joanie and Chachi they brought in cousins like Flip and KC and had Fonzie with a steady girlfriend Ashley and her daughter Heather. In fact with the way those charchters were all dropped for the last season without mention it seemed like that second to last season was a Dallas-like dream season.

Makes me think of something I heard one time...Whenever a production hires Ted McGinley, you KNOW the show is nearly over!

If Ted McGinley were to ever get his own show (let's call it something generic, like "The Ted McGinley Show"), would it jump the shark on it's very first day? ;D

If Ted McGinley were to ever get his own show, he would no doubt play a motorcycle daredevil who criss-crossed the country
jumping over shark tanks. He would be accompanied by an angel, and the two of them would be in search of a one-armed man,
which would lead them to have a heartwarming adventure in a new part of the country each week.

My personal picks in this category would be "All in the Family" (which met a very sad end as the Edith-less and Meathead-less
Archie Bunker's Place), and The Equalizer, which got off to a great start, but never seemed to recover from Edward Woodward's
heart attack, which ended his days as an action star.

Going in the opposite direction, there was "Newhart", which started out abysmally bad, but finished incredibly strong.

 

[firepoint525]

Makes me think of something I heard one time...Whenever a production hires Ted McGinley, you KNOW the show is nearly over!
That's why he's the patron saint of Jump The Shark. So, will he kill "Dancing With The Stars"?

I probably should elaborate on my previous "Sanford & Son" post...The last couple years it was on, Redd Foxx was gone, and Demond Wilson looked like he'd rather be having a root canal (he supposedly was quite an aficionado of the white powder at that time, too.)

I think people should stop picking on Ted. I personally think he is a very underrated actor and deserves better.

From everything I've ever seen or heard, it seems to me that Ted has taken quite a bit of ribbing and teasing for his role in helping shows "jump the shark," but that he has taken all of this teasing in stride. After all, if it really offended him, I suppose he could ask to have his mug taken off the jump the shark website. Or sue them if they didn't!

 

[bpatrick]

The last season of "The Carol Burnett Show" (1977-78).
Harvey Korman (God rest him) had left, and Dick Van you-know
had come in as Carol's number two. He'd just had his own variety
show canceled by NBC (after winning an Emmy), and I'm sure
he was trying to help out a friend, but the audience never accepted
him as a second banana (he didn't look too comfortable either--
now if his brother Jerry had been picked...). At any rate, he
was gone by Christmas, and Carol tried to continue with alternating
semi-regulars Ken Berry and Steve Lawrence. Then the show was
moved from Saturday to Sunday. Although officially Carol decided
to hang it up, the show probably would have been canceled anyway
(Bob Newhart says he elected to give up his show at the same time,
but it, too, was 'way down in the ratings and likewise was ready for
cancellation.)

Let us not forget "Leave It To Beaver" in the 1962-63 season, its
last. Jerry Mathers had gotten fat and lost his naturalness as he
reached his teens. Most of that last season revolved around Wally.
Another show, "My Three Sons," was overcrowded by its last season
(1971-72).

On the daytime front, the original "Price Is Right" began to collapse
when it moved from NBC to ABC in 1963. Not only did ABC have
fewer affiliates, they introduced a weekly guest celebrity who played
for members of the studio audience. The show hung on for two more
years, but was the format change really necessary?

And "Guiding Light" has been on the verge of collapse for years.

 

[Newname]

Quick comments about several shows mentioned:
1. In the Heat of the Night: Carl Weathers filled the vacancy left by Howard Rollins, although the character was Sparta's new chief of police(as Bill Gillespie became the sherriff), not a police detective as Virgil had been.
2. The Andy Griffith Show: I love watching reruns-as long as they're from the Barney Fife/B&W era. While there were a few color episodes that were worthy, nearly all of them are the episodes in which Knotts/Barney was a visiting guest star. Andy's (the actor and the character) friendly disposition got noticeably grumpier by about year 6. The various supporting characters of that era never really added anything to the show(especially Jack Burns as Barney's short-lived replacement as deputy-Huh? Yeah. Huh? Yeah? Huh?)
3. Happy Days-I enjoyed the ending of the final episode(Joanie and Chachi's wedding), especially Tom Bosley/Howard seamlessly breaking character as his turns Howard's wedding toast into a farewell to the cast...and the audience. However, the last four years of the show really suffered. IMO, they should have figured out a way to end the show in 1980, and give Richie a proper goodbye scene, rather than the contrived 'Richie's in the Army, but everybody acts like he's coming home tomorrow' scenario. When Ron Howard did finally 'return', in '83, the writers turned it into a 'very special melodramatic episode', with that infamous 'Richie punches the Fonz' scene...and, in the end, the finally did the 'Richie leaves home for good' scene, three years late.

 

[azumanga]

On the daytime front, the original "Price Is Right" began to collapse
when it moved from NBC to ABC in 1963. Not only did ABC have
fewer affiliates, they introduced a weekly guest celebrity who played
for members of the studio audience. The show hung on for two more
years, but was the format change really necessary?

Not helping things either was the fact that the shown was once again black-and-white only on ABC, while it's time on NBC ended in color.

 

[Markxxx]

I don't think Andy Griffith collapsed by the end though. It wasn't as good as the beginning but it still was enjoyable and had a lot of life in it. The silly storylines like Howard becoming a swinger, were just topical and seem worse looking back at it.

Same for Archie Bunker's Place, Carroll O'Connor was strong enough to carry it. And Danielle Brisebois was great (and grew up to be one hell of a strong singer and she put out two way under-rated CDs in the 90s. Truthfuly my jaw dropped when I heard her CDs, she is THAT good. I paid $50.00 for her Portable Life CD, and I'd pay $100 fo it easily, it's that good.)

I had forgotton about Drew Carey, that was a great example of a show that lost everything.

The biggest reason for Sanford and Son 's bad last season, was ABC started applying it's stragedy at that time. ABC realized to be #1 they didn't have to have the best shows, they just had to sabotoge others. ABC offered very lucrative contracts to Demond Wilson and Redd Foxx as well as Jimmie Walker, and Nancy Walker and others. These contracts said, they'd start as soon as their current commitments were over. So these stars were gonna get a lot more money from ABC so it made no sense for them to keep putting in great efforts at shows and making those shows continue, because that meant they were getting less money.

Of course the ABC shows didn't last, but it killed off the successful ones and ABC weakened the competition that way.

I think shows like Bob Newhart and Carol Burnett just ran out of steam, but I don't think they collapsed. Of course just my view

 

[mleach]

Could be. What about "Good Times" first with Dad gone, then Mom and the kids by themselves?

However..the mother ( the late Ester Rolle ) did come back to Good Times during the the last season. But I have heard that what really saved Good Times after Amos & Rolle had left was Janet Jackson. Many people tuned in to Good Times just to watch "Michael's little sister". Also it was a good PR move on the part of Good Times and Norman Lear. Pretty much forgotten now but during the second season of Good Times both John Amos and Ester Rolle both slammed in the press ( Ebony Magazine was one place they did this ) their own show, I believe Rolle even went as far as calling the "JJ" character "stupid" and a "disgrace" by letting Black kids think they could be successful by standing on the corner saying "Dynomite !!".

I remember reading years ago that it was Amos' bitching that played a big role as to why he was "killed off" on Good Times.

 

[Andy Coleman]

Talking about shows how about soap operas. Port Charles lost steam when they started those 3 month story arcs. Another World had the storyline where the villian of the show was 100 years old. Santa Barbara had a daughter that the leading man of the show Cruz didn't even know show up and was raped by her parent's best friend. And he the rapist was murdered and there was a trial and of course Bj did it she had just blocked it out of her mind. and to top this all off Cruz had left the show to star on La Law. And my all time favorite soap opera collapse on Search For Tomorrow the town was flooded but only thing left was Jo's home and business. Enough said.

 

[Starbucks]

Happy Days in its last few years with Richie and Ralph gone and Potsie only seen ocasionally limped along its last few years, and when they spun off Joanie and Chachi they brought in cousins like Flip and KC and had Fonzie with a steady girlfriend Ashley and her daughter Heather. In fact with the way those charchters were all dropped for the last season without mention it seemed like that second to last season was a Dallas-like dream season.

What was strange on the final show of Joannie's wedding.....Richie, and Ralph showed...but Potsie didn't. But the Fonz kept it going as well as Ritchie's Parents. I thought it had a smooth ending except for Potsie not there at the wedding.

 

[Newname]

Happy Days in its last few years with Richie and Ralph gone and Potsie only seen ocasionally limped along its last few years, and when they spun off Joanie and Chachi they brought in cousins like Flip and KC and had Fonzie with a steady girlfriend Ashley and her daughter Heather. In fact with the way those charchters were all dropped for the last season without mention it seemed like that second to last season was a Dallas-like dream season.

What was strange on the final show of Joannie's wedding.....Richie, and Ralph showed...but Potsie didn't. But the Fonz kept it going as well as Ritchie's Parents. I thought it had a smooth ending except for Potsie not there at the wedding.

Actually, Ralph wasn't at the wedding, either. Donny Most didn't appear in the finale(aside from an old clip in the montage at the very end). Ralph Malph was last seen in part 1 of the 11th-season's opening two-parter; at the end of part 1, he snuck out of town.

 

[mleach]

Happy Days in its last few years with Richie and Ralph gone and Potsie only seen ocasionally limped along its last few years, and when they spun off Joanie and Chachi they brought in cousins like Flip and KC and had Fonzie with a steady girlfriend Ashley and her daughter Heather. In fact with the way those charchters were all dropped for the last season without mention it seemed like that second to last season was a Dallas-like dream season.

What was strange on the final show of Joannie's wedding.....Richie, and Ralph showed...but Potsie didn't. But the Fonz kept it going as well as Ritchie's Parents. I thought it had a smooth ending except for Potsie not there at the wedding.

Anson Williams ( Potsie ) was in my hometown back in 1984 not long before Happy Days ended. I remember some local reporter asked him about his role Potsie and Happy Days and Williams said pretty much that he was "bored of it". Hardly a surprise there. I am sure if one does the same role for years, that is bound to happen sooner or later. Elizabeth Montgomery by the early 70's I have read in the past had become so bored at doing Bewitched that she decided to other things , well so-unlike Bewitched, like those early 70's TV-Movies "A Case of Rape" and "The Victim".

 

[ShawnHill1]

I would have been bored playing Postie too. Once Richie and Ralph left, Postie became a pretty useless character anyway.

 

[Braves2005]

Laverne and Shirley collapsed pretty much when Cindy Williams left the show when she was pregnant with her baby. Some very weird episodes appeared in the last season after Shirley left when Laverne went to death row for robbing a bank. Death row for robbing a bank? That was a shocker when I saw this episode in first run. Another episode was when Squiggy became Squiggolyn. Very silly episode and probably the worst episode of Laverne and Shirley ever. The episode where Laverne finds Shirley's letter on the bed saying that her and Walter were leaving town should have been it but it wasn't. A good final episode where Shirley comes back with her baby and Laverne gets a marriage proposal would have been a better ending.