Shows That Overstayed Their Welcome.

[landtuna]

I read somewhere that Johnny Whitaker was originally cast in movies because he could cry on cue.

Supposedly that was also the reason that Jackie Cooper was hired although one story tells about the director that told Jackie, after several futile attempts to get him to cry, that his dog had died.

Brian Keith always acted like he'd had a few belts just to get through the show.

Perhaps, but one of my all time favorite movies was the original "Parent Trap" with Brian Keith and Maureen O'Hara.

 

[Rollo-Smokes]

After Cheryl Ladd left at the end of the third season, Charlie's Angels should have ended and perhaps we would have been saved from the awful theatrical films.

It was Kate Jackson who left after the 3rd season. Cheryl Ladd came aboard in the 2nd season to replace Farrah and stayed until the end. Jaclyn Smith was the only Angel to stay for the entire run of the show. David Doyle (Bosley) was the only other regular to stay for the entire run other than John Forsythe as the voice of Charlie.

Shelley Hack replaced Kate Jackson for the 4th season; Tanya Roberts replaced Shelley for the final season.

I knew it was Kate, but I had Cheryl in the brain because I thought she was the prettiest of the Angels. Thanks for the correction.

 

[BD Sullivan]

After Cheryl Ladd left at the end of the third season, Charlie's Angels should have ended and perhaps we would have been saved from the awful theatrical films.

It was Kate Jackson who left after the 3rd season. Cheryl Ladd came aboard in the 2nd season to replace Farrah and stayed until the end. Jaclyn Smith was the only Angel to stay for the entire run of the show. David Doyle (Bosley) was the only other regular to stay for the entire run other than John Forsythe as the voice of Charlie.

Shelley Hack replaced Kate Jackson for the 4th season; Tanya Roberts replaced Shelley for the final season.

I knew it was Kate, but I had Cheryl in the brain because I thought she was the prettiest of the Angels. Thanks for the correction.

Given the turnover on the show, it's understandable.

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

Ok, let's try this-- Take it from a silent Charlie standing at the door, only sans Demi. Audience roars with delight, director milks it for a minute as dumfounded Ashton, Alan and Berta stand there, in character, jaws dropped to the floor. Now, fade to final scene: Rose, donning a tangerine hued jumpsuit. Camera then pans back, revealing the irrepressible Rose in handcuffs, "hitting" on a jail guard from behind bars. No?

...Walden meets a woman, falls in love and decides to sell his house and move to another state.

Alan, who is distraught over the idea of being homeless, goes out and purchases a bottle of booze at a liquor store. While there he uses his last dollar to buy a lottery ticket. Low and behold he wins the lottery and ends up buying Charlie’s old house. Sitting on the veranda smoking a cigar Alan thinks about his new found fortune, but then realizes how much he misses Charlie, Walden and Jake…and the scene fades to black. End of show.

Hey, great idea! Seriously, an intoxicatingly hysterical TV comedy going out on such a sober note would forever frame the show's characters, neurotically quirky as they were, as being inherently human.

Alan's mother could move on too, sharing camera time with William Devane on those commercials for gold. Judith might return to her former career in Amarillo TX, at KFDA Channel 10, anchoring the morning news (I too worked there as a news "stringer", leaving a few years before "Judith's" arrival). As for Berta, oh, I suppose there must be another family of affluent means in need of a gentle, soft spoken housekeeper.

Meanwhile, Alan can devote more time to his voice-over business, plugging Papa John's Pizza. And then there's Jake... ??? Anyone?

 

[vjm]

After Cheryl Ladd left at the end of the third season, Charlie's Angels should have ended and perhaps we would have been saved from the awful theatrical films.

It was Kate Jackson who left after the 3rd season. Cheryl Ladd came aboard in the 2nd season to replace Farrah and stayed until the end. Jaclyn Smith was the only Angel to stay for the entire run of the show. David Doyle (Bosley) was the only other regular to stay for the entire run other than John Forsythe as the voice of Charlie.

Shelley Hack replaced Kate Jackson for the 4th season; Tanya Roberts replaced Shelley for the final season.

I knew it was Kate, but I had Cheryl in the brain because I thought she was the prettiest of the Angels. Thanks for the correction.

Given the turnover on the show, it's understandable.

Most peole forget Tanya Roberts was an "Angel".

Most people know her as Midge from "That 70s Show"...another show that overstayed it's welcome by a year.

The final year with no Eric and (mostly) no Kelso just killed the whole dynamic...they tried cramming new guy Randy down everyone's throat as "part of the gang", but he just never really fit.

It was very noticibly running on fumes that final year.

 

[Mark Giardina]

"That 70s Show"...another show that overstayed it's welcome by a year.

The final year with no Eric and (mostly) no Kelso just killed the whole dynamic...they tried cramming new guy Randy down everyone's throat as "part of the gang", but he just never really fit.

It was very noticibly running on fumes that final year.

Once the main character leaves a show that should signal the program's demise; yet for some reason network executives (the same ones who will cancel good programs) allow shows on life support to drag on.

 

[hubcity]

Once the main character leaves a show that should signal the program's demise; yet for some reason network executives (the same ones who will cancel good programs) allow shows on life support to drag on.

I can only think of one exception: in the first (UK-only) season of The Avengers, John Steed (Patrick Macnee) was the second-banana who became the star when Ian Hendry left. And not only that, the show survived the loss of Steed's initial female sidekick Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman) and became a worldwide hit with Emma Peel (Diana Rigg).

But then I suppose the "replace a star" curse finally took hold when Linda Thorson replaced Diana Rigg.

Wait, wait, there's one more exception, and an ingenious one, also from British television...

 

[nativeatlanta]

Welcome Back Kotter

 

[vjm]

Welcome Back Kotter

Definitely in the final season, when John Travolta and Gabe Kaplan (for different reasons) appeared in only a handful of episodes.

 

[Mark Giardina]

Once the main character leaves a show that should signal the program's demise; yet for some reason network executives (the same ones who will cancel good programs) allow shows on life support to drag on.

I can only think of one exception: in the first (UK-only) season of The Avengers, John Steed (Patrick Macnee) was the second-banana who became the star when Ian Hendry left. And not only that, the show survived the loss of Steed's initial female sidekick Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman) and became a worldwide hit with Emma Peel (Diana Rigg).

But then I suppose the "replace a star" curse finally took hold when Linda Thorson replaced Diana Rigg.

Wait, wait, there's one more exception, and an ingenious one, also from British television...

Diana Rigg did help boost the ratings for 'The Avengers' there is no doubt about that.

As some of you may (or may not) know ABC cancelled Honey West and decided to air 'The Avengers' instead because it was cheaper than producting Honey West. However when comparing the (sex) appeal of both Diana Rigg and Anne Francis, that is a tough one because both ladies were drop-dead beautiful and I believe attracted a lot of male viewers.

 

[mississippi fan]

I totally agree with you on that Mark.

 

[garn91]

Dukes of hazard when boe and duke left

Dukes jumped the shark for me when production was moved from Georgia to California, the show lost it's country feel for me.

Regarding MASH, you could've ended it when Burns was written out of the show.

 

[vjm]

Dukes of hazard when boe and duke left

Dukes jumped the shark for me when production was moved from Georgia to California, the show lost it's country feel for me.

Regarding MASH, you could've ended it when Burns was written out of the show.

Trapper/Blake/Burns - dark humor and comedy, more in keeping with the movie.

BJ/Potter/Winchester - more serious characters, and more apt to blend in to the wallpaper while Saint Hawkeye the Righteous went off on one of his patented 1978 tinged soapbox rants in the middle of early 1950s Korea.

 

[blackgold]

Here's a whole TV network that's overstayed its welcome: PAXTV(now ION Television). It jumped the shark when their Millenium TV broadcast was cancelled and they were left scrambling for programming. They have tried various ways to revive their flagging fortunes, but to no avail. It's Positively Booorring!

 

[vjm]

Here's a whole TV network that's overstayed its welcome: PAXTV(now ION Television). It jumped the shark when their Millenium TV broadcast was cancelled and they were left scrambling for programming. They have tried various ways to revive their flagging fortunes, but to no avail. It's Positively Booorring!

Actually, they're doing well with their mix and match schedule combining reruns of "Criminal Minds", "House", "Without a Trace" etc., along with WWE and movies.

 

[landtuna]

Actually, they're doing well ...

Not in this house. We don't even have ION on the menu.

 

[davalvideo]

Happy Days...Happy Days....Happy Days. Once Ron Howard and all these other characters started arriving, the whole flavor of the show changed. Also, Happy Days was supposed to take place between the late 1950s and the mid-60's. In the earlier shows, they took effort to make the show look like the era that it occurred. In later years, they stopped caring. Everyone wore hairstyles that no one wore in the early to mid 60's...and the same with their clothing. It ended up looking like an 80's show. The Fonz was so out of place during the later years, and even worse because most of the shows revolved around him. No one wore leather jackets in the mid-60's.
The Cosby Show was another. Once the kids grew up, it was time to hang it up. They weren't as funny anymore...and the plots reflected that. but in both cases, the shows stayed on as long as they did because they continued to bring in money to their respective networks.

 

[landtuna]

No one wore leather jackets in the mid-60's.

Actually, those of us who rode motorcycles did.

I do agree with the rest of your post though.

 

[onairb]

Happy Days...Happy Days....Happy Days. Once Ron Howard and all these other characters started arriving, the whole flavor of the show changed. Also, Happy Days was supposed to take place between the late 1950s and the mid-60's. In the earlier shows, they took effort to make the show look like the era that it occurred. In later years, they stopped caring. Everyone wore hairstyles that no one wore in the early to mid 60's...and the same with their clothing. It ended up looking like an 80's show. The Fonz was so out of place during the later years, and even worse because most of the shows revolved around him. No one wore leather jackets in the mid-60's.
The Cosby Show was another. Once the kids grew up, it was time to hang it up. They weren't as funny anymore...and the plots reflected that. but in both cases, the shows stayed on as long as they did because they continued to bring in money to their respective networks.

Like the popularity of the post-Don Knotts era of 'The Andy Griffith Show', 'The Cosby Show' is another one of those TV ratings mysteries. How do you explain Cos remaining at number 1 for two years, despite the obvious decline in quality starting in season 5? Even in season 7, it still managed to hit # 5 for the year. Yet, most fans today agree that the show began shark-jumping once it passed the halfway point of its run.

 

[vjm]

Happy Days...Happy Days....Happy Days. Once Ron Howard and all these other characters started arriving, the whole flavor of the show changed. Also, Happy Days was supposed to take place between the late 1950s and the mid-60's. In the earlier shows, they took effort to make the show look like the era that it occurred. In later years, they stopped caring. Everyone wore hairstyles that no one wore in the early to mid 60's...and the same with their clothing. It ended up looking like an 80's show. The Fonz was so out of place during the later years, and even worse because most of the shows revolved around him. No one wore leather jackets in the mid-60's.
The Cosby Show was another. Once the kids grew up, it was time to hang it up. They weren't as funny anymore...and the plots reflected that. but in both cases, the shows stayed on as long as they did because they continued to bring in money to their respective networks.

Like the popularity of the post-Don Knotts era of 'The Andy Griffith Show', 'The Cosby Show' is another one of those TV ratings mysteries. How do you explain Cos remaining at number 1 for two years, despite the obvious decline in quality starting in season 5? Even in season 7, it still managed to hit # 5 for the year. Yet, most fans today agree that the show began shark-jumping once it passed the halfway point of its run.

The "Andy Griffith Show" ratings are easy to explain...in the late 60s, people were tired of hearing about Vietnam, and race riots, and MLK & RFK being assasinated, so they looked forward to their weekly escape into Mayberry.

Cosby is a case of a show where even though the viewers know it's slumping, you stick by it thinking "OK, this will be the week it gets back on track."