Shows That Overstayed Their Welcome.

[LKellerIII]

Some great posts on this thread. This is probably a minority opinion, but I'd nominate Cheers. I can't recall if Shelley Long left after the second or third season, but I had actually stopped watching because her Diane character irritated me so much. When Kirstie Alley replaced Long, I watched regularly again for awhile, but the whole conecpt had played itself out for me after another season or two.

Frasier was great though - a much better show, IMO.

 

[onairb]

Long left the show after 5 years(the first change to the regular cast had been Woody Harrelson replacing the late Nick Colasanto in 1985; meanwhile, Kelsey Grammer had been introduced as a recurring guest star in season 3, and became a regular the following year). I didn't really follow 'Cheers' until season 3(once 'The Cosby Show' began in '84), and so I never really warmed up to Shelly Long/Diane. I agree that Kirstie Alley got off to a good start, before Rebecca became more irritating. Fortunately, once Frasier came along, the writers started to give the other regulars larger roles, so I felt there was a good mix of 'ensemble' comedy, in addition to the romance storylines.

 

[TVCOOL]

The Jeffersons - when they ditched the live audience for a laugh track.

One Day at a Time - five seasons was enough. Glenn Scarpelli added nothing, nor did those husbands.

Diff'rent Strokes - four seasons

You could say that many of Norman Lear's shows, once they were still on the air entering the '80s, had pretty much overstayed their welcomes, and CBS (in the case of The Jeffersons and ODaaT) continued to milk-out those shows longer than they deserved. As to Diff'rent Strokes, once the show moved from NBC to ABC for its evenutal final season, Gary Coleman had enough (nevermind the health issues he had throughout his life), and it clearly showed in his performances.

At least by late-1979 both Maude and Good Times ended.

 

[BD Sullivan]

The Jeffersons - when they ditched the live audience for a laugh track.

One Day at a Time - five seasons was enough. Glenn Scarpelli added nothing, nor did those husbands.

Diff'rent Strokes - four seasons

You could say that many of Norman Lear's shows, once they were still on the air entering the '80s, had pretty much overstayed their welcomes, and CBS (in the case of The Jeffersons and ODaaT) continued to milk-out those shows longer than they deserved. As to Diff'rent Strokes, once the show moved from NBC to ABC for its evenutal final season, Gary Coleman had enough (nevermind the health issues he had throughout his life), and it clearly showed in his performances.

At least by late-1979 both Maude and Good Times ended.

Except that by the fourth season, Good Times no longer had John Amos, choosing instead to go into overkill with Jimmie Walker--which pushed Esther Rolle into leaving the show, which really sent the show spinning out of control.

 

[vjm]

The Jeffersons - when they ditched the live audience for a laugh track.

One Day at a Time - five seasons was enough. Glenn Scarpelli added nothing, nor did those husbands.

Diff'rent Strokes - four seasons

You could say that many of Norman Lear's shows, once they were still on the air entering the '80s, had pretty much overstayed their welcomes, and CBS (in the case of The Jeffersons and ODaaT) continued to milk-out those shows longer than they deserved. As to Diff'rent Strokes, once the show moved from NBC to ABC for its evenutal final season, Gary Coleman had enough (nevermind the health issues he had throughout his life), and it clearly showed in his performances.

At least by late-1979 both Maude and Good Times ended.

Except that by the fourth season, Good Times no longer had John Amos, choosing instead to go into overkill with Jimmie Walker--which pushed Esther Rolle into leaving the show, which really sent the show spinning out of control.

"Good Times" fell off the rails when it stopped being a show about a family trying to make ends meet in the projects, and was just looking for any excuse for J.J. to yell "DY-NO-MITE!"

A lot of '70s shows (especially mid '70s) fell in to deep cases of "Catchphrase-itis", where the plot almost seemed like something to kill time until the catchphrase was unleashed ("Dy-no-Mite", "Aaaayyy", "Up your nose with a rubber hose", "Kiss my grits", "Book 'em Danno", etc)

 

[onairb]

The Jeffersons - when they ditched the live audience for a laugh track.

One Day at a Time - five seasons was enough. Glenn Scarpelli added nothing, nor did those husbands.

Diff'rent Strokes - four seasons

You could say that many of Norman Lear's shows, once they were still on the air entering the '80s, had pretty much overstayed their welcomes, and CBS (in the case of The Jeffersons and ODaaT) continued to milk-out those shows longer than they deserved. As to Diff'rent Strokes, once the show moved from NBC to ABC for its evenutal final season, Gary Coleman had enough (nevermind the health issues he had throughout his life), and it clearly showed in his performances.

At least by late-1979 both Maude and Good Times ended.

Except that by the fourth season, Good Times no longer had John Amos, choosing instead to go into overkill with Jimmie Walker--which pushed Esther Rolle into leaving the show, which really sent the show spinning out of control.

"Good Times" fell off the rails when it stopped being a show about a family trying to make ends meet in the projects, and was just looking for any excuse for J.J. to yell "DY-NO-MITE!"

A lot of '70s shows (especially mid '70s) fell in to deep cases of "Catchphrase-itis", where the plot almost seemed like something to kill time until the catchphrase was unleashed ("Dy-no-Mite", "Aaaayyy", "Up your nose with a rubber hose", "Kiss my grits", "Book 'em Danno", etc)

Na-nu, Na-nu! SHAZbot! ;D

 

[KeithE4]

A lot of '70s shows (especially mid '70s) fell in to deep cases of "Catchphrase-itis", where the plot almost seemed like something to kill time until the catchphrase was unleashed ("Dy-no-Mite", "Aaaayyy", "Up your nose with a rubber hose", "Kiss my grits", "Book 'em Danno", etc)

That was a continuation of the terminal case of catchphraseitis that had started on radio beginning in the 1930s, which most of us became familiar with by watching Warner Brothers cartoons. It finally died out in the early '80s when these shows went off the air.

 

[rnigma1]

And when the catchphrase was uttered, the studio audience went overboard with cheers and laughter...
Not only that, the networks were always looking for the next big catchphrase, and of course there were those that didn't stick - when Chachi arrived on "Happy Days," they had him saying "wah wah wah," which thankfully he gave up by the time of his spinoff with Joanie.

 

[onairb]

A lot of '70s shows (especially mid '70s) fell in to deep cases of "Catchphrase-itis", where the plot almost seemed like something to kill time until the catchphrase was unleashed ("Dy-no-Mite", "Aaaayyy", "Up your nose with a rubber hose", "Kiss my grits", "Book 'em Danno", etc)

That was a continuation of the terminal case of catchphraseitis that had started on radio beginning in the 1930s, which most of us became familiar with by watching Warner Brothers cartoons. It finally died out in the early '80s when these shows went off the air.

The Miller-Boyett produced sitcoms on ABC(and elsewhere) during the mid-80s to mid-90s seemed to be the last gasp of sitcom catch-phrases, from 'Doan be reedikkluss' on "Perfect Strangers" to several characters' pet phrases on "Full House'('You got it, dude!', 'How RUDE!', 'Cut...it...out!'), to Urkel's infamous 'Diiid I doooo thaaat?' and 'hi-dee-HO!' on 'Family Matters'.

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

A lot of '70s shows (especially mid '70s) fell in to deep cases of "Catchphrase-itis", where the plot almost seemed like something to kill time until the catchphrase was unleashed ("Dy-no-Mite", "Aaaayyy", "Up your nose with a rubber hose", "Kiss my grits", "Book 'em Danno", etc)

That was a continuation of the terminal case of catchphraseitis that had started on radio beginning in the 1930s, which most of us became familiar with by watching Warner Brothers cartoons. It finally died out in the early '80s when these shows went off the air.

The Miller-Boyett produced sitcoms on ABC(and elsewhere) during the mid-80s to mid-90s seemed to be the last gasp of sitcom catch-phrases, from 'Doan be reedikkluss' on "Perfect Strangers" to several characters' pet phrases on "Full House'('You got it, dude!', 'How RUDE!', 'Cut...it...out!'), to Urkel's infamous 'Diiid I doooo thaaat?' and 'hi-dee-HO!' on 'Family Matters'.

Got any cheeeeeese?...

 

[BD Sullivan]

A lot of '70s shows (especially mid '70s) fell in to deep cases of "Catchphrase-itis", where the plot almost seemed like something to kill time until the catchphrase was unleashed ("Dy-no-Mite", "Aaaayyy", "Up your nose with a rubber hose", "Kiss my grits", "Book 'em Danno", etc)

That was a continuation of the terminal case of catchphraseitis that had started on radio beginning in the 1930s, which most of us became familiar with by watching Warner Brothers cartoons. It finally died out in the early '80s when these shows went off the air.

The Miller-Boyett produced sitcoms on ABC(and elsewhere) during the mid-80s to mid-90s seemed to be the last gasp of sitcom catch-phrases, from 'Doan be reedikkluss' on "Perfect Strangers" to several characters' pet phrases on "Full House'('You got it, dude!', 'How RUDE!', 'Cut...it...out!'), to Urkel's infamous 'Diiid I doooo thaaat?' and 'hi-dee-HO!' on 'Family Matters'.

Seinfeld continued the tradition in the 90's with a host of memorable phrases: "Hello, Newman," etc.

In the updated version of "Ball Four," Jim Bouton wrote about the brief adaptation of his book that CBS tried in the Fall of 1976. He mentioned that either the producers or CBS went to great pains to try and craft a catchphrase along the likes of Kotter's "rubber hose." It proved to be pointless, since the show lasted less than two months.

 

[vjm]

Even a few modern shows have catchphrase-itis.

How bad did "South Park" beat "Oh my God, they killed Kenny! You b@$+@rds!" into the ground before giving it up?

And of course "The Simpsons" with "D-Oh!", "Ex-cellent", "Don't have a cow", "Eat my shorts", etc.

Even "The Big Bang Theory" with Sheldon's trademark (literally...Warner Bros. trademarked it) catchphrase of "Bazinga!" or (knock 3 times) Penny...(knock 3 times) Penny...(knock 3 times) Penny.

 

[onairb]

And don't forget...

 

[onairb]

...WAIT for it...

 

[onairb]

...that thing Barney says on 'How I Met Your Catchphrase', uh, 'Mother' ;D

 

[vjm]

A lot of '70s shows (especially mid '70s) fell in to deep cases of "Catchphrase-itis", where the plot almost seemed like something to kill time until the catchphrase was unleashed ("Dy-no-Mite", "Aaaayyy", "Up your nose with a rubber hose", "Kiss my grits", "Book 'em Danno", etc)

That was a continuation of the terminal case of catchphraseitis that had started on radio beginning in the 1930s, which most of us became familiar with by watching Warner Brothers cartoons. It finally died out in the early '80s when these shows went off the air.

The Miller-Boyett produced sitcoms on ABC(and elsewhere) during the mid-80s to mid-90s seemed to be the last gasp of sitcom catch-phrases, from 'Doan be reedikkluss' on "Perfect Strangers" to several characters' pet phrases on "Full House'('You got it, dude!', 'How RUDE!', 'Cut...it...out!'), to Urkel's infamous 'Diiid I doooo thaaat?' and 'hi-dee-HO!' on 'Family Matters'.

Seinfeld continued the tradition in the 90's with a host of memorable phrases: "Hello, Newman," etc.

In the updated version of "Ball Four," Jim Bouton wrote about the brief adaptation of his book that CBS tried in the Fall of 1976. He mentioned that either the producers or CBS went to great pains to try and craft a catchphrase along the likes of Kotter's "rubber hose." It proved to be pointless, since the show lasted less than two months.

The difference is with Seinfeld, most of their memorable quips were one-offs ("They're real and they're spectacular", "Yada, yada, yada" "Not that there's anything wrong with that", etc) Only "Hello, Newman" was used repeatedly, and even that wasn't beaten to death too much.

The show didn't revolve around the catchphrase, which is the problem a lot of shows (especially in the mid 70s) suffered from.

 

[71dude]

I thought "hi-de-ho" was Edie McClurg's entrance line on The Hogan Family (another Miller-Boyett gem). Which should not be confused with Iola's "knock knock" on Mama's Family. With Mama it was either "uh-oh" or "I bet the neighbors are lovin' this!"

 

[WMC2006]

How about "da plane, da plane", Tattoo's opening theme catchphrase from Fantasy Island.

 

[KyDXIn]

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.

Didn't Howard Cunningham end up wearing a digital watch in the latter shows? Remember when Garry Marshall had Chachi wear that bandana wrapped around his leg? The show and the Fonz became the focal point instead of the era.

 

[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.

Didn't Howard Cunningham end up wearing a digital watch in the latter shows? Remember when Garry Marshall had Chachi wear that bandana wrapped around his leg? The show and the Fonz became the focal point instead of the era.

Add to that Joanie's jeri-curl, Marion's Nancy Regan-esque do, and Chachi's feathered hair.

And we have Laverne and Shirley with short 80s bobs in a time when they should have had Jackie-O dos

And on M*A*S*H, we have BJ's porn-stash and Margret's 80's bangs (M*A*S*H was really a fustercluck in it's last years with '80s hairdos and '70s politics in '50s Korea)