have lasted more than one season? I think it defintely would have lasted longer because there would have been no more Happy Days and Joanie and Chachi would have still beem a smart part of the Happy Days Family existing on ABC. So I think it could have ran until 1986 or 87.

No, because the show stunk.

No, because the show stunk.


But it would still have been a Happy Days link on Network TV. This would have allowed viewers to really focused on the Joanie and Chachi characters since no other character from HD no longer existed on TV unless they appeared on Joanie Loves Chachi.

True, but Erin Moran wasn't leading lady material and Al was only good in small doses. I don't think anybody cared that he had a love interest.

True, but Erin Moran wasn't leading lady material and Al was only good in small doses. I don't think anybody cared that he had a love interest.



So you really don't think JLC would have been higher than #65 in the ratings if Happy Days no longer existed on ABC? I'm sure it would have been in the higher 30's.

No I don't. The show wasn't all that good.

No I don't. The show wasn't all that good.


Yes the show was not good, but it would have done better than #65-lol

Maybe, but I don't think so. Look at Joey for an example. Friends was the most popular show for years. When it finally ended, Joey took its place. The show struggled this year.

Maybe, but I don't think so. Look at Joey for an example. Friends was the most popular show for years. When it finally ended, Joey took its place. The show struggled this year.



Poor example Brian, because Joey was renewed for another season after season 1, Joanie Loves Chachi wasn't-lol

Poor example Brian, because Joey was renewed for another season after season 1, Joanie Loves Chachi wasn't-lol

It really isn't a poor example because the ratings suffered. I know Joey was renewed and I happen to be a fan of Joey, but by your logic, Joey should've been a bonafide hit and it wasn't. One of the main reasons why NBC renewed Joey was because they had no viable alternatives to replace it.

It really isn't a poor example because the ratings suffered. I know Joey was renewed and I happen to be a fan of Joey, but by your logic, Joey should've been a bonafide hit and it wasn't. One of the main reasons why NBC renewed Joey was because they had no viable alternatives to replace it.



I never said it would be a hit, just higher than 65.lol

How could a show do well, if it isn't very good?

How could a show do well, if it isn't very good?



Brian I think you misunderstood my Original Question. I was asking would JLC have lasted longer if it started after HD. And when I say longer i wasn't talking about 5-6 years, just longer than a season. 2 or possibly 3 seasons. So I wasn't saying it would have been successful like Happy Days because we all know that wasn't going to happen, I'm just saying the show would have probably been renewed for another season after it's first.

How could a show do well, if it isn't very good?


The Question I was really asking was- Even if JLC started after HD ended, would the show have lasted more than a year?

Brian I think you misunderstood my Original Question. I was asking would JLC have lasted longer if it started after HD. And when I say longer i wasn't talking about 5-6 years, just longer than a season. 2 or possibly 3 seasons. So I wasn't saying it would have been successful like Happy Days because we all know that wasn't going to happen, I'm just saying the show would have probably been renewed for another season after it's first.


And I still say no, because the show wasn't any good.

I don't think it would have done well enough on its own to last longer than a season. It seems as though it only did well in its first four episodes when it had Happy Days as a lead-in. In the fall, they moved it to Thursdays, and it tanked. Had they left it on Tuesdays either sandwiched between Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley or directly after them both, it may have continued to do well enough to build an audience and live past the end of the mothership.

I don't think it would have done well enough on its own to last longer than a season. It seems as though it only did well in its first four episodes when it had Happy Days as a lead-in. In the fall, they moved it to Thursdays, and it tanked. Had they left it on Tuesdays either sandwiched between Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley or directly after them both, it may have continued to do well enough to build an audience and live past the end of the mothership.


ABC tried moving it back to Tuesdays right after HD but it was too late.

erin moran and scott baio are just not leading people they are ok actors but you can't compare them to a RON HOWARD,HENRY WINKLER or even a TOM BOSLEY or a MARION ROSS these are lead people they can carry a show SCOTT BAIO can't ex:charles in charge ERIN and SCOTT are cast members they need a supporting cast and i don't think it was there.maybe if it had been spun after happy days it could have lasted if the writting had been decent but face it these kids couldn't really carry a note.the whole idea was weak.

erin moran and scott baio are just not leading people they are ok actors but you can't compare them to a RON HOWARD,HENRY WINKLER or even a TOM BOSLEY or a MARION ROSS these are lead people they can carry a show SCOTT BAIO can't ex:charles in charge ERIN and SCOTT are cast members they need a supporting cast and i don't think it was there.maybe if it had been spun after happy days it could have lasted if the writting had been decent but face it these kids couldn't really carry a note.the whole idea was weak.


Joanie Loves Chachi finished #65 in the ratings, if it had spun off after Happy Days, it would have been probably #50 or a little Higher

let me get this straight you liked joannie loves chachi but you hated the last season of happy days?any hd fans i know hated this spin off with a passion

let me get this straight you liked joannie loves chachi but you hated the last season of happy days?any hd fans i know hated this spin off with a passion


JLC was a bad show, all the seasons after richie left was bad, but I will still watch JLC over any season of HD after 1980

let me get this straight you liked joannie loves chachi but you hated the last season of happy days?any hd fans i know hated this spin off with a passion
I liked it.

if this show had any good to it why doesn't anyone show it .joannie and chachi were just not strong enough characters to carry a show .and retro if the show was so bad after 1980 why did it run another 4 years?after richie and ralph left.

I liked Joanie Loves Chachi as well as the last four seasons of Happy Days.

if this show had any good to it why doesn't anyone show it .joannie and chachi were just not strong enough characters to carry a show .and retro if the show was so bad after 1980 why did it run another 4 years?after richie and ralph left.


I have no idea, it's not like the show was in the Top Ten after 1980. After 80, never reached top ten again. I guess a lot of people lost interest when richie left-lol

I'm surprised that haven't came on TV Land yet.

shows like laverne and sherliey, mork and mindy,frazier ,and even joey then theres maude,the jeffersons,good times all spun from very popular shows
they had strong characters,strong main ideas joannie loves chachi did not.thats why the show ended after one season.the whole concept was weak.look at three's a crowd john ritter a great comic actor one who could never be replaced once they reinvented three's company the show sunk the concept was just weak. jlc.was worse than that.

Loved the show-liked the music idea.

thats what makes these threads fun each person has ther own thoughts i like season11 of happy days many people on this site do not but thats me .

I know this thread is from like 4 years ago, but I found it kind of interesting. Perosnally I think if everything happend in season 11, with the break up and then them being married in the last episode. I think Joanie Loves Chachi would have lasted longer after the ending of Happy Days. It would have explored their marrage with out having parents looking in on them all of the time. Chachi would be on his way to being a true rock star, not just having the cheesey back up band. It could have been a little bit more adult in nature, which probably would have helped in the original Joanie loves Chachi ( lets face it some of the Joanie and Chachi kissing scenes on Happy Days were very hot for the time and the age they were protraying.) In this format I would give it 2 or 3 seasons. Oh and they would defanitly have to have some decent supporting characters, the original ones sucked!

Even if JLC was good--which it wasn't, not by a long shot--I still don't think that it would have made it. The Garry Marshall shows all stayed on the air too long. Happy Days lost it's zing when Richie and Ralph joined the Army, Laverne and Shirley lost it when they moved to California--but even more so when Cindy Williams left, and Mork & Mindy had a great first season, but they brought in an annoying new supporting cast in Season 2. Don't even get me started on Jonathan Winters (whom I love, BTW) as Mearth...

Joanie Loves Chachi could have had the best scripts and the most charismatic and talented actors available, but I think the biggest strike against it was the fact that viewers had become board with the Marshall-esque shows.