What do you think, I know many fans blame Cloris Leachman for the reason it Jumped the shark, some say it went further than it should of before Charlotte left, but what do you think. I watched Seven Little Indians with my friend who never saw the show, he enjoyed it and I asked him what he thought of Beverly Ann, he didn't care for her, even without comparing her to Mrs. Garrett, but what do you think about it?

Good Question. I think Beverly Ann is way more interesting to watch then Mrs. G (I like BA better than Mrs. G). Plus Cloris was a popular actress. I think the reason the show got cancelled was the fact that is was getting old to viewers. 9 years is a pretty long run for a TV show back then they probably got tired of watching it so they drifted away. Or maybe that actresses got tired of filming it.

I like Beverly Ann. I rank season eight among my favorites. I think the show just got old as all shows do. I think that this shows in a lot of the season nine episodes. I think this would have happend even if Charlotte had stayed.

I personally did not like Beverly Ann. I did however like the girls in the later seasons. I do think the show ran it's course and the show ended when it needed to. I think it would've ended whether or not Charlotte Rae was still there or not. :)

I liked BA, but I liked G better in her prime. I agree that the show would have retired after a great 9 years regardless of BA or G. But what can you do after so long?

I have to say I wasnt as familiar with the BA eps as the CRs. After watching them the past couple of weeks, they arent too bad. The chemistry is different for sure. CR was more the mother hen and BA was more like a friend. IMHO the girls were getting older and probably wouldnt have gone too much longer.

They let George Clooney go, but they had the nerve to keep MacKenzie Astin throughout the entire run and be adopted by BA...:rolleyes: Unbelievable.

They let George Clooney go, but they had the nerve to keep MacKenzie Astin throughout the entire run and be adopted by BA...:rolleyes: Unbelievable.

I really didn't care for Andy. He really got on my nerves. But most of the supporting players got on my nerves (maybe I'm just irritable! :) ). Kelly got on my nerves. Pippa got on my nerves. Andy got on my nerves. That Cassidy guy they hired got on my nerves. Even George Clooney got on my nerves. I liked the original premise of the show (four girls growing up and maturing into adulthood). I had a very hard time adapting to new characters.

Last longer? The show ran for nine seasons which is an eternity in tv sitcom world. That's longer than most classic sitcoms have run.

The show would have ended when it did regardless. I like BA. Season 8 episodes where a lot better than season 7 episodes. I didn't like George Clooney at all on the show. I did like MacKenzie Astin though. The show just ran out of gas.

Clooney was Ok:rolleyes: . but I did like Andy.:)

I don't think the show would have lasted any longer. In fact, I think it would have only lasted 8 season with Mrs. G still there. It would have gotten old a lot faster.

I agree with all point but however there were a lot of things that could have be written to make it an interesting 10th and final season.

I think The act's of Life would have stayed on the air if Charlotte

i don't think so, by the time Charlette left the show already had declining ratings. so I pretty much doubt her staying would have helped the show stay past nine seasons.

Yeah, I honestly believe it wouldn't have mattered much had she stayed on the last two years. The show was declining both in ratings and quality and didn't match the original Eastland years.

I agree that the show was on for a LONG time and had run its course.

I grew up with the show and in its last few seasons, I was spending more time going out and developing lots of interests and less time watching television.

I think a lot of the audience that had grown up with the show was moving on with adulthood. :) :(

I think the show should have ended once Mrs. Garrett left. JMHO.

I agree. But it was good while it lasted.

The girls had grown up and the show was starting to get stale. It would've ended no matter who was in the cast by that point.

I think the reason it has gotten stale a bit because it was repeating the same episodes with different lessons...it was the same thing over and over. Also, shows like Who's The Boss?, Growing Pains, Family Ties, and all of the new shows coming out of the mid 80s were much fresher than FOL. I believe it wasn't that it overstayed its welcome. It just became a rinse and repeat every episode, including with Garrett and her sister.

I think the reason it has gotten stale a bit because it was repeating the same episodes with different lessons...it was the same thing over and over. Also, shows like Who's The Boss?, Growing Pains, Family Ties, and all of the new shows coming out of the mid 80s were much fresher than FOL. I believe it wasn't that it overstayed its welcome. It just became a rinse and repeat every episode, including with Garrett and her sister.


:mumble: :caveman:

I think the reason it has gotten stale a bit because it was repeating the same episodes with different lessons...it was the same thing over and over. Also, shows like Who's The Boss?, Growing Pains, Family Ties, and all of the new shows coming out of the mid 80s were much fresher than FOL. I believe it wasn't that it overstayed its welcome. It just became a rinse and repeat every episode, including with Garrett and her sister.

i agree... a lot of the later episodes were just trying to focus too much on the youngsters they brought in hoping to boost ratings... and when mrs. g was still on the show, the episodes didn't seem as fresh as they had been in the past. I think that season 3-5 was when the show peaked

i agree... a lot of the later episodes were just trying to focus too much on the youngsters they brought in hoping to boost ratings... and when mrs. g was still on the show, the episodes didn't seem as fresh as they had been in the past. I think that season 3-5 was when the show peaked


I UNDERSTAND YOUR POINT ABOUT ANDY & PIPPA, BUT I GOT TO TELL YOU, ME-TV IS NEARING THE END OF SEASON 9, AND I'M LOVING IT! IT SEEMS I'M ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE WHO APPRECIATE ALL THE SEASONS.

I LOVE THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE GIRLS NOW. THEY'RE SO CUTE WITH EACH OTHER AS YOUNG WOMEN:D

I THINK THE WRITERS DID A PRETTY GOOD JOB EVOLVING THE GIRLS. I MEAN, IT'S NOT LIKE IN LATER SEASONS THEY COULD BREAK INTO LANGLEY OR LIFT A BLOUSE FOR BEV ANN. THEY'D BE IN JAIL WITH BIG BERTHA FOR REAL:lol:

I PERSONALLY WISH THIS SHOW WAS ON LONGER OR AT THE VERY LEAST, HAVE THE SPIN-OFF WITH LISA LIKE THEY WERE GOING TO DO. WOULD ANY TRUE FACTS FAN NOT HAVE WATCHED THAT?

I still watch the later ones......nothing wrong with that at all. I am saying that even tastes in certain shows do change as the year progresses. I still watch the later FOL, I tell you that much. But you have to remember in the mid 80s, no one was gonna interested in the same problems the girls(who were going to be women) were facing in every episode. The last season was a diving point in mediocre lazy writing. Not on the actor's fault, it was the writers. If you had a different writer that didn't match the quality of the earlier writers, they are bound to be changes. I am not saying it happens to FOL, it happens to all shows. It called a progress in development of the show itself, depends as to how long it has been on the air and such. Every show has to add a new kid and some guy no one cares for...usually it happens to all shows. That's because (a) the show has been around four or five seasons or (b) the actors were getting a little older for these child lessons when they should have been matured already.

I UNDERSTAND YOUR POINT ABOUT ANDY & PIPPA, BUT I GOT TO TELL YOU, ME-TV IS NEARING THE END OF SEASON 9, AND I'M LOVING IT! IT SEEMS I'M ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE WHO APPRECIATE ALL THE SEASONS.

I LOVE THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE GIRLS NOW. THEY'RE SO CUTE WITH EACH OTHER AS YOUNG WOMEN:D

I THINK THE WRITERS DID A PRETTY GOOD JOB EVOLVING THE GIRLS. I MEAN, IT'S NOT LIKE IN LATER SEASONS THEY COULD BREAK INTO LANGLEY OR LIFT A BLOUSE FOR BEV ANN. THEY'D BE IN JAIL WITH BIG BERTHA FOR REAL:lol:

I PERSONALLY WISH THIS SHOW WAS ON LONGER OR AT THE VERY LEAST, HAVE THE SPIN-OFF WITH LISA LIKE THEY WERE GOING TO DO. WOULD ANY TRUE FACTS FAN NOT HAVE WATCHED THAT?

I am with you 100%. I loved the older seasons watching the girls grow into adulthood. FOL was one of the few shows that didnt get ridiculous towards the end, to where you didnt want to watch it anymore. Changes had to be made to the show and I think the way they handled it was pretty good. I definitely dont think the show wouldve lasted longer had Charlotte stayed.

It outlasted Diff'rent Strokes...that's quite an achievement.

I have to disagree with most of you: BEVERLY ANN totally got on my nerves and was no match for MRS G lol!
BLAIR didn't even take BEVERLY ANN seriously, JO kind of tolerated her, there was no chemistry between TOOTIE and her: only NATALIE seemed to get on with her which surprised me the most (considering how she doted on MRS G).
ANDY and PIPPA were no needed and a waste of time, and in my opinion they should have cancelled the show after CHARLOTTE RAE left (she was the glue that kept the girls together and a strong mother figure to them).

The ratings were still strong after the last season, but Nancy McKeon and at least one of the other girls wanted to leave so they pretty much had to end it.

Yeah, they say Nancy and Mindy wanted out.

It probably would have gone as far as 8 seasons if Charlotte Rae had stayed, knowing that she wanted to leave. If the writershad come up with better stories then it could have gone up to 10 years with Cloris Leachman.

I don't think the show would have lasted longer with her. She knew they were maturing and her role was lessening. What did this show in was Mindy and Nancy's decision to leave and bad season 9 episodes though some were great. I don't think either having Blair as headmistress would have worked either. The kids lacked chemistry and it didn't seem true to her character. If accepted I take it Beverly Ann would have been written out? What would Tootie have done in that Season 10?

I don't think the show would have lasted longer with her. She knew they were maturing and her role was lessening. What did this show in was Mindy and Nancy's decision to leave and bad season 9 episodes though some were great. I don't think either having Blair as headmistress would have worked either. The kids lacked chemistry and it didn't seem true to her character. If accepted I take it Beverly Ann would have been written out? What would Tootie have done in that Season 10?

Tootie could have gone to Langly.

It probably would have gone as far as 8 seasons if Charlotte Rae had stayed, knowing that she wanted to leave. If the writershad come up with better stories then it could have gone up to 10 years with Cloris Leachman.

I wish Mrs. Garrett would have stayed at least six more episodes. THEN we would have gotten the reunion we should have seen: the reunion between Mrs. Garrett and the Lost Girls. Then, and only then, could Mrs. Garrett have been married off in style, with her eight lovely bridesmaids.

But I think by then Charlotte had realized she had become window dressing: the writers who were originally hired to write stories about her had gradually been replaced by writers who wrote about the Core Four. Mrs. Garrett didn't even rate a bedroom during her last few seasons on the show.

I wish Mrs. Garrett would have stayed at least six more episodes. THEN we would have gotten the reunion we should have seen: the reunion between Mrs. Garrett and the Lost Girls. Then, and only then, could Mrs. Garrett have been married off in style, with her eight lovely bridesmaids.

But I think by then Charlotte had realized she had become window dressing: the writers who were originally hired to write stories about her had gradually been replaced by writers who wrote about the Core Four. Mrs. Garrett didn't even rate a bedroom during her last few seasons on the show.

Window dressing or wallpaper? Mrs G started putting a flower in her own hair. :lol:

I wish Mrs. Garrett would have stayed at least six more episodes. THEN we would have gotten the reunion we should have seen: the reunion between Mrs. Garrett and the Lost Girls. Then, and only then, could Mrs. Garrett have been married off in style, with her eight lovely bridesmaids.

But I think by then Charlotte had realized she had become window dressing: the writers who were originally hired to write stories about her had gradually been replaced by writers who wrote about the Core Four. Mrs. Garrett didn't even rate a bedroom during her last few seasons on the show.

That something that really bothered me and the reason i stopped watching after MRS G left: i didn't like the fact she hardly had any lines on season 7 & 8 :mad:(not to mention episodes where she wasn't even there) and the chemistry she once had with her girls was even fading.... It was as if she was a different person in a different body (kind of like a 'Stepford wife' lol!)

If they had made a tenth season, the first episode should have been about Blair unloading the school.

If they had made a tenth season, the first episode should have been about Blair unloading the school.

You're absolutely right: BLAIR would have been great running the 'Eastland school for girls' (after all she's been the longest lol) and it's a shame they decide to end the show before we could see how much potential she had.
In a way out of the 4 girls, i feel she was the one who learned most from MRS G good no nonsense advice, even though she was the most spoiled, or probably because of it....:)

No. I don't think the show would of lasted longer had Charlotte Rae stayed. I don't think that had anything to do with it. Personally, I liked Beverly Anne and I liked Seasons 8 and 9. I loved the girls as adults and I wish the show had gone on longer.

i agree... a lot of the later episodes were just trying to focus too much on the youngsters they brought in hoping to boost ratings... and when mrs. g was still on the show, the episodes didn't seem as fresh as they had been in the past. I think that season 3-5 was when the show peaked


I think you're right! Season 3 up to 6 were the best for me: especially season 5 and 6 (the 'EDNA'S EDIBLES' years) because the 4 girls were living under MRS G roof like a mother with their kid, and it made them even closer than when they were all at the 'Eatland school for girls'.
I especially love the episode 'WORKING IT OUT', because you can see the 'mother hen' side of MRS G and how much she really cares for those girls, given the fact that she lets BLAIR get away by behaving so rudely towards her!:D

I think you're right! Season 3 up to 6 were the best for me: especially season 5 and 6 (the 'EDNA'S EDIBLES' years) because the 4 girls were living under MRS G roof like a mother with their kid, and it made them even closer than when they were all at the 'Eatland school for girls'.
I especially love the episode 'WORKING IT OUT', because you can see the 'mother hen' side of MRS G and how much she really cares for those girls, given the fact that she lets BLAIR get away by behaving so rudely towards her!:D

Jo and Blair should have been living full time on campus at Langly. Not hanging around with the housemother and younger classmates all their non-class time.

Mrs. Garrett was trying to get the girls to be less codependent on her. Not only for them to be on their own, but for the actresses to move on to the next stage of their lives.

Jo and Blair should have been living full time on campus at Langly. Not hanging around with the housemother and younger classmates all their non-class time.

The show would have been boring without MRS G, NAT & TOOTIE:cool:

Mrs. Garrett was trying to get the girls to be less codependent on her. Not only for them to be on their own, but for the actresses to move on to the next stage of their lives.

Are we watching the same show? It looks to me like you haven't seen season 5 at all: on the episode 'Brave new world part 2', MRS G does everything to keep her girls living under the same roof as her (with the little help of TOOTIE and NAT) when she offers JO a room. She even goes forwards to BLAIR telling her there is enough room for a 4th person. What else do you need as proof that those 5 were tighter than tight?:rolleyes:

Are we watching the same show? It looks to me like you haven't seen season 5 at all: on the episode 'Brave new world part 2', MRS G does everything to keep her girls living under the same roof as her (with the little help of TOOTIE and NAT) when she offers JO a room. She even goes forwards to BLAIR telling her there is enough room for a 4th person. What else do you need as proof that those 5 were tighter than tight?:rolleyes:

I am dealing with reality. Charlotte Rae thought it was not healthy that women of Blair's and Jo's age still be living with her and thought it was time to leave and she couldn't develop her character any farther.

I am dealing with reality. Charlotte Rae thought it was not healthy that women of Blair's and Jo's age still be living with her and thought it was time to leave and she couldn't develop her character any farther.

That may have been so, but not until :happyfaceseason 8 (when BLAIR and JO graduated). Not on season 5 and 6 though: if you watch the 'Edna's Edibles' era she was glad to still play their team mom. It was only in 'Over our heads' that MRS G felt that she was no longer needed....

That may have been so, but not until :happyfaceseason 8 (when BLAIR and JO graduated). Not on season 5 and 6 though: if you watch the 'Edna's Edibles' era she was glad to still play their team mom. It was only in 'Over our heads' that MRS G felt that she was no longer needed....

Those girls should have been living on campus or off campus, not with boarding school house mother.

Those girls should have been living on campus or off campus, not with boarding school house mother.

I understand your point of view, but that is what makes TV so special: it makes us possible to escape reality and dream when we need it...;)

Those girls should have been living on campus or off campus, not with boarding school house mother.

or boss/surrogate grandmother