Name characters that you thought were supposed to graduate at a certain time but then they just wound up staying an extra year or two. I have been making this observation over the years and it is annoying. I will just throw out a few:

Karen Foster - Step by Step 6 years
Jeff Stone - The Donna Reed show. He was a senior and ended up a senior again after Shelley Fabares left the show.

All right you guys, I know more but am giving you a chance to throw them out there.

The entire cast of "Head of the Class"? :lol:
it also seems that Richie, Ralph and Potsie were in school an extra year. (The first season already had them attending their JUNIOR prom).
The same with Jo and Blair on The Facts of Life--when the show started Blair was already a sophomore!

The sweathogs on Welcome Back Kotter. That show was on for four years and they only moved up one grade. By the last series it was more than obvious these guys looked like they should be out of high school (then again the actors were already in the mid 20's).

On "Dawson's Creek" the show started in their sophomore year; but somehow the ended up in high school for an extra year.

Julie and Mary Beth from Hang Time (6 years)
Maria from Saved by the Bell:The New Class (5 years)
Romeo and Bullethead from the Steve Harvey Show (6 years?)
Laura and Steve from Family Matter (7 years)
+ the entire cast of California Dreams and City Guys

That '70s Show - Eric, Donna, Hyde, Kelso and Fez were in high school for the first five seasons.

I think DJ on Full House was a high schooler for 5 years, but someone correct me if I'm wrong.

The sweathogs on Welcome Back Kotter. That show was on for four years and they only moved up one grade. By the last series it was more than obvious these guys looked like they should be out of high school (then again the actors were already in the mid 20's).
yes; you're right. I heard an interview with Gabe Kaplan once where he was saying that he also thought that was ridiculouis.
He was saying that he suggested to ABC that they graduate and move on to college and Mr. Kotter ends up being their teacher again; that way the show would be believable and could go on for 4 more years. But they didn't listen.:(

yes; you're right. I heard an interview with Gabe Kaplan once where he was saying that he also thought that was ridiculouis.
He was saying that he suggested to ABC that they graduate and move on to college and Mr. Kotter ends up being their teacher again; that way the show would be believable and could go on for 4 more years. But they didn't listen.:(
Well they were meant to be remedial students so it makes a little bit of sense that it would take them longer to finish high school than normal. And they don't really seem like college material to me. Just graduating high school would be a major accomplishment for the Sweathogs!

I'm sorry; I meant to say a juioner college.

yes; you're right. I heard an interview with Gabe Kaplan once where he was saying that he also thought that was ridiculouis.
He was saying that he suggested to ABC that they graduate and move on to college and Mr. Kotter ends up being their teacher again; that way the show would be believable and could go on for 4 more years. But they didn't listen.:(

Wasn't that part of why Gabe left the show?

Well, in the case of That '70's Show, the first season was 1976. Each season was like just a half year, cause the show lasted 8 years, but they had to stay in the '70's,( its "The '70's Show"). Unlike the long running Happy Days set in the 50's, which was carried on into the '60's.

Wasn't Joanie Cunningham in high school for six years???

I think DJ on Full House was a high schooler for 5 years, but someone correct me if I'm wrong.
She graduated Jr. high at the end of season 4, and started high school in season 5. She was graduating at the end of the eight season, so she was in high school the correct amount of years.

Wasn't that part of why Gabe left the show?
I think so.

Does this thread only apply to live action sitcoms? If so, then any animated program which features high school characters, those characters have overstayed their welcome in high school. That's just another consequence of a floating timeline. Under this situation, you have to stay the same age for a long period of time. Floating timelines are not good. Your age is not in stone, nor is it supposed to be.

One person or character can be in high school for four (4) years.

Daria on "Daria" was in high school for 5 seasons.

The show ran for 5 seasons and she was in high school for all of those.

Wasn't Joanie Cunningham in high school for six years???


Yeah she was. She did like three years of school as a senior. I think this was done in order to show a new generation of kids and to allow time for Chachi to catch up with Joanie to better prop their new relationship that began towards the end of her first year as a high school senior.

Someone mentioned that the sweathoggs were not college material. Kaplan thought it would be better if the students followed him to junior college. I think they would have been able to swing that.

On "Dawson's Creek" the show started in their sophomore year; but somehow the ended up in high school for an extra year.
I think because the show came on as a midseason replacement, they set it up so that the first season was just part of their sophomore year. I'm not 100% sure, though, it's been a while since I've seen the end of season one.

The characters on BH90210 were supposed to be juniors in the first season, and then they were juniors in season two before finally getting to be seniors (so that Donna Martin could graduate, of course). Their timeline is a little wonky because David was supposed to be a freshman in season one, yet when the other did their second junior year, he advanced to being a sophomore, thus setting it up for him to be a year younger than them but being able to graduate a year early (simply because he "did extra work," which makes zero sense).

The Degrassi: TNG kids had a pretty consistent timeline for the first six seasons. In the beginning, there was a group of 7th graders and a group of 8th graders (Liberty was supposed to be 6th grade, but she was smart enough to skip a year), and they all advanced through the years accordingly. The original 8th graders graduated in 2006, and then the producers decided to spread each school year over two seasons, so the original 7th graders graduated two years later (but were still called the Class of 2007, even though it was 2008). They just did the two seasons = one year thing for another school year, so the character Peter Stone, who I believe was supposed to be the same age as the original 7th graders, has been in high school for five seasons now. And I'm thinking he's supposed to return as a student again next year. Whatever, show.

Friday Night Lights has a pretty messed up timeline, too. In the beginning, I believe Jason was supposed to be a senior, Smash, Tim, Lyla, and Tyra were juniors, and Matt, Julie, and Landry were sophomores. Jason was held back a year because of his paralysis, so he graduated in 2008 with Smash, but Tim, Lyla, and Tyra were all held back a year for no particular reason. They graduated last year with Matt, but then Julie and Landry were held back a year for no reason.

Who says 1 year of real time equals 1 year of TV Time? It always bugged me when people would say that sit coms get all their problems wrapped up in 30 minutes.; It might be 30 minutes our time but it is days or a week in the characters life!

Who says 1 year of real time equals 1 year of TV Time? It always bugged me when people would say that sit coms get all their problems wrapped up in 30 minutes.; It might be 30 minutes our time but it is days or a week in the characters life!

Good point and it would be valid but TV errors tell on themselves. A character is a senior in high school and then celebrates the christmas holiday in that same season. Then the next season they are still a high school character and are celebrating another christmas? Like I said, you have a good argument but the time line errors speak for themeselves.

On Step by Step, Older sister "Dana" was a 19 year old college freshman in season four and her younger sister "Karen" is an 18 year old high school senior. Then two years later it is stated that Dana is not 21 and Karen is in high school for a third year. Then the next season (S7) Karan is finally in college and says she is 18 years old? She should be 21 by this point but was 18 for more that 3 1/2 years? How many Xmases did she spend being in high school as an 18 year old senior? They should have let the girl age.

Now, if they wanted to slow down her time growing up, allow one year and not two more years being the same age and in the same grade. That was totally off and tacky to me. :rolleyes:

How about all the "kids" in Room 222?

Good point and it would be valid but TV errors tell on themselves. A character is a senior in high school and then celebrates the christmas holiday in that same season. Then the next season they are still a high school character and are celebrating another christmas? Like I said, you have a good argument but the time line errors speak for themeselves.

Yeah, I figure the show sets its own timeline through certain annual events and what-not. BH90210 had a Christmas episode for every season except for the first, but that season depicted both autumn (the first day of school) and spring (the spring dance), so it's safe to say that there had to be a Christmas somewhere in between that.

Of course, a show could speed up or slow down their timeline whenever they want to, but that's really kinda silly and more trouble to deal with than just allowing time to pass by naturally and letting the characters age appropriately.