Does anyone here think that when Tony and Angela started dating, it kind of ruined the show, or should I say, "jumped the shark"? I think there was an awkwardness with Tony and Angela dating, engagement and marriage. It just didn't feel right to me. I think the show was more appealing when they were employer and housekeeper. What does everyone else think?

I am one of the ones that loved when they got together. I had and so many others waited so long and when it finally happened it was sweet. It wasn't the way I had thought or wanted but at least it happened. The show was ending anyway so why not. I know some say their chemistry changed when they became a couple but I don't think it did. I actually think they looked better suited for each other later in the series than early on. I loved them through the entire run but it was nice to see how they could be as a couple even though they could have shown more and not made it so silly at times. I think that was what my main gripe about seaon 8 was. There should have beem more loving, tender and emotional scenes and actions but they were trying to still be funny and keep it as a family show. I wanted them to get married and I was very upset when they didn't. Tony/Judith had such wonderful chemistry they could have pulled anything off IMO. So I don't think it ruined the show but it did change it some though. I would have loved to see how they would have played married. I know some think the opposite and thats cool. Everyone has their opinions and we can all agree that we enjoyed the show and it was a success:)

Actually, I thought they waited too long to get them together. You can only play the sexual tension card for so long before no one cares anymore. The show became less about the reverse domestic dynamic and more about finding contrived ways to keep these two apart. They didn't let the story develop at a natural pace.

Actually, I think adding young Billy was when it "jumped the shark" :lol: at least they got rid of him the next season.

I also agree, that they waited too long to get them together. by that time, it just wasn't natural. it would have happened a couple years earlier.

i remember when it was originally on, reading in some magazine that the plan was for that season, that they'd be married during November sweeps, then the season would end with Angela being pregnant and going into labor in a cliffhanger, leading into another season for the show. i don't remember where i read this, it was a long time ago!

I like the idea of them being together, but think it should have happened a few seasons earlier. What I didn't like was when they added Billy into the show, it just didn't flow to me.

How did Tony and Angela finally get together? I dont remember it.

http://i46.tinypic.com/2448cx5.jpg

http://i50.tinypic.com/13z7let.jpg

when characters get it on and get together- it removes the tension that's built up, and sometimes makes for a less funny program.

I am one of the ones that loved when they got together. I had and so many others waited so long and when it finally happened it was sweet. It wasn't the way I had thought or wanted but at least it happened. The show was ending anyway so why not. I know some say their chemistry changed when they became a couple but I don't think it did. I actually think they looked better suited for each other later in the series than early on. I loved them through the entire run but it was nice to see how they could be as a couple even though they could have shown more and not made it so silly at times. I think that was what my main gripe about seaon 8 was. There should have beem more loving, tender and emotional scenes and actions but they were trying to still be funny and keep it as a family show. I wanted them to get married and I was very upset when they didn't. Tony/Judith had such wonderful chemistry they could have pulled anything off IMO. So I don't think it ruined the show but it did change it some though. I would have loved to see how they would have played married. I know some think the opposite and thats cool. Everyone has their opinions and we can all agree that we enjoyed the show and it was a success:)
All male and female charactors on sit coms play "cat and Mouse" with each other. Then the show has them get married and it's big ratings but then the show goes down hill.

I don't understand why Tony and Angela got together. First off, how did they get together after being friends for years? I mean I saw them kiss a couple of times. If they were not a couple after those times, then they would never be.
Then when they finally became a couple, you would think it would be a little bit of a letdown.

Tony and Angela never got married though. If they ever did a reunion special, it'd be nice to see Tony and Angela's wedding or at this point, the life they would have now after having been married for a while.
Of course, in lieu of that, I'd just like to see the rest of the series on DVD.
But I don't think Tony and Angela getting together as a couple ruined "Who's The Boss?" at all- it just added to it. That was a great sitcom- I loved watching this as a kid.:) :cool:

All male and female charactors on sit coms play "cat and Mouse" with each other. Then the show has them get married and it's big ratings but then the show goes down hill.

Actually I think they did this very well on "The Nanny"; IMO the show stayed great to the end. Maybe if Tony and Angela had gotten together around season 4 or 5 (I think Fran and Max did around season 5?) it may have seemed more natural and "with the flow", who knows.

ok if angla/tony got together early likes season 5 there would no new real life story lines
im thinking that if tony/angel did get together
tony would so burned out that he would have time for own dreams
like playing golf/baseball tony would go to collage
tony/angel would fight too much over who gets payed more
mona would not pay some guy to date angela
tony would be bad rolmole to jonathan but jonathan would not date girls
mona would have midlife criuse of her own
seaning tony/angela together always fighting trying to be a peace maker
sam would not have teenage fun like geting drunk/dating do a driving test/leasons
later there be no billy
what rover the dog? also unrseloved story lines

How did Tony and Angela finally get together? I dont remember it.
tony/angel got togeter first eps
season 8
tony gives angel a silly car seat cover
angel run alway from tony both have the futurn told a carviel

Their getting together in Season 8 didn't ruin the show. The horrific scripts ruined the show (the scheduling switch from Tuesdays to Saturdays destroyed the show's heretofore ratings). They (Tony & Judith) had tremendous screen chemistry and it was almost completely destroyed by having the Tony character become a complete jerk by the final season. Happens to lots of sitcoms near the end of their run: often the main character(s) just become dumber versions of themselves. Sad.

Their getting together in Season 8 didn't ruin the show. The horrific scripts ruined the show (the scheduling switch from Tuesdays to Saturdays destroyed the show's heretofore ratings). They (Tony & Judith) had tremendous screen chemistry and it was almost completely destroyed by having the Tony character become a complete jerk by the final season. Happens to lots of sitcoms near the end of their run: often the main character(s) just become dumber versions of themselves. Sad.

I used to think the same thing. That their getting together killed the show, by killing off the "will they or wont they" tension of the series.

But in hindsight I agree with you, it was the material itself that killed it. The exaggerated situations/funny gags would've been better in smaller doses, but they were constant. This made the show seem silly, with actual slapstick gags happening in each episode. I rewatched the series recently and couldn't believe they actually had Tony's ass break through the ceiling followed by the ubiquitous "I've fallen and I can't get up!" line. This used to be a show about a poor housekepper struggling to pay for things so his daughter could fit in with her new (wealthy) friends!

I wonder what would've happened if they had written it like a season 3 or 4 era writing style. They get together and there are realistic story lines, like Jonathan/Samantha struggling with them being married (should I call her mom, should I call him dad). How their extended families react, what the neighbours say, etc.

I think they were stuck at this point, the shows ratings were waning and they must've thought "ok lets make this over the top fun to keep people engaged". The problem is, even if they wrote it realistically, the show had been on for so long people just lost interest. The fire/passion of "OMG will they actually hook up?" had turned into two older single people who finally settle down... not much spice at that point.

I used to think the same thing. That their getting together killed the show, by killing off the "will they or wont they" tension of the series.

But in hindsight I agree with you, it was the material itself that killed it. The exaggerated situations/funny gags would've been better in smaller doses, but they were constant. This made the show seem silly, with actual slapstick gags happening in each episode. I rewatched the series recently and couldn't believe they actually had Tony's ass break through the ceiling followed by the ubiquitous "I've fallen and I can't get up!" line. This used to be a show about a poor housekepper struggling to pay for things so his daughter could fit in with her new (wealthy) friends!

I wonder what would've happened if they had written it like a season 3 or 4 era writing style. They get together and there are realistic story lines, like Jonathan/Samantha struggling with them being married (should I call her mom, should I call him dad). How their extended families react, what the neighbours say, etc.

I think they were stuck at this point, the shows ratings were waning and they must've thought "ok lets make this over the top fun to keep people engaged". The problem is, even if they wrote it realistically, the show had been on for so long people just lost interest. The fire/passion of "OMG will they actually hook up?" had turned into two older single people who finally settle down... not much spice at that point.
Hi Novera:

Many thanks for your thoughtful reply.

I agree with your assessment of what was likely going-on with the show and how much investment (or lack thereof) that ABC had at the time as regards top-flight scripts for the show. What's more, given that the show is a sitcom, I believe it's safe to assume no one at the network was losing sleep over the brain-dead silliness of much of the final season, especially since it was a sinking ship ratings-wise at that point too. I always consider the great "Seinfeld" when I look at the concluding years of a sitcom...even that wonderful show had many dumb moments during the final season or two in which the leads essentially traded mean-spirited barbs with one another. And when a show reaches that point, I get frustrated and lose all interest. That said, "WTB" really had something special with the Angela-Tony relationship, so (for me) it's sad to see how it devolved.

I used to think the same thing. That their getting together killed the show, by killing off the "will they or wont they" tension of the series.

But in hindsight I agree with you, it was the material itself that killed it. The exaggerated situations/funny gags would've been better in smaller doses, but they were constant. This made the show seem silly, with actual slapstick gags happening in each episode. I rewatched the series recently and couldn't believe they actually had Tony's ass break through the ceiling followed by the ubiquitous "I've fallen and I can't get up!" line. This used to be a show about a poor housekepper struggling to pay for things so his daughter could fit in with her new (wealthy) friends!

I wonder what would've happened if they had written it like a season 3 or 4 era writing style. They get together and there are realistic story lines, like Jonathan/Samantha struggling with them being married (should I call her mom, should I call him dad). How their extended families react, what the neighbours say, etc.

I think they were stuck at this point, the shows ratings were waning and they must've thought "ok lets make this over the top fun to keep people engaged". The problem is, even if they wrote it realistically, the show had been on for so long people just lost interest. The fire/passion of "OMG will they actually hook up?" had turned into two older single people who finally settle down... not much spice at that point.
Hi Novera:

Many thanks for your thoughtful reply.

I agree with your assessment of what was likely going-on with the show and how much investment (or lack thereof) that ABC had at the time as regards top-flight scripts for it. What's more, given that the show is a sitcom, I believe it's safe to assume no one at the network was losing sleep over the brain-dead silliness of much of the final season, especially since it was a sinking ship ratings-wise at that point. I always consider the great "Seinfeld" when I look at the concluding years of a sitcom...even that wonderful show had many dumb moments during the final season or two in which the leads essentially traded mean-spirited barbs with one another. And when a show reaches that point, I get frustrated and lose all interest. That said, "WTB" really had something special with the Angela-Tony relationship, so (for me) it's sad to see how it devolved.

Hi Novera:
Many thanks for your thoughtful reply.
... That said, "WTB" really had something special with the Angela-Tony relationship, so (for me) it's sad to see how it devolved.

First - you're very welcome! :)

I feel the same way about watching it end that way. Me and my family (Italian immigrants) loved the series and watched it together all the time, so it will always be associated with family memories to me. Everyone wanted them to get together while watching over the years and I remember being a bit sad that when it finally happened in 1991/92, no one in my family was really watching anymore.

The worst part was the way it ended on the last episode. When I watched it I thought of all the years and years I watched it with my family, the laughs we had etc. ... then it just sorta went to black and that was it. Spring '92 always felt like the true "end to the 80s" for me because that's when all the big 80s sitcoms ended (Cosby Show/Growing pains/Golden girls etc.)

First - you're very welcome! :)

I feel the same way about watching it end that way. Me and my family (Italian immigrants) loved the series and watched it together all the time, so it will always be associated with family memories to me. Everyone wanted them to get together while watching over the years and I remember being a bit sad that when it finally happened in 1991/92, no one in my family was really watching anymore.

The worst part was the way it ended on the last episode. When I watched it I thought of all the years and years I watched it with my family, the laughs we had etc. ... then it just sorta went to black and that was it. Spring '92 always felt like the true "end to the 80s" for me because that's when all the big 80s sitcoms ended (Cosby Show/Growing pains/Golden girls etc.)

It can be strange and abrupt when a series ends: like a whole world has gone away. And I know what you mean by your "end to the 80s" remark, a decade never really ends on the last day of the final year of that decade...they tend to spill over into the next decade before they're really done. By this measure, IMHO the 70s ended in about mid-1983. At least that's how it felt to me.

It can be strange and abrupt when a series ends: like a whole world has gone away. And I know what you mean by your "end to the 80s" remark, a decade never really ends on the last day of the final year of that decade...they tend to spill over into the next decade before they're really done. By this measure, IMHO the 70s ended in about mid-1983. At least that's how it felt to me.

I agree with you on the 70s ending around then! I was a toddler at the time, but re-watching shows and listening to music of that time (through they eyes of an adult) really makes me feel the same way.

Like rock and general pop hits still sound 70s-ish to me until around 83/84. Something changed there, a bright shiny neon flash of colour seemed to be added :) Plus drum machines and synths were at a point where you didn't need to be as rich as people like Prince or a big band. So everyone's sound seemed to be closer to what we consider an "80s sound".

Like that song "Centerfold" which is always showing up on 80s compilations, when I hear it next to a song from 1984, it sounds like different decades to me!

Their getting together in Season 8 didn't ruin the show. The horrific scripts ruined the show (the scheduling switch from Tuesdays to Saturdays destroyed the show's heretofore ratings). They (Tony & Judith) had tremendous screen chemistry and it was almost completely destroyed by having the Tony character become a complete jerk by the final season. Happens to lots of sitcoms near the end of their run: often the main character(s) just become dumber versions of themselves. Sad.

Rewatching the show on GAC Family, I started to wonder if Who's the Boss? had a clear cut "jump the shark" (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031122842/http://www.jumptheshark.com/w/whostheboss.htm) moment? Somebody on the old IMDb boards, wrote (https://moviechat.org/tt0086827/Whos-the-Boss/58c741046b51e905f66e62c4/When-the-show-Jumped-the-shark) that introduction of Billy in Season 7 was when the show JTS. And yet, on the old JTS website, Billy only got 11 votes, placing his arrival in fourth place.

I agree with you on the 70s ending around then! I was a toddler at the time, but re-watching shows and listening to music of that time (through they eyes of an adult) really makes me feel the same way.

Like rock and general pop hits still sound 70s-ish to me until around 83/84. Something changed there, a bright shiny neon flash of colour seemed to be added :) Plus drum machines and synths were at a point where you didn't need to be as rich as people like Prince or a big band. So everyone's sound seemed to be closer to what we consider an "80s sound".

Like that song "Centerfold" which is always showing up on 80s compilations, when I hear it next to a song from 1984, it sounds like different decades to me!

TV wise, the '70s may have also officially symbolically ended around 1983-84. The transition from the '70s to the '80s began with the end (https://www.avclub.com/the-last-barney-miller-also-ended-an-era-1798276904) of Barney Miller and to a lesser extent, Mork & Mindy, WKRP in 1982, which also was the year that Family Ties (https://jacksonupperco.com/2021/12/01/the-ten-best-family-ties-episodes-of-season-one/) and Cheers (https://jacksonupperco.com/2016/01/19/the-ten-best-cheers-episodes-of-season-one/) premiered. But the period from 1983-84, saw the end of Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Taxi, M*A*S*H, Archie Bunker's Place (and by extension, All in the Family), Three's Company, and One Day at a Time. 1984 was arguably when the '80s were officially in "full swing" TV-wise since that was the year that The Cosby Show (the biggest TV show of the decade, period) and Miami Vice (the TV show that arguably defined the decade above all others) debuted.

Does anyone here think that when Tony and Angela started dating, it kind of ruined the show, or should I say, "jumped the shark"? I think there was an awkwardness with Tony and Angela dating, engagement and marriage. It just didn't feel right to me. I think the show was more appealing when they were employer and housekeeper. What does everyone else think?

I don't know how much a difference a director makes, but it's awfully incidental that the supposed moment(s) that Who's the Boss? (https://web.archive.org/web/20140406114449/http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/topic/2874131-whos-the-boss/page-14) jumping the shark (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125256/http://www.jumptheshark.com/w/whostheboss.htm) coincided with Tony Singletary (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Singletary) replacing Asaad Kelada as the resident director (https://episode.ninja/director/tony-singletary) beginning in Season 7 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Who%27s_the_Boss%3F_episodes#Season_7_(1990%E2%80%9391)). Kelada had directed (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnjCiC8WTUE) virtually every single episode (https://episode.ninja/series/whos-the-boss/worst-episodes) of Who's the Boss? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXnZm-7ERFA) from Season 2 (as well as some in Season 1) on through Season 6.

Yes, WTB definitely feels different with the change in directors. Of course, from the looks of how it changed it may very well have been a directive from the network to make things more farcicle in an attempt to save the sinking ratings. Always a bad idea of course, but this plan wouldn't surprise me. TV sitcoms seem to always go into a sort of "desperation mode" as soon as ratings begin to fall.

Yes, WTB definitely feels different with the change in directors. Of course, from the looks of how it changed it may very well have been a directive from the network to make things more farcical in an attempt to save the sinking ratings. Always a bad idea of course, but this plan wouldn't surprise me. TV sitcoms seem to always go into a sort of "desperation mode" as soon as ratings begin to fall.

One subtle change that I notice in the last two years of the show is that the episodes would begin with a cold opening instead of merely going straight to the opening credits sequence.

Yes, WTB definitely feels different with the change in directors. Of course, from the looks of how it changed it may very well have been a directive from the network to make things more farcical in an attempt to save the sinking ratings. Always a bad idea of course, but this plan wouldn't surprise me. TV sitcoms seem to always go into a sort of "desperation mode" as soon as ratings begin to fall.

I went back and looked into the old Jump the Shark (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031122842/http://www.jumptheshark.com/w/whostheboss.htm) website, and one comment near the very bottom suggested that the best way to pinpoint when Who's the Boss? (https://reviewingeverytvshowiown.blogspot.com/search/label/Who%27s%20the%20Boss) started declining in quality (https://web.archive.org/web/20140406114445/http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/topic/2874131-whos-the-boss/page-11#entry13355899) was when Tony decided to enroll in college. The point being that when a show feels that it needs to expand the characters' roles, that's a tell-tale sign that it's in a tailspin (https://web.archive.org/web/20140406114447/http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/topic/2874131-whos-the-boss/page-10#entry13302176). The show's formula the argument says, was already fine when it was simply about a male housekeeper moving with his daughter to Connecticut to keep her away from the tough hoods of Brooklyn.

This is another comment that really caught my eye:
The slight change (https://forums.primetimer.com/topic/112906-whos-the-boss/?do=findComment&comment=6550894) to the theme music around (https://forums.primetimer.com/topic/112906-whos-the-boss/?do=findComment&comment=6560675) 1990 or so did not, in and of itself, send the show over Mr. Sharky. However, it does serve as a signal that the rerun you are watching is indeed a post-JTS episode. It was around this time that Tony was heavily into his college studies, Sam was leaving the nest and heading (https://web.archive.org/web/20140406114447/http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/topic/2874131-whos-the-boss/page-10#entry13353675) to college (the SAME college as it turns out), Tony and Angela were openly acknowledging (https://forums.primetimer.com/topic/112906-whos-the-boss/?do=findComment&comment=7311246) their long-standing romantic feelings for each other, which would soon be acted upon, and poor, poor Jonathan was right smack in the middle of what was probably one of the ten most unkind puberties (https://web.archive.org/web/20140405003510/http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/topic/2874131-whos-the-boss/page-13#entry15265859) in sitcom history. Yes, the moment I hear that soprano sax begin during the introduction to "Brand New Life," I realize that even if I BEGIN to watch the impending Nick at Nite rerun of WTB, I will undoubtedly be changing the channel before the first commercial.

Yes, WTB definitely feels different with the change in directors. Of course, from the looks of how it changed it may very well have been a directive from the network to make things more farcicle in an attempt to save the sinking ratings. Always a bad idea of course, but this plan wouldn't surprise me. TV sitcoms seem to always go into a sort of "desperation mode" as soon as ratings begin to fall.

I was watching some of Season 7 (https://episode.ninja/series/whos-the-boss/worst-episodes) and 8 the other day, and it never really occurred to me that the show (https://reviewingeverytvshowiown.blogspot.com/search/label/Who%27s%20the%20Boss) got more overtly farcical in its final years until you mentioned that. And now that I think about it, I believe that you may be on to something.

A clear cut example of this is an episode from the last season (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Who%27s_the_Boss%3F_episodes#Season_8_(1991%E2%80%9392)) in which Tony gets an allergy on his lips. He initially assumes that it's from all of the stress and anxiety over his upcoming nuptials with Angela. But it turns out that his lips suddenly getting big was due to a reaction to the licking envelops.

And there was in I believe that same season, the "Misery" episode, where Tony has to take care of a bed-ridden Angela after she hurts her ankle. That was another one of those, "too cartoonish for its own good" type of episodes.

Again, I don't have a clear cut idea if the new director, Tony Singletary and/or a new set of writers are to blame (https://moviechat.org/tt0086827/Whos-the-Boss/58c741046b51e905f66e62c4/When-the-show-Jumped-the-shark) for the change in tone. Singletary had replaced Asaad Kelada as the director beginning in Season 7.

Actually, I think adding young Billy was when it "jumped the shark" :lol: at least they got rid of him the next season.

I also agree, that they waited too long to get them together. by that time, it just wasn't natural. it would have happened a couple years earlier.

i remember when it was originally on, reading in some magazine that the plan was for that season, that they'd be married during November sweeps, then the season would end with Angela being pregnant and going into labor in a cliffhanger, leading into another season for the show. i don't remember where i read this, it was a long time ago!

I wonder if it wasn't so much that they waited too long to put Tony and Angela together or the fact that they got together in the first place "ruined the show" and the chemistry between one another if you want to put it that way. Tony's character was now in a different place than the way that he was early in the show's run. To quote somebody else on online (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031122842/http://www.jumptheshark.com/w/whostheboss.htm), Tony Micelli went from being an easy-going, straight out of Brooklyn kind of guy (similar to Tony Danza's persona on Taxi) to an uptight, extremely embarrassing and overprotective father (a la Danny Tanner on Full House).

The point is that towards the end, it was no longer fun to watch some upper/upper-middle class woman like Angela Bower react to the things done by some dude from Brooklyn. The fact that the characters came from different backgrounds created the sexual tension in the first place. And that made the show interesting for the first few years.

I was watching some of Season 7 (https://episode.ninja/series/whos-the-boss/worst-episodes) and 8 the other day, and it never really occurred to me that the show (https://reviewingeverytvshowiown.blogspot.com/search/label/Who%27s%20the%20Boss) got more overtly farcical in its final years until you mentioned that. And now that I think about it, I believe that you may be on to something.

A clear cut example of this is an episode (http://reviewingeverytvshowiown.blogspot.com/2017/07/whos-boss-allergic-to-love.html) from the last season (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Who%27s_the_Boss%3F_episodes#Season_8_(1991%E2%80%9392)) in which Tony gets an allergy on his lips. He initially assumes that it's from all of the stress and anxiety over his upcoming nuptials with Angela. But it turns out that his lips suddenly getting big was due to a reaction to the licking envelops.

And there was in I believe that same season, the "Misery" (http://reviewingeverytvshowiown.blogspot.com/2017/06/whos-boss-misery.html) episode, where Tony has to take care of a bed-ridden Angela after she hurts her ankle. That was another one of those, "too cartoonish for its own good" type of episodes.

Again, I don't have a clear cut idea if the new director, Tony Singletary and/or a new set of writers are to blame (https://moviechat.org/tt0086827/Whos-the-Boss/58c741046b51e905f66e62c4/When-the-show-Jumped-the-shark) for the change in tone. Singletary had replaced Asaad Kelada as the director beginning in Season 7.

There was also an episode (http://reviewingeverytvshowiown.blogspot.com/2017/07/whos-boss-split-decision.html) from the last season where Angela and Mona encounter a man at a spa who just so happens to look exactly (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Doppelganger) like Tony except with a moustache. It really seemed like the writers were running out of good ideas towards the end.

Yes, Tony Danza did play somebody else besides Tony Micelli on Who's the Boss? once prior. There was that episode (https://www.audible.com/pd/Yankee-Doodle-Micelli-Podcast/B09BDWPCL7) from the fifth season where he played his paternal grandfather, but at least with that, it didn't feel like it belonged in a campy, cartoonish, farce like Three's Company or Gilligan's Island.

Actually I think they did this very well on "The Nanny"; IMO the show stayed great to the end. Maybe if Tony and Angela had gotten together around season 4 or 5 (I think Fran and Max did around season 5?) it may have seemed more natural and "with the flow", who knows.

Ross and Rachel on Friends (https://theburr.com/3810/blogs/entertainment-analysis/everybodys-favorite-will-they-wont-they-couples-ross-rachel-and-nick-jess/) and Niles and Daphne on Frasier (https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/jan/07/when-good-tv-goes-bad-frasier) are probably the two most notable "will they, won't they" (https://ew.com/gallery/32-best-will-theywont-they-tv-couples/) sitcom (https://watchmojo.com/video/id/12144) couples (https://collider.com/best-tv-will-they-wont-they-couples/) in the decade and a half following Who's the Boss?

Somebody on another forum said (http://www.tellytalk.net/threads/whos-the-boss.12578/post-336495) that Who's the Boss? suffered by interminably dragging out Tony and Angela's "will they/won't they" relationship. This is probably why Shelley Long had the right idea to leave Cheers after five years before Sam and Diane's own "will they/won't they" relationship really outlived its shelf-life.

Hi Novera:

Many thanks for your thoughtful reply.

I agree with your assessment of what was likely going-on with the show and how much investment (or lack thereof) that ABC had at the time as regards top-flight scripts for the show. What's more, given that the show is a sitcom, I believe it's safe to assume no one at the network was losing sleep over the brain-dead silliness of much of the final season, especially since it was a sinking ship ratings-wise at that point too. I always consider the great "Seinfeld" when I look at the concluding years of a sitcom...even that wonderful show had many dumb moments during the final season or two in which the leads essentially traded mean-spirited barbs with one another. And when a show reaches that point, I get frustrated and lose all interest. That said, "WTB" really had something special with the Angela-Tony relationship, so (for me) it's sad to see how it devolved.

I agree with the assessment that it wasn't Tony and Angela finally getting together that ruined the show per se or caused it to jump the shark. It was the bad material and direction that the producers and writers decided to take the show in the last (https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=412002) two (https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=412002) seasons.

The show I think started going wrong-headed when they had Sam skip her senior year (https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=409128) in high school and go directly to college (https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=410185) with her dad. This coincided with Alyssa Milano cutting her hair (https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=409357) really short.

Also, I addressed this previously, there's the main characters with the possible exception of Angela, turning into unrecognizable, Flanderized shells of their former selves (https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=410571).

And then you had characters (https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=410662) like Billy and later Sam's husband Hank, who the writers seemed to force and manipulate the audience into liking and accepting into the Bower-Micelli family.

First - you're very welcome! :)

I feel the same way about watching it end that way. Me and my family (Italian immigrants) loved the series and watched it together all the time, so it will always be associated with family memories to me. Everyone wanted them to get together while watching over the years and I remember being a bit sad that when it finally happened in 1991/92, no one in my family was really watching anymore.

The worst part was the way it ended on the last episode. When I watched it I thought of all the years and years I watched it with my family, the laughs we had etc. ... then it just sorta went to black and that was it. Spring '92 always felt like the true "end to the 80s" for me because that's when all the big 80s sitcoms ended (Cosby Show/Growing pains/Golden girls etc.)

One could make the argument that Roseanne was the true beginning of the end for the big '80s-style family sitcoms. The big sitcoms from say, Fall 1985 through Spring 1988, seemed to embody Reagan-era (https://www.looper.com/137091/the-dark-side-of-these-80s-sitcoms/) ideals: The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Who's the Boss?, Growing Pains.

When Roseanne (https://thewire.in/the-arts/politics-us-family-sitcom-roseanne) came along (https://jacksonupperco.com/2022/03/30/the-ten-best-roseanne-episodes-of-season-one/) in Fall 1988, it proved to be the complete opposite of those shows. Roseanne of course, became a monster hit from day one and all of the Reagan-era ideal family sitcoms coincidentally, began to decline over the next four seasons.

In Spring 1989, Family Ties ends (https://jacksonupperco.com/2021/12/29/the-ten-best-family-ties-episodes-of-season-seven/) and Growing Pains is no longer a Top 10 show. And then in Spring 1990, Who's the Boss? is no longer a Top 10 show and Roseanne (https://jacksonupperco.com/2022/04/05/the-ten-best-roseanne-episodes-of-season-two/) ties The Cosby Show (https://jacksonupperco.com/2016/08/23/the-ten-best-the-cosby-show-episodes-of-season-six/) for #1. Come Spring 1991, The Cosby Show (https://jacksonupperco.com/2016/08/30/the-ten-best-the-cosby-show-episodes-of-season-seven/) drops from #1 to #5. Finally in Spring 1992, The Cosby Show (https://jacksonupperco.com/2016/09/06/the-ten-best-the-cosby-show-episodes-of-season-eight/), Who's the Boss?, and Growing Pains all end.

I used to think the same thing. That their getting together killed the show, by killing off the "will they or wont they" tension of the series.

But in hindsight I agree with you, it was the material itself that killed it. The exaggerated situations/funny gags would've been better in smaller doses, but they were constant. This made the show seem silly, with actual slapstick gags happening in each episode. I rewatched the series recently and couldn't believe they actually had Tony's ass break through the ceiling followed by the ubiquitous "I've fallen and I can't get up!" line. This used to be a show about a poor housekepper struggling to pay for things so his daughter could fit in with her new (wealthy) friends!

I wonder what would've happened if they had written it like a season 3 or 4 era writing style. They get together and there are realistic story lines, like Jonathan/Samantha struggling with them being married (should I call her mom, should I call him dad). How their extended families react, what the neighbours say, etc.

I think they were stuck at this point, the shows ratings were waning and they must've thought "ok lets make this over the top fun to keep people engaged". The problem is, even if they wrote it realistically, the show had been on for so long people just lost interest. The fire/passion of "OMG will they actually hook up?" had turned into two older single people who finally settle down... not much spice at that point.

As others have pointed out (https://www.reddit.com/r/WhosTheBossSitcom/comments/196l6c9/does_anyone_else_have_a_hard_time_watching_the/) though, the last couple of seasons (https://www.reddit.com/r/WhosTheBossSitcom/comments/1apbnc3/comment/kq577oa/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) felt really contrived and frustrating with how they tried to keep Tony and Angela apart and have them with other people (Kathleen (https://reviewingeverytvshowiown.blogspot.com/2017/05/whos-boss-all-nighter.html) and Andy (https://reviewingeverytvshowiown.blogspot.com/2017/05/whos-boss-did-you-ever-have-to-make-up.html) respectively).

Their getting together in Season 8 didn't ruin the show. The horrific scripts ruined the show (the scheduling switch from Tuesdays to Saturdays destroyed the show's heretofore ratings). They (Tony & Judith) had tremendous screen chemistry and it was almost completely destroyed by having the Tony character become a complete jerk by the final season. Happens to lots of sitcoms near the end of their run: often the main character(s) just become dumber versions of themselves. Sad.

I was about to say this exact thing. While it did take WAY too long for them to get together- like, it was super unrealistic- I'm glad that they did. But the thing that ruined the last two seasons was the writing. Tony and Angela still had incredible chemistry and they could have done some really interesting storylines about transitioning from friends to a couple. They also could have just done regular storylines where Tony and Angela were together and it was like it was when they were friends just more intimate. But the relationship storylines they did do were so obnoxious and were out of character for them. Tony became really inconsiderate and the writers turned him into almost a caricature of himself. He's kind of insufferable in season 8. And the way they decided to end the series was very strange- why not do a fast-forward and at least show them getting married? They made it so that you assume that they are back together, but they don't make it clear whether or not they actually get married.

And yeah, you're right- some sitcoms for whatever reason change one or more of their lead characters into someone unlikeable. My top favorite sitcom is Mad About You, but I can't watch the last two seasons because Jamie became so unlikable. She became so inconsiderate and sometimes plain b*tchy.