Whether it be the enjoyability factor or subject matter because the show morphed and evolved (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/EarlyInstallmentWeirdness/LiveActionTV) so significantly (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LaterInstallmentWeirdness) and dramatically.

Facts of Life, in transitioning to a show about schoolgirls to a Designing Women-esque female workplace sitcom.

Facts of Life, in transitioning to a show about schoolgirls to a Designing Women-esque female workplace sitcom.

Yep.

I'll add Little House on the Prairie, which started out as a sweet, semi-historic tale of the historical Ingalls family, and slowly devolved into a show which had almost none of the Ingalls family, and every episode seemed to have a wildfire, a blizzard, morphine addiction, burning babies, or mime rape. By the end, only one original core cast member was left.

Started off as a sitcom about an African American middle class family and ended up as a Steven Urkel/Stefan Urkel sci-fi comedy with the very last season of the series focusing a lot on Jaleel White dressing up in drag as female character when not getting ready to go into outer space with NASA.

Family Matters Started Out As

https://legacy.shadowandact.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-137284800.jpg


Family Matters Ended Up As

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lc0ONl_IGH8/hqdefault.jpg

https://simkl.net/episodes/61/617266036f3a6538a_w.jpg

https://i1.wp.com/storage.googleapis.com/stateless-thedailyfandom-org/2020/07/40a93adf-image.png?resize=600%2C400&ssl=1

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/L5kCG-pF6wE/maxresdefault.jpg

Facts of Life, in transitioning to a show about schoolgirls to a Designing Women-esque female workplace sitcom.

The Facts of Life started the female workplace sitcom in 1983, three years before Designing Women started. I don't really see the background setting as a drastic change though. I think the only drastic change FOL had was between season 1 and season 2. The show started with 7 girls and a headmaster that visited the house every day. Season 2 until the end dropped all that keeping the show focused on the core 4 and Mrs. Garrett, until it was just the core 4 in the last 2 seasons.

The Lucy Show and Mama's Family are two that changed drastically. The first half of The Lucy Show was about Lucy, Viv, and the kids. The later years had gotten rid of Viv and the kids turning the show into the Lucy and Mooney series. Mama's Family started off resembling the Carol Burnett skits. After the NBC years, the show retooled Mama's character making her a mean old lady, made Vint a stupid idiot, and Naomi an airheaded bimbo a lot of times. They added in Iola making Mama and Iola a Lucy and Ethel type duo for the last 4 years. It was nothing like what Mama's Family originated as. They also dropped Vint's kids acting like they never existed. It was a hard change to digest.

Life Goes On. It started off exclusively about the main character and then all of a sudden became the Kellie Martin Show. The series even ended with her character, as if it had been about Corky's sister the entire time. So much for being a groundbreaking series!

Yep.

I'll add Little House on the Prairie, which started out as a sweet, semi-historic tale of the historical Ingalls family, and slowly devolved into a show which had almost none of the Ingalls family, and every episode seemed to have a wildfire, a blizzard, morphine addiction, burning babies, or mime rape. By the end, only one original core cast member was left.

Yes. The turning point was May We Make them Proud. Then the show was all about sleaze and sensationalism.

The show even retconned some of its earlier episodes. There was an entire episode dedicated to Mary dealing with her fears of becoming pregnant so the show could say she was just as capable of taking care of a child as anyone else...only to have her and Adam carelessly waddle away from their baby during a fire when they could've just taken him right then and there. So much for that inspirational episode! :crazy:

The first half of The Lucy Show was about Lucy, Viv, and the kids. The later years had gotten rid of Viv and the kids turning the show into the Lucy and Mooney series.

Great observations regarding The Lucy Show. I remember wondering where Chris, Jerry, Viv, and Sherman all went. It wasn't until years later that I learned what happened.

Yes. The turning point was May We Make them Proud. Then the show was all about sleaze and sensationalism.

The folks on the Television Without Pity Forums used to call that episode May We Bake Them Brown in recognition of what happens to Alice Garvey and the baby. A dark joke, and yet clever...


The show even retconned some of its earlier episodes. There was an entire episode dedicated to Mary dealing with her fears of becoming pregnant so the show could say she was just as capable of taking care of a child as anyone else...only to have her and Adam carelessly waddle away from their baby during a fire when they could've just taken him right then and there. So much for that inspirational episode! :crazy:

Yes! Adam and especially Mary wandering away from their baby was so unrealistic. They were standing right by the crib! Pick up your baby, you fools!

May We Make Them Proud may have been the tipping point where the show became irredeemable due to the sensational nature of the episodes, but Season 5 started the downhill journey for me. The Ingalls family, always poor, decides to adopt another child. And Carrie, who must have been eight, was peeing her pants in public...? I can't even imagine how that storyline came about.

Life Goes On. It started off exclusively about the main character and then all of a sudden became the Kellie Martin Show. The series even ended with her character, as if it had been about Corky's sister the entire time. So much for being a groundbreaking series!

That was weird. It was like it had become the Becca and Jesse show.

Happy Days

Seasons 1 and 2 - Richie, Potsie, and Ralph grow up in 1950s Milwaukee where they learn about girls, cars, rock and roll, and school - in that order.

Seasons 3-6 - Series filmed before live audience. Fonzie becomes the star and takes over as the hero and older brother figure to the rest of the cast.

Seasons 7-11 - Richie and Ralph leave for the Army replaced by Chachi and a new sorry group of characters that have no connection to the 50s and 60s and provide very few happy days for the remaining viewers.


Mom

Season 1 - Newly sober single Mom Christy starts a new life where she struggles to take care of her kids as well as her annoying, interfering mother Bonnie.

Season 2 - The kids disappear and Bonnie takes over as the mother figure as she tries to raise her adult daughter Christy by herself.

Seasons 3-7 - Christy and Bonnie spend most of their time trying to bond with their support group where very little mothering of any kind takes place.

Season 8 - Christy wisely leaves the group and the series while the rest of the cast go on with their lives as if she didn't exist. Her friends suddenly become Bonnie's new family.

Wasn't this series supposed to be about her real family? This show gets more confusing every season.

MASH.
Began as a comedy with a little drama. Ended as a drama with a little (very little) comedy.

I just remembered the most obvious one:

Married with Children! It was a completely different show in the beginning. In the first two seasons, it was a very grounded, down to earth blue collar comedy, with Al and Peg just being very normal but uncouth working class people. Some of those episodes were also more thoughtfully written, almost like one act plays.

And then everything changed with one of the episodes (I think it was the one where they go on vacation and Peggy gets kidnapped). That's when the show became a live action cartoon, with more slapstick, silly plots and over the top humor. Ed O'Neill's voice even changed dramatically from when he first started.

The biggest change of all was Peggy. It was clear that in the beginning, she was supposed to be like an Italian-American type housewife but then they made her a hick who came from the Appalachians who had family that looked like they were the Beverly Hillbillies, which never really made any sense given the way she looked and acted.

I was going to mention Happy Days, but Sal beat me to it. Such a good show in it's early years. Almost unrecognizable during the last few seasons. I have long thought that whenever they rerun the show they should just air the first 4 seasons than start over again.

Happy Days
The Lucy Show
The Doris Day Show
My Three Sons
Two and a Half Men
Mom
The Andy Griffith Show/Mayberry RFD
All in the Family/Archie Bunker's Place

Family Matters and Married With Children. Those two come to mind. They were so unrecognizable in the later seasons. Family Matters went from being about The Winslow Family and their situations and dilemmas and morals that were decently written, funny, witty, enjoyable, and heart lighted with Urkel as a recurring character to being all about Urkel and his genius “clone” “Stephan” with idiotic, silly, pointless, corny, cartoonish, and poorly written storylines and plots with the Winslows as distant second front burners and recurring characters. Married With Children went from being about The Bundys, who while were a bit trashy and struggling and dysfunctional, found a way to love and care for each other with Steve Rhodes and his loving loving, sweet, sincere, nice, welcoming wife, Marcy as rather wealthy side characters to being about pointless and cartoonish and exaggerated and grating and unbelievable and sometimes boring and dull and dry subjects and plots and storylines that still involved The Bundys, but there love and care for each other decreased significantly to the point where it looked like the hated each other. Marcy divorced Steve and remarried, marrying Jefferson, (only so he could be Al’s little sidekick) and went all the way masculine and unattractive and rather unpleasant and annoying in personality. Bud went from the smart kid of the family to being a total ungrateful and bitchy brat who was always trying to get “some”, and Kelly went from being somewhat dimwitted and boy crazy to being a complete boring and dumb character.

I don't watch daytime soap operas. But with the many decades the four current ones have been airing new episodes, they probably look very different from the beginning now, with at least one complete cast overhaul. :lol:

Bud went from the smart kid of the family to being a total ungrateful and bitchy brat who was always trying to get “some”.

Actually, it was worse than that. He went from the smartest member of the family into a complete loser who tried to jump start a rap career (in spite of having no talent), couldn't score with women (exception being Amber) and then moved into the basement. The writers had done such a terrible job writing Bud into a corner that they tried to fix his character by making him have a nervous breakdown a la Fight Club. But that episode wound up being so cringe that they decided to pretend it never happened, LOL, and had Bud back to the way he was before.

Actually, it was worse than that. He went from the smartest member of the family into a complete loser who tried to jump start a rap career (in spite of having no talent), couldn't score with women (exception being Amber) and then moved into the basement. The writers had done such a terrible job writing Bud into a corner that they tried to fix his character by making him have a nervous breakdown a la Fight Club. But that episode wound up being so cringe that they decided to pretend it never happened, LOL, and had Bud back to the way he was before.
I don’t even consider Amber a real character since she was so weird and unrealistic. Who would want to touch Bud?

Happy Days and M*A*S*H - Both shows looked like they took place in the early '80s, instead of their respective time periods, respectively by the end of the series

My Three Sons - It went from a widower raising three sons, to the widower getting re-married, and only one of the original sons was left on the show by Season 12

The Andy Griffith Show - MeTV gets props for wisely choosing NOT to air the Color Episodes, and only choosing to air the good times in Mayberry

The Doris Day Show - Went from a single mom raising her kids on a farm, to a Mary Tyler Moore-wannabe workplace sitcom

All in the Family - Season 9 was completely different from the early years of the show, after Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers both left the show

Soap - First three seasons were centered around the two sisters; the Fourth Season - Susan Harris wrote less and less: The relationship between Mary and Jessica was destroyed by the revelation that Chester is Danny's father; Chester and Jessica were divorced, and then the whole Malaguay thing and Jodie going from openly gay to latent heterosexual to a 90 year-old Jewish man.

RE: The Facts of Life and Family Matters, I agree with what was said.

Happy Days and M*A*S*H - Both shows looked like they took place in the early '80s, instead of their respective time periods, respectively by the end of the series

My Three Sons - It went from a widower raising three sons, to the widower getting re-married, and only one of the original sons was left on the show by Season 12

The Andy Griffith Show - MeTV gets props for wisely choosing NOT to air the Color Episodes, and only choosing to air the good times in Mayberry

The Doris Day Show - Went from a single mom raising her kids on a farm, to a Mary Tyler Moore-wannabe workplace sitcom

All in the Family - Season 9 was completely different from the early years of the show, after Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers both left the show

Soap - First three seasons were centered around the two sisters; the Fourth Season - Susan Harris wrote less and less: The relationship between Mary and Jessica was destroyed by the revelation that Chester is Danny's father; Chester and Jessica were divorced, and then the whole Malaguay thing and Jodie going from openly gay to latent heterosexual to a 90 year-old Jewish man.

RE: The Facts of Life and Family Matters, I agree with what was said.

All good choices.

I'm going to add Charmed to the list. It started out as a dark series about three witchy sisters. After Season 3, they dumped Shannen Doherty and the show became a complete parody of itself. I recall leprechauns, unicorns, and fairies.

I'm going to add Charmed to the list. It started out as a dark series about three witchy sisters. After Season 3, they dumped Shannen Doherty and the show became a complete parody of itself. I recall leprechauns, unicorns, and fairies.

They also ripped off Harry Potter. There was also the episode where they're comic book heroes in skin tight outfits. It was all about showing off the actresses bodies than the story itself.


Sabrina The Teenage Witch changed after season 4. The show went from Sabrina being mentored by her aunts the first 4 years to Sabrina and her college friends the last 3 years. They even drop the aunts the last season. It was really unwatchable that last year.

Ellen. The show started off about Ellen and her friends. The show changed to Ellen realizing she's gay and the last season we barely saw the supporting characters that kept the show going the first 4 years.

The Nanny changed from Fran taking care of the kids to Fran's relationship problems with Maxwell. Seasons 5 and 6 are very different than the first 4 years.

The Torkelsons only had 2 seasons but it counts for the change between seasons. The show started out about a family struggling. In season 2 they dropped 2 kids as if they didn't exist and moved the rest to another state where the mom became a nanny. The show was retitled Almost Home. It was still better than most shows on at that time.

8 Simple Rules changed after John Ritter died. The show started as the father protecting his kids. The last season and a half was about CJ and the grandpa more than the kids.

Hope & Faith changed gears quickly when Kelly Ripa's husband joined the cast in season 2. It went from a show about sisters to a show about Kelly and Mark.

Smallville changed in the later years to a show about the justice league instead of a show about Clark Kent becoming Superman.

The Doctor Who revival changed after the fourth year. The fifth year saw a younger doctor and the show became focused quite a bit on his companion's love life. If I remember correctly, one of the characters in season 4 the doctor meets ends up being the child of the companion that fifth year. I didn't care for the love story drama because the show was supposed to be about the doctor and his companion going on adventures.

Law & Order SVU went from a show about detectives solving crimes to a show about Benson being a victim and then her struggles as lieutenant. It's the Benson show and I ended up dropping it.

The John Larroquette Show comes to my mind.

I just remembered yet another show that changed dramatically: The Drew Carey Show. It changed tone and direction several times throughout its run. In the beginning, it was this very subtle low key office comedy in the vein of Friends. Then it turned into this completely experimental, free form, zany off the wall sitcom with musical numbers, contests, characters breaking the fourth wall, etc. Then it turned into this semi-serious sitcom.

The John Larroquette Show comes to my mind.

How so?

I just remembered yet another show that changed dramatically: The Drew Carey Show. It changed tone and direction several times throughout its run. In the beginning, it was this very subtle low key office comedy in the vein of Friends. Then it turned into this completely experimental, free form, zany off the wall sitcom with musical numbers, contests, characters breaking the fourth wall, etc. Then it turned into this semi-serious sitcom.

I had forgotten The Drew Carey Show. I remember the weird musical number era, and tuned out around then, so I never saw the post-musical-number era, and never knew it existed.

How so?

The show originally focused on the somewhat broken people who worked the night shift, and in particular, the lead character's battle with alcoholism.

The show faced cancellation, until Larroquette requested the chance to retool the series, which NBC granted. Much of the dark humor was removed, for a more "toned-down" feel. The sets were brighter, and the cast were transferred from the night shift to day. John's dingy bed-sit was traded for a nice apartment. Oscar, the old bum who lived in one of the bus station phone booths, was cleaned up and became a shoeshine, and the prostitute character Carly (Gigi Rice) went "straight" – buying the bar and becoming a model citizen. The producers also gave John a wholesome romantic interest in the form of nurse Catherine Merrick, played by Alison LaPlaca. The series continued in this more prime-time-friendly format for two more years.

They also ripped off Harry Potter. There was also the episode where they're comic book heroes in skin tight outfits. It was all about showing off the actresses bodies than the story itself.

I never even made it to the "magic school" era. I think I stopped watching around Season 5. Charmed had become fluff.


Sabrina The Teenage Witch changed after season 4. The show went from Sabrina being mentored by her aunts the first 4 years to Sabrina and her college friends the last 3 years. They even drop the aunts the last season. It was really unwatchable that last year.

Ellen. The show started off about Ellen and her friends. The show changed to Ellen realizing she's gay and the last season we barely saw the supporting characters that kept the show going the first 4 years.

The Nanny changed from Fran taking care of the kids to Fran's relationship problems with Maxwell. Seasons 5 and 6 are very different than the first 4 years.

The Torkelsons only had 2 seasons but it counts for the change between seasons. The show started out about a family struggling. In season 2 they dropped 2 kids as if they didn't exist and moved the rest to another state where the mom became a nanny. The show was retitled Almost Home. It was still better than most shows on at that time.

8 Simple Rules changed after John Ritter died. The show started as the father protecting his kids. The last season and a half was about CJ and the grandpa more than the kids.

Hope & Faith changed gears quickly when Kelly Ripa's husband joined the cast in season 2. It went from a show about sisters to a show about Kelly and Mark.

Smallville changed in the later years to a show about the justice league instead of a show about Clark Kent becoming Superman.

The Doctor Who revival changed after the fourth year. The fifth year saw a younger doctor and the show became focused quite a bit on his companion's love life. If I remember correctly, one of the characters in season 4 the doctor meets ends up being the child of the companion that fifth year. I didn't care for the love story drama because the show was supposed to be about the doctor and his companion going on adventures.

Law & Order SVU went from a show about detectives solving crimes to a show about Benson being a victim and then her struggles as lieutenant. It's the Benson show and I ended up dropping it.

Lots of good picks, here.

I originally enjoyed Ellen, but then ALL of her friends left, and were replaced by new friends, and those new friends were annoying. I stopped watching before Ellen even came out.

When the Torkelsons pretended those kids never existed, I couldn't watch anymore. It suddenly felt... sinister. Like they were hiding a secret about the missing kids.

I never watched Law and Order SVU or Hope and Faith.

The Nanny is the only one on this list I feel was still recognizable (out of the ones I watched). I do see the change, but it wasn't so significant that the show felt like a different series entirely, unlike many of these other shows. The cast was still the same (though grown) and Fran was still basically Lucy Ricardo.

Also, in an attempt to boost the third season opener, but without increasing the budget, it featured a faux guest appearance by Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Frasier Crane, whom John calls for advice (not knowing he is on Frasier's live radio program). Ratings did not improve, however. John and Carly got married in the third-season finale while Catherine was seemingly pregnant with John's child. It was revealed that Catherine was experiencing a phantom pregnancy and left the show. The John Larroquette Show was cancelled abruptly one month into its fourth season, the last episode airing on October 30, 1996 showing John and Officer Eggers on a date at a Halloween party. Six episodes remained unaired until being shown on the USA Network years later.

I originally enjoyed Ellen, but then ALL of her friends left, and were replaced by new friends, and those new friends were annoying. I stopped watching before Ellen even came out.

I watched the series all the way through, but yes--the show changed dramatically when Arye Gross left the show.

Also, in an attempt to boost the third season opener, but without increasing the budget, it featured a faux guest appearance by Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Frasier Crane, whom John calls for advice (not knowing he is on Frasier's live radio program). Ratings did not improve, however. John and Carly got married in the third-season finale while Catherine was seemingly pregnant with John's child. It was revealed that Catherine was experiencing a phantom pregnancy and left the show. The John Larroquette Show was cancelled abruptly one month into its fourth season, the last episode airing on October 30, 1996 showing John and Officer Eggers on a date at a Halloween party. Six episodes remained unaired until being shown on the USA Network years later.

This is copied and pasted from Wikipedia's article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_John_Larroquette_Show#Decline_and_cancellation). What are your thoughts, MA?

This is copied and pasted from Wikipedia's article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_John_Larroquette_Show#Decline_and_cancellation). What are your thoughts, MA?

Sorry Retro.

I would’ve liked to see the show run for a couple of seasons longer and it’s a really underrated show.

This is copied and pasted from Wikipedia's article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_John_Larroquette_Show#Decline_and_cancellation). What are your thoughts, MA?

I recall the show was on Wednesdays near the end. Had a fatal move to Saturdays near the end too. It was paired with the Pamela Reed sitcom The Home Court.

The current show “Mom” is a lot different now, even before Anna Faris left. The first seasons there was a son and a daughter, they lived in a different place, Bonnie was struggling with sobriety and the mother and daughter didn’t get along well mostly because of Bonnie. Not all the women we see now were on the show originally either. Also, a lot of the show took place at the restaurant with the manager Christy was sleeping with, the insane cook played by French Stewart and his sidekick. The restaurant disappeared several seasons back and there was no reason for French Stewart who is very funny and talented.

Fox's "Prison Break" was a different show comparing Season 4 (its last season before the revival) to the first season.

Shows like this with a specific goal or mission (breaking out of the prison) becomes problematic later on with "ok, what do we do now?"

There's one glaring example that comes to mind of a show I barely recognize in later seasons from its early ones: "The Game".

In the first few seasons, it was a serialized comedy-drama/sitcom about a medical student and her professional football player husband, and their friends and colleagues and their significant others. Even with dramatic moments and dramatic storylines, it never veered very far away from its sitcom core. However, after four or five seasons - around the time Tia Mowry and Pooch Hall both chose to leave the show (and their characters got written out), it went through a drastic full-tilt change - abandoning its comedy core and having been re-created as a drama - a night-time soap opera. I don't understand why the TPTB felt a need to remove all the comedy and to turn it into a prime-time soap opera drama, with little to no humor. In these later episodes, the few one-liners in each episode were like a drop in the bucket, as far as humor goes. Instead we're given anger, quarrels, bitchy trash-talking loud-mouthed nonsense spewing out of the mouth of Chardonnay (probably Brandy's worst and most tiresome television role ever), break-ups, crying, and misery. It seemed like a load of crap changing a dramedy into a dour and watered-down half-hour version of "Knots Landing". (To be fair, the original "Knots Landing" - despite its dramatic and occasionally sensationalistic storylines - was not all gloom and misery 99% of the time.) This reinventing of the wheel with this show "The Game" seemed like a bait-and-switch tactic, and I didn't enjoy the results of it.

There's one glaring example that comes to mind of a show I barely recognize in later seasons from its early ones: "The Game".

In the first few seasons, it was a serialized comedy-drama/sitcom about a medical student and her professional football player husband, and their friends and colleagues and their significant others. Even with dramatic moments and dramatic storylines, it never veered very far away from its sitcom core. However, after four or five seasons - around the time Tia Mowry and Pooch Hall both chose to leave the show (and their characters got written out), it went through a drastic full-tilt change - abandoning its comedy core and having been re-created as a drama - a night-time soap opera. I don't understand why the TPTB felt a need to remove all the comedy and to turn it into a prime-time soap opera drama, with little to no humor. In these later episodes, the few one-liners in each episode were like a drop in the bucket, as far as humor goes. Instead we're given anger, quarrels, bitchy trash-talking loud-mouthed nonsense spewing out of the mouth of Chardonnay (probably Brandy's worst and most tiresome television role ever), break-ups, crying, and misery. It seemed like a load of crap changing a dramedy into a dour and watered-down half-hour version of "Knots Landing". (To be fair, the original "Knots Landing" - despite its dramatic and occasionally sensationalistic storylines - was not all gloom and misery 99% of the time.) This reinventing of the wheel with this show "The Game" seemed like a bait-and-switch tactic, and I didn't enjoy the results of it.

I haven't seen it, but that... that sounds very bad.

Here's another show that changed drastically: Vikings. Almost none of the original cast was left, by the end.

The current show “Mom” is a lot different now, even before Anna Faris left. The first seasons there was a son and a daughter, they lived in a different place, Bonnie was struggling with sobriety and the mother and daughter didn’t get along well mostly because of Bonnie. Not all the women we see now were on the show originally either. Also, a lot of the show took place at the restaurant with the manager Christy was sleeping with, the insane cook played by French Stewart and his sidekick. The restaurant disappeared several seasons back and there was no reason for French Stewart who is very funny and talented.

It definitely is quite different!

Originally Posted by Meilleur View Post
There's one glaring example that comes to mind of a show I barely recognize in later seasons from its early ones: "The Game".

In the first few seasons, it was a serialized comedy-drama/sitcom about a medical student and her professional football player husband, and their friends and colleagues and their significant others. Even with dramatic moments and dramatic storylines, it never veered very far away from its sitcom core. However, after four or five seasons - around the time Tia Mowry and Pooch Hall both chose to leave the show (and their characters got written out), it went through a drastic full-tilt change - abandoning its comedy core and having been re-created as a drama - a night-time soap opera. I don't understand why the TPTB felt a need to remove all the comedy and to turn it into a prime-time soap opera drama, with little to no humor. In these later episodes, the few one-liners in each episode were like a drop in the bucket, as far as humor goes. Instead we're given anger, quarrels, bitchy trash-talking loud-mouthed nonsense spewing out of the mouth of Chardonnay (probably Brandy's worst and most tiresome television role ever), break-ups, crying, and misery. It seemed like a load of crap changing a dramedy into a dour and watered-down half-hour version of "Knots Landing". (To be fair, the original "Knots Landing" - despite its dramatic and occasionally sensationalistic storylines - was not all gloom and misery 99% of the time.) This reinventing of the wheel with this show "The Game" seemed like a bait-and-switch tactic, and I didn't enjoy the results of it.

I haven't seen it, but that... that sounds very bad.

It was bad. Very bad. The truth is I didn't watch the show regularly in the first place, but after that whole ridiculous switch-up, I hardly ever watched it again, and I didn't see the last episodes.
At any rate, I'll let you see it for yourself. You can get an idea of what I'm talking about.

These first two clips are from the first three seasons - where it remained between comedy-drama and sitcom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sAh7hS2H0Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Uo5i9DL32o


The last two clips are from the last few seasons - where it was pure prime-time soap opera drama, and not in an entertaining sense - with little to no humor.
(To be fair, in the last clip, the character Chardonnay - played by Brandy - is more tolerable here than in most of the other scenes that I've watched her in.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiqkX3Wk59E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2b0seEHHlE

Sitcoms:
My Three Sons.
MASH (already mentioned.
Happy Days.
Welcome Back Kotter.
Archie Bunker's Place.
Dramas:
Mission: Impossible.
The Waltons.
Little House on the Prairie.
Hawaii Five-0.
McMillan & Wife.
Charlie's Angels.
The Avengers.

Facts of Life, in transitioning to a show about schoolgirls to a Designing Women-esque female workplace sitcom.

While that is true, would it be fair to say it was plausible. Obviously, the girls had grown up and couldn't just stay the same age. At least the main four girls (after the first season) all stayed on.

I kind of view the first season as a just another show altogether and then re-tooled, similar to A Different World's first season and then re-tooled. So, it really starts with the new cast in season 2.

The Brady Bunch look very recongizable after Season 1 because the theme song was updated & etc

I would have to say "The Red Green Show", mostly due to the fact that some of the segments that the show had in it's later seasons were missing, or at least somewhat different, in it's earlier seasons & other segments that were also in the first few seasons were more lower budget. Also, the first season did not have the Possum Lodge meeting at the end. Season 2 did have the Possum Lodge meeting segment, but it took up more runtime than in later seasons. Also, season 2 was more of a sitcom than a sketch show, complete with characters that only appeared in that season. Also, a lot of other characters that were on the show (Winston Rothschild III, Mike Hamar, Dalton Humphrey, Edgar K.B. Montrose, etc.) did not appear until season 4 & even then some of their personalities were slightly different. There were also a bunch of other differences in the first few seasons as well. While there was some good stuff in the first 3 seasons, but the show didn't really hit it's stride until season 4.

I would have to say "The Red Green Show", mostly due to the fact that some of the segments that the show had in it's later seasons were missing, or at least somewhat different, in it's earlier seasons & other segments that were also in the first few seasons were more lower budget. Also, the first season did not have the Possum Lodge meeting at the end. Season 2 did have the Possum Lodge meeting segment, but it took up more runtime than in later seasons. Also, season 2 was more of a sitcom than a sketch show, complete with characters that only appeared in that season. Also, a lot of other characters that were on the show (Winston Rothschild III, Mike Hamar, Dalton Humphrey, Edgar K.B. Montrose, etc.) did not appear until season 4 & even then some of their personalities were slightly different. There were also a bunch of other differences in the first few seasons as well. While there was some good stuff in the first 3 seasons, but the show didn't really hit it's stride until season 4.
Totally agree.
By Steve Smith's own admission they really didn't know what the hell they were doing in the first season. They were spoofing a straight Canadian outdoor show called the Red Fisher Show. The second year they tweaked the format somewhat and the season is almost unwatchable. The third season they started doing what they did best: sketches loosely connected to a story. By season four they were in a good stride and never looked back.

While that is true, would it be fair to say it was plausible. Obviously, the girls had grown up and couldn't just stay the same age. At least the main four girls (after the first season) all stayed on.

I kind of view the first season as a just another show altogether and then re-tooled, similar to A Different World's first season and then re-tooled. So, it really starts with the new cast in season 2.

I feel the opposite way: the first four seasons were a show, then the next two seasons felt like spin-off, then the next three seasons felt like a spin-off of that.

MASH (seasons 8-11 are totally un-watchable) and HAPPY DAYS when it changed the setting from the 50s to the 70s-early 80s with a small amount of the 50s thrown in.

Totally agree.
By Steve Smith's own admission they really didn't know what the hell they were doing in the first season. They were spoofing a straight Canadian outdoor show called the Red Fisher Show. The second year they tweaked the format somewhat and the season is almost unwatchable. The third season they started doing what they did best: sketches loosely connected to a story. By season four they were in a good stride and never looked back.
According to some stuff that I had heard, the 1st season of the show was filmed in 1989 & due to limited studio time, they had to marathon shooting sessions, also, the actor who played Harold Green (Patrick McKenna) said that his Attention Deficit Disorder actually helped him & Steve Smith get through the taping sessions a lot quicker. I've also heard that by the time that they got to the 5th season, they had started running out of ideas & had to start accepting viewer submissions & allow some of the other actors, who played side characters on the show, to write & submit skits & ideas for the show. The TV Tropes site has more behind the scenes trivia about the show. (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Trivia/TheRedGreenShow)

According to some stuff that I had heard, the 1st season of the show was filmed in 1989 & due to limited studio time, they had to marathon shooting sessions, also, the actor who played Harold Green (Patrick McKenna) said that his Attention Deficit Disorder actually helped him & Steve Smith get through the taping sessions a lot quicker. I've also heard that by the time that they got to the 5th season, they had started running out of ideas & had to start accepting viewer submissions & allow some of the other actors, who played side characters on the show, to write & submit skits & ideas for the show. The TV Tropes site has more behind the scenes trivia about the show. (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Trivia/TheRedGreenShow)

Great info, thanks!
I've been through Red Green at least four or five times over the years. The entire series is available on Youtube.

One other show that I can think of is Bonanza.

One other show that I can think of is Bonanza.

I kept expecting Hoss to show up in that last season.
Plus the fact Michael Landon wrote many of the later episodes and turned the show into a soap opera. One critic, looking back, referred to these so-called "lost" episodes as Little House on the Ponderosa.

One Day At a Time started out being about a newly divorced woman trying to raise two daughters in high school (and a Schneider), and a mere nine years later was about a married woman with two married daughters (and a Schneider).

Doctor Who. The series started out, in 1963, with a crotchety old man named The Doctor, his granddaughter, and her two teachers. Fast-forward 58 years and the Doctor is now a woman and the original team hasn't been seen in decades.