Watching the newer episodes of Happy Days on TVLand, I realized the show was on WAY too long. By the time the show ended. Potise, Richie, and Ralph were gone. Jenny, Flip, K.C. Ashley, Heather, Al, Eugene, and Melvin all disapeared. So you had Fonzie, Mr. and Mrs. C, and Joanie and Chachi. I think the show should have ended after Season 9. When Joanie and Chachi moved to Chicago. There should have been no spinoff, and the show should have just ended in the spring of 1982. The last 2 seasons were pointless. What does everyone else think?

I think they shouldn't have tried to spin-off Joanie, Chachi, and Al. The producers had sort of successfully rebuilt the show around Joanie and Chachi. So trying to continue without them hurt the show as much as continuing without Richie or Ralph. Even though they returned for season 11, the damage was done. So I agree that the show should have ended in 1982.

There's also the Al factor. Al was one of the funniest characters on Happy Days. So his absence, despite the reappearance of Arnold for a few episodes, definitely hurt the show as well. It would have been great if Al had returned to Happy Days in 1983. That wouldn't have reversed any damage from season 10, but it would have made the final season better.

Well, if I had my way the show would still be in production right now...;)

Originally posted by CameraQueen
Well, if I had my way the show would still be in production right now...;)

I agree CamQueen!!! Besides, it made the later episodes something to look forward to when the gang all reunited!! IF it were still on today, Id be watching it--unless it was a COMPLETELY new cast (no Fonzie, parents, etc..)

Originally posted by CameraQueen
Well, if I had my way the show would still be in production right now...;)

Same here!

Happy Days should of ended when Ron Howard and Donny Most decided to leave the show. It was all downhill after that.:rolleyes:

Originally posted by Marvo301
Happy Days should of ended when Ron Howard and Donny Most decided to leave the show. It was all downhill after that.:rolleyes:

I can't help agreeing with you on this subject. I guess you could say it was similar to TAGS. When Don Knotts left, it would've made a perfect ending. Andy Griffith and Don Knotts just had that chemistry going for them. I guess Ron Howard and Henry Winkler had the same kind of chemistry. I don't know if that made sense, but I am agreeing with Marvo on the subject.

I'm gonna have to agree with CamQueen and leic...uhh,MilknPepsi. I think it should have lasted as logn as it did, and it would be running today, imagine what it would be like!!

I'm gonna have to agree with CamQueen and leic...uhh,MilknPepsi. I think it should have lasted as logn as it did, and it would be running today, imagine what it would be like!!

When Richie and Ralph left. I think a part of the show died when they left...

Yeah, I would agree when Ron and Donny left the show was just called Days not Happy Days

I'm going against the grain but i like the newer episodes the best. Mr. C was my favorite character. And so was Fonzie. And i liked Potzie without the other two. Sure loosing Rich was a blow but it made room for more of Chachi and Jonie.

Personally I think Potsie was rather boring in Seasons 8-11. Without Richie and Ralph, he just seemed to loose his Potsieness.

It lost its footing when Richie joined tHE ARMY. It was pretty sad he didnt even come back to marry LoriBeth(they got married over the phone.) The Joanie and Chachi wasnt too bad til they left for Joanie Loves chachi "fame". the problem here is they never shouldve tryed to spin-off Joanie and Chachi and just forgotten all about KC,Roger,Flip,Ashley,Heather...and whoever that little kid Fonzie adopted was....and just wrapped it up with Joanie and Chachi getting married.
Question: Around the time Cousin Roger showed up...why didnt they just make Ted McGinlays charactor Chuck...the long lost Cunningham brother???????

I would say it should have ended with the departure of Ron and Donny, but for me, the show lost some of it's magic as early as the fifth season. I think the first three years were classic(it's amazing how the first two seem like a different series all together), but I didn't really like the guys in college, and I think there was a little bit of a Fonzie/Chachi overkill..

It was pretty sad he didnt even come back to marry LoriBeth(they got married over the phone.

lol Im GLAD they didnt!! I couldnt stand LoriBeth!! Worse than Chachi! Blecgh! No offense to those Chachi-nated fans!!:p

I agree, the show ran WAY too long. 10 damn years it was on the air, from 1974 to 1984. I think the show probably should have ended in 1980.

The characters all became jokes, especially Fonzie and his super powers he developed in the second half of the show. Anyway, we all know when this show jumped the shark.

They shoild have ended the series after Richie and Ralph left. Fonzie played off Richie better than he played off of Roger. The only good part about the later years was watching Joanie grow into a beautiful girrl! (I was a teen in the 70's, so I liked "chicks"!)

Don't get me wrong I 've always enjoyed watching Happy Days but the show should have ended long before it did. As soon as Richie left it was still good but IMO it went downhill, and Richie with a moustache, I didn't like that it made him looked too old. The ending was sweet though when Joannie got married and Fonzie adopted that child. It was sweet and the later season episodes were good but it got kind of dull.

Richie with a moustache

:livid: You had to put that picture in my head didnt you Toots?? lol Richie with a moustache....BLECH!!!!!!!! He was SO much hotter w/o it!!!

Originally posted by leicbbmakauai


:livid: You had to put that picture in my head didnt you Toots?? lol Richie with a moustache....BLECH!!!!!!!! He was SO much hotter w/o it!!!

LOL I totally agree with you on that, he was so good looking without it and when he grew it it ruined his appearance basically. It was too old for him at the time...

I agree!! He is like, my celeb crush!! (the 70s Rich, not the now Ron! lol) And the mustache just totally set me off...ICK

Richie only had a Mustache when he came back in the 2 part episode from Season 11. I was just glad to see him back. I mean after he couldn't even attend his own wedding, and didn't get to see his first son be born, it was just good to have him back after a 3 year absence.

He ALSO had it in Passages Part 1+2, not just welcome home...ohh...and that time he ralph and potsie dressed up as gangsters @ arnolds...sure it was fake, but still..he also had a real mustache in real life in the 80s so whenever I see those picks i cringe!! Blech!

Originally posted by leicbbmakauai


:livid: You had to put that picture in my head didnt you Toots?? lol Richie with a moustache....BLECH!!!!!!!! He was SO much hotter w/o it!!!

He needs the mustache now! He doesn't have it, but he needs it! He's now bald except for hair on the back of his head! It must be a "directr" thing...Rob "Meathead" Reiner is bald now, too!

Originally posted by RADWELL3


He needs the mustache now! He doesn't have it, but he needs it! He's now bald except for hair on the back of his head! It must be a "directr" thing...Rob "Meathead" Reiner is bald now, too!

I remember reading somewhere that Rob was bald in All in the Family. He wore a hair piece when he was doing the "Meathead" character, but he could go unnoticed if he took off the hair piece. He sure didn't look like he was wearing a hair piece. Wait, I think they touched on that during the "All in the Family E! True Hollywood Story".

Richies moustache...Fonzies BEARD!!! Was that heinous!!!!
I missed it this year.Did TV land show Fonzies rank lookin beard???
Ah well,at least thier showing the young Richie years again.(When Chucks in it...its an old episode!!!!)

QUESTION: Why DID Donny Most leave?Anyone know????

Originally posted by Jenny


I remember reading somewhere that Rob was bald in All in the Family. He wore a hair piece when he was doing the "Meathead" character, but he could go unnoticed if he took off the hair piece. He sure didn't look like he was wearing a hair piece. Wait, I think they touched on that during the "All in the Family E! True Hollywood Story".

Amazing! If that was a hair piece in the first years of AITF, that was one heck of a LONG hairpiece!

Don wanted to go on to other things...his contract had expired and decided not to renew it :cry:

i think the last episode was a good ending for happy days

It was so sad!!! :( :crying: :(

The show should have ended when Richie and Ralph left. It went from a clever, funny, and warm show to a typical teeny bopper sitcom. When Joannie and Chachi became the focus, all the producers looked for were ways to have Scott take off his shirt so all the teenage girls would watch.

I have to say I disagree with this. I like the later episodes of Happy Days with Joanie and Chachi the best, and I especially liked Joanie Loves Chachi. However, I did not like the season of Happy Days where they were gone doing Joanie Loves Chachi, it was like they were just trying to throw some characters in there that really didn't belong - especially KC Cunningham. I don't like the early days of Happy Days so much, and once I saw that they were starting over from the beginning on TV Land I usually don't even bother to turn it on.

Well, I like the Richie and Ralph soeason the best, Ralphh happens to be my favorite charcter and my favorite TV charcter in the world probably, he and Potsie were ezxxcellent together, the funniest TV duo ever in my opinion, when Richie and ralph left, Happy Days was not the same, the Rich- Ralp ones are soo muxch more wtachable, like remember the ep. where Richie fights back? when Arnold gets married? When Fonzie jumped a shark? When Ralph and Potsie and richie bu that apartment? THose are Happy Days classics, well, I like some of the JOanie and Chachi episodes, but they are just not as good, anyways I think HD ended at a great time, I wish it was still on, sorry of I offendded anyoen, just my opnion!!

In 1981 before Flip and K.C joined and screwed the show up

Its sad it ended......... Would have been nice seeing it continue and the cast EXACTLY THE SAME AS THEY WERE THEN!!