Does Anyone Know When To Close For Comfort Change To
The Ted Knight Show Any Why The Changed The Name From
To Close For Comfort To The Ted Knght Show.

Thaks
Aaron The Repoter

It changed names in 1986, the reason the show changed names is because the show was doing a complete overhaul. Henry and Muriel would move away from San Francisco and get into a new business, etc,etc. They wanted to distinguish the new show from the old one, hence the name change.

Did Deborah Van Valkenburgh and Lydia Cornell leave the show voluntarily or were they fired?

It's kind of sad when you consider than not long after the show changed, Ted Knight passed away.

There was an amusing skit with Bill Murray and Chevy Chase hawking a book titled "The Quotable Caddyshack" on Saturday Night Live many years later. The premise was that so many people quoted dialogue from the movie that this book was essential for anyone who wanted to make small talk at the office or at a party. They said that part of the proceeds would go to the Ted Knight Slow Burn Foundation. I think Ted would've gotten a kick out of that...

:wave:

The Ted Knight Show episodes are in the Too Close For Comfort syndicated package and are syndicated as Too Close For Comfort.

Did Deborah Van Valkenburgh and Lydia Cornell leave the show voluntarily or were they fired?



I hated it when they left. Loved Jackie and Sara.

I know Too Close For Comfort may have never aired a proper series finale, but what if The Ted Knight Show had never came along?

I know Too Close For Comfort may have never aired a proper series finale, but what if The Ted Knight Show had never came along?
They should have had a final episode where the cast came out of character and honored Ted Knight. Maybe bring back Lydia and Deborah for that too. That would have been a proper ending.

Never got to see those last season episodes as no station in my area had picked up "The Ted Knight Show".

Never got to see those last season episodes as no station in my area had picked up "The Ted Knight Show".
Watch some of them on my YouTube channel: FELLNORM.:)

Watch some of them on my YouTube channel: FELLNORM.:)

3GdtoyOUCA4

After five seasons of Too Close for Comfort, that series essentially ended and was spun off into The Ted Knight Show. With a mostly empty nest and an upgrade in living space, it could hardly be called Too Close for Comfort anymore. When Knight died after the first season, they changed the credits and put that one season into the Too Close For Comfort syndication package. Though the name was kept to keep things recognizable and sadly Knight didn't live long enough for there to be a "show". But the original plan was to run for a few seasons as The Ted Knight Show and build up enough for a separate syndication package.

3GdtoyOUCA4

After five seasons of Too Close for Comfort, that series essentially ended and was spun off into The Ted Knight Show. With a mostly empty nest and an upgrade in living space, it could hardly be called Too Close for Comfort anymore. When Knight died after the first season, they changed the credits and put that one season into the Too Close For Comfort syndication package. Though the name was kept to keep things recognizable and sadly Knight didn't live long enough for there to be a "show". But the original plan was to run for a few seasons as The Ted Knight Show and build up enough for a separate syndication package.

These days, they would have just kept the name, despite the cast changes.

It's more about "branding" these days and Too Close For Comfort had a following.

These days, they would have just kept the name, despite the cast changes.

It's more about "branding" these days and Too Close For Comfort had a following.

I'm assuming that The Ted Knight Show was supposed to be its own separate entity (even though it's technically not an out and out spin-off, since it isn't centered on a supporting character like Jackie, Sara or Monroe) a la Archie Bunker's Place. But imagine if after the first season of Archie Bunker's Place, Carroll O'Connor suddenly died and it was retroactively considered the tenth season of All in the Family for the syndicated reruns.

I'm assuming that The Ted Knight Show was supposed to be its own separate entity (even though it's technically not an out and out spin-off, since it isn't centered on a supporting character like Jackie, Sara or Monroe) a la Archie Bunker's Place. But imagine if after the first season of Archie Bunker's Place, Carroll O'Connor suddenly died and it was retroactively considered the tenth season of All in the Family for the syndicated reruns.


:eek:

I can kind of understand the rationale behind not calling it Too Close for Comfort if Jackie and Sara weren't going to be involved anymore. This was mind you, before "jumping the shark" entered the lexicon, so the producers must've made a preemptive strike. But outside of marketing purposes, why rename it The Ted Knight Show? I mean, Ted Knight (https://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/08/27/Ted-Knight-the-white-haired-comedian-best-known-as-the/4560525499200/) already had own self-titled sitcom (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ted_Knight_Show_(1978_TV_series)) in-between his stints on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and TCFC.

They could've called the revamped show Henry Rush or Mill Valley. (http://www.iamnotastalker.com/2016/09/29/too-close-for-comfort-final-season-filming-locations/)

https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/05/arts/tv-the-ted-knight-show-about-a-small-town-paper.html

''The Ted Knight Show,'' which premieres tonight at 7:30 on Channel 5, is about a small-town newspaper that gives journalism, television-style, a bad name, and makes a strong case for repealing the First Amendment. It's a tossup which rings more hollow -the newspaper characters or the canned laughter.

The newspaper is called The Marin Bugler. That doesn't necessarily mean it takes place in lovely, laid-back Marin County, over the bridge from San Francisco, except for an opening stock shot and what looks like a painted mountain in the background. The locales may be real but they look like the same old Los Angeles studio set. The only thing missing is the chase on the freeway.

Ted Knight plays the role of the new editor of The Marin Bugler. Two actresses are wasted - Nancy Dussault as his sympathetic wife and Nancy Carroll as the widow of the publisher. They seem to talk a decibel or two higher than necessary, possibly to cover up for the shortcomings of the script. Mr. Knight's main contribution to the improvement of The Bugler is to wring his hands and roll his eyes. Miss Carroll doesn't like to change things on the old paper, and she's probably right. Leave worse enough alone.

Those responsible for this opening episode include the creator of the show, Brian Cooke; the producer and writer, George Yanok; the executive producer, Aaron Ruben, and the director, Peter Baldwin.

Some of the future newspaper episodes listed sound a little more promising - one on toxic waste, another on a Vietnamese family - but the first show looks like a typographical error. Someone should have stopped the presses on The Bugler.

And one thing that was never explained was how Henry went from being a cartoonist to the editor of a newspaper.

Now, if Henry had been a features writer or a reporter, it would be logical that he would be promoted to editor. An editor has to be a writer first.

Henry did write the comic strip, but that's a different type of writing.

And one thing that was never explained was how Henry went from being a cartoonist to the editor of a newspaper.

Now, if Henry had been a features writer or a reporter, it would be logical that he would be promoted to editor. An editor has to be a writer first.

Henry did write the comic strip, but that's a different type of writing.

It was explained. Someone else can fill in the details, but from what I remember he left his cartoonist job, moved from San Francisco to Marin County, and ended up editing a small weekly newspaper. He wasn't promoted and didn't go from cartoonist to editor of the same newspaper he had always been at.

It was explained. Someone else can fill in the details, but from what I remember he left his cartoonist job, moved from San Francisco to Marin County, and ended up editing a small weekly newspaper. He wasn't promoted and didn't go from cartoonist to editor of the same newspaper he had always been at.

I know it wasn't the same paper, but to go from cartoonist to editor is a major step. Just curious as to how that came about.

TV Shows You Forgot Started Under A Different Title
(https://www.looper.com/1287023/tv-shows-started-different-title/)

The Ted Knight Show

https://www.looper.com/img/gallery/tv-shows-you-forgot-started-under-a-different-title/the-ted-knight-show-1684197420.webp

If you don't remember "The Ted Knight Show (https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/05/arts/tv-the-ted-knight-show-about-a-small-town-paper.html)," we wouldn't be surprised. That's because, for the majority of its run, the show went by a totally different name, beginning its time on the air as "Too Close for Comfort (https://thewritelife61.com/2021/02/15/this-show-was-too-close-for-comfort/)." Under that name, the show ran for six seasons, beginning in 1980, starring Ted Knight as surly, cantankerous Henry Rush, the artist and creator of a popular newspaper comic strip who lives in San Francisco with his wife and two adult daughters who live in the basement apartment. The heart of the series is Rush's conflict with his daughters, whose more liberal '80s attitudes clash with his traditional, conservative principles.

That was the premise for the first five years, anyway, as in its sixth it made a number of changes, not the least of which was the title. Now known as "The Ted Knight Show," it relocated (https://www.iamnotastalker.com/2016/09/29/too-close-for-comfort-final-season-filming-locations/) Rush to a new city, where he became an editor at a newspaper, and his two daughters were written out of the show. Sadly, the show's star Ted Knight (https://apnews.com/article/ae41403f8a8e24a4b40655ad6c8c9d75) died (https://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/08/27/Actor-Ted-Knight-dies/9439525499200/) after (https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=DS19860827.2.23) the conclusion of the sixth season, and the show was canceled as a result.

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https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/ygcAAOSwO-hcSWyA/s-l1600.jpg

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/m9gAAOSw7OdcSqmJ/s-l1600.jpg

I still don't entirely understand why it was changed to The Ted Knight Show (https://youtu.be/XMuaYjFa9rc?t=35) when Ted Knight was still portraying (https://youtu.be/55fI0WAPTtk?t=30) Henry Rush (https://youtu.be/AFYbVtMcGJo?t=523). Did they think that with Jackie and Sara gone and Henry having a brand new job and living in a brand new house, that meant that it wasn't the same show anymore, hence the necessitated name change?

And based on the promotional (https://youtu.be/W_4dstM6iHU?t=29) material (https://youtu.be/BMHSb8glVCk?t=441) that I can find, it's treated like a completely new (https://youtu.be/QV35YIdSiNs?t=472) and separate show instead of merely being the sixth season of Too Close for Comfort. Of course, we'll never know how successful The Ted Knight Show could've or would've been had Ted lived longer.

I know it wasn't the same paper, but to go from cartoonist to editor is a major step. Just curious as to how that came about.

Agreed but I think the Marin Bugler was supposed to be a very small time weekly neighborhood newspaper. They even showed that old guy come in a few times with local gossip for the paper. It didn't strike me as the LA Times or anything like that. They even had Monroe selling advertising and writing a review column.

That last season they changed the name to the Ted Knight show and changed his profession from a cartoonist to an editor. Just a guess on my part but I'm going to say Ted probably had a say in that along with the new producer after Arne Sultan had to leave due to his health. Kinda ironic that Ed Asner, Ted Knight, and Mary Tyler Moore all had tv shows where their characters worked at newspapers after MTM show ended.

@TMC it's pretty cool that you found that advertising for The Ted Knight show. I had never seen it before. Thanks for posting.

Obviously TCFC and the Ted Knight show got very good ratings in syndication.

@TMC it's pretty cool that you found that advertising for The Ted Knight show. I had never seen it before. Thanks for posting.

Obviously TCFC and the Ted Knight show got very good ratings in syndication.

Some more print ads that found (https://picclick.co.uk/Ted-Knight-Too-Close-For-Comfort-1984-Ad-401699995530.html):
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/5yMAAOSwNXtcSqi8/s-l1600.jpg

https://www.picclickimg.com/images/g/qfYAAOSwrj9eD~o~/s-l1600.jpg

https://www.picclickimg.com/images/g/YXUAAOSwjMtcQrtl/s-l1600.jpg

https://www.picclickimg.com/images/g/2MIAAOSw76lcMnT7/s-l1600.jpg

https://www.picclickimg.com/images/g/fzMAAOSw74xdz2~x/s-l1600.jpg

I think I saw or read somewhere that, after the 1984-85 season:

Deborah wanted to leave the show; Lydia wanted to stay; Arne Sultan (who Lydia seemed to say was her biggest fan among the producers) was ill and had left the show; the remaining producers didn't want Lydia without Deborah; so both daughters got the axe.

@TMC thanks for posting the print ads! I don't remember ever seeing them before.

I noticed one of those ads was from 1987 which was after Ted's death. Apparently they were still selling the show at that point as reruns in syndication?

I think I saw or read somewhere that, after the 1984-85 season:

Deborah wanted to leave the show; Lydia wanted to stay; Arne Sultan (who Lydia seemed to say was her biggest fan among the producers) was ill and had left the show; the remaining producers didn't want Lydia without Deborah; so both daughters got the axe.

Agreed it seems the double whammy of Deborah leaving during Season 5 on the heels of Arne Sultan also leaving the show due to his health sealed the fate of Lydia. The show hadn't done a very good job of developing either of the girls' characters especially after they started focusing more on Monroe as the series progressed.

Arne Sultan was the one who initially developed TCFC for DL Taffner productions based on "Keep it in the Family" which had been a popular British based tv show. After he left I don't believe there was a strong voice in the room to stay true to the initial concept especially after Deborah/Jackie moved on.

If anything I think everyone including DL Taffner knew Ted was the cash cow that kept ratings up for the show so the new producers just bent over backward to keep him happy similar to John Ritter on 3's Company/3's a Crowd.

FWIW Lydia is still out there promoting the show on social media which is pretty darn cool. Last I checked TCFC still runs on Antenna TV and can also be streamed on both Pluto and Tubi.