Retcon is an informal term for a revision made to an established story after the story was published or released. The term is a shortening of retroactive continuity.

So let’s name some.


In the pilot of The Cosby Show, Clair asks Cliff, "Why did we have four children?" He replies, "Because we didn't want five. [So Denise, Theo, Vanessa, and Rudy]. Then they ended up adding Sondra.

Ok, and I’m also taking Chuck from Happy Days.

“The Conners” retconned so many things from “Roseanne,” up to and including the existence of children Jackie and Roseanne had during the course of the original series.

The "Will & Grace" revival retconned the original series finale by erasing their children.

The show creators explained the decision was made to keep the focus on the four-friend dynamic.

Mama's Family - Buzz and Sonja, Vint's children with his first wife, were main characters in the first two seasons. In the first episode of season three, they were mentioned briefly by Thelma as "no Buzz and Sonja." By the time Vint and Naomi wanted to start an family in season five, there were no such people as Buzz and Sonja.

In the One Day At A Time pilot Schneider is said to be married and living downstairs with his wife (unseen). It was quickly changed thereafter to that he had been divorced for a while.

Does retconning count for when it’s not done intentionally? New writers simply don’t keep up with the continuity or they “don’t care” to.

Some examples are from The Golden Girls with the ages of their children and an instance where it’s said Rose doesn’t like hospitals but then she volunteers at one.

On The King of Queens they changed how Doug and Carrie first met a few times.

On The King of Queens they changed how Doug and Carrie first met a few times.

Odd Couple also did that with Felix and Oscar.

Early in MASH Hawkeye referenced his mother being alive and him having a sister. Then eventually his mother had died when he was young and he was an only child.

Early in MASH Hawkeye referenced his mother being alive and him having a sister. Then eventually his mother had died when he was young and he was an only child.

He also mentioned in an early episode that he is married. Plus, Col. Blake’s wife’s first name changed a few times.

Does retconning count for when it’s not done intentionally? New writers simply don’t keep up with the continuity or they “don’t care” to.


Title change. Now either is acceptable in here.

On The King of Queens they changed how Doug and Carrie first met a few times.

Odd Couple also did that with Felix and Oscar.

I think the writers also did that with an episode of the Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, with Ann Sothern. It was at odds with "how the met" explanations given on I Love Lucy.

The Honeymooners had a lot of retcons especially when it came to how Ralph & Alice met the first time as well as how Ralph & Ed met.

But this was during a time when nobody thought these sketches were going to be reran especially the lost episodes.

On "The Facts of Life", in the "Adoption" episode, it is revealed that Natalie is a Virgo, but in a later episode, Natalie claims she is a Taurus.

In the pilot of The Cosby Show, Clair asks Cliff, "Why did we have four children?" He replies, "Because we didn't want five. [So Denise, Theo, Vanessa, and Rudy]. Then they ended up adding Sondra.

Plus their living room looked a lot different and much smaller in the pilot.

In the episode of Full House that Steve Urkel appears on he says something about being born in 1976. Then in a later episode of Family Matters he says something about being born in 1977. If my memory serves me correctly there were also some inconsistencies about when Eddie was born.

Here’s a minor one from ODAAT. In season 4 friends from Logansport come by and bring cookies for the girls, giving Barbara peanut butter saying that was always her favorite.
But in season 9 when Barbara and Mark are trying to adopt, Barbara tell Jesse (the potential adoptee) that her favorite is chocolate chip.

In my book this is a great change.

In a case where a whole show was discontinued: Sanford Arms (1977)

This short-lived spin-off of Sanford & Son featured Fred's army buddy Phil (Theodore Wilson) purchasing the Sanford Arms rooming house attempting to turn it into an inn.

The events of this series were completely ignored in the following series Sanford (1980-81)

I hated The Waltons retconning Curt's honorable death. The two parter bringing him back with a new actor and not caring about his marriage to Mary Ellen anymore never should have existed. As a result the reunion movies falsely claim she was divorced not widowed.

The best retcon of all: Frasier's father rising from the Cheers dead and the spin-off creating Frasier's brother.

On the first episode of the Andy Griffith Show Andy and Barney are cousins. Later in the series Andy says they're friends.

A famous one. On Dallas Bobby was dead and then it turned out to be just a dream.

Does retconning count for when it’s not done intentionally? New writers simply don’t keep up with the continuity or they “don’t care” to.

Some examples are from The Golden Girls with the ages of their children and an instance where it’s said Rose doesn’t like hospitals but then she volunteers at one.

On The King of Queens they changed how Doug and Carrie first met a few times.

Also on The King Of Queens. In the first 4 or 5 episodes of the series, Carrie definitely has a sister and she's seen onscreen, I'm sorry I can't remember the character's name right now. Then suddenly she disappears and is never seen or mentioned again and it's later explicitly stated that Carrie's an only child. I've read the producers and writers of the show said the decision was made to drop the character because they just didn't know what to do with her (which I think's kind of stupid). They could've had her move away or something.

Ed.

On "Boy Meets World", Topanga was very different on the show when it first started. Being the daughter of hippies, she was very much into the supernatural, being a free spirit, and had a sister named Nebula.

Krystee Clark appeared as Nebula for 1 episode.



Topanga's eccentric hippie persona was changed during the rest of the series and it was then mentioned that she was an only child.

Also, they mentioned that Cory and Topanga were childhood sweethearts having been in love since they first met, but that's not how their relationship started when they were really young. They did not mention Topanga's strange behavior from the first season again.

Also on The King Of Queens. In the first 4 or 5 episodes of the series, Carrie definitely has a sister and she's seen onscreen, I'm sorry I can't remember the character's name right now. Then suddenly she disappears and is never seen or mentioned again and it's later explicitly stated that Carrie's an only child. I've read the producers and writers of the show said the decision was made to drop the character because they just didn't know what to do with her (which I think's kind of stupid). They could've had her move away or something.

Ed.

Yes, Carrie's half sister (Sara) was played by Lisa Rieffel for the first 5 episodes.

I don't know exactly when, but Doug makes a passing reference to Sara sometime later on. Only once.

In the second season of the Brady Bunch when Greg wanted his own room , the attic wasn't an option unless Greg were 2 ft.tall according to Carol. Than later on in the series the attic suddenly became full size and Marcia and Greg both wanted the attic for their room, Greg finally getting it.

On "That '70s Show" Donna Pinciotti (Laura Prepon) was originally the middle child.

The eldest daughter who was never seen onscreen, Valerie, was said to be "away at college". The youngest daughter, Tina, was played by Amanda Fuller on only one episode, Season 1's 'Eric's Burger Job'.

After one time in Season 2 when the show's narrator asks, "What ever happened to Midge's daughter, Tina?", Donna's sisters are never brought up again and it's alluded that she's an only child.

During "The Walking Dead's" 1st season, under Frank Darabont, the zombies (walkers) were more intelligent in being able to turn doorknobs, climb fences, smash glass with rocks, remember where they lived...

After Darabont was fired, they changed this for the classic mindless zombies.



It was theorized by fans that they still had some human memories as they were recently deceased; that they would lose more memories as they decay further. Recently deceased walkers in the later seasons were still mindless, so that theory turned out to be false.

During the later seasons, and spin-offs, the survivors encounter Variants which are mutated walkers either by intentional experimentation or nature. They make it seem like they haven't encountered intelligent walkers before.

I admit I'm not an expert at this, but I found an interview with Jim Krieg, who developed "What's New, Scooby Doo?", about the changing of the monsters from being actual monsters to fake monsters (people in costume).

45kC2WVGFiE&