When Did Too Close For Comfort Change To The Ted Knight Show And Why Did They Change

[opus]

Originally Posted by Dr. Thong

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.

[Dr. Thong]

Originally Posted by opus

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.

[TMC]

TV Shows You Forgot Started Under A Different Title

The Ted Knight Show



If you don't remember "The Ted Knight Show," 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." 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 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 died after the conclusion of the sixth season, and the show was canceled as a result.

[TMC]

I still don't entirely understand why it was changed to The Ted Knight Show when Ted Knight was still portraying Henry Rush. 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 material that I can find, it's treated like a completely new 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.

[michelala]

Originally Posted by Dr. Thong

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.

[michelala]

@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]

Originally Posted by michelala

@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:

[i29u]

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.

[michelala]

@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?

[michelala]

Originally Posted by i29u

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.