Did Beverly Ann serve much of a purpose in the last few seasons - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TMC · 09-13-2018, 08:11 PM

I kind of get why Cloris Leachman was brought onboard after Charlotte Rae left following Season 7. The network/producers felt that they needed to keep the "status quo", of having an older/more mature woman character to look after the girls. Plus, given her sitcom background (The Mary Tyler Moore Show) and Oscar and Emmy winning pedigree, Cloris brought some credibility.

But I bring this up because did the producers have a clear idea of where to take Beverly Ann once she was no longer the "outsider" among the group? It was somewhat hard to see her as the mother figure like Mrs. Garrett because she didn't know the girls long enough to make it believable. Beverly Ann I suppose, seemed to be more like the cool if kind of ditsy aunt if that makes sense.

Mr. Television · 09-13-2018, 08:32 PM

I don't know if it was credible but I liked Beverly Ann. In fact season 8 was a pretty good season and I liked it better than season 7.

RetroGuy2000 · 09-13-2018, 11:03 PM

I rarely watch the later seasons. The show had strayed so far from the original concept that it feels like an entirely different show, once Edna left.

Impressions · 09-14-2018, 10:07 PM

Take care of the ever-annoying Andy, and that's about it.

Alex Cooper · 09-14-2018, 11:47 PM

I didn't mind her on the show but didn't feel she was really needed. I think Tootie graduated Eastland in season 7, so all of the girls were adults by then, and not in need of a den mother. Plus, the many Garrett-less episodes in seasons 6 and 7 proved that Blair, Jo, Nat and Tootie could carry the show on their own.

rusty spike · 09-15-2018, 12:09 PM

I agree that they really didn't know what to do with her character.

RetroGuy2000 · 09-15-2018, 04:47 PM

As useless as Beverly Ann was, she was still more useful than Pippa.

TMC · 09-16-2018, 02:10 AM

Cloris Leachman's career was fascinating in on itself. She won an Academy Award for her work in The Last Picture Show, yet even after her win she faithfully kept making appearances as a supporting character on both Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda as well as doing her own sitcom. I'm guessing that Cloris always saw herself as more of a character actress. So it wasn't realistic for her to just go off be a leading lady in films.

You can argue that Allison Janney is the Cloris Leachman of today, in that she has at least one Oscar and many Emmys.

RetroGuy2000 · 09-16-2018, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex Cooper

I didn't mind her on the show but didn't feel she was really needed. I think Tootie graduated Eastland in season 7, so all of the girls were adults by then, and not in need of a den mother. Plus, the many Garrett-less episodes in seasons 6 and 7 proved that Blair, Jo, Nat and Tootie could carry the show on their own.

You raise a good point: why would the girls need a mother figure living with them when they were all college-aged now? They all still had their own mothers, who could visit from time to time. College-aged young ladies have no need for a constant mother figure looking after them, which made the Beverly Ann character seem out of place. And the writing didn't help; BA was constantly not fitting in, feeling out of place, etc. It was weird; almost as if the writers were acknowledging this character wasn't working out.

RetroGuy2000 · 09-16-2018, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMC

Cloris Leachman's career was fascinating in on itself. She won an Academy Award for her work in The Last Picture Show, yet even after her win she faithfully kept making appearances as a supporting character on both Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda as well as doing her own sitcom. I'm guessing that Cloris always saw herself as more of a character actress. So it wasn't realistic for her to just go off be a leading lady in films.

She was a talented lady, but she was shoehorned into The Facts of Life awkwardly.

CoolGuyBevHills · 09-16-2018, 04:36 PM

I once read Charlotte Rae said she left TFOL because her contract was up, and despite the fact that she was offered a significant pay increase to stay, she felt there was no longer a reason for her character to be there. The girls were grown up, young adults, and Mrs. Garrett was just no longer needed. So, if Mrs. Garrett was needed, neither was Beverly Ann. Plus, Beverly Ann was so strange.

Christopher · 09-16-2018, 07:46 PM

In season 8, Beverly Ann served a purpose in the show. She had just gotten a divorce and was searching for something in her life to have meaning. The girls were helping her with that and it tied in with the meaning of the series; helping someone during a situation is part of The Facts of Life. Season 8 Beverly Ann had a lot to do with the girls. Season 9 Beverly Ann was useless. I mentioned this in another thread. The season 8 finale should have been Beverly Ann and Andy leaving the series because they were hardly ever used in season 9. Andy was gone quite a bit and Beverly Ann only had one episode dedicated to her character. She wasn't part of the girls lives in season 9 like she was in season 8. The writers dropped the ball with her and wasted Cloris's acting abilities. After rewatching season 9, I see why fans don't care for Beverly Ann. She really wasn't needed that year. I do see why she was there season 8. Her origin started in season 7 with Mrs. Garrett helping her and concluded in season 8 with Beverly Ann adopting Andy. That should have been the end for her character in the show.

'80sSitcoms · 09-16-2018, 11:30 PM

I've never fully bought the whole "Mrs. Garrett wasn't needed/the girls didn't need a mother figure anymore" arguments. Why? The Golden Girls. Those girls had Sophia. They needed her. And they were well over 50 (sorry Blanche, lol). There were even episodes about them possibly losing Sophia in their lives, and it would have been a real blow had she left.

So, yes, the girls still needed a woman from an older generation around.

RetroGuy2000 · 09-17-2018, 02:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

I've never fully bought the whole "Mrs. Garrett wasn't needed/the girls didn't need a mother figure anymore" arguments. Why? The Golden Girls. Those girls had Sophia. They needed her. And they were well over 50 (sorry Blanche, lol). There were even episodes about them possibly losing Sophia in their lives, and it would have been a real blow had she left.

The difference is that Sophia was already in their lives. Imagine if Sophia had left, and her sister showed up one day. Would anybody be saying, "We need Sophia's sister in our lives!"? No. Replacing Sophia with a replacement sister would have been a cheap gimmick.

Quote:

So, yes, the girls still needed a woman from an older generation around.

Such as their mothers? Three of whom lived just 45 minutes away, in the city? In fact, Beverly Ann got in the way of us actually seeing the girls interact with their mothers, which would have been realistic.

Instead, we got Blair's mother Monica in just two episodes; Jo's mother, Rose, in just two episodes; Natalie's mother, Evie, never appears after Edna's Edibles; Tootie's mother, Diane, never appears after Tootie graduates.

So instead of seeing the girls' mothers, the void of Edna Garrett is filled by this woman none of them had previously ever met, and who keeps talking about how she doesn't fit in.

RetroGuy2000 · 09-17-2018, 03:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CoolGuyBevHills

I once read Charlotte Rae said she left TFOL because her contract was up, and despite the fact that she was offered a significant pay increase to stay, she felt there was no longer a reason for her character to be there. The girls were grown up, young adults, and Mrs. Garrett was just no longer needed. So, if Mrs. Garrett was needed, neither was Beverly Ann. Plus, Beverly Ann was so strange.

Yes, yes, and yes.

The producers should have respected Charlotte's wishes and not tried to replace Mrs. Garrett with an unnecessary houseguest.

09-13-2018, 08:11 PM	#1
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 126,393	Did Beverly Ann serve much of a purpose in the last few seasons I kind of get why Cloris Leachman was brought onboard after Charlotte Rae left following Season 7. The network/producers felt that they needed to keep the "status quo", of having an older/more mature woman character to look after the girls. Plus, given her sitcom background (The Mary Tyler Moore Show) and Oscar and Emmy winning pedigree, Cloris brought some credibility. But I bring this up because did the producers have a clear idea of where to take Beverly Ann once she was no longer the "outsider" among the group? It was somewhat hard to see her as the mother figure like Mrs. Garrett because she didn't know the girls long enough to make it believable. Beverly Ann I suppose, seemed to be more like the cool if kind of ditsy aunt if that makes sense.
	Last edited by TMC; 09-13-2018 at 11:07 PM.

09-13-2018, 08:32 PM	#2
Mr. Television 23 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,132	I don't know if it was credible but I liked Beverly Ann. In fact season 8 was a pretty good season and I liked it better than season 7.
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09-13-2018, 11:03 PM	#3
RetroGuy2000 Julie,Julie Anne,&Felice 4Ever Forum Star Join Date: Dec 27, 2013 Posts: 16,914	I rarely watch the later seasons. The show had strayed so far from the original concept that it feels like an entirely different show, once Edna left.
	__________________ The Facts of Life's "Lost Girls" Tribute to Julie Piekarski, Eastland Girl Join "The Group", Sitcoms Online's Facts of Life group!

09-14-2018, 11:47 PM	#5
Alex Cooper Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 16, 2016 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,705	I didn't mind her on the show but didn't feel she was really needed. I think Tootie graduated Eastland in season 7, so all of the girls were adults by then, and not in need of a den mother. Plus, the many Garrett-less episodes in seasons 6 and 7 proved that Blair, Jo, Nat and Tootie could carry the show on their own.
	__________________ "...You don't become a Misfit. You're either born a Misfit, or you're not." Phyllis "Pizzazz" Gabor

09-14-2018, 10:07 PM	#4
Impressions She died the way she lived Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: May 08, 2002 Posts: 4,640	Take care of the ever-annoying Andy, and that's about it.

09-15-2018, 12:09 PM	#6
rusty spike Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 08, 2015 Location: Southwest Posts: 1,124	I agree that they really didn't know what to do with her character.

09-15-2018, 04:47 PM	#7
RetroGuy2000 Julie,Julie Anne,&Felice 4Ever Forum Star Join Date: Dec 27, 2013 Posts: 16,914	As useless as Beverly Ann was, she was still more useful than Pippa.

09-16-2018, 02:10 AM	#8
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 126,393	Cloris Leachman's career was fascinating in on itself. She won an Academy Award for her work in The Last Picture Show, yet even after her win she faithfully kept making appearances as a supporting character on both Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda as well as doing her own sitcom. I'm guessing that Cloris always saw herself as more of a character actress. So it wasn't realistic for her to just go off be a leading lady in films. You can argue that Allison Janney is the Cloris Leachman of today, in that she has at least one Oscar and many Emmys.

09-16-2018, 04:36 PM	#11
CoolGuyBevHills Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Sep 15, 2018 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 13	I once read Charlotte Rae said she left TFOL because her contract was up, and despite the fact that she was offered a significant pay increase to stay, she felt there was no longer a reason for her character to be there. The girls were grown up, young adults, and Mrs. Garrett was just no longer needed. So, if Mrs. Garrett was needed, neither was Beverly Ann. Plus, Beverly Ann was so strange.

09-16-2018, 07:46 PM	#12
Christopher The OG Core Four Forum Fanatic Join Date: Apr 15, 2001 Posts: 14,833	In season 8, Beverly Ann served a purpose in the show. She had just gotten a divorce and was searching for something in her life to have meaning. The girls were helping her with that and it tied in with the meaning of the series; helping someone during a situation is part of The Facts of Life. Season 8 Beverly Ann had a lot to do with the girls. Season 9 Beverly Ann was useless. I mentioned this in another thread. The season 8 finale should have been Beverly Ann and Andy leaving the series because they were hardly ever used in season 9. Andy was gone quite a bit and Beverly Ann only had one episode dedicated to her character. She wasn't part of the girls lives in season 9 like she was in season 8. The writers dropped the ball with her and wasted Cloris's acting abilities. After rewatching season 9, I see why fans don't care for Beverly Ann. She really wasn't needed that year. I do see why she was there season 8. Her origin started in season 7 with Mrs. Garrett helping her and concluded in season 8 with Beverly Ann adopting Andy. That should have been the end for her character in the show.

09-16-2018, 11:30 PM	#13
'80sSitcoms Member Forum Star Join Date: Jan 30, 2013 Posts: 12,474	I've never fully bought the whole "Mrs. Garrett wasn't needed/the girls didn't need a mother figure anymore" arguments. Why? The Golden Girls. Those girls had Sophia. They needed her. And they were well over 50 (sorry Blanche, lol). There were even episodes about them possibly losing Sophia in their lives, and it would have been a real blow had she left. So, yes, the girls still needed a woman from an older generation around.