Did the show already start declining before the move to LA?

[Dr. Thong]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

You are absolutely right. It felt like character assassination.

And what was just as bad was that they had her leave him via a letter, just like how Shirley said goodbye to Laverne. It was just lazy writing, recycling the same idea to explain the absence of a character.

And because this episode aired near the end of Season 8, I really wonder why this plotline was even needed: there were only six more episodes left, and they must have known by then that the show would soon be over.

"Caring for a sick relative" would have made so much more sense, considering what we knew of Edna.

And doing just that would leave the door open for a return visit. Maybe if she had a week off from the play or it ended, she could have made a guest appearance.

That whole final season was just wrong.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by Dr. Thong

And doing just that would leave the door open for a return visit. Maybe if she had a week off from the play or it ended, she could have made a guest appearance.

That whole final season was just wrong.

Yes, I 100% agree. And even several cast members agreed, too: Penny Marshall said, years later, that she wished they had stopped at the previous season. "Laverne &" just didn't work, on so many levels.

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by TVLegend

And Rhonda’s body

I forgot about Rhonda

[shotzette]

Originally Posted by Missygal21880

Eh, I'll stick up for a few of the California episodes. The Dating Game is hilarious, To Tell The Truth a fine bottle episode, Sing Sing Sing pretty cute. Perfidy in Blue and The Most Important Day Ever are fun, too.

Season 8, Aside from Please Don't Feed the Buzzards, though, is execrable.

I never could warm up to S8's Please Don't Feed the Buzzards, but I know I'm in the minority over that. I do like S8's Window on Main Street (the last hurrah before the L&S verse went irreparably pear shaped) and the Fashion Show. The latter made me smile due to the wonderful chemistry between Penny Marshall and Larry Breeder.

I agree with your S6 & & picks, and would like to add Whatever Became of Sal? (Yes, it was 40% clip show, but it showed a lot of character growth for Laverne), I do, I do (One of the best FooW bits in the Cali years), and Night at the Awards since it was Lenny & Squiggy at their comedic best.

[Fallon97]

I like the California years.

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by Fallon97

I like the California years.

I didnt like it because it ended the HD/LS crossovers

[Missygal21880]

Originally Posted by shotzette

I never could warm up to S8's Please Don't Feed the Buzzards, but I know I'm in the minority over that. I do like S8's Window on Main Street (the last hurrah before the L&S verse went irreparably pear shaped) and the Fashion Show. The latter made me smile due to the wonderful chemistry between Penny Marshall and Larry Breeder.

I agree with your S6 & & picks, and would like to add Whatever Became of Sal? (Yes, it was 40% clip show, but it showed a lot of character growth for Laverne), I do, I do (One of the best FooW bits in the Cali years), and Night at the Awards since it was Lenny & Squiggy at their comedic best.

Fashion Show isn't too bad - shame about Larry Breeding.

I might include That's Entertainment and Born Too Late in there, too. Both hold up surprisingly well.

Also yeah, everything that happened with Edna was pure character assassination. Did they think we wanted plots about Frank dating?

[Dr. Thong]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Yes, I 100% agree. And even several cast members agreed, too: Penny Marshall said, years later, that she wished they had stopped at the previous season. "Laverne &" just didn't work, on so many levels.

Despite how bad the show was, it was doing well enough apparently that ABC offered Marshall a chance to do another season.

She declined. She'd had enough.

[Dr. Thong]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Yes, I 100% agree. And even several cast members agreed, too: Penny Marshall said, years later, that she wished they had stopped at the previous season. "Laverne &" just didn't work, on so many levels.

They were supposed to have stopped at the end of season 7, which is why Betty Garrett (Edna) signed on to do a traveling stage play. After she signed the deal, Penny & Cindy were convinced to come back for another season.

Looking back, they should have stopped after season 5 and never gone to California. The show worked better against the backdrop of a middle class midwestern town, IMO.

[shotzette]

Originally Posted by Missygal21880

Did they think we wanted plots about Frank dating?

Ewww... Just, no. I know Garry Marshall gave Phil Foster the role of Frank due to loyalty (Garry was one of Phil's writers when he was just starting out) but the guy had zero range. More noticeably as the series progressed, he pretty much sucked the life out of every scene he was in.

[TV Guy]

The supporting cast, with he exception of Lenny and Squiggy, was weak. Frank was funny in the first season, when he would show up occasionally, grunt a few words, and then leave. But when they expanded his role, it became obvious how weak the character/actor was.

I liked the first landlady a bit better. She was off kilter and funny. Mrs. Babish wasn’t funny, but at least Betty Garrett was a solid actress. I couldn’t stand Rhonda. Or the pointless Sonny.

Rosie was a great character and a good foil for Laverne. I don’t understand why she was dropped. They could have done more with Karen (another foil for Laverne) from the Bowling for Razzberries episode. Or Lucille, Shirley’s rival for Carmine. I would have preferred to see more of them and less of Frank and Edna.

[andress_jade]

I wasn't a big fan of the move to LA after season 5, but with that said I did enjoy the season 6 episodes. There were a few season 7 episodes that I liked but there were a lot of stinkers as well. I still haven't finished watching the season 7 episodes because there are just so many clunkers in that season. I hated that they had Laverne date a married man, or had her move out and live with a guy that just wanted to shack up and not marry or commit to her, and the one where Shirley gets stuck with the bank robber all day. I didn't find it funny at all, it was boring and stupid.
I don't know if I'm even going to watch the season 8 episodes after Shirley leaves. I love Laverne and Penny Marshall is awesome but the two of them together what made the show work and without Cindy Williams as Shirley, it's just not the same.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by andress_jade

I wasn't a big fan of the move to LA after season 5, but with that said I did enjoy the season 6 episodes. There were a few season 7 episodes that I liked but there were a lot of stinkers as well. I still haven't finished watching the season 7 episodes because there are just so many clunkers in that season. I hated that they had Laverne date a married man, or had her move out and live with a guy that just wanted to shack up and not marry or commit to her, and the one where Shirley gets stuck with the bank robber all day. I didn't find it funny at all, it was boring and stupid.
I don't know if I'm even going to watch the season 8 episodes after Shirley leaves. I love Laverne and Penny Marshall is awesome but the two of them together what made the show work and without Cindy Williams as Shirley, it's just not the same.

I couldn't agree more, and I can't believe they even tried to go on without Shirley.

[andress_jade]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

I couldn't agree more, and I can't believe they even tried to go on without Shirley.

Penny Marshall wanted to quit but the network said they would sue her if she didn't do another season, so in order not to get sued, she did it. The only way she would have done a season 9 would have been if they moved the show to New York, but the network didn't want to spend the money to do so, so the show was canceled.

[Dr. Thong]

Originally Posted by andress_jade

Penny Marshall wanted to quit but the network said they would sue her if she didn't do another season, so in order not to get sued, she did it. The only way she would have done a season 9 would have been if they moved the show to New York, but the network didn't want to spend the money to do so, so the show was canceled.

I never heard anything about her putting going to NY as a condition for a 9th season; as I understood it, she was done with the show and did not want it to continue.