If There Was a Sixth Season...

[Petrie Malone]

If the cast and crew of The Dick Van Dyke Show had decided to continue the series into a sixth season... what kind of episodes do you think they would have done? What kind of storylines would you have liked to see?

[JudgeGarth]

Some more stuff about Rob being a councilman.

[Carrie]

I think it would have been cool if Rob and Laura would have had another baby. I would have liked to seen Sally marry Herman too and finally get her fella.

[SawgrassSteve]

Originally posted by Carrie
I think it would have been cool if Rob and Laura would have had another baby.

I agree, Carrie! A baby girl this time. Although I think she should've been added in Season 3. I can't think of how she would fit much into the comedy as an infant. A toddler would be funnier.
Also, she would give them an excuse to buy a bigger house. Something else I would like to have seen. Maybe even add a funny maid?
Sounds like a lot, I know, but remember, they did thirty-something episodes per season back then (thankfully)!

Steve
PS, And for goodness sake, get out into the back yard once in a while!

[wayman]

I read somewhere that if there had been a 6th season, it would have been in color.

[Lolac]

I would also like to have seen Rob and Laura have another baby and see Sally get married. Someone mentioned that 6th season episodes would probably have been in color. That probably would have been cool in 1966, but now it seems like a sacrilege!
Maybe we could have seen Rob's career as a published author take off. There are some fun possibilities!

Lolac

[jehobden]

Originally posted by wayman
I read somewhere that if there had been a 6th season, it would have been in color.

That much is certain. All network sitcoms were required by all the networks to be in color starting fall 1966. Patty Duke claims in her autobio that her sitcom was cancelled in 1966 only because ABC was going to require the change to color for all sitcoms and United Artists refused to cover the additional cost.

It's interesting to think how the show would've been different. The bit w/ Rob walking in the door had gotten old by then, so there probably would've been a new opening sequence in color. Maybe a scene from both the office and the living room.

Whatever had happened, DVD likely would've "Jumped the Shark" when the show went to color, as lots of shows of that time, like Beverly Hillbillies and Andy Griffith are said to have done. Carl Reiner was smart to end the show when he did. As Vince Waldron's book points out, a few plots from the first season were starting to show up again, modified, in season 5.

[Petrie Malone]

I also would have liked to see the Petrie's have another baby and Sally get married, but these storylines probably would go against Carl's theme of consistency during the series. These storylines may have even made the show jump the shark! (If that's even possible for TDVDS.)

Also... I think it would have have been neat for the Alan Brady Show to get nominated for an emmy, too! It would be funny to see the writers win for best writing and Alan lose in his category!

[Nora]

Alan Brady would have played Rob Petrie in a new sitcom (as per one of the last (or is it the last?) episode. Remember, Rob kept trying to get his book published but no one would buy? Alan liked it and decided to make a sitcom out of it. I assume Rob would have been head writer and Sally and Buddy probably stayed on as well.

And yeah, Rob's political career might have been explored -- I've always loved that angle.