Did you like the show better without their mom?

[Buffyboy323]

Did you like the Show better after Valerie died? I missed her at first, but then I got used to her not being around. I actually did like it better later on, Maybe it's because the boys all grew up and the stories got better. WHat do you think?

[Edster2973]

Originally Posted by Buffyboy323

Did you like the Show better after Valerie died? I missed her at first, but then I got used to her not being around. I actually did like it better later on, Maybe it's because the boys all grew up and the stories got better. WHat do you think?

The stories got better? Are you nuts? The stories became sillier and the Hogans became more like caricatures instead of real people. Everything was so stretched and so silly. The acting was top notch as always, but the stories were mostly generic sitcom fare.

I think the show turned generic from the first moment Sandy came on because the show tried to dumb down the killing of the Valerie Hogan character. No way would the family act that unfazed by her death. Those boys loved their mother and they were her whole world and for them to act like life was just the same it is always was really came off as not very realistic or believable.

In order to maintain the same feel that was started in Sandy's first episode, they kept up with the farces and I think the show was poorer for it.

Mind you, it's not a reflection on Sandy but on how the show chose not to handle Valerie Hogan's death and how it affected the Hogan family. From there on in, it had to retain that generic lightweight feel and the show lost any uniqueness it once had.

It's a good thing Sandy was the one who was brought on. Any other actress who was of a less calibre would've brought the show down to cancellation. It's a credit to her acting that the show survived.

Ed

[friendsfan77]

I think I identify more with the Sandy Duncan shows, and here's why....

I was barely 1 year old when the show first started as Valerie... the first time I ever watched and can barely remember it was in early morning syndication on a local channel. And I remember seeing Duncan episodes more than the ones with Valerie Harper. I was very young when the show was rerun at the time. I actually thought Sandy was the mom. So I didnt even really know of a Valerie on the program.

Then Pax came along, and I saw the Valerie episodes for the first time enough to remember them and I loved them a lot.

So to answer your question... I enjoy the Duncan episodes a little more, pretty much because I can remember growing up with those eps. But the first two seasons aren't shabby to me at all.

[McFly121]

I don't really think the show got *too* silly, as it had to keep with the Joneses so to speak (Family Ties, Cosby, Growing Pains). Though the dopeyness showed the other day when Dave and Mike had to jump from a plummeting plane.

I enjoyed Sandy more because she was laid back, Valerie seemed stricter and more of a boss. Sandy's approach was warmer and she had a good comic appeal.

[KurtfromPitts]

Actually, I liked both Valerie and Sandy. Though I haven't seen the Harper eps since she took a walk, I think Duncan did an excellent job filling Val's shoes.