Valerie / The Hogan Family Chosen As The WORST Case Of Retooling A Show - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 04-12-2011, 10:55 PM

1. Valerie / Valerie’s Family: The Hogans / The Hogan Family (1986-91)

A long-term relationship with a TV show can be like a long relationship with any public institution. Sometimes the shows adapt to the needs of their patrons, evolving in tone, style, and purpose over time. Sometimes there’s turnover in personnel. And sometimes even the name changes. Rhoda star Valerie Harper returned to TV in 1986 with the sitcom Valerie, playing a working mother trying to balance the demands of her job and the rambunctiousness of three growing boys, including a teenage Jason Bateman. The show was often issue-driven, discussing teen sex, condom use, drunk driving, and AIDS. Then Harper quarreled with her producers, presuming (wrongly, as it turns out) that a show called Valerie couldn’t afford to lose its star. The next season, Valerie became Valerie’s Family: The Hogans (and later just The Hogan Family), and Harper’s character was killed off and replaced by her sister-in-law, played by Sandy Duncan. The topical subject matter gradually faded too, and the show became more about everyone in the household—including a crochety old grandpa added during thefinal season—trying to find romance. Before it was cancelled for good, the show even jumped from NBC to CBS. Anyone who stuck with it through all that was devoted. (But to what?)

http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-c...etoolin,25099/

Mr. Television · 04-12-2011, 11:08 PM

Actually it was one of the best cases of retooling a show. lol

catlover79 · 04-13-2011, 01:23 AM

I agree, Sonny. Though I wonder why they kept using Valerie's name once she was no longer on it. They should've called it The Hogan Family as soon as Valerie Harper was off the program.

Marvo301 · 04-13-2011, 01:36 AM

And it had one of TV's best theme songs too!!

catlover79 · 04-13-2011, 01:47 AM

Yup, the song was sung by Roberta Flack and written by Charles Gimbel/Norman Fox, the team who gave us "Killing Me Softly With His Song".

Heidi Dawn · 04-14-2011, 02:32 PM

Worst Case of Re-Tooling? I don't think so! I actually loved the show with both Valerie and Sandy in the lead. It dealt with a lot of topics such as racism and AIDS. Why it isn't on DVD, I'll never know, but at least the episodes are on YouTube to watch.

Mr. Television · 04-14-2011, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catlover79

I agree, Sonny. Though I wonder why they kept using Valerie's name once she was no longer on it. They should've called it The Hogan Family as soon as Valerie Harper was off the program.

That first year it was called Valerie's Family but on the opening credits it said Valeries Family and then it said The Hogans. lol I guess they wanted people to know it was the same show.

McGillicuddy · 04-14-2011, 05:10 PM

Reminds me of the Dynasty spin-off series The Colbys: when it premiered the opening credits said:

Dynasty II: The Colbys, just so the audience knew it was a sequel to Dynasty. "Dynasty II" was soon dropped and it became known just as, The Colbys.

Getting back on subject, I might have thought Chico & the Man, might have been the worst case of re-tooling.

MrCleveland · 04-14-2011, 05:37 PM

I like the theme where Roberta Flack sang the song.

Here's a good mash-up between Hulk Hogan and The Hogan Family....

glickmam · 05-23-2011, 05:47 AM

Personally, I'm glad it obtained that position as the worst case of a retool, as, in my opinion, it helps ward off greedy producers from doing something to hurt a show, such as ignoring the good advice that an actor gives out. Indeed, if I was the judge in the case, not only would Ms. Harper would have received the settlement that she certainly deserved, but I also would have ordered her to be written back onto the show, and I would have ordered Thomas L. Miller and Robert L. Boyett, the producers responsible for Ms. Harper's dismissal, as well as the executives at Lorimar-Telepictures and NBC donate their entire salaries from the show to actor's groups for a 6 year period.

catlover79 · 05-23-2011, 05:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stuck In The '70's

That first year it was called Valerie's Family but on the opening credits it said Valeries Family and then it said The Hogans. lol I guess they wanted people to know it was the same show.

Just always struck me as weird.

Marvo301 · 05-23-2011, 01:52 PM

To me the worst case of retooling a show was Gimme a Break! After the death of Chief Kiniski his daughters were dropped from the show and Nell and Joey and a few assorted friends moved to New York. It became a completely different show. Gimme a Break!!!!

Torgo · 05-23-2011, 02:37 PM

Definitely disagree.

One of the worst show retoolings was Buck Rogers. They went from being on Earth to the spaceship, and added the lame robot Crichton.

Another one was Welcome Back, Kotter when they had the Sweat Hogs working for the school.

Retro4Life · 05-23-2011, 05:51 PM

OK, I've got the worst retooling to end all worst retooling...

The original "Battlestar Galactica" was retooled after being cancelled in 1979. The new show was called "Galactica: 1980" and it was a disaster. Even to my very uncritical 15 year old eyes, it was obviously a failure. It aired at 6 CST, so they had to make it much more family friendly, i.e. very little violence or intense situations. Almost the entire cast was gone, with only Lorne Greene and Herb Jefferson Jr returning, as the characters had moved about twenty years into the future. They didn't even bother saying what had happened to most of the characters that were gone! Robbie Rist, Nazis, kids on flying ten speeds all figured into the plots...need I say more??

Torgo · 05-23-2011, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retro4Life

OK, I've got the worst retooling to end all worst retooling...

The original "Battlestar Galactica" was retooled after being cancelled in 1979. The new show was called "Galactica: 1980" and it was a disaster. Even to my very uncritical 15 year old eyes, it was obviously a failure. It aired at 6 CST, so they had to make it much more family friendly, i.e. very little violence or intense situations. Almost the entire cast was gone, with only Lorne Greene and Herb Jefferson Jr returning, as the characters had moved about twenty years into the future. They didn't even bother saying what had happened to most of the characters that were gone! Robbie Rist, Nazis, kids on flying ten speeds all figured into the plots...need I say more??

That was awful, but I did love that episode about Starbuck and the Cylon stranded on the planet together, I assume it was an unaired episode not used in the original.

04-12-2011, 10:55 PM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,108	Valerie / The Hogan Family Chosen As The WORST Case Of Retooling A Show 1. Valerie / Valerie’s Family: The Hogans / The Hogan Family (1986-91) A long-term relationship with a TV show can be like a long relationship with any public institution. Sometimes the shows adapt to the needs of their patrons, evolving in tone, style, and purpose over time. Sometimes there’s turnover in personnel. And sometimes even the name changes. Rhoda star Valerie Harper returned to TV in 1986 with the sitcom Valerie, playing a working mother trying to balance the demands of her job and the rambunctiousness of three growing boys, including a teenage Jason Bateman. The show was often issue-driven, discussing teen sex, condom use, drunk driving, and AIDS. Then Harper quarreled with her producers, presuming (wrongly, as it turns out) that a show called Valerie couldn’t afford to lose its star. The next season, Valerie became Valerie’s Family: The Hogans (and later just The Hogan Family), and Harper’s character was killed off and replaced by her sister-in-law, played by Sandy Duncan. The topical subject matter gradually faded too, and the show became more about everyone in the household—including a crochety old grandpa added during thefinal season—trying to find romance. Before it was cancelled for good, the show even jumped from NBC to CBS. Anyone who stuck with it through all that was devoted. (But to what?) http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-c...etoolin,25099/
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04-12-2011, 11:08 PM	#2
Mr. Television 22 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,125	Actually it was one of the best cases of retooling a show. lol
	__________________ Sonny

04-13-2011, 01:23 AM	#3
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,376	I agree, Sonny. Though I wonder why they kept using Valerie's name once she was no longer on it. They should've called it The Hogan Family as soon as Valerie Harper was off the program.
	__________________ "Jesus loves you and He approves this message." "I'm alive. I'm feeling good. I'm trying to live every moment as much as I can." - Valerie Harper, March 2013

04-13-2011, 01:36 AM	#4
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,450	And it had one of TV's best theme songs too!!
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04-14-2011, 02:32 PM	#6
Heidi Dawn Muppets Forum Regular Join Date: Jan 01, 2003 Location: Canada Posts: 883	Worst Case of Re-Tooling? I don't think so! I actually loved the show with both Valerie and Sandy in the lead. It dealt with a lot of topics such as racism and AIDS. Why it isn't on DVD, I'll never know, but at least the episodes are on YouTube to watch.
	__________________ Complete Series Box Sets I own: MASH, Three's Company, Gilligan's Island, The Dukes Of Hazzard, The Golden Girls, The Monkees, The Brady Bunch, Full House, I Dream Of Jeannie, Bewitched, Taxi, Gimme A Break, Dallas, Charlie's Angels, Joanie Loves Chachi, Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy, The Cosby Show, The Facts of Life, Family Ties, Diff'rent Strokes, Green Acres.

04-13-2011, 01:47 AM	#5
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,376	Yup, the song was sung by Roberta Flack and written by Charles Gimbel/Norman Fox, the team who gave us "Killing Me Softly With His Song".

04-14-2011, 05:10 PM	#8
McGillicuddy Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Sep 28, 2002 Posts: 5,179	Reminds me of the Dynasty spin-off series The Colbys: when it premiered the opening credits said: Dynasty II: The Colbys, just so the audience knew it was a sequel to Dynasty. "Dynasty II" was soon dropped and it became known just as, The Colbys. Getting back on subject, I might have thought Chico & the Man, might have been the worst case of re-tooling.

04-14-2011, 05:37 PM	#9
MrCleveland Drew Carey from Hell Forum Star Join Date: Nov 10, 2007 Location: The City of Cleveland, in The State of Cleveland, in The United States of Cleveland Posts: 14,222	I like the theme where Roberta Flack sang the song. Here's a good mash-up between Hulk Hogan and The Hogan Family....
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05-23-2011, 05:47 AM	#10
glickmam Member Forum Regular Join Date: Mar 03, 2007 Posts: 661	Personally, I'm glad it obtained that position as the worst case of a retool, as, in my opinion, it helps ward off greedy producers from doing something to hurt a show, such as ignoring the good advice that an actor gives out. Indeed, if I was the judge in the case, not only would Ms. Harper would have received the settlement that she certainly deserved, but I also would have ordered her to be written back onto the show, and I would have ordered Thomas L. Miller and Robert L. Boyett, the producers responsible for Ms. Harper's dismissal, as well as the executives at Lorimar-Telepictures and NBC donate their entire salaries from the show to actor's groups for a 6 year period.
	Last edited by glickmam; 04-08-2015 at 08:39 PM.

05-23-2011, 01:52 PM	#12
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,450	To me the worst case of retooling a show was Gimme a Break! After the death of Chief Kiniski his daughters were dropped from the show and Nell and Joey and a few assorted friends moved to New York. It became a completely different show. Gimme a Break!!!!

05-23-2011, 02:37 PM	#13
Torgo Omaha & Fritz Forum Star Join Date: Mar 06, 2004 Location: Oregon Posts: 19,017	Definitely disagree. One of the worst show retoolings was Buck Rogers. They went from being on Earth to the spaceship, and added the lame robot Crichton. Another one was Welcome Back, Kotter when they had the Sweat Hogs working for the school.
	__________________ "I'm going to go do something productive. I'm gonna go watch television." - Ray Peterson, The 'burbs "I am the literary equivalent of a Big Mac and Fries." - Stephen King "There's nothing wrong with G-rated movies, as long as there's lots of sex and violence." - Elvira

05-23-2011, 05:51 PM	#14
Retro4Life Accept No Substitutes Forum Veteran Join Date: Feb 04, 2009 Location: IL Posts: 6,706	OK, I've got the worst retooling to end all worst retooling... The original "Battlestar Galactica" was retooled after being cancelled in 1979. The new show was called "Galactica: 1980" and it was a disaster. Even to my very uncritical 15 year old eyes, it was obviously a failure. It aired at 6 CST, so they had to make it much more family friendly, i.e. very little violence or intense situations. Almost the entire cast was gone, with only Lorne Greene and Herb Jefferson Jr returning, as the characters had moved about twenty years into the future. They didn't even bother saying what had happened to most of the characters that were gone! Robbie Rist, Nazis, kids on flying ten speeds all figured into the plots...need I say more??
	__________________ Alex Reiger :[Trying to convince Louie not to antagonize Bobby] "It's not hard to make people feel bad about their lives. What's hard is making people feel good about their lives."