Did FOL Drop The Ball With The Sue Ann Character?

[DarkDante]

I've been re-watching the first season of FOL over the past week and while I've always been a massive fan of the Sue Ann Weaver character, it was only in re-watching the series that I began to realize how much potential the character had if only they had taken the time to properly develop her.

I don't know if this occurred to the writers that early on in production but having a character like Sue Ann that was ostensibly an outsider in a strange land left room for a whole world of possibilities for that character. Remember it is mentioned several times throughout the first season that Sue Ann unlike the other girls did not come from an affluent background and was in fact a scholarship student.

Now just based on that little tidbit of information alone given hindsight we know that there have been scores of sitcoms and dramas that have found success in integrating a character that is perceived to be an outsider into new situations/new friends/new environment. One of the most notable success stories as it pertains to this would be the original "Beverly Hills: 90210" which told the story of two teens from the midwest who suddenly found themselves in an affluent environment and learning to adapt to it.

Now given that FOL was a solid decade prior to many of these shows that utilized that storyline successfully, did FOL drop the ball in not making the character of Sue Ann Weaver and her trials and tribulations trying to fit into an affluent environment more a part of the show?

Perhaps they wanted to be careful not to closely parrot what they were attempting somewhat at the time with "Diffrent Strokes" with the integration of two youngsters who were ostensibly living near the poverty line into a world of affluent wealth? But to me while "Diffrent Strokes" spoke of integration within the context of a family, "Facts Of Life" could've at least in part spoke of integration between the two class systems much like was evidenced decades later on shows like "Malibu Shores" and "The OC".

I'm really starting to think this missed out on a fantastic opportunity here where they really could've developed the Sue Ann Weaver character into something truly special. Also given that Julie Piekarski herself at the time was herself a transplant coming to California from the Midwest I'm sure she could've observed the role with a great deal of taste and heart if they had given her more to work with.

It seems at times they were trying to get some sort of clash between the class systems working between the characters of Blair Warner and Sue Ann Weaver but would never develop it beyond a passing reference. Of course they later tried to transfer parts of this storyline to the relationship between Blair and Jo but more times than not it was played for laughs instead of focusing on a storyline that I really felt from the very beginning should've been one of the major themes of the show.

[candycandy]

I agree that SUE ANN was a good character but my guess is: the writers must have realized she didn't click at all with BLAIR the way JO did and they were looking for chemistry between the main ones.
It was obvious BLAIR was the number one in the first season with her 'wild ways' so they had to find another strong person to tame her down, and this is where JO comes in......

[DarkDante]

Originally Posted by candycandy

I agree that SUE ANN was a good character but my guess is: the writers must have realized she didn't click at all with BLAIR the way JO did and they were looking for chemistry between the main ones.
It was obvious BLAIR was the number one in the first season with her 'wild ways' so they had to find another strong person to tame her down, and this is where JO comes in......

Well I'll admit it was one path to pursue but another route they could've taken was using SUE ANN as more of a sympathetic character that the audience could identify with. You don't necessarily need a full on antagonistic clash between lead characters in order to build a successful television show. As I mentioned that is always an option available to the writers but it's not necessarily a requirement for developing a compelling, ongoing plot.

Now personally I was never a fan of JO although I thought Nancy McKeon was a fine actress who was able to take what was given her and make good use of it. The character however to me always seemed far too over the top for my liking almost to the point of parody. I often refer to JO as the female "Vinnie Barbarino" as John Travolta's character on "Welcome Back Kotter" though wildly popular in it's day was really just played for laughs as an over the top type personality as was JO on FOL. JO could have her serious moments but for the most part the character was horribly pigeonholed from the very start and mainly used to elicit somewhat predictable laughs.

[Ihavealife2uknow]

I agree. Of all the season 1 characters that got cut Sue Ann is the only one I really wish would have made it somehow. I don't think she necessarily needed to be in the core group though just someone who was recurring like Pippa, Andy, George etc.

[candycandy]

Originally Posted by Ihavealife2uknow

I agree. Of all the season 1 characters that got cut Sue Ann is the only one I really wish would have made it somehow. I don't think she necessarily needed to be in the core group though just someone who was recurring like Pippa, Andy, George etc.

I agree with you guys: i was never a big fan of JO (the way most of the people are) and for me BLAIR and MRS G have always been my number ones!
SUE ANN was the best from the 'forgotten fol girls' and it is a shame they didn't keep her together with the other 4 girls (she would have made a good friend to TOOTIE and NAT).

[frodnew6]

I disagree because I didn't think Julie was a good actress.

[Kasey]

The problem was that Sue Ann and Blair were both attractive blondes and it was obvious despite their different backgrounds, neither girl would be at a loss for getting dates or being popular with other girls. The physical similarities were too great.

Jo's abrasiveness, sarcasm and blue-collar Bronx background made for a better contrast/conflict with Blair which IMO really drove the stories after she arrived. They needed that 'rough-around-the-edges' character to balance things out. It would not have been the same had the foursome been Blair, Sue Ann, Natalie and Tootie.

[candycandy]

Originally Posted by frodnew6

I disagree because I didn't think Julie was a good actress.

I'd say out of the '4 forgotten girls' SUE ANN was the best one......

[frodnew6]

Maybe, but I didn't think any of them were very good actresses lol. The only two that stood out were Blair and Tootie to me. Although I'm glad they also kept Natalie because I thought she was adorable, and she had the same personality as me. haha

[candycandy]

Originally Posted by frodnew6

Maybe, but I didn't think any of them were very good actresses lol. The only two that stood out were Blair and Tootie to me. Although I'm glad they also kept Natalie because I thought she was adorable, and she had the same personality as me. haha

BLAIR was definitely the one that stood out from the very first day: on the 'pilot' she delivers unforgettable lines when she acts like a 'spoiled brat' in front of MRS G, and you can tell she will outsmart NANCY by becoming the main one. The writers must have realized she had potential cos when they formed FOL they centered most of the stories around the 'debutante' by making her being as 'wild easy' type: only the housemother gets to see she's only a tease when she confronts her over bullying CINDY and from that moment on they form a strong bond.
NATALIE on the other hand had no acting experience at all but i think they decided to keep her to see if she would develop a personality. She did and from season 2 onward she was the funniest one of them all!
TOOTIE was great on season 1 and 2, but afterwards she became a pain whining all the time with her high pitch kind of voice, although i'm glad they kept her since FOL would have never been the same without our 5 stars: MRS G, BLAIR, JO, NAT & TOOTIE......

[robyrob]

i always thought they should have kept the other girls as recurring characters and just use them when they needed to and focus on the 4 main girls.

Sue Ann was alright, but my favorite of the first year girls was Molly.

[SneakerBoom]

I'm torn myself. Sue Ann seemed to be modeled on Betty Cooper from the Archie Comics. Blair was clearly supposed to be Veronica Lodge. The fact that they could both get dates was not a problem. I think the fact that they both had blonde hair was probably a problem. Nancy McKeon is a much better actress though, so in this respect it seems to have worked out for the best.

[candycandy]

Originally Posted by robyrob

i always thought they should have kept the other girls as recurring characters and just use them when they needed to and focus on the 4 main girls.

Sue Ann was alright, but my favorite of the first year girls was Molly.

No offense to you but MOLLY was actually the worst one of all the actresses and soo annoying!

[frodnew6]

lol I agree that Molly was horrible. I would have liked if they had the original girls make appearances throughout, as well as Kimberly. But I definitely would never pick them as the main characters over the four that we eventually got.

[wiseguy182]

Sue Ann should have gotten expelled for smoking marijuana and never heard from again. 3 other girls who had smoked marijuana got expelled right around that time, including a young Holly Hunt, and I don't understand why Sue Ann sneaked through. Blair had even warned her against it. I admire Blair for not falling into that crap.

Personally, I thought Sue Ann was the most annoying. I found her jealousy of Cindy in the episode where they ran track to be completely disgusting. Sue Ann had already won the championship twice and didn't want/need any more, but she had a problem with Cindy going for it, even though they were from the same school.

I really don't understand why they attempted to make Sue Ann country/rural, because she was from KANSAS CITY and not some small town, and Missouri isn't even a true southern state.

I didn't have a problem with Molly, though I can understand how some people might find her annoying. I still think she could have benefitted the show some way, given how successful she became with all those John Hughes, teen angst-y movies.

I liked Cindy and thought they were going to write her as a lesbian eventually, but the writers might have thought that might have been too controversial for the time period.

Nancy was pretty much useless. It seems she didn't do anything except talk on the phone with Roger. wasted space.