Series Finale

[knorr]

I have a few questions about the series finale and Im hoping somebody will know these answers.
Here are my questions:
1. Did the cast and writers know that the Lost in Space epiosdes would be the last ones? Did they intend it to be a series finale?

2. Why would the cast and writers expect there to be a tenth season when the show was canceled in January and ranked 108 in the ratings? It seems to me at that point they would know that the series was going to end during the summer months when CBS aired the remaining episodes. Thus you would think that in February or March that the writers would go ahead and shoot a finale knowing that this would be the end.

3. Also in July of 98 when the final episode aired, did CBS advertise that this was the final episode or did they just show it and move on?

[Neutronman67]

1. Did the cast and writers know that the Lost in Space epiosdes would be the last ones? Did they intend it to be a series finale?

2. Why would the cast and writers expect there to be a tenth season when the show was canceled in January and ranked 108 in the ratings? It seems to me at that point they would know that the series was going to end during the summer months when CBS aired the remaining episodes. Thus you would think that in February or March that the writers would go ahead and shoot a finale knowing that this would be the end.

3. Also in July of 98 when the final episode aired, did CBS advertise that this was the final episode or did they just show it and move on?

To answer your first question no the cast found out at the last minute that season 9 episode lost on space part 2 was the last episode their were suppose to be a season 10 but something happened and it never happened.

To answer your second question the cast were most likely reading to call it quits they had done the show for over 9 years they wanted to move on with their lives, plus jaleel white was tired playing the steve urkel character he was already stereotype and i am sure people in real life were always bothering him to talk like his character he created urkel.

I remember watching the episode back then its been over 15 years since i seen the final episode on CBS so my memory is blank but i think they did advertise a final promo about it being the final episode.

[MacLeaper]

I think the 2 part "Lost in Space" episode worked well as a series finale myself, though it would have been nice to see Steve and Laura get married too. They could always do that in a reunion movie though.

[Neutronman67]

McLeaper This show had went on for over 9 years put yourself in Jaleel White's shoes by 1998 he was around 21 or 22 years old he had spend his entire teen years playing a gawky geeky fictional character then imagine how hast of been for him in real life trying to convince people his personality is nothing like the guy he played on the show, i think Jaleel White wanted no part in the 10th season and without Steve Urkel the man of the show their is no Family Mattes, a reunion is possible but the show is not old enough yet maybe in 5 years their could be a 20th anniversary where all the people who were on the show like Winslow's,Eddie and laura's friends and maybe even some of the people that guest starred on the show could all come together for a 2 hour Documentary where they talk about the things that happened on the show, their is always a possibility that laura would change her mind about marrying steve urkel and go right ahead and marry stefan.

[bh7812]

Originally Posted by knorr

I have a few questions about the series finale and Im hoping somebody will know these answers.
Here are my questions:
1. Did the cast and writers know that the Lost in Space epiosdes would be the last ones? Did they intend it to be a series finale?

2. Why would the cast and writers expect there to be a tenth season when the show was canceled in January and ranked 108 in the ratings? It seems to me at that point they would know that the series was going to end during the summer months when CBS aired the remaining episodes. Thus you would think that in February or March that the writers would go ahead and shoot a finale knowing that this would be the end.

3. Also in July of 98 when the final episode aired, did CBS advertise that this was the final episode or did they just show it and move on?

Hoya Knorr! I see the one reply you did get was kind of half assed from what I can see so I will do my best to actually answer your questions! They're actually really good questions I haven't seen asked very often, at least how you asked them.

1.there is no doubt in my mind the cast and crew did not know the Lost In Space episode would be the series' last. In watching it it's very clear it was intended to be a Season Finale. Just the way the first half of that episode is set up there's no other explanation. The ONLY way I can see them having known ahead of time was if they'd shot the first half of the episode with the intention of resolving it at the beginning of Season 10 and being told pretty shortly after that shoot they were done. But, no, I don't believe they knew when that was shot that was going to be it.

2. The show being cancelled in January '98 is the first I've heard of that and it doesn't sound right. In an interview not terribly long after the show wrapped, Reginald VelJohnson (Carl) was asked about the circumstances of the cancellation and he said they had fully shot the first half of "Lost In Space" fully expecting renewal..he said they shot that in late spring. Anyway, he said very shortly after that shoot the cast and crew came in to discuss how to move forward if they got another season and were told when they arrived the show was cancelled, pack up, and go home. It's because of that interview I don't believe they knew that episode would be the series last when it was shot. A year made a huge difference, when Les Moonves announced he'd picked up both Family Matters and Step By Step, he was quite proud and excited their new home was CBS. He explicitly said he fully expected both shows would get at least 2 more seasons there..at least that's what he'd wanted. Obviously ratings soured him on that idea by the time the decision got made

3. I'm still baffled 15 years later how at least Family Matters didn't do well enough to get a 10th season. They advertised the whole CBS Friday Night Block Party quite heavily actually the first half of the season. Once everything else had fallen apart and they got down to those last episodes to burn off they even heavily advertised that through June of '98. I guess the shows' audience just grew up and moved on by that point. Advertising wise Les and the team did everything right..by every count both shows should have done well enough fir renewal just going by all the advertising they'd done.

[Neutronman67]

The show got bad ratings in the 9th season which is why it was moved to CBS the actors in the show had no idea that Lost in Space part 2 was going to be the last episode back in july in 1998 they thought it was going to be a 10th season, plus jaleel white was 21 years old and his voice sounded more annoying and high pitched then he did in season 1 when he was 13 years old he sounded like mickey mouse in seasons 8 and 9 lol, but the producers had run out of ideas for a 10th season and nobody liked the second harriet in the later seasons she was too agreeable lol.

[nicole7477]

I think the Series Finale should've been a double wedding of Waldo and Maxine and Steve and Laura, that's if Waldo wasn't written off of the show. They wouldn't need Season 10.

[nicole7477]

I don't think that Laura will change her mind about marrying Steve because she matured a lot, and they're both adults. You can't do the same thing at 21 that you did at 13. They both loved each other very much, so I doubt that will happen.

[Neutronman67]

Yeah they were 21 or 22 by the last episode they were grown i know Laura was not a virgin at that age she had thousands of boyfriends as a teenager lol, Steve was smart he made Laura feel sorry for him in the last episode with that depressing speech he gave her, he was smart he planned what he was going to do to make her fall for him smart man, but lets not forget we never found out what Stefan thought about Laura falling for Steve, i am sure he would try to prevent Laura and Steve getting married Myra would be his evil sidekick this could make a good movie plot.

[king of comedy]

Did Steve popped the question to Laura and did she say yes?

[rpm31]

Neutronman, I don't think Stefan would be as obsessive over that as Myra was. He's too cool to try something that dumb, especially after he saw how hurt Laura was when he and Myra tried to stop Steve and Laura from going on their first official date. Stefan would probably accept Steve and Laura love each other and move back to Paris and on with his life. Then again, given how sci-fi this show was, an alternate scenario is Stefan spontaneously combusts after Laura tells him she married Steve LOL!!

[nicole7477]

Neutron, she dated a lot of guys, but she didn't sleep with them. She was a virgin all along. In one early episode, she promise her mother that she will save herself until marriage, and that's what she did. Just because she dated different guys doesn't mean that she had sex with them. Stephan was NO Myra when it comes to stalking. And Steve didn't force or pity or trick Laura into choosing him for marriage. He ASSUME that Stephan was the one for her. This is what happen that few people talk about. This is how I know that she's going to choose Steve before she told him yes.


She went to her parents for advice about who she should choose, and they both said that Stephan was the best husband for her because he's handsome, rich, famous, blah blah blah, and then Carl asked her what does she thought about Steve and she said that he's funny, kind, gentle, smart, and he will do a lot for his world. Then she asked her mother (fake Harriette) how did she knew that Carl was the one for her, and her mother said that she knew that he was the one when she realized that she couldn't imagine her life without Carl. When fake Harriette said that, I KNEW that she's going to choose Steve because after all these years when she always said that she want Steve out of her life, she ALWAYS wind up missing Steve. In Season 2 when Steve was dating this girl named Susie, she was jealous and she missed Steve. When Steve dated Myra, she missed Steve. I knew that deep down inside, she liked Steve but doesn't want to admit it because he's a nerd and she was popular, and at that time, it wasn't cool to date a nerd. Plus they were ALWAYS together in everything even though they weren't dating at the time. So when Steve was ready to go to Russia to be with his parents, she was trying to explain to him that she wants him to be her husband but Steve said that Stephan will fit her better. Laura was VERY devastated when he said that he's leaving, and then she realize that she couldn't imagine her life without Steve, and that's when she said yes. I cried and cried and cried when she said yes. It was beautiful.

[rpm31]

LOL Yeah, Laura even ADMITTED to Steve's face that she got jealous for a second in the episode where Steve dated Suzie.

[nicole7477]

That's right, so that proves right there that Laura had feelings for him all these years BUT because of her popularity in school, she didn't want to let it be known or she will be cut off from all the popular parties, dances, and friends. This situation reminded me of this 1983 classic movie called VALLEY GIRL. It's about a valley girl who dated a man from the wrong side of the tracks, and because of her popularity, and her status in school, she wasn't allow to see him because if she does, she will lose her friends, and she will not be a homecoming queen, and she will not enter to elite parties that were held in San Fernando Valley. This is the same thing with Steve and Laura. I'm sorry, but a normal woman is not going to be jealous of someone that they don't like. Laura was just fronting in front of her friends and fall for the popular pretty boys just like VALLEY GIRL.

[rpm31]

Still, Laura was Steve's friend even in high school, and in the real world, that would ruin one's reputation. Then again, perhaps none of her in-crowd cared if she was friends with Steve or not, as long as Steve left her in-crowd alone, which he did for the most part.