Indispensable Characters - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Retro4Life · 01-16-2017, 10:39 PM

What characters from TV do you feel were indispensable; that is, what characters' absence would have (or did) basically ruin the show?

Here's some of mine:

Did:

Ritchie (Happy Days)
Mulder (The X-Files)
Fred (Sanford and Son)
Mike, Gloria, and Edith (All in the Family)
Shirley (Laverne and Shirley)
Vinnie and Gabe (Welcome Back, Kotter)
Bob Newhart (final season of The Bob Newhart Show)
Blake (Blakes 7)
Frank (Homicide: Life on the Street)

Would have:

Ann (One Day at a Time)
Alice (Alice)
Hawkeye (MASH)
Fonzie (Happy Days)
Alex (Taxi)
Barney (Barney Miller)
George (The Jeffersons)
Emily (Bob Newhart Show)
Mary (Mary Tyler Moore)
Jessica (Soap)
Andy (NYPD Blue)
Lou (Lou Grant)
Jack (Three's Company)
Mr. Humphries (Are You Being Served?)
Matt Dillon (Gunsmoke)
Ben (Bonanza)
Captain Kirk or Mr. Spock (Star Trek TOS)
Archie (All in the Family) (they almost went on without him after O'Connor had issues with Lear right before Season 5, I believe)

Now I realize it seems silly to list folks whose name is in their own show (too obvious?) but there are a few examples where the show went on without the title character, such as Welcome Back, Kotter and Blakes 7.

PhoenixAcres · 01-16-2017, 11:17 PM

Did:
Barney Fife (The Andy Griffith Show)

Would Have:
Tony Nelson (I Dream of Jeannie)
Ginger Grant (Gilligan's Island)
Sam Malone (Cheers)

Retro4Life · 01-16-2017, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phoenixAcres16

Did:
Barney Fife (The Andy Griffith Show)

Would Have:
Tony Nelson (I Dream of Jeannie)
Ginger Grant (Gilligan's Island)
Sam Malone (Cheers)

Great answers. Can't believe I forgot Barney.

opus · 01-16-2017, 11:58 PM

Would have:

Barbara Cooper, One Day at a Time

Show: The character of Barbara Cooper is no longer with us
Me, grabbing remote: >click<

howilu · 01-17-2017, 11:20 AM

Ed Norton on The Honeymooners. Whether it was the sketches or the Classic 39 episodes, the scenes with Jackie Gleason and Art Carney are so funny.

Torgo · 01-17-2017, 12:30 PM

Did:

Bo And Luke - The Dukes Of Hazzard

bmasters9 · 01-17-2017, 12:32 PM

The Harts of Hart to Hart were indispensable in how they were happily married and showed it; that 1979-84 ABC series would not have been what it was had either one been absent, or had Max even been absent.

pkripper001 · 01-17-2017, 12:55 PM

Did:

James (Good Times)

Nurse Sully · 01-17-2017, 10:12 PM

Would Have
Heathcliff Huxtable- The Cosby Show
Mork- Mork & Mindy

Did
John Boy Walton- The Waltons

01-16-2017, 10:39 PM	#1
Retro4Life Accept No Substitutes Forum Veteran Join Date: Feb 04, 2009 Location: IL Posts: 6,708	Indispensable Characters What characters from TV do you feel were indispensable; that is, what characters' absence would have (or did) basically ruin the show? Here's some of mine: Did: Ritchie (Happy Days) Mulder (The X-Files) Fred (Sanford and Son) Mike, Gloria, and Edith (All in the Family) Shirley (Laverne and Shirley) Vinnie and Gabe (Welcome Back, Kotter) Bob Newhart (final season of The Bob Newhart Show) Blake (Blakes 7) Frank (Homicide: Life on the Street) Would have: Ann (One Day at a Time) Alice (Alice) Hawkeye (MASH) Fonzie (Happy Days) Alex (Taxi) Barney (Barney Miller) George (The Jeffersons) Emily (Bob Newhart Show) Mary (Mary Tyler Moore) Jessica (Soap) Andy (NYPD Blue) Lou (Lou Grant) Jack (Three's Company) Mr. Humphries (Are You Being Served?) Matt Dillon (Gunsmoke) Ben (Bonanza) Captain Kirk or Mr. Spock (Star Trek TOS) Archie (All in the Family) (they almost went on without him after O'Connor had issues with Lear right before Season 5, I believe) Now I realize it seems silly to list folks whose name is in their own show (too obvious?) but there are a few examples where the show went on without the title character, such as Welcome Back, Kotter and Blakes 7.
	__________________ 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."

01-17-2017, 12:30 PM	#6
Torgo Omaha & Fritz Forum Star Join Date: Mar 06, 2004 Location: Oregon Posts: 19,050	Did: Bo And Luke - The Dukes Of Hazzard
	__________________ "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

01-17-2017, 12:32 PM	#7
bmasters9 Member Senior Member Join Date: Jan 06, 2007 Posts: 2,550	The Harts of Hart to Hart were indispensable in how they were happily married and showed it; that 1979-84 ABC series would not have been what it was had either one been absent, or had Max even been absent.
	__________________ "CBS Sports presents...The Prudential College Football Report, sponsored by The Prudential, offering a full range of insurance and other financial services. The Prudential: the Rock...it's strong, it's on the move, it's bigger than life." (Don Robertson's spiel for The Prudential College Football Report in the 1986 season; modified from what it was in 1985)

01-17-2017, 10:12 PM	#9
Nurse Sully Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jan 17, 2017 Location: Falls Church, VA. Posts: 57	Would Have Heathcliff Huxtable- The Cosby Show Mork- Mork & Mindy Did John Boy Walton- The Waltons
	__________________ **Kaylan22Gidget Fan**

01-16-2017, 11:17 PM	#2
PhoenixAcres Member Moderator Forum Veteran Join Date: Jul 26, 2016 Location: United States Posts: 6,826	Did: Barney Fife (The Andy Griffith Show) Would Have: Tony Nelson (I Dream of Jeannie) Ginger Grant (Gilligan's Island) Sam Malone (Cheers)

01-16-2017, 11:58 PM	#4
opus VB Forum Superstar Join Date: May 16, 2015 Location: VB Galaxy Posts: 32,748	Would have: Barbara Cooper, One Day at a Time Show: The character of Barbara Cooper is no longer with us Me, grabbing remote: >click<

01-17-2017, 11:20 AM	#5
howilu Member Senior Member Join Date: Apr 20, 2003 Location: St. Louis Park, MN Posts: 1,964	Ed Norton on The Honeymooners. Whether it was the sketches or the Classic 39 episodes, the scenes with Jackie Gleason and Art Carney are so funny.

01-17-2017, 12:55 PM	#8
pkripper001 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 12, 2014 Location: Florida Posts: 401	Did: James (Good Times)