Ridiculous TV Show Cast/Setting Changes That Even Suspension of Disbelief Can't...

[TMC]

Overcome?

For example, when the supporting players of Laverne & Shirley (i.e. Lenny, Squiggy, Carmine "The Big Ragu" Ragusa along with Laverne's father and his wife) moved from Milwaukee to California to join L&S. We're supposed to believe they all decided on a whim to throw their lives away (bare in mind that Laverne's parents owned a reasonably successful pizza business in Milwaukee) and with little thought make a major life decision so they can keep their little group together.

[RetroGuy2000]

That's a good example.

I know TV critics have mentioned this one: on Little House on the Prairie, when everybody moved out of Walnut Grove to whatever that larger town was, and then later that year, everyone moved back.

But this may be the worst one: The move from Indiana to California on Saved By the Bell/Good Morning Miss Bliss. The school remained the same, but the state changed?!

[glickmam]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

That's a good example.

I know TV critics have mentioned this one: on Little House on the Prairie, when everybody moved out of Walnut Grove to whatever that larger town was, and then later that year, everyone moved back.

But this may be the worst one: The move from Indiana to California on Saved By the Bell/Good Morning Miss Bliss. The school remained the same, but the state changed?!

That's because Good Morning, Miss Bliss and Saved by the Bell are actually technically two different shows. The only reason why Good Morning, Miss Bliss was included with the regular Saved by the Bell run was to pad out the number of episodes in order to have a decent rerun syndication package.

[Yong Fang]

Sanford and Son might be my example. Fred Sanford married his wife Elizabeth in St. Louis, and Elizabeth's family and sisters (Esther, Ethel, and at others) hated him, yet they all followed him to Los Angeles. Grady was also from St. Louis who was a childhood friend of Fred's who moved west. A fairly large circle of people who all seemingly picked up and moved.

[biffbronson]

Originally Posted by TMC

Overcome?

For example, when the supporting players of Laverne & Shirley (i.e. Lenny, Squiggy, Carmine "The Big Ragu" Ragusa along with Laverne's father and his wife) moved from Milwaukee to California to join L&S. We're supposed to believe they all decided on a whim to throw their lives away (bare in mind that Laverne's parents owned a reasonably successful pizza business in Milwaukee) and with little thought make a major life decision so they can keep their little group together.

The actual events make more sense. Frank DeFazio and Edna Babish moved to Calif. first; they did not "join L&S" as you've claimed. (Edna became Laverne's stepmother I will add, she had only one biological parent living.) The bottle capping jobs of L & S at Shotz were eliminated. This is key to explaining what happened.

With the new "Cowboy Bill's" established out west, there was nothing to stop Laverne (and to some extent everyone else) from moving. I'm not saying that the idea of EVERYONE like Len, Squig, Ragu, going wasn't a stretch, but saying that ALL of the characters -- Frank & Edna on down -- joined L & S puts the cart in front of the horse, which didn't happen.

[Heidi Dawn]

Originally Posted by TMC

Overcome?

For example, when the supporting players of Laverne & Shirley (i.e. Lenny, Squiggy, Carmine "The Big Ragu" Ragusa along with Laverne's father and his wife) moved from Milwaukee to California to join L&S. We're supposed to believe they all decided on a whim to throw their lives away (bare in mind that Laverne's parents owned a reasonably successful pizza business in Milwaukee) and with little thought make a major life decision so they can keep their little group together.

By that point, L & S was losing ratings and ABC was concerned. The producers thought that changing the location would improve ratings and they were also running out of ideas to keep them in Milwaukee. The California seasons weren't bad, but they weren't great either, just so-so. There should have been more crossovers with Happy Days than there was.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by glickmam

That's because Good Morning, Miss Bliss and Saved by the Bell are actually technically two different shows. The only reason why Good Morning, Miss Bliss was included with the regular Saved by the Bell run was to pad out the number of episodes in order to have a decent rerun syndication package.

Oh, I'm aware of the real-life reasons. But in-universe, it made no sense. One season they are in Indiana, the next they are in California. And yet, the school has the same principal, and three of the students are there. And these episodes were syndicated as Saved By the Bell.

[TMC]

15 TV Shows That Did Lame Things To Boost Ratings

[Retro4Life]

I'll say it again, because it bears repeating.

Galactica: 1980. Case closed. You gut the show's cast, leaving only TWO of the original stars (out of a dozen or so), three original characters (one was played by a different actor as he had aged), shoot the show twenty five years into the future, change the setting to Earth, change the main villain, and gear the show towards children.

HOW did that strategy ever fail?

[glickmam]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Oh, I'm aware of the real-life reasons. But in-universe, it made no sense. One season they are in Indiana, the next they are in California. And yet, the school has the same principal, and three of the students are there. And these episodes were syndicated as Saved By the Bell.

Oh, I thought you were not familiar with the real life reasons, given how obscure Good Morning, Miss Bliss really is.