Was The Facts of Life of victim of Cola-Cola's management of Columbia

[TMC]

Norman Lear sold Embassy, who was of course the production company behind The Facts of Life on behalf of Columbia Pictures Television in June 1985. That would be just before the start of Season 7 for TFOL. There's this LA Times article (unfortunately, it's behind a pay-wall) from 1988 (a few months after TFOL concluded its run on NBC) that discusses Coca-Cola's mismanagement of its messy patchwork film/TV production companies.

It says the one guy at Embassy whom Nancy McKeon particularly disliked ended up becoming a bigwig at Columbia Pictures Television after the two companies merged and Embassy ceased to exist as anything other than an in-credit copyright holding company. He along the way, ignored Nancy's suggestions while giving preferential treatment to Who's The Boss?

I don't know for sure if this had anything to do with why TFOL ended when it did in May 1988. Even though its ratings were down, it was still winning its time slot when it went off the air. NBC however, wanted Empty Nest instead despite its disastrous backdoor pilot. If I'm not mistaken, Kim Fields still seemed kind of disappointed their finale didn't get more fanfare.

[80s Dude]

The show had run it's course. Mindy and Nancy M. wanted out. The backdoor pilot to spin off Facts of Life: The New Generation was lame. Blair was way too young and too much of an airhead for the role of headmistress.

[FOL-FAN-ITA]

Well, NBC wanted a tenth season but Mindy and Nancy choose to leave. By the time Columbia entered the scene, Facts had run its course. The girls were adults at that point, there wasn't a real reason to stay together after Mrs. Garrett had left and OOH was closed.

[valentina warner]

Originally Posted by 80s Dude

The show had run it's course. Mindy and Nancy M. wanted out. The backdoor pilot to spin off Facts of Life: The New Generation was lame. Blair was way too young and too much of an airhead for the role of headmistress.

BLAIR was not an airhead: she may have been too young to be a headmistress, but she could have pulled it off easily!

[TV Guy]

The Blair/headmistress situation was too contrived. And Irma Kalish did not know how to write child characters. The new kids introduced in those last two episodes made me cringe. NBC made the right move - “Empty Nest” was a top 10 show the next year, and it was creatively fresher.

[RetroGuy2000]

Very simply put, beverage corporations have no business being in the film and television industry. The two should never mix. When they do, you end up with executives who think nothing of burning down Edna's warm, cozy bakery and replacing it with a cold, sterile, "hip" Spencer's rip-off shop. The idea was to boost ratings, but in retrospect, the merch and decor dated the episodes to a specific moment in time.

The characters, too, became twisted, Blair devolving into a caricature of herself, while Jo became a Pod Person, unrecognizable to those who grew up with the Bronx Brawler. Mrs. Garrett even refused to rebuild her own beloved shop, and quickly exited Stage Left, leaving the show now hinging mostly on corporate characters designed by corporate Coca-Cola employees.

The viewer knows that Mrs. Garrett would never give up her shop. The viewer knows Jo would never become a primping girly-girl. The viewer knows Blair is more than just a blonde flake. But the writers didn't know these things, and we ended up with an unbalanced last few seasons of the show, with Jo inexplicably marrying a man she barely knows and Blair becoming a headmistress, something she knew nothing about.

Coca-Cola didn't know anything about producing film or television, or making sure The Facts of Life stayed true to its characters. By the end, cancellation was a blessing.

[valentina warner]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Very simply put, beverage corporations have no business being in the film and television industry. The two should never mix. When they do, you end up with executives who think nothing of burning down Edna's warm, cozy bakery and replacing it with a cold, sterile, "hip" Spencer's rip-off shop. The idea was to boost ratings, but in retrospect, the merch and decor dated the episodes to a specific moment in time.

The characters, too, became twisted, Blair devolving into a caricature of herself, while Jo became a Pod Person, unrecognizable to those who grew up with the Bronx Brawler. Mrs. Garrett even refused to rebuild her own beloved shop, and quickly exited Stage Left, leaving the show now hinging mostly on corporate characters designed by corporate Coca-Cola employees.

The viewer knows that Mrs. Garrett would never give up her shop. The viewer knows Jo would never become a primping girly-girl. The viewer knows Blair is more than just a blonde flake. But the writers didn't know these things, and we ended up with an unbalanced last few seasons of the show, with Jo inexplicably marrying a man she barely knows and Blair becoming a headmistress, something she knew nothing about.

Coca-Cola didn't know anything about producing film or television, or making sure The Facts of Life stayed true to its characters. By the end, cancellation was a blessing.

I agree in most of what you say Retro! (except for season 8)

In the later years (especially season 7) BLAIR behaves like a real airhead, JO turns into a POD and so does MRS G; TOOTIE becomes stuck up, and only NATALIE remains her true self!!!!!

After watching the whole season 8 nevertheless, i have to say that it's a very strong season, and probably the only one from the later years where the girls behave like their true selves: i love how strong their friendship has become, how much they've learned from MRS G after she left, and how kind and caring they are towards BEVERLY ANN..... (at least during the whole season 8)

Christopher is definitely right: after viewing season 8, i have to say i simply love it!!!!!

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by valentina warner

I agree in most of what you say Retro! (except for season 8)

In the later years (especially season 7) BLAIR behaves like a real airhead, JO turns into a POD and so does MRS G; TOOTIE becomes stuck up, and only NATALIE remains her true self!!!!!

After watching the whole season 8 nevertheless, i have to say that it's a very strong season, and probably the only one from the later years where the girls behave like their true selves: i love how strong their friendship has become, how much they've learned from MRS G after she left, and how kind and caring they are towards BEVERLY ANN..... (at least during the whole season 8)

Christopher is definitely right: after viewing season 8, i have to say i simply love it!!!!!

I think the eighth season started off strong, after a disastrous Season 7, but by the end of the season, the writers had already forgotten what they had written earlier in the year. The discrepancies between "Write and Wrong" (8-11) and "Boy About the House" (8-18) being the most obvious: in WaW, Andy has a grandmother and parents; in BAtH, Beverly Ann has to adopt him because his now-foster parents are splitting up and his grandmother goes unmentioned. This is just one example, which any fan of the show will notice: the continuity begins to fall apart, and the set itself grows increasingly strange, like the writers just didn't care anymore.

[valentina warner]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

I think the eighth season started off strong, after a disastrous Season 7, but by the end of the season, the writers had already forgotten what they had written earlier in the year. The discrepancies between "Write and Wrong" (8-11) and "Boy About the House" (8-18) being the most obvious: in WaW, Andy has a grandmother and parents; in BAtH, Beverly Ann has to adopt him because his now-foster parents are splitting up and his grandmother goes unmentioned. This is just one example, which any fan of the show will notice: the continuity begins to fall apart, and the set itself grows increasingly strange, like the writers just didn't care anymore.

You're absolutely right once again Retro!

I always thought it was weird that in one episode ANDY had a grandmother, and in the other he was a foster child???? (what were the writers thinking lol?)

[Lorimar Television]

S8 is def my fav of s5-9

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by Lorimar Television

S8 is def my fav of s5-9

It is definitely a cut above. What other show would bring back three actresses who had been cut from the show five seasons earlier?

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by valentina warner

You're absolutely right once again Retro!

I always thought it was weird that in one episode ANDY had a grandmother, and in the other he was a foster child???? (what were the writers thinking lol?)

I think the question is: what had they been smoking? (That's a Mrs. Garrett line from Season 1)

[FOL-FAN-ITA]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

I think the eighth season started off strong, after a disastrous Season 7, but by the end of the season, the writers had already forgotten what they had written earlier in the year. The discrepancies between "Write and Wrong" (8-11) and "Boy About the House" (8-18) being the most obvious: in WaW, Andy has a grandmother and parents; in BAtH, Beverly Ann has to adopt him because his now-foster parents are splitting up and his grandmother goes unmentioned. This is just one example, which any fan of the show will notice: the continuity begins to fall apart, and the set itself grows increasingly strange, like the writers just didn't care anymore.

You're right Retro! At that point, the writers didn't care anymore about the show and the characters. They should have rebuilt Edna's Edibles. I don't think (the real) Mrs. Garrett would have closed her shop after only two years. That's what killed the show in my opinion, open Over Our Heads and reduce Mrs. Garrett's presence. As much as I love season 8, I admit it wasn't good like before. EE was a personal triumph for Edna, after many years working for other people. Without her shop, she became a stranger in her own house. Then she left for good! Blair and Jo became two completely different girls and they started adding new characters that didn't have a reason to stay there. I'm glad they stopped with season 9.

[Lorimar Television]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

It is definitely a cut above. What other show would bring back three actresses who had been cut from the show five seasons earlier?

Exactly

[Christopher]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

I think the eighth season started off strong, after a disastrous Season 7, but by the end of the season, the writers had already forgotten what they had written earlier in the year. The discrepancies between "Write and Wrong" (8-11) and "Boy About the House" (8-18) being the most obvious: in WaW, Andy has a grandmother and parents; in BAtH, Beverly Ann has to adopt him because his now-foster parents are splitting up and his grandmother goes unmentioned. This is just one example, which any fan of the show will notice: the continuity begins to fall apart, and the set itself grows increasingly strange, like the writers just didn't care anymore.

It's obvious they did that to provide character growth for Beverly Ann. The whole point of Beverly Ann in season 8 is rebuilding your life after a divorce. She met new friends, she took on a job, she dated again, she went on trips to see other parts of the world with her friends, so the only thing left to do to continue the character to experience new life adventures was adopting a child. This is why I wish she was a one season character. Yes, it was definitely stupid of the writers to make that Andy because he was already written with an established family. I wish it was another kid that was going through that situation of being put back into the system for Beverly Ann to adopt and move back to her home town. That would have been a perfect ending for Beverly Ann than what was written. The writers did really well with Beverly Ann in season 8 for the premise of the show. Divorce is part of learning the facts of life and how to start over after a long marriage.