Billy?

[julian bozo]

What happened to Billy from Season to Season?
He was in every episode 1 season then never seen
again.

[Novera]

He was definitely one of those "hey the show is dying, we need to shoe horn in a new cute kid for laughs" character who was added to the show.

They probably thought it would be good to have a new kid since Jonathan and Samantha were already much older by then. He probably didn't test well with audiences (although I thought he had some really funny moments) and they decided to remove him from the show (to also save $).

I think the reason on the show was that Ms. Rosini was able to take care of him now. You can tell it was a quick/sudden decision because they didn't really give it much air time, it was something like "hey where's billy?" "Oh Ms. Rosini has him" and then on with the show with no mention of him again.

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by Novera

He was definitely one of those "hey the show is dying, we need to shoe horn in a new cute kid for laughs" character who was added to the show.

They probably thought it would be good to have a new kid since Jonathan and Samantha were already much older by then. He probably didn't test well with audiences (although I thought he had some really funny moments) and they decided to remove him from the show (to also save $).

I think the reason on the show was that Ms. Rosini was able to take care of him now. You can tell it was a quick/sudden decision because they didn't really give it much air time, it was something like "hey where's billy?" "Oh Ms. Rosini has him" and then on with the show with no mention of him again.

I noticed how I was seeing him a few weeks ago and now its like he never existed

[Novera]

Originally Posted by TVFactFan

I noticed how I was seeing him a few weeks ago and now its like he never existed

As strange as it is when show's did this back then, today I find it kind of an endearing 80's tv trope. New kid shows up out of nowhere, he's given the classic catchy "please let this be a catch phrase" line to repeat... then when it doesn't work out *POOF* he/she is gone. It's funny to me now, but I growing up (watching these shows) I'd wonder wtf happened to the new character?

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by Novera

As strange as it is when show's did this back then, today I find it kind of an endearing 80's tv trope. New kid shows up out of nowhere, he's given the classic catchy "please let this be a catch phrase" line to repeat... then when it doesn't work out *POOF* he/she is gone. It's funny to me now, but I growing up (watching these shows) I'd wonder wtf happened to the new character?

Wonder how you found out that information back then. TV guide? Because like you said as a viewer you would be wondering what happened to him

[opus]

Originally Posted by TVFactFan

Wonder how you found out that information back then. TV guide? Because like you said as a viewer you would be wondering what happened to him

Yeah, TV Guide, other entertainment magazines (like People), newspaper TV sections, Entertainment Tonight started in ‘81. Not as easy as today, but if someone really cared they could probably track down the info.

[rcbrad]

I read somewhere that he was written out of the show because they wanted to concentrate more on the romance between Tony and Angela, since it was going to be the last season.

[Novera]

Originally Posted by rcbrad

I read somewhere that he was written out of the show because they wanted to concentrate more on the romance between Tony and Angela, since it was going to be the last season.

You know what that makes sense, because they had built that tension for all those years already. So they must'vefigured "Ok lets give them what they want, they are finally together and the show is going to be mainly about their new relationship."

[TMC]

Originally Posted by Novera

He was definitely one of those "hey the show is dying, we need to shoe horn in a new cute kid for laughs" character who was added to the show.

They probably thought it would be good to have a new kid since Jonathan and Samantha were already much older by then. He probably didn't test well with audiences (although I thought he had some really funny moments) and they decided to remove him from the show (to also save $).

I think the reason on the show was that Ms. Rosini was able to take care of him now. You can tell it was a quick/sudden decision because they didn't really give it much air time, it was something like "hey where's billy?" "Oh Ms. Rosini has him" and then on with the show with no mention of him again.

I think that people also particularly didn't like the Billy arc because Tony and Angela were now written as if they had little to no experience at raising kids and being parents despite the existence of Sam and Jonathan.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by rcbrad

I read somewhere that he was written out of the show because they wanted to concentrate more on the romance between Tony and Angela, since it was going to be the last season.

I've heard conflicting reports that Tony Danza didn't like the idea of adding another kid to the household and preceded to make life miserable for Jonathan Halyalkar, the young actor who played Billy. And since Tony was the star of the show, he pretty much had to get what he wanted.

[MikeLutton]

i think they said his grandma got better and he went back to live with her

[Novera]

Originally Posted by TMC

I think that people also particularly didn't like the Billy arc because Tony and Angela were now written as if they had little to no experience at raising kids and being parents despite the existence of Sam and Jonathan.

Oh that's actually a great point, they were fumbling their words and acting like first time parents with him!

Its like the writers got all excited about this new writing opportunity, forgetting this isn't a NEW show about a new couple who just had their first baby.

[Novera]

Originally Posted by MikeLutton

i think they said his grandma got better and he went back to live with her

If I remember correctly it was also a throw away line, blurted out in a few seconds and never brought up again along with Billy. Sometimes I wonder about these child actors, they have all this pressure to get the job from their parents, land a spot on a huge show... then get written out.

When he saw the new episodes playing on tv without him existing in their world anymore, I wonder how he felt!

[TMC]

Originally Posted by rcbrad

I read somewhere that he was written out of the show because they wanted to concentrate more on the romance between Tony and Angela, since it was going to be the last season.

To follow up what I previously said, according to the so called "supermarket tabloids" of the day, Jonathan Halyalkar, the actor who played Billy, wasn't really that good, and caused more disruptions than work got done; the stories quoted Tony Danza as being frustrated with the tyke for constantly blowing lines, running around on the set, etc.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by Novera

Oh that's actually a great point, they were fumbling their words and acting like first time parents with him!

Its like the writers got all excited about this new writing opportunity, forgetting this isn't a NEW show about a new couple who just had their first baby.

Also, Billy kind of threw a monkey wrench into that unique pseudo sibling relationship between Sam and Jonathan. I liked that Sam took on this kind of "cool big sister" role for Jonathan.

I'm guessing that the producers thought that it would be cute to give Sam another pseudo little brother in Billy, but they don't really interact that much from what I can recall. Billy just comes across as some little brat that Tony and Angela have to babysit for while Billy's grandma is on the mend.

Like I said before, Billy just didn't seem like an average, down-to-earth, everyday kid like Sam and Jonathan were in the early years. He came across as one of those annoying sitcom kids who always has to get the best of adults and has to make cute little one-liners or remarks.