Shows that started drifting away from its plot/gimmick? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TMC · 01-30-2022, 05:26 AM

In other words, shows that really ran out of ideas pretty quick into their run. Or they abandoned original format midway into its run.

favoriteshow · 01-30-2022, 10:16 PM

Family Matters. And drifting away from its original premise is an understatement for it.

RetroGuy2000 · 01-31-2022, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by favoriteshow

Family Matters. And drifting away from its original premise is an understatement for it.

True. It started out as being about black family in Chicago. By the end, it was a slapstick sci-fi comedy about a nerd, his clone, time travel, and a robot.

rusty spike · 01-31-2022, 12:20 PM

Good Morning Miss Bliss and how it evolved into Saved By The Bell.

A change in settings involving moving across the country. And moving away from a likeable teacher to a group of students.

PracTz · 01-31-2022, 12:40 PM

'Facts of Life'

Started out as a middle-aged housemother/cook guiding X number of teen and preteen girls at an all-girls pre-collegiant boarding school.

Wound up as four young women living under one roof while deciding what each woman wanted to do with her own life while nominally running a business operating out of their home alongside with their onetime housemother/cook's sister and the sister's adopted young son who used to be their gofer- and the occasional input of a teen Australian exchange student somehow living there while attending their own former boarding school.

Truly, would any audience have watched for long (or even any exec had bought it) had the show started out with the premise of its last season?

rusty spike · 01-31-2022, 01:08 PM

Didn't the A-Team start off as mercenaries helping down on their luck ordinary people (while evading Col ____ of the US Army). Then the last season it became a modern day mission impossible with orders to do a job?

RetroGuy2000 · 01-31-2022, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PracTz

'Facts of Life'

Started out as a middle-aged housemother/cook guiding X number of teen and preteen girls at an all-girls pre-collegiant boarding school.

Wound up as four young women living under one roof while deciding what each woman wanted to do with her own life while nominally running a business operating out of their home alongside with their onetime housemother/cook's sister and the sister's adopted young son who used to be their gofer- and the occasional input of a teen Australian exchange student somehow living there while attending their own former boarding school.

Truly, would any audience have watched for long (or even any exec had bought it) had the show started out with the premise of its last season?

The premise really did evolve over the years. I remember a critic once wrote that it was a relief that the series was finally cancelled, luckily before it could become a show starring four elderly women, still roommates, living in Antarctica.

merlinjones · 01-31-2022, 01:50 PM

My Three Sons.

The original ABC b/w seasons 1-5 concept was how does a household/family of men comedically function without women. But the CBS version changes concept entirely to general family show, with wives, babies, precocious toddlers, and not even three sons by the end. It seems more like two different-but-related shows (incl. sets, setting, studio, tone, pace), more like Archie Bunker's Place to All in the Family - or Golden Palace to Golden Girls - or Ozzie's Girls to Ozzie & Harriet - or The Conners to Rosanne. Just a different show.

Duster76 · 01-31-2022, 02:55 PM

A few one season wonders from the 60's come to mind:

The New Phil Silvers Show

Phil plays a Bilko-like character working as a factory foreman. The series wasn't doing well, so around midseason the premise was changed with the series now focusing on
his home life (domestic comedy as opposed to work based).

The Cara Williams Show

The premise centers around coworkers married to each other (Williams and Frank Aletter) working for a company that prohibits employees from marrying each other. The show struggled for the first half of its run finally dropping the secretly married premise with the domestic and work life of the married couple driving the plots.

It's About Time

Frank Aletter (again) shows up in a comedy about two astronauts who go back in time landing in the days of the caveman. The premise quickly ran out of steam, so the astronauts return to modern times with the cave family they had been living with in tow.

And here's one from the 70's:

Laverne and Shirley

The show about two blue collar ladies working in a beer factory in Milwaukee in the 50's, the factory closes and the show shifts to LA County in the mid60's for the final three seasons.

And one more, this one from the 80's:

Newhart

The series was retooled early in its run, the premise of the show as it moved into its middle and late years was much different than the first two seasons.

merlinjones · 01-31-2022, 05:23 PM

The Doris Day Show - Three completely different shows in 5 seasons.

The Lucy Show - 2 completely different shows.

space1999 · 01-31-2022, 09:20 PM

Happy Days

Season 1 - 3ish - we followed the sweet innocent life of Richie Cunningham from teenager to becoming an adult.

Season 4 - onward - Fonize saving the day and getting our characters out of trouble.

RetroGuy2000 · 02-01-2022, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by merlinjones

The Doris Day Show - Three completely different shows in 5 seasons.

The Lucy Show - 2 completely different shows.

Never cared for TLS after she ditched the kids.

SarahBellum · 02-01-2022, 11:24 AM

Barney Miller - started out with Barney at 12th Precinct and at home with Liz. Home life was basically ditched in season 2 although Liz made a few appearances at 12th Precinct in subsequent seasons.

space1999 · 02-01-2022, 08:39 PM

Buck Rogers

Season 1 - Buck staying in the future to help Earth from trouble.

Season 2 - Buck and co. venture into The Searcher and it turns into a Star Trek clone including a Spock-like sidekick in Hawk.

They never wrote a story where Buck tries to return to 1987.

DEH55 · 02-02-2022, 12:59 PM

Happy Days

Started out as coming of age show centering around Richie Cunningham in the 50's.. Then it becomes Superhero Fonzie banging jukeboxes and catchphrases. Then you have Ritchie and Fonz hanging out with a wisecracking Alien from another planet. Then Ritchie isn't even on the show anymore and it's headlined by a Italian kid with feathered 80's hair.

01-30-2022, 05:26 AM	#1
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 126,305	Shows that started drifting away from its plot/gimmick? In other words, shows that really ran out of ideas pretty quick into their run. Or they abandoned original format midway into its run.

02-01-2022, 11:24 AM	#13
SarahBellum Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 15, 2007 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 3,873	Barney Miller - started out with Barney at 12th Precinct and at home with Liz. Home life was basically ditched in season 2 although Liz made a few appearances at 12th Precinct in subsequent seasons.
	Last edited by SarahBellum; 02-01-2022 at 05:03 PM.

01-30-2022, 10:16 PM	#2
favoriteshow Member Forum Regular Join Date: Dec 08, 2018 Posts: 587	Family Matters. And drifting away from its original premise is an understatement for it.

01-31-2022, 12:20 PM	#4
rusty spike Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 08, 2015 Location: Southwest Posts: 1,124	Good Morning Miss Bliss and how it evolved into Saved By The Bell. A change in settings involving moving across the country. And moving away from a likeable teacher to a group of students.

01-31-2022, 12:40 PM	#5
PracTz Member Senior Member Join Date: Jul 14, 2002 Location: United States of America [Happily Living in the 20th Century] Posts: 2,711	'Facts of Life' Started out as a middle-aged housemother/cook guiding X number of teen and preteen girls at an all-girls pre-collegiant boarding school. Wound up as four young women living under one roof while deciding what each woman wanted to do with her own life while nominally running a business operating out of their home alongside with their onetime housemother/cook's sister and the sister's adopted young son who used to be their gofer- and the occasional input of a teen Australian exchange student somehow living there while attending their own former boarding school. Truly, would any audience have watched for long (or even any exec had bought it) had the show started out with the premise of its last season?

01-31-2022, 01:08 PM	#6
rusty spike Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 08, 2015 Location: Southwest Posts: 1,124	Didn't the A-Team start off as mercenaries helping down on their luck ordinary people (while evading Col ____ of the US Army). Then the last season it became a modern day mission impossible with orders to do a job?

01-31-2022, 01:50 PM	#8
merlinjones Member Forum Regular Join Date: Dec 30, 2019 Location: los ángeles Posts: 933	My Three Sons. The original ABC b/w seasons 1-5 concept was how does a household/family of men comedically function without women. But the CBS version changes concept entirely to general family show, with wives, babies, precocious toddlers, and not even three sons by the end. It seems more like two different-but-related shows (incl. sets, setting, studio, tone, pace), more like Archie Bunker's Place to All in the Family - or Golden Palace to Golden Girls - or Ozzie's Girls to Ozzie & Harriet - or The Conners to Rosanne. Just a different show.

01-31-2022, 02:55 PM	#9
Duster76 Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 01, 2008 Location: New jersey Posts: 1,655	A few one season wonders from the 60's come to mind: The New Phil Silvers Show Phil plays a Bilko-like character working as a factory foreman. The series wasn't doing well, so around midseason the premise was changed with the series now focusing on his home life (domestic comedy as opposed to work based). The Cara Williams Show The premise centers around coworkers married to each other (Williams and Frank Aletter) working for a company that prohibits employees from marrying each other. The show struggled for the first half of its run finally dropping the secretly married premise with the domestic and work life of the married couple driving the plots. It's About Time Frank Aletter (again) shows up in a comedy about two astronauts who go back in time landing in the days of the caveman. The premise quickly ran out of steam, so the astronauts return to modern times with the cave family they had been living with in tow. And here's one from the 70's: Laverne and Shirley The show about two blue collar ladies working in a beer factory in Milwaukee in the 50's, the factory closes and the show shifts to LA County in the mid60's for the final three seasons. And one more, this one from the 80's: Newhart The series was retooled early in its run, the premise of the show as it moved into its middle and late years was much different than the first two seasons.

01-31-2022, 05:23 PM	#10
merlinjones Member Forum Regular Join Date: Dec 30, 2019 Location: los ángeles Posts: 933	The Doris Day Show - Three completely different shows in 5 seasons. The Lucy Show - 2 completely different shows.

01-31-2022, 09:20 PM	#11
space1999 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Mar 02, 2021 Location: Lost in Space Posts: 318	Happy Days Season 1 - 3ish - we followed the sweet innocent life of Richie Cunningham from teenager to becoming an adult. Season 4 - onward - Fonize saving the day and getting our characters out of trouble.

02-01-2022, 08:39 PM	#14
space1999 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Mar 02, 2021 Location: Lost in Space Posts: 318	Buck Rogers Season 1 - Buck staying in the future to help Earth from trouble. Season 2 - Buck and co. venture into The Searcher and it turns into a Star Trek clone including a Spock-like sidekick in Hawk. They never wrote a story where Buck tries to return to 1987.

02-02-2022, 12:59 PM	#15
DEH55 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: May 19, 2020 Posts: 320	Happy Days Started out as coming of age show centering around Richie Cunningham in the 50's.. Then it becomes Superhero Fonzie banging jukeboxes and catchphrases. Then you have Ritchie and Fonz hanging out with a wisecracking Alien from another planet. Then Ritchie isn't even on the show anymore and it's headlined by a Italian kid with feathered 80's hair.