When Good Characters Go Stupid - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TJL · 07-27-2002, 10:41 AM

A few days ago I was reading some comments on the Happy Days board about the changes Potsie Weber went through during the run of the show. He went from naive Richie's worldy buddy to a complete dimwit who was the butt of everyones putdowns..

A few others have gotten a case of the stupids over the years.

Joey on "Friends" has slowly drifted to the dumb side, while Homer Simpson went from a gruff but caring Dad to a complete moron who shouldn't be let out of the house!

Who else has gone from smart and savvy to dumb and dumber?

Central Perk · 07-27-2002, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by TJL
A few days ago I was reading some comments on the Happy Days board about the changes Potsie Weber went through during the run of the show. He went from naive Richie's worldy buddy to a complete dimwit who was the butt of everyones putdowns..

A few others have gotten a case of the stupids over the years.

Joey on "Friends" has slowly drifted to the dumb side, while Homer Simpson went from a gruff but caring Dad to a complete moron who shouldn't be let out of the house!

Who else has gone from smart and savvy to dumb and dumber?

I noticed that..I'm not sure of any others...Well Rebecca Howe from Cheers certainly made a big change but I wouldn't really call her getting more stupid..she went from tough/slightly neurotic to slightly tough/neurotic.

Christopher · 07-27-2002, 11:06 AM

ROSS!!!!!!! On Friends in the beginning Ross was funny and a good character now hes so dumb and such an idiot. I can't stand him anymore.

Will and Grace Fanatic · 07-27-2002, 12:28 PM

I think Becky from Roseanne went kind of stupid. She was soppose to be this smart girl in the beginning. But when they put in the second Becky they made her a little stupid. But the show was still funny even if she did become stupid.

Janice · 07-27-2002, 12:45 PM

Mallory Keaton on Family Ties started out smart, then got sort of dumb, probably so Alex could have a target for his wisecracks.
Chrissy Snow on Three's Company didn't start out as the ditzy blonde. If you watch the first season, she was normal. As the show went on, they turned her into a cartoon character.
Rebecca Howe on Cheers is a good example as well.

TJL · 07-27-2002, 01:14 PM

Another example would be Buddy From "Charles In Charge."
Like Potsie, he started out as a skirt chasing sidekick to the more sensible Charles, but by the end of that series he was a complete idiot!
Did they give him a labotomy when the show swithced to syndication?

JT · 07-27-2002, 02:15 PM

Chrissy was kinda ditzy and frivilous in the first season of TC. She was just slightly off during the first three seasons. But Mr. Furley came and she started to be a complete dummy!

In the beginning of Step by Step JT (hehe) was average for a guy his age, but by the end......he still had the same average-ness.....he still acted like he was 13 years old!

James · 07-27-2002, 04:12 PM

How about Winnie Cooper on The Wonder Years? Granted, I am a fan of TWY, but I saw her character go from reasonable at the beginning to downright nasty during the last couple of seasons. This was evident in Episodes #85 ("Double Double Date", her comment to Kevin to explain The Beatles, right before the narration of the conversation turning into war or something to the extent), #110 "Eclipse" (her comments to Kevin connected to Lou Grant and Beaver Cleaver)

Ditto with Kevin Arnold. He was not-so-innocent during the last couple of seasons, as was exhibited in Episode #88 ("Carnal Knowledge"), #99 ("White Lies", spreads a lie about studying with Winnie--should have run away from the locker room crowd IMHO), #106 ("Ladies and Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones", sneaks out of the house against his parents' orders) #108 ("Hulk Arnold", joins the wrestling team), #109 ("Nose", makes fun of the new girl's nose), and the finale ("Summer/Independence Day", gets smart with his parents, something you never saw the Brady kids do).

Had the show gone on ten more seasons, I do believe Kevin and Winnie would have turned their characters around and regained the innocence they had during the junior high days. The things they did in the episodes I named were things I never did do, or wanted to do in the first place.

Sean Snow · 07-27-2002, 06:14 PM

Ralph Furley sorta did on "Three's Company". The first season he was on the show he was sorta mean at times. But once Chrissy left, they gave RF some of her lines and became a looooot more crazier then he had been previously.

ThomasE · 07-27-2002, 06:45 PM

Edith Bunker-All in the Family/Archie Bunker's Place
Rose Nylund-Golden Girls/Golden Palace
Kelly Bundy-Married With Children
Potsie Weber-Happy Days
Chrissy Snow-Three's Company
Lisa Douglas-Green Acres
Katie Kanisky-Gimme A Break
Buddy Lembeck-Charles in Charge(He had issues)
Gloria Bunker Stivic-All in the Family-Gloria(She was a little ditsy on "Gloria")
Becky Conner-Roseanne(She was smart, then naive, smart again when Lecy was brought back, then naive when Sarah Chalke came back)
Naomi Oates Harper-Mama's Family
Harriet Olsen-Little House on the Prairie(She just got too whiny)
Pamela Barnes Ewing-Dallas(She lost her sophisticated strengh)

TJL · 07-27-2002, 07:18 PM

Yeah, Kelly Bundy...

She lost some serious gray matter over the years.

Penny Lane · 07-27-2002, 08:19 PM

Mark on Roseanne started off as a really cool tough guy but turned into a buffoon by the end of the series! As did all of the male characters.

Plata · 07-27-2002, 09:14 PM

Carlton Banks from Fresh Prince started out okay, but after awhile his character got a little bit silly.

i think the problem might have been that the writers could have gotten a little bit silly when writing the script and just threw it in. I think that's the way with lots of sitcoms that are on tv for quite awhile. Like, how many episodes could anyone write before the show becomes silly? It's always bound to happen sometime.

baronzzz · 07-28-2002, 02:50 AM

Bobbie Jo on Petticoat Junction was originally "the smart one" of the Bradley girls. After Pat Woodell left the role and Lori Saunders started to play Bobbie Jo , she became the ditsy one. Not that there's anything wrong with that; in fact I liked it better.

mamamiasweetpeaches · 07-28-2002, 08:50 AM

Is it just me or did Elaien on Seinfeld go from being every guys dream friend to a bitch and a witch? There was a turning point episode where Elaine found out what kind of money jerry made and started flirting with him just because she thought he had money.She never really bounced back after that.

I also want to agree with Kelly Bundy.She didnt start out stupid.What happened?

07-27-2002, 10:41 AM	#1
TJL Suburbanite Extrordinaire Forum Star Join Date: Dec 29, 2001 Location: New Jersey - the cradle of civilization Posts: 16,588	When Good Characters Go Stupid A few days ago I was reading some comments on the Happy Days board about the changes Potsie Weber went through during the run of the show. He went from naive Richie's worldy buddy to a complete dimwit who was the butt of everyones putdowns.. A few others have gotten a case of the stupids over the years. Joey on "Friends" has slowly drifted to the dumb side, while Homer Simpson went from a gruff but caring Dad to a complete moron who shouldn't be let out of the house! Who else has gone from smart and savvy to dumb and dumber?
	__________________ "I think I'll stroll up to the front to see how the shooting's going..." - Capt. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce Read my blogs! http://centralparkamisguide.com/ http://dvdcriticscorner.com Visit me on Facebook!http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=641138880 Hey, I do the tweet thing too! http://twitter.com/TomLevier My shop of handmade items! http://www.etsy.com/shop/ColdGarageCreations

07-27-2002, 11:06 AM	#3
Christopher The OG Core Four Forum Fanatic Join Date: Apr 15, 2001 Posts: 14,833	Re: When Good Characters Go Stupid ROSS!!!!!!! On Friends in the beginning Ross was funny and a good character now hes so dumb and such an idiot. I can't stand him anymore.

07-27-2002, 12:28 PM	#4
Will and Grace Fanatic be happy Senior Member Join Date: Feb 15, 2002 Location: seattle, washington Posts: 2,746	I think Becky from Roseanne went kind of stupid. She was soppose to be this smart girl in the beginning. But when they put in the second Becky they made her a little stupid. But the show was still funny even if she did become stupid.
	__________________ love is love

07-27-2002, 02:15 PM	#7
JT Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Apr 29, 2001 Location: USA Posts: 7,223	Chrissy was kinda ditzy and frivilous in the first season of TC. She was just slightly off during the first three seasons. But Mr. Furley came and she started to be a complete dummy! In the beginning of Step by Step JT (hehe) was average for a guy his age, but by the end......he still had the same average-ness.....he still acted like he was 13 years old!
	__________________ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrEbJBFWIPk

07-27-2002, 08:19 PM	#12
Penny Lane Butter Pie Forum Icon Join Date: Jul 03, 2001 Location: Beneath the blue suburban skies Posts: 51,236	Mark on Roseanne started off as a really cool tough guy but turned into a buffoon by the end of the series! As did all of the male characters. Attached Images
	__________________ Vulgarity is no substitute for wit- Lady Violet Crawley

07-27-2002, 12:45 PM	#5
Janice Retired Admin - Hollywood Swingin' Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 03, 2001 Location: Beantown Posts: 36,388	Mallory Keaton on Family Ties started out smart, then got sort of dumb, probably so Alex could have a target for his wisecracks. Chrissy Snow on Three's Company didn't start out as the ditzy blonde. If you watch the first season, she was normal. As the show went on, they turned her into a cartoon character. Rebecca Howe on Cheers is a good example as well.

07-27-2002, 01:14 PM	#6
TJL Suburbanite Extrordinaire Forum Star Join Date: Dec 29, 2001 Location: New Jersey - the cradle of civilization Posts: 16,588	Another example would be Buddy From "Charles In Charge." Like Potsie, he started out as a skirt chasing sidekick to the more sensible Charles, but by the end of that series he was a complete idiot! Did they give him a labotomy when the show swithced to syndication?

07-27-2002, 04:12 PM	#8
James Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Jan 07, 2001 Location: Dayton, Ohio, USA Posts: 6,370	How about Winnie Cooper on The Wonder Years? Granted, I am a fan of TWY, but I saw her character go from reasonable at the beginning to downright nasty during the last couple of seasons. This was evident in Episodes #85 ("Double Double Date", her comment to Kevin to explain The Beatles, right before the narration of the conversation turning into war or something to the extent), #110 "Eclipse" (her comments to Kevin connected to Lou Grant and Beaver Cleaver) Ditto with Kevin Arnold. He was not-so-innocent during the last couple of seasons, as was exhibited in Episode #88 ("Carnal Knowledge"), #99 ("White Lies", spreads a lie about studying with Winnie--should have run away from the locker room crowd IMHO), #106 ("Ladies and Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones", sneaks out of the house against his parents' orders) #108 ("Hulk Arnold", joins the wrestling team), #109 ("Nose", makes fun of the new girl's nose), and the finale ("Summer/Independence Day", gets smart with his parents, something you never saw the Brady kids do). Had the show gone on ten more seasons, I do believe Kevin and Winnie would have turned their characters around and regained the innocence they had during the junior high days. The things they did in the episodes I named were things I never did do, or wanted to do in the first place.

07-27-2002, 06:14 PM	#9
Sean Snow moo Forum Fanatic Join Date: May 06, 2001 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,408	Ralph Furley sorta did on "Three's Company". The first season he was on the show he was sorta mean at times. But once Chrissy left, they gave RF some of her lines and became a looooot more crazier then he had been previously.

07-27-2002, 06:45 PM	#10
ThomasE Member Moderator Forum Fanatic Join Date: Apr 04, 2000 Location: New York, New York, U.S.A. Posts: 10,857	Edith Bunker-All in the Family/Archie Bunker's Place Rose Nylund-Golden Girls/Golden Palace Kelly Bundy-Married With Children Potsie Weber-Happy Days Chrissy Snow-Three's Company Lisa Douglas-Green Acres Katie Kanisky-Gimme A Break Buddy Lembeck-Charles in Charge(He had issues) Gloria Bunker Stivic-All in the Family-Gloria(She was a little ditsy on "Gloria") Becky Conner-Roseanne(She was smart, then naive, smart again when Lecy was brought back, then naive when Sarah Chalke came back) Naomi Oates Harper-Mama's Family Harriet Olsen-Little House on the Prairie(She just got too whiny) Pamela Barnes Ewing-Dallas(She lost her sophisticated strengh)

07-27-2002, 07:18 PM	#11
TJL Suburbanite Extrordinaire Forum Star Join Date: Dec 29, 2001 Location: New Jersey - the cradle of civilization Posts: 16,588	Yeah, Kelly Bundy... She lost some serious gray matter over the years.

07-27-2002, 09:14 PM	#13
Plata Member Senior Member Join Date: May 16, 2001 Location: Regina,Saskatchewan, Canada Posts: 1,201	Carlton Banks from Fresh Prince started out okay, but after awhile his character got a little bit silly. i think the problem might have been that the writers could have gotten a little bit silly when writing the script and just threw it in. I think that's the way with lots of sitcoms that are on tv for quite awhile. Like, how many episodes could anyone write before the show becomes silly? It's always bound to happen sometime.

07-28-2002, 02:50 AM	#14
baronzzz Member Frequent Poster Join Date: May 11, 2002 Location: Beautiful Downtown Burbank Posts: 192	Bobbie Jo on Petticoat Junction was originally "the smart one" of the Bradley girls. After Pat Woodell left the role and Lori Saunders started to play Bobbie Jo , she became the ditsy one. Not that there's anything wrong with that; in fact I liked it better.

07-28-2002, 08:50 AM	#15
mamamiasweetpeaches Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jan 30, 2002 Location: Middle Village,NY Posts: 390	Is it just me or did Elaien on Seinfeld go from being every guys dream friend to a bitch and a witch? There was a turning point episode where Elaine found out what kind of money jerry made and started flirting with him just because she thought he had money.She never really bounced back after that. I also want to agree with Kelly Bundy.She didnt start out stupid.What happened?