the last season

[scott cokeley]

Something I have noticed in the show`s broadcast history....during the last season, in Feb. 78, the show went off the air prematurely. It returned, I think, from June to July 78, then left for good...(except reruns for a few years, then vanished completely, at least here)....Yet, there were about 22 shows (roughly) made for that season, like the other seasons, even though two later ones never aired. So I suppose it was pulled in Feb. due to low ratings (??). Kind of weird.......Of course, it couldn`t be the same without Freddie.

[Luckymama58]

That sometimes happens. A series will always film its contracted number of shows weeks ahead of airing schedule, and unless a series bombs out of the gate, they will complete this contract. Since CATM didn't get canceled till later in the season, these latter shows were probably already in the can (filmed). Sometimes when this happens these shows become "lost episodes" and are billed as that years later when they re run the series. Sometimes failed pilots are in the same catagory. Some series have more than one pilot filmed and if the networks don' t like the first attempt(s) (maybe because of the script or the actors cast in the parts) but still like the concept of the show, they will order new pilots. Sometime these first pilots are aired (in the case of Star Trek- the original series- it was also re written later into another two part episode in season 2- cast changes were made before a second pilot was filmed, and The Love Boat- several pilots aired as a series of TV movies with different cast members before the series came out- they were fine tuning the regular cast) but sometimes these are not aired and are considered lost episodes. These lost episodes are true treasures, even if they aren't very good. Kinda gives you a feel for where the series was going.

[Cheryl Harrell]

I wonder if there were any lost CATM episodes or scenes? I'm betting Della singing TEACH ME TONIGHT to Chico & Ed is a lost scene...