"The Cosby show" spunoff "A Different World" the right way - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

tvje · 04-06-2003, 11:22 AM

On the general Discussion board, I am ranting about how sometimes sitcoms tries to launch a spinoff and uses an episode of the parent sitcoms as an unoffical pilot. You know when the main characters barely appear in their own show so the audience can get to know the spinoffs characters better. Ala an episode of All in the Family that was a unoffical pilot episode for the Jefferson, or an episode of Diff'rent Strokes that was the unoffical pilot for the Facts of Life.

I must complement the Cosby Show that it did not do that. I was watching it last night on Nick at Nite, they aired an episode with Tony Orlando that they were trying to spinoff to a show staring his characer. Normally, the Huxtables would barely appear on the episode in order for the audience to get to know the characters. But the Cosby Show did not do that. I saw enough of Cliff and the other Huxtibles to be sattisfied and for it to be considered a Cosby show episode and not an unoffical pilot.

Same thing when they spunoff "A Different World". They never did an episode where almost the entire episode takes place in Hillman and Cliff barely appears in the episode in order to get to know the characters on the spinoff. I guess the season 3 finale when the Huxtibles visit Hillman is the unoffical pilot for "A Different World". Though you do not see any of the characers that would become regulars on the show exept for Denise. And we still see enough of Cliff, that it is still a Cosby show episode.

TVFactFan · 04-06-2003, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tvje
On the general Discussion board, I am ranting about how sometimes sitcoms tries to launch a spinoff and uses an episode of the parent sitcoms as an unoffical pilot. You know when the main characters barely appear in their own show so the audience can get to know the spinoffs characters better. Ala an episode of All in the Family that was a unoffical pilot episode for the Jefferson, or an episode of Diff'rent Strokes that was the unoffical pilot for the Facts of Life.

I must complement the Cosby Show that it did not do that. I was watching it last night on Nick at Nite, they aired an episode with Tony Orlando that they were trying to spinoff to a show staring his characer. Normally, the Huxtables would barely appear on the episode in order for the audience to get to know the characters. But the Cosby Show did not do that. I saw enough of Cliff and the other Huxtibles to be sattisfied and for it to be considered a Cosby show episode and not an unoffical pilot.

Same thing when they spunoff "A Different World". They never did an episode where almost the entire episode takes place in Hillman and Cliff barely appears in the episode in order to get to know the characters on the spinoff. I guess the season 3 finale when the Huxtibles visit Hillman is the unoffical pilot for "A Different World". Though you do not see any of the characers that would become regulars on the show exept for Denise. And we still see enough of Cliff, that it is still a Cosby show episode.

That last episode of the 86-87 season titled Hillman did not give evidence that a spinoff was aBOUT to start. Yo can tell by the storyline-the Huxtables went to Hillman to hear a speech. I guess the idea of A Different World popped in one of the producers after ths episode. So none of the Different World characters were seen because it was defintely a Cosby Show Episode.

tvje · 04-06-2003, 02:11 PM

Yeah but I heard that Bill was planning to do a spinoff about Hillman with or without one of his kids attending since 1985. Cliff and his dad mentioned in like every other episode in the first couple of seasons.

Anyway, they still could have had the season 4 openier be the unoffical pilot for "A Different World". In the first scence Denise leaves the Huxtible house for Hillman. We get to know the "A Different World" characters and we don't see any of the other Huxtibles including Cliff for most of the episode exept for the first and last scence. But they did not do that and I am glad. I am fan of "A Different World", but I hate when sitcoms use an episode of the parent sitcoms for an unoffical pilot for a spinoff.

TVFactFan · 04-06-2003, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tvje
Yeah but I heard that Bill was planning to do a spinoff about Hillman with or without one of his kids attending since 1985. Cliff and his dad mentioned in like every other episode in the first couple of seasons.

Anyway, they still could have had the season 4 openier be the unoffical pilot for "A Different World". In the first scence Denise leaves the Huxtible house for Hillman. We get to know the "A Different World" characters and we don't see any of the other Huxtibles including Cliff for most of the episode exept for the first and last scence. But they did not do that and I am glad. I am fan of "A Different World", but I hate when sitcoms use an episode of the parent sitcoms for an unoffical pilot for a spinoff.

I think the spinoffs that started that way was the Jeffersons, Maude, and Checking In, The spinoffs that didn't have an official pilot was Laverne and Shirley, Good Times, and Different World.

tvje · 04-06-2003, 02:36 PM

Yes you understand what I am saying. I don't like it when shows are spunoff the way the Jeffersons, Facts of Life, Maude, etc. were spunoff, using there episodes of parent sitcoms as a unoffical pilot and not seeing enough of the characters of the parent sitcoms. Eventhough I like some of these shows, that is not the show I came to see.

The Cosby show did not do that. And I complement them for that. It knew what the people in the studio audience came to see and what the people every Thursday night at 8 pm tuned in to see. It let "A Different World" stand on it's own for the most part. And the people got to see the show they came to see and saw enough of Cliff Huxtible to be satisfied.

04-06-2003, 11:22 AM	#1
tvje Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 26, 2002 Posts: 1,402	"The Cosby show" spunoff "A Different World" the right way On the general Discussion board, I am ranting about how sometimes sitcoms tries to launch a spinoff and uses an episode of the parent sitcoms as an unoffical pilot. You know when the main characters barely appear in their own show so the audience can get to know the spinoffs characters better. Ala an episode of All in the Family that was a unoffical pilot episode for the Jefferson, or an episode of Diff'rent Strokes that was the unoffical pilot for the Facts of Life. I must complement the Cosby Show that it did not do that. I was watching it last night on Nick at Nite, they aired an episode with Tony Orlando that they were trying to spinoff to a show staring his characer. Normally, the Huxtables would barely appear on the episode in order for the audience to get to know the characters. But the Cosby Show did not do that. I saw enough of Cliff and the other Huxtibles to be sattisfied and for it to be considered a Cosby show episode and not an unoffical pilot. Same thing when they spunoff "A Different World". They never did an episode where almost the entire episode takes place in Hillman and Cliff barely appears in the episode in order to get to know the characters on the spinoff. I guess the season 3 finale when the Huxtibles visit Hillman is the unoffical pilot for "A Different World". Though you do not see any of the characers that would become regulars on the show exept for Denise. And we still see enough of Cliff, that it is still a Cosby show episode.
	__________________ tvje

04-06-2003, 02:11 PM	#3
tvje Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 26, 2002 Posts: 1,402	Yeah but I heard that Bill was planning to do a spinoff about Hillman with or without one of his kids attending since 1985. Cliff and his dad mentioned in like every other episode in the first couple of seasons. Anyway, they still could have had the season 4 openier be the unoffical pilot for "A Different World". In the first scence Denise leaves the Huxtible house for Hillman. We get to know the "A Different World" characters and we don't see any of the other Huxtibles including Cliff for most of the episode exept for the first and last scence. But they did not do that and I am glad. I am fan of "A Different World", but I hate when sitcoms use an episode of the parent sitcoms for an unoffical pilot for a spinoff.

04-06-2003, 02:36 PM	#5
tvje Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 26, 2002 Posts: 1,402	Yes you understand what I am saying. I don't like it when shows are spunoff the way the Jeffersons, Facts of Life, Maude, etc. were spunoff, using there episodes of parent sitcoms as a unoffical pilot and not seeing enough of the characters of the parent sitcoms. Eventhough I like some of these shows, that is not the show I came to see. The Cosby show did not do that. And I complement them for that. It knew what the people in the studio audience came to see and what the people every Thursday night at 8 pm tuned in to see. It let "A Different World" stand on it's own for the most part. And the people got to see the show they came to see and saw enough of Cliff Huxtible to be satisfied.