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TV Shows that started out good and toward the end it changed totally

Started by roadman65, February 05, 2019, 10:22:26 PM

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1995hoo

Quote from: Rothman on February 08, 2019, 08:59:36 AM
Quote from: bandit957 on February 07, 2019, 10:38:07 PM
My mom used to watch 'Dallas' all the time. I was in the room when my mom watched the episode where Patrick Duffy said, "It was a dream, a horrible dream." That was about the dumbest moment in TV history, and I think my mom stopped watching 'Dallas' after that.
I thought there was one season where his character died and the woman he was sleeping with woke up in the first episode of the next season to see him in the shower.

That's what he's talking about. I assume it's not a spoiler to describe: Duffy left the show and they killed off his character, Bobby. Ratings weren't as good, so the producers negotiated to bring Duffy back to the show. At the end of the season, Pam wakes up to see him saying "good morning" as he dries off after a shower. That was the "cliffhanger ending" for that season. The following fall, she learns that the whole previous season, including Bobby's death, was a dream.

Apparently that whole thing made for some serious challenges in filming the show because everything else that happened during the "Dream Season" had to be walked back–so, for example, Sue Ellen Ewing had sobered up, but now she had to be an alcoholic again because her sobriety was a dream. Still, the "Dream Season" probably remains one of the most ridiculed stunts ever.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.


Rothman

Never understood the lack of reruns for The Electric Company, either.

Watched them with my kids since some are available on the Internet.

Still, the association with Bill Cosby has probably hurt it.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

bandit957

Quote from: Rothman on February 08, 2019, 08:59:36 AM
Quote from: bandit957 on February 07, 2019, 10:38:07 PM
My mom used to watch 'Dallas' all the time. I was in the room when my mom watched the episode where Patrick Duffy said, "It was a dream, a horrible dream." That was about the dumbest moment in TV history, and I think my mom stopped watching 'Dallas' after that.
I thought there was one season where his character died and the woman he was sleeping with woke up in the first episode of the next season to see him in the shower.

His character died, but then a year later, his wife woke up one morning to find him in the bathroom taking a shower. He said, "Good morning," as if nothing had happened. That was the big cliffhanger around 1986. When the new season started, he explained to his wife that the entire year including his death was just a bad dream.
Might as well face it, pooing is cool

Rothman

Quote from: bandit957 on February 08, 2019, 09:08:20 AM
Quote from: Rothman on February 08, 2019, 08:59:36 AM
Quote from: bandit957 on February 07, 2019, 10:38:07 PM
My mom used to watch 'Dallas' all the time. I was in the room when my mom watched the episode where Patrick Duffy said, "It was a dream, a horrible dream." That was about the dumbest moment in TV history, and I think my mom stopped watching 'Dallas' after that.
I thought there was one season where his character died and the woman he was sleeping with woke up in the first episode of the next season to see him in the shower.

His character died, but then a year later, his wife woke up one morning to find him in the bathroom taking a shower. He said, "Good morning," as if nothing had happened. That was the big cliffhanger around 1986. When the new season started, he explained to his wife that the entire year including his death was just a bad dream.

I just remember seeing that shower nonsense when I was a kid when it aired. :D
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

bandit957

Also, I loved 'The Dukes Of Hazzard' in my day, but one of the last episodes was about a space alien visiting Hazzard. This would be fine for a sci-fi, but 'The Dukes Of Hazzard' wasn't supposed to be a sci-fi.

By that time, I had stopped regularly watching, for some reason. But I did see it in reruns.
Might as well face it, pooing is cool

abefroman329

Quote from: Rothman on February 08, 2019, 08:58:08 AM
Quote from: Ben114 on February 07, 2019, 09:03:52 PM
Us early 2000s kids got lucky with these shows. I remember sitting there daily watching the Nick cartoons, like the good ones, SpongeBob (still on air after almost 20 years), The Fairly OddParents (anyone remember that, I believe they took a break making that and then they reintroduced it with this weird girl to make the show 20 times worse), and that's all I remember right now.

Today's kids shows are definitely changed from 10-15 years ago.
Actually, I consider today's kids unlucky without Mister Rogers.
I can't follow that double negative.  Do you think it's a good thing that Mister Rogers is no longer broadcast, or a bad thing?

Takumi

Quote from: Rothman on July 15, 2021, 07:52:59 AM
Olive Garden must be stopped.  I must stop them.

Don't @ me. Seriously.

Rothman

Quote from: abefroman329 on February 08, 2019, 09:23:36 AM
Quote from: Rothman on February 08, 2019, 08:58:08 AM
Quote from: Ben114 on February 07, 2019, 09:03:52 PM
Us early 2000s kids got lucky with these shows. I remember sitting there daily watching the Nick cartoons, like the good ones, SpongeBob (still on air after almost 20 years), The Fairly OddParents (anyone remember that, I believe they took a break making that and then they reintroduced it with this weird girl to make the show 20 times worse), and that's all I remember right now.

Today's kids shows are definitely changed from 10-15 years ago.
Actually, I consider today's kids unlucky without Mister Rogers.
I can't follow that double negative.  Do you think it's a good thing that Mister Rogers is no longer broadcast, or a bad thing?

I think it's a bad thing that kids are without no Mister Rogers. :D
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

abefroman329

Quote from: Takumi on February 08, 2019, 09:51:01 AM
Quote from: abefroman329 on February 08, 2019, 08:47:12 AM
Quote from: bandit957 on February 07, 2019, 10:38:07 PMThat was about the dumbest moment in TV history
Only until it was surpassed by the finale of How I Met Your Mother.

I really can't think of a single reason why stuffing Tracy in the fridge was necessary if Ted was just gonna end up with Robin.  Did the writers start with "Ted rushes over to Robin's apartment with that goddamned blue French horn" and work backwards from there?

Also, the ending meant that, the whole time, the kids were rolling their eyes at their dad telling them the story of how he met their dead mom.  WTF?

Also, far less troubling, Ted's son looks exactly like Ted, but Ted's daughter doesn't look like either of her parents.

Henry

Mike & Molly was pretty much shot to hell when Peggy dated Paddy (Mike's boss)...and the breakup of Carl and Victoria just made it worse, even though they resolved their differences in the series finale.
Go Cubs Go! Go Cubs Go! Hey Chicago, what do you say? The Cubs are gonna win today!

Takumi

Quote from: abefroman329 on February 08, 2019, 11:13:54 AM
Quote from: Takumi on February 08, 2019, 09:51:01 AM
Quote from: abefroman329 on February 08, 2019, 08:47:12 AM
Quote from: bandit957 on February 07, 2019, 10:38:07 PMThat was about the dumbest moment in TV history
Only until it was surpassed by the finale of How I Met Your Mother.

I really can't think of a single reason why stuffing Tracy in the fridge was necessary if Ted was just gonna end up with Robin.  Did the writers start with "Ted rushes over to Robin's apartment with that goddamned blue French horn" and work backwards from there?

Also, the ending meant that, the whole time, the kids were rolling their eyes at their dad telling them the story of how he met their dead mom.  WTF?

Also, far less troubling, Ted's son looks exactly like Ted, but Ted's daughter doesn't look like either of her parents.
I saw the story more as Ted trying to justify dating Robin again, who was his favorite girlfriend before he met the mother. But I'm also an emotionally damaged person, so what do I know.
Quote from: Rothman on July 15, 2021, 07:52:59 AM
Olive Garden must be stopped.  I must stop them.

Don't @ me. Seriously.

hbelkins

People have a hard time realizing that "Dukes of Hazzard" was set in a fictional Hazzard County somewhere in the south, not the city of Hazard in the mountains of eastern Kentucky. However, the city embraced the confusion. The highest ceremonial honor they can bestow on someone -- think "give them a key to the city" -- is to name them a Duke of Hazard.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

Rothman

Quote from: hbelkins on February 08, 2019, 12:40:46 PM
People have a hard time realizing that "Dukes of Hazzard" was set in a fictional Hazzard County somewhere in the south, not the city of Hazard in the mountains of eastern Kentucky. However, the city embraced the confusion. The highest ceremonial honor they can bestow on someone -- think "give them a key to the city" -- is to name them a Duke of Hazard.
The series was set in Georgia...although it looked an awful like California... :D
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

abefroman329

Quote from: Rothman on February 08, 2019, 12:54:18 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on February 08, 2019, 12:40:46 PM
People have a hard time realizing that "Dukes of Hazzard" was set in a fictional Hazzard County somewhere in the south, not the city of Hazard in the mountains of eastern Kentucky. However, the city embraced the confusion. The highest ceremonial honor they can bestow on someone -- think "give them a key to the city" -- is to name them a Duke of Hazard.
The series was set in Georgia...although it looked an awful like California... :D
The movie was a lot more explicit about Hazzard County being in GA than the show was.

The movie was also a steaming pile.

abefroman329

Quote from: Takumi on February 08, 2019, 12:24:46 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on February 08, 2019, 11:13:54 AM
Quote from: Takumi on February 08, 2019, 09:51:01 AM
Quote from: abefroman329 on February 08, 2019, 08:47:12 AM
Quote from: bandit957 on February 07, 2019, 10:38:07 PMThat was about the dumbest moment in TV history
Only until it was surpassed by the finale of How I Met Your Mother.

I really can't think of a single reason why stuffing Tracy in the fridge was necessary if Ted was just gonna end up with Robin.  Did the writers start with "Ted rushes over to Robin's apartment with that goddamned blue French horn" and work backwards from there?

Also, the ending meant that, the whole time, the kids were rolling their eyes at their dad telling them the story of how he met their dead mom.  WTF?

Also, far less troubling, Ted's son looks exactly like Ted, but Ted's daughter doesn't look like either of her parents.
I saw the story more as Ted trying to justify dating Robin again, who was his favorite girlfriend before he met the mother. But I'm also an emotionally damaged person, so what do I know.
I guess my question is "why did they bother introducing The Mother/Tracy if they were just gonna kill her off by the end of the season?  Why not just have Ted marry Robin after she and Barney got a divorce?"

abefroman329

And, more importantly, "who carries a torch for someone this long?  Move on."

Brandon

Quote from: bandit957 on February 08, 2019, 09:08:20 AM
Quote from: Rothman on February 08, 2019, 08:59:36 AM
Quote from: bandit957 on February 07, 2019, 10:38:07 PM
My mom used to watch 'Dallas' all the time. I was in the room when my mom watched the episode where Patrick Duffy said, "It was a dream, a horrible dream." That was about the dumbest moment in TV history, and I think my mom stopped watching 'Dallas' after that.
I thought there was one season where his character died and the woman he was sleeping with woke up in the first episode of the next season to see him in the shower.

His character died, but then a year later, his wife woke up one morning to find him in the bathroom taking a shower. He said, "Good morning," as if nothing had happened. That was the big cliffhanger around 1986. When the new season started, he explained to his wife that the entire year including his death was just a bad dream.

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/AllJustADream/LiveActionTV
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

Rothman

Quote from: abefroman329 on February 08, 2019, 12:58:51 PM
Quote from: Rothman on February 08, 2019, 12:54:18 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on February 08, 2019, 12:40:46 PM
People have a hard time realizing that "Dukes of Hazzard" was set in a fictional Hazzard County somewhere in the south, not the city of Hazard in the mountains of eastern Kentucky. However, the city embraced the confusion. The highest ceremonial honor they can bestow on someone -- think "give them a key to the city" -- is to name them a Duke of Hazard.
The series was set in Georgia...although it looked an awful like California... :D
The movie was a lot more explicit about Hazzard County being in GA than the show was.

The movie was also a steaming pile.
In regards to the movie, on that we all can agree.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

Takumi

Quote from: abefroman329 on February 08, 2019, 01:00:50 PM
And, more importantly, "who carries a torch for someone this long?  Move on."
Sure, let me just go out to the girlfriend tree in my backyard and pluck one I like off of there.
Quote from: Rothman on July 15, 2021, 07:52:59 AM
Olive Garden must be stopped.  I must stop them.

Don't @ me. Seriously.

PHLBOS

Quote from: bandit957 on February 08, 2019, 09:22:00 AM
Also, I loved 'The Dukes Of Hazzard' in my day, but one of the last episodes was about a space alien visiting Hazzard. This would be fine for a sci-fi, but 'The Dukes Of Hazzard' wasn't supposed to be a sci-fi.

By that time, I had stopped regularly watching, for some reason. But I did see it in reruns.
I watched the show fairly regularly for the first three seasons when it originally aired Friday nights on CBS.  My frequency of watching the show went down when I got my driver's license and started going out more on Friday nights.  Personally, that show went downhill when Bo & Luke were replaced... even though such wound up being only temporary.  The show never fully recovered after that.
GPS does NOT equal GOD

sparker

OK, this is going to seriously date me -- but the first season of Man from Uncle (1964-65) was by far superior to the 2.5 seasons that followed for several reasons:  they started out with a novel premise:  explore the stories of "civilians" caught up in espionage/terrorist intrigue, and how the professional agents played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum interacted with them.  Decent storylines (for the era) and generally good performances (fine acting by the regulars and thoughtful casting of guests).  Even the theme music, by Jerry Goldsmith, was outstanding --a fully orchestrated blues riff!  But -- the Bond craze was in full bloom then (Goldfinger was released during that first Uncle season), so during the 2nd season, the original premise was dropped and the show became a routine spy saga; even the theme was scaled back in scope.  By the middle of the 4th season, it was no longer a novelty, and was cancelled in early '68.  Curiously, show reruns crop up occasionally on cable -- but almost always the post-'65 seasons -- largely because (gasp!) the first season was still in black & white!, it wasn't filmed in color until the 2nd season.  Worth seeking out in DVD -- as long as it contains that first season!

Stephane Dumas

Quote from: sparker on February 08, 2019, 04:34:51 PM
OK, this is going to seriously date me -- but the first season of Man from Uncle (1964-65) was by far superior to the 2.5 seasons that followed for several reasons:  they started out with a novel premise:  explore the stories of "civilians" caught up in espionage/terrorist intrigue, and how the professional agents played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum interacted with them.  Decent storylines (for the era) and generally good performances (fine acting by the regulars and thoughtful casting of guests).  Even the theme music, by Jerry Goldsmith, was outstanding --a fully orchestrated blues riff!  But -- the Bond craze was in full bloom then (Goldfinger was released during that first Uncle season), so during the 2nd season, the original premise was dropped and the show became a routine spy saga; even the theme was scaled back in scope.  By the middle of the 4th season, it was no longer a novelty, and was cancelled in early '68.  Curiously, show reruns crop up occasionally on cable -- but almost always the post-'65 seasons -- largely because (gasp!) the first season was still in black & white!, it wasn't filmed in color until the 2nd season.  Worth seeking out in DVD -- as long as it contains that first season!

A copy of the defunct Jumptheshark website on the Wayback Machine. https://web.archive.org/web/20050302235832fw_/http://www.jumptheshark.com/m/manfromuncle.htm have a good list of reasons explaining the decline of Men from U.N.C.L.E.   

Men from Uncle wasn't the only one who suffered from some campy plotlines. "Lost in Space" suffered of the same thing as well.

bandit957

Another show that has declined a lot is '60 Minutes'. It's a shadow of what it once was.
Might as well face it, pooing is cool

kphoger

Batman got pretty lame, and it really didn't take all that long.  In the second season, Batman ran for city mayor and encouraged people to vote.  Not exactly superhero escapades.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

MantyMadTown

Quote from: Ben114 on February 07, 2019, 09:03:52 PM
Us early 2000s kids got lucky with these shows. I remember sitting there daily watching the Nick cartoons, like the good ones, SpongeBob (still on air after almost 20 years), The Fairly OddParents (anyone remember that, I believe they took a break making that and then they reintroduced it with this weird girl to make the show 20 times worse), and that's all I remember right now.

Today's kids shows are definitely changed from 10-15 years ago.

Yeah I remember those. The early 2000s Nick shows were the best!
Forget the I-41 haters



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