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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thenetwork

Quote from: abefroman329 on February 20, 2019, 11:00:14 AM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on February 20, 2019, 10:44:15 AMGordon Ramsey is another person who's shows originally started in Europe before coming to America.  He can easily pass for an American based on his voice (although not his vocabulary).  His kids, semi-frequent guests on his show, have a much-heavier British accent.
Right, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares was originally a British show.  However, in the British version, he actually seemed interested in helping the owners, managers, and staff of the restaurants he visited, as opposed to the American version, where he was mainly interested in driving them to commit suicide.

The same could be said with The Weakest Link.  Anne Robinson was not as scolding as she was on her version in the UK.


abefroman329

Quote from: thenetwork on February 22, 2019, 02:30:19 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on February 20, 2019, 11:00:14 AM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on February 20, 2019, 10:44:15 AMGordon Ramsey is another person who's shows originally started in Europe before coming to America.  He can easily pass for an American based on his voice (although not his vocabulary).  His kids, semi-frequent guests on his show, have a much-heavier British accent.
Right, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares was originally a British show.  However, in the British version, he actually seemed interested in helping the owners, managers, and staff of the restaurants he visited, as opposed to the American version, where he was mainly interested in driving them to commit suicide.

The same could be said with The Weakest Link.  Anne Robinson was not as scolding as she was on her version in the UK.
That's what I heard, and I did see an ep of the British version where she sneered "Oh, a trolley dolly?" at a woman that said she was employed as a flight attendant.

roadman65

Threes Company after the Ropers left, and then after Suzanne Sommers left really changed.  When Priscilla Barnes joined the show she could not only fill the shoes of Sommers, but appeared more like a supporting actress rather than main.  Both Jack and Janet held the weight together as they alone were able to keep it all a float by themselves.

Its a shame they nixed Cindy Snow, even as a supporting character she did fine. Then axing everyone from the show in the end except for John Ritter was a dumb idea.  Even fans thought so as Threes A Crowd only lasted the one season as many preferred Threes Company's cast.  Heck, I would have loved to see Jack and Janet get married and had the show Threes A Crowd focus on that.  I bet it would have lasted longer than with Mary Cadorette and Robert Mandan as viewers would have appreciated that scenario a whole lot better as both Jack and Janet after Chrissy was written out did behave like a married couple more despite sleeping in separate bedrooms.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

Stephane Dumas

Quote from: roadman65 on February 22, 2019, 11:29:21 PM
Threes Company after the Ropers left, and then after Suzanne Sommers left really changed.  When Priscilla Barnes joined the show she could not only fill the shoes of Sommers, but appeared more like a supporting actress rather than main.  Both Jack and Janet held the weight together as they alone were able to keep it all a float by themselves.

Its a shame they nixed Cindy Snow, even as a supporting character she did fine. Then axing everyone from the show in the end except for John Ritter was a dumb idea.  Even fans thought so as Threes A Crowd only lasted the one season as many preferred Threes Company's cast.  Heck, I would have loved to see Jack and Janet get married and had the show Threes A Crowd focus on that.  I bet it would have lasted longer than with Mary Cadorette and Robert Mandan as viewers would have appreciated that scenario a whole lot better as both Jack and Janet after Chrissy was written out did behave like a married couple more despite sleeping in separate bedrooms.

A more or less similar change happened when All in the Family became Archie Bunker's place beside Gloria and Mike "Meathead" Stivic moving in their own house mentionned earlier and later to California. When they focused more on the bar instead of the Bunker's house along with Jean Stapelton departure (resulting in Edith Bunker's death).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE2_QhV1xcw

english si

Quote from: jeffandnicole on February 20, 2019, 10:44:15 AMGordon Ramsey is another person who's shows originally started in Europe before coming to America.  He can easily pass for an American based on his voice (although not his vocabulary).  His kids, semi-frequent guests on his show, have a much-heavier British accent.
It's not really heavier. I guess that, because the kids have a posher, and more London-y, accent than their dad (who has a pretty generic Southern English accent - if he can pass for American based on his voice, then I probably could too!), and posh London accents are one of the most-heard English accents in America, then I can see why you'd think 'heavier'.

Also, the kids enunciate more on screen as they are a bit more formal and nervous with cameras around than their dad (though when he does voice-overs, he does get more formal - cf the pronunciation of 't' sounds as an example) - and it feels a bit more put on, which weighs it down. When they are relaxed, that softens and they sound more like their dad (though still with a slightly different accent, though perhaps not particularly distinguishable if you aren't immersed in it).
Quote from: thenetwork on February 22, 2019, 02:30:19 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on February 20, 2019, 11:00:14 AMRight, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares was originally a British show.  However, in the British version, he actually seemed interested in helping the owners, managers, and staff of the restaurants he visited, as opposed to the American version, where he was mainly interested in driving them to commit suicide.
The same could be said with The Weakest Link.  Anne Robinson was not as scolding as she was on her version in the UK.
Is that not the opposite - Ramsay is nicer in the UK than the US, but Robinson is nicer in the US than the UK (which isn't hard)?

And I'm not convinced there's two different Ramsays in UK and US Kitchen Nightmares - this article suggests that the beeping on US TV makes it sound aggressive, whereas without it in the UK shows that its normally exasperated. Add in that the UK vs US editing - the UK network seeks the tension in the livelihoods and money at stake, the US network seeks the tension in interpersonal relationships and so the arguments take centre-stage. Gordon doing the voiceover in the UK version also helps, whereas the US has someone else do it, and it lacks that pathos that you telling a story you were in brings.

roadman65

Quote from: Stephane Dumas on February 24, 2019, 09:05:55 AM
Quote from: roadman65 on February 22, 2019, 11:29:21 PM
Threes Company after the Ropers left, and then after Suzanne Sommers left really changed.  When Priscilla Barnes joined the show she could not only fill the shoes of Sommers, but appeared more like a supporting actress rather than main.  Both Jack and Janet held the weight together as they alone were able to keep it all a float by themselves.

Its a shame they nixed Cindy Snow, even as a supporting character she did fine. Then axing everyone from the show in the end except for John Ritter was a dumb idea.  Even fans thought so as Threes A Crowd only lasted the one season as many preferred Threes Company's cast.  Heck, I would have loved to see Jack and Janet get married and had the show Threes A Crowd focus on that.  I bet it would have lasted longer than with Mary Cadorette and Robert Mandan as viewers would have appreciated that scenario a whole lot better as both Jack and Janet after Chrissy was written out did behave like a married couple more despite sleeping in separate bedrooms.

A more or less similar change happened when All in the Family became Archie Bunker's place beside Gloria and Mike "Meathead" Stivic moving in their own house mentionned earlier and later to California. When they focused more on the bar instead of the Bunker's house along with Jean Stapelton departure (resulting in Edith Bunker's death).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE2_QhV1xcw

John Rich, one of the many producers of All In The Family, said in an interview, that if he still produced the fifth and sixth seasons respectively, he would have not moved the Stivics into their own home and found a way to keep everyone under one roof like in the first four seasons.  Apparently Rich left the show and was replaced by the trio of Don Nichol, Michael Ross, and Bernie West (later producing Three's Company) who originally were writers for the first four seasons.

Actually toward the end of the show after Martin Balsam left it went back to the Bunker Home.  He was replaced by Denise Miller, and when she moved in to Archie's house, at home story lines could be made with the 3 characters in the same house.

It sucked when they made Barney Heffner unemployed after being laid off, as he just hung around the bar sulking and full of self pity.  Of course his wife Blanche left him again to add to his misery as usual she left him for a repairman.  It was the running gag that she first left with a TV repairman, then came back to him to later leave him again for a plumber who came to fix the pipes, and for the final time after she came home left again with the exterminator who came to spray for bugs.

Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

Stephane Dumas

Quote from: roadman65 on February 25, 2019, 11:11:22 PM
John Rich, one of the many producers of All In The Family, said in an interview, that if he still produced the fifth and sixth seasons respectively, he would have not moved the Stivics into their own home and found a way to keep everyone under one roof like in the first four seasons.  Apparently Rich left the show and was replaced by the trio of Don Nichol, Michael Ross, and Bernie West (later producing Three's Company) who originally were writers for the first four seasons.

Actually toward the end of the show after Martin Balsam left it went back to the Bunker Home.  He was replaced by Denise Miller, and when she moved in to Archie's house, at home story lines could be made with the 3 characters in the same house.

It sucked when they made Barney Heffner unemployed after being laid off, as he just hung around the bar sulking and full of self pity.  Of course his wife Blanche left him again to add to his misery as usual she left him for a repairman.  It was the running gag that she first left with a TV repairman, then came back to him to later leave him again for a plumber who came to fix the pipes, and for the final time after she came home left again with the exterminator who came to spray for bugs.


Also, they tried to give Gloria (who came back in the last season, after divorced from Mike) her own spin-off like the Jeffersons but Carroll O'Connor was pleased with this idea.
https://all-in-the-family-tv-show.fandom.com/wiki/Gloria

PHLBOS

Quote from: Stephane Dumas on February 26, 2019, 11:30:14 AM
Also, they tried to give Gloria (who came back in the last season, after divorced from Mike) her own spin-off like the Jeffersons but Carroll O'Connor was not pleased with this idea.
https://all-in-the-family-tv-show.fandom.com/wiki/Gloria
FTFY.
GPS does NOT equal GOD

abefroman329

Quote from: roadman65 on February 22, 2019, 11:29:21 PM
Threes Company after the Ropers left, and then after Suzanne Sommers left really changed.  When Priscilla Barnes joined the show she could not only fill the shoes of Sommers, but appeared more like a supporting actress rather than main.  Both Jack and Janet held the weight together as they alone were able to keep it all a float by themselves.

Its a shame they nixed Cindy Snow, even as a supporting character she did fine. Then axing everyone from the show in the end except for John Ritter was a dumb idea.  Even fans thought so as Threes A Crowd only lasted the one season as many preferred Threes Company's cast.  Heck, I would have loved to see Jack and Janet get married and had the show Threes A Crowd focus on that.  I bet it would have lasted longer than with Mary Cadorette and Robert Mandan as viewers would have appreciated that scenario a whole lot better as both Jack and Janet after Chrissy was written out did behave like a married couple more despite sleeping in separate bedrooms.
The Three's Company spinoffs didn't really deviate from the Man About The House [the UK series Three's Company was based on] spinoffs for whatever reason, with The Ropers/George and Mildred and Three's A Crowd/Robin's Nest.

abefroman329

Quote from: english si on February 24, 2019, 01:49:30 PM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on February 20, 2019, 10:44:15 AMGordon Ramsey is another person who's shows originally started in Europe before coming to America.  He can easily pass for an American based on his voice (although not his vocabulary).  His kids, semi-frequent guests on his show, have a much-heavier British accent.
It's not really heavier. I guess that, because the kids have a posher, and more London-y, accent than their dad (who has a pretty generic Southern English accent - if he can pass for American based on his voice, then I probably could too!), and posh London accents are one of the most-heard English accents in America, then I can see why you'd think 'heavier'.
I think perhaps jeffandnicole meant his volume and tone and general belligerence, not his accent.  In terms of the former, he's basically the character from Fawlty Towers demanding a Waldorf salad.

Stephane Dumas

Quote from: abefroman329 on February 26, 2019, 12:22:04 PM
The Three's Company spinoffs didn't really deviate from the Man About The House [the UK series Three's Company was based on] spinoffs for whatever reason, with The Ropers/George and Mildred and Three's A Crowd/Robin's Nest.

Speaking of UK series, we could mention Space 1999 where they did some big cast changes in season 2. In season 1, Barry Morse was part of the cast but his role was deleted in season 2, only Martin Landau et Barbara Bain stayed for season 2. 

Doctor Who, a very popular UK series, got lots of changes,  in casting where some companions of the Doctor left and others arrive and also the idea of regeneration came when it was needed to replace the original Doctor Who, William Hartnell who was ill at the time and the show was popular in the UK.
https://youtu.be/V-VE7t_Qnu4

wanderer2575

I Love Lucy totally changed when the setting moved from the New York apartment building to Hollywood.  The show became nothing more than Lucy's character fawning over the guest star of the week (playing him/herself).

After Rod Serling and producer Buck Houghton left The Twilight Zone after its third season, the show mostly changed from good storytelling and social commentary/moral lesson/giving the underdog a second chance to just "weird stuff happens."  There was still a handful of really good episodes, but they were fewer and farther between.  Serling was still host and wrote the majority of the scripts, but his attention was largely elsewhere.  The show's final producer in its last season, William Froug, had no clue of Serling's original vision or what made a good TZ episode.

US71

Quote from: Stephane Dumas on February 26, 2019, 04:03:47 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on February 26, 2019, 12:22:04 PM
The Three's Company spinoffs didn't really deviate from the Man About The House [the UK series Three's Company was based on] spinoffs for whatever reason, with The Ropers/George and Mildred and Three's A Crowd/Robin's Nest.

Speaking of UK series, we could mention Space 1999 where they did some big cast changes in season 2. In season 1, Barry Morse was part of the cast but his role was deleted in season 2, only Martin Landau et Barbara Bain stayed for season 2. 

Doctor Who, a very popular UK series, got lots of changes,  in casting where some companions of the Doctor left and others arrive and also the idea of regeneration came when it was needed to replace the original Doctor Who, William Hartnell who was ill at the time and the show was popular in the UK.
https://youtu.be/V-VE7t_Qnu4


It's become a joke among fans that the series has been ruined by the new Doctor which eventually evolves into "he can't leave"
Like Alice I Try To Believe Three Impossible Things Before Breakfast

vdeane

The same thing happens with the people who produce the show.  Everyone hated Russell T Davies until Steven Moffat came along, and everyone hated Steven Moffat until Chris Chibnall became showrunner.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

roadman65

Dallas changed dramatically after the dream season.  First of all where did Ray get his two story house that was not seen before the dream?  How come the fake Jock story was allowed to stay the same even after Pam woke up?  That was the only constant of it all as the rest of the storylines faded, but that one.

Basically Dallas changed big when Jim Davis died, but it got worse when the dream ended.  Then it got to be so boring the last season, and why did they ever have Jenna give birth to Bobby's baby to only have Ray become its father.  I know that they never got Ray and Donna together again cause of show cutbacks as Susan Howard got let go after that season, however Victoria Principal left the same time, so producers could ofhad her take her place.  Then Steve Kanaly was let go (hence him and Jenna getting together),  Linda Gray got the ax too, and then that whole thing having JR have another son was a dumb idea as well as him going to prison in Arkansas just for sleeping with that girl Cally as the Sheriff was a kangaroo peace officer with a very unconstitutional court system that does not even report infractions to the system that records crimes, so JR did not even get a record for his time spent).  Oh and that sheriff did not put two and two together when JR tied the not with Cally and was recorded in his town's hall of records.  That had to be one dumb sheriff if he could not find the wanted JR in his own jurisdiction with info leading to him right there.

That show went downhill fast in the end.  The reunion movies were good I must say.  The TNT series was just a reboot of an alternate reality of the show, though good story lines.  Making Cliff a sociopath was a little hard to believe as he was too dumb in the original series to pull that one off, plus in the end after Pam left Cliff Barnes made peace with the Ewings except JR (for obvious reasons) so his vendetta did not even belong.  They should have continued the story from the two CBS made for TV movies, but being it was TNT show they wanted it to be a different reality than the original. CBS if they had picked it up again, would have not allowed most of the stuff on the reboot and insist they continue from where the original show left off.  If I am correct, the TNT reboot did not address what happened in the final scene of the original series when JR pulled the trigger and Bobby walked in to say "Oh my God!"  He was just alive in a nursing home and no mention of how he survived that bullet or what happened when Bobby walked in.

Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

Rothman

Quote from: vdeane on March 16, 2019, 09:51:00 PM
The same thing happens with the people who produce the show.  Everyone hated Russell T Davies until Steven Moffat came along, and everyone hated Steven Moffat until Chris Chibnall became showrunner.
No.  Steven Moffat made everyone wish for Russel Davies.  Then, Steven Moffat stuck around for way too long and his ego went through the roof due to Sherlock.  Jury is still out on Chibnall (series was quite erratic in quality) and I find most of the harsh criticism of Jodie Whittaker to be based in sexism more than anything else (i.e., The Doctor must always be a dude).  I don't find much objectionable about Jodie, myself, but the juvenile nature of a couple of the episodes make me worried about Chibnall.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

KeithE4Phx

Quote from: roadman65 on February 11, 2019, 11:03:14 PM
Hazel, starring Shirley Booth, was great until it moved from ABC to NBC. Apparently NBC did not like Don Defore and Whitney Blake so they had the producers fire them and brought in replacements.   The show got its attraction from the way Hazel and Mr. B got along as they had a love hate relationship (mainly with Mr. B as Hazel was easy going) as Hazel would always do something that at first Mr. Baxter disliked, but then Mr. Baxter would then see that it was all for the good.  Without the Baxters the show lost its appeal.

Close.  The first four seasons (1961-65) were on NBC, while the last one (1965-66, after Don DeFore and Whitney Blake were fired) was on CBS.  It was a lame-brained attempt to "get younger."  They still had Baxters, just different Baxters.  Maybe they should have cast then-7 year old Ted McGinley as Harold's best friend.  :)
"Oh, so you hate your job? Well, why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called "EVERYBODY!" They meet at the bar." -- Drew Carey

hbelkins

The idea behind the "Dallas" reboot was that the crown had passed from JR to John Ross, and from Bobby to Christopher.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

vdeane

Quote from: Rothman on March 16, 2019, 11:29:40 PM
Quote from: vdeane on March 16, 2019, 09:51:00 PM
The same thing happens with the people who produce the show.  Everyone hated Russell T Davies until Steven Moffat came along, and everyone hated Steven Moffat until Chris Chibnall became showrunner.
No.  Steven Moffat made everyone wish for Russel Davies.  Then, Steven Moffat stuck around for way too long and his ego went through the roof due to Sherlock.  Jury is still out on Chibnall (series was quite erratic in quality) and I find most of the harsh criticism of Jodie Whittaker to be based in sexism more than anything else (i.e., The Doctor must always be a dude).  I don't find much objectionable about Jodie, myself, but the juvenile nature of a couple of the episodes make me worried about Chibnall.
I'm pretty sure there were people complaining even earlier in his run.  Incidentally, Series 9 was supposed to be his last, so even he wasn't looking to be around as long as he was.

I like Jodie; I just wish she had better material to be in.  Though maybe I'm just missing Murray Gold; someone replaced the background music for the scene where she confronts Tzim Sha with 12's theme and it sounded a LOT more epic.  Alas, I can't seem to find that version right now, but I was able to dig up the original, for reference.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X05oCNxgKPE
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

Rothman

Heh.  The new theme is really lame (muffled dubstep nonsense).
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

US71

Quote from: Rothman on March 17, 2019, 10:07:50 PM
Heh.  The new theme is really lame (muffled dubstep nonsense).

Well, no one can replace Delia Derbyshire & Ron Grainer.
Like Alice I Try To Believe Three Impossible Things Before Breakfast

roadman

Quote from: hbelkins on February 06, 2019, 11:45:23 AM
Are they all on YouTube somewhere (copyright, what copyright?)

Actually, YouTube is very aggressive in dealing with copyright violations.  They routinely (and almost immediately) drop postings when they receive complaints of potential copyright infringement.  I've had times where a posting shows up on the "recommended for you" list, only to get the "Removed for copyright reasons" when I click on it.  Which raises a question.  If the posting has been removed, why is it on my recommended list?
"And ninety-five is the route you were on.  It was not the speed limit sign."  - Jim Croce (from Speedball Tucker)

"My life has been a tapestry
Of years of roads and highway signs" (with apologies to Carole King and Tom Rush)

roadman

"And ninety-five is the route you were on.  It was not the speed limit sign."  - Jim Croce (from Speedball Tucker)

"My life has been a tapestry
Of years of roads and highway signs" (with apologies to Carole King and Tom Rush)

roadman

Quote from: MantyMadTown on February 16, 2019, 09:36:27 PM
Quote from: RobbieL2415 on February 16, 2019, 09:25:53 PM
American Idol should have stopped after season six.

And what's up with them bringing it back? It's not like we needed any more singing shows after having the X Factor, the Voice, and the first run of American Idol already running around.
The Voice is another show that has long overstayed its welcome.
"And ninety-five is the route you were on.  It was not the speed limit sign."  - Jim Croce (from Speedball Tucker)

"My life has been a tapestry
Of years of roads and highway signs" (with apologies to Carole King and Tom Rush)

roadman

Quote from: kphoger on February 08, 2019, 06:12:24 PM
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.

I'm sure many of us didn't appreciate it when we watched it as kids, but Batman vs The Penguin for the mayor of Gotham City was a great commentary on how outlandish some aspects of our political system are.  And this was in 1968 - things have only gotten worse since then.  To me, the decline of Batman really began when they introduced Batgirl, and accelerated when they dropped the two-episodes per plot (and the inevitable cliffhanger ending of episode 1) in favor of the single episode format.

"And ninety-five is the route you were on.  It was not the speed limit sign."  - Jim Croce (from Speedball Tucker)

"My life has been a tapestry
Of years of roads and highway signs" (with apologies to Carole King and Tom Rush)



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