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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Life in Paradise

Quote from: texaskdog on February 13, 2019, 11:23:46 AM
Quote from: roadman65 on February 12, 2019, 09:37:45 PM
Quote from: texaskdog on February 11, 2019, 11:33:19 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on February 09, 2019, 02:51:48 PM
Quote from: texaskdog on February 09, 2019, 02:50:41 PM
Quote from: KeithE4Phx on February 06, 2019, 12:11:07 PM
M*A*S*H went downhill after about Season 6, when it became The Alan Alda Show for all intents and purposes.  Were it not for Harry Morgan's great performance as Col. Potter, I really don't think it would have lasted more than another year or two.  He was the somewhat poltiically-incorrect anchor that held it together.

The first 3 with McLean were pretty good.
And then his plane was shot down over the Sea of Japan. It spiraled in. There were no survivors.

Including his career
No McClean Stevenson made a comeback on a sitcom called Hello Larry where he co starred with Kim Richards and Donna Wilkes and Monte Hall's daughter Joanna Gleason.  It lasted 3 seasons and aired on NBC Friday's following Diffrent Strokes in the early 80's.

He played a radio talk show host (before they got political and when Rush Limbaugh was an unknown local host I believe in Sacramento) in a radio station in Portland.  He was a divorced dad who got custody of his two teenage daughters and the show focused on a single dad working and raising his two teenage daughters.  It had scenes in both his radio station and at home.

I loved that show but it was a long time joke about how he gave up Mash for Hello Larry.
Hello Larry, was even worse than that.  It only lasted one and a half seasons.  That was his high point after his three years on MASH.  He had a slew of shows that lasted 13 episodes.  You could say that McClean Stevenson "jumped the shark".


abefroman329

It's a little-known fact that McLean Stevenson once portrayed Mr. Clean in a series of TV commercials.

inkyatari

I hate to say it, but Mystery Science Theater 3000.  Not a Joel vs. Mike thing, it's a Comedy Central vs. SyFy thing.  When the show was on Comedy Central, they pretty much had free reign to do whatever, but on SyFy, they wanted the show to have an ongoing narrative, and this I think, was nowhere near as funny as the skits they did previously.  The movie portions were still fine.
I'm never wrong, just wildly inaccurate.

abefroman329

Quote from: inkyatari on February 14, 2019, 03:20:59 PMNot a Jole vs. Mike thing,it's a Comedy Central vs. SyFy thing.
I think it's both, and as far as SyFy goes, I think that what made it was worse was either (a) SyFy wanted them to use movies they already owned the rights to or (b) they only wanted them to use sci-fi movies, I don't remember which was the case.

US71

Quote from: abefroman329 on February 14, 2019, 01:36:20 PM
It's a little-known fact that McLean Stevenson once portrayed Mr. Clean in a series of TV commercials.

His biggest flop was in 1978's "In the Beginning" which only lasted a month.
Like Alice I Try To Believe Three Impossible Things Before Breakfast

US 81

Anyone remember Buck Rogers? The 1970's TV incarnation, starring Gil Gerard? Earth-based military space force --- until suddenly we're far from Earth in an exploratory spaceship...  They kept revamping the setting/format until it didn't make sense....

Life in Paradise

Quote from: US 81 on February 16, 2019, 10:52:14 AM
Anyone remember Buck Rogers? The 1970's TV incarnation, starring Gil Gerard? Earth-based military space force --- until suddenly we're far from Earth in an exploratory spaceship...  They kept revamping the setting/format until it didn't make sense....
It didn't help that Gil Gerard was behind some of the changes during the period that he was a coke head (he admits it himself).  And Wilma's "uniform" on the exploratory spaceship?  Totally embarrassing to the worst degree.

RobbieL2415


MantyMadTown

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.
Forget the I-41 haters

RobbieL2415

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.
Fremantle wants money.  There's four shows that it owns 100% that air in the US.  They are:

American Idol (ABC)
Family Feud (Syn., "Celebrity" version on ABC)*
Let's Make A Deal (CBS)*
The Price Is Right (CBS)*
*Purchased with acquisition of Pearson Television/All-American Television


US71

Lost in Space was better during its first season, but the network thought it was too serious so it basically became the Dr Smith/Will Robinson hour.
Like Alice I Try To Believe Three Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Scott5114

Quote from: RobbieL2415 on February 16, 2019, 11:12:58 PM
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.
Fremantle wants money.  There's four shows that it owns 100% that air in the US.  They are:

American Idol (ABC)
Family Feud (Syn., "Celebrity" version on ABC)*
Let's Make A Deal (CBS)*
The Price Is Right (CBS)*
*Purchased with acquisition of Pearson Television/All-American Television

It owns a whole lot more than that, since they have rights to the entire Mark Goodson library of game shows. They own Match Game as well, for example. Granted, they're not making new episodes of most of the Goodson library, but GSN reruns a lot of them.
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

US 81

Quote from: US71 on February 17, 2019, 09:11:36 PM
Lost in Space was better during its first season, but the network thought it was too serious so it basically became the Dr Smith/Will Robinson hour.

Lost in Space aired simultaneously (ie, competed for ratings) with Batman. Seems like must have been part of the drive to the camp & silliness that Lost in Space became.

abefroman329

Quote from: RobbieL2415 on February 16, 2019, 09:25:53 PM
American Idol should have stopped after season six.
It never should have started to begin with.  Nor any reality show where the appeal is in the host(s) berating and humiliating the contestants.

TheHighwayMan3561

Quote from: abefroman329 on February 18, 2019, 04:53:43 PM
Quote from: RobbieL2415 on February 16, 2019, 09:25:53 PM
American Idol should have stopped after season six.
It never should have started to begin with.  Nor any reality show where the appeal is in the host(s) berating and humiliating the contestants.

I think later in the FOX Idol they shifted away from the laughably bad contestants (who I guarantee by this point, if not from the beginning were being bad intentionally for laughs/a better chance at getting on air). A lot of fans were disappointed by this.
self-certified as the dumbest person on this board for 5 years running

kevinb1994

Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on February 18, 2019, 06:46:47 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on February 18, 2019, 04:53:43 PM
Quote from: RobbieL2415 on February 16, 2019, 09:25:53 PM
American Idol should have stopped after season six.
It never should have started to begin with.  Nor any reality show where the appeal is in the host(s) berating and humiliating the contestants.

I think later in the FOX Idol they shifted away from the laughably bad contestants (who I guarantee by this point, if not from the beginning were being bad intentionally for laughs/a better chance at getting on air). A lot of fans were disappointed by this.

Another reason why the format was bad to begin with. Blame the British for starting Pop Idol.

MantyMadTown

Quote from: kevinb1994 on February 18, 2019, 07:01:19 PM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on February 18, 2019, 06:46:47 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on February 18, 2019, 04:53:43 PM
Quote from: RobbieL2415 on February 16, 2019, 09:25:53 PM
American Idol should have stopped after season six.
It never should have started to begin with.  Nor any reality show where the appeal is in the host(s) berating and humiliating the contestants.

I think later in the FOX Idol they shifted away from the laughably bad contestants (who I guarantee by this point, if not from the beginning were being bad intentionally for laughs/a better chance at getting on air). A lot of fans were disappointed by this.

Another reason why the format was bad to begin with. Blame the British for starting Pop Idol.

See I thought it started in America with American Idol. Before all these other versions came to be. Was Simon Cowell involved in this one as well before starting the X Factor?
Forget the I-41 haters

SP Cook

Quote from: 1995hoo on February 10, 2019, 10:14:37 AM
Whenever I've seen old SNL footage from the early years that people say was so funny, I always question their sense of humor because most of it never seems all that hilarious. Worthy of a mild chuckle, maybe, but certainly not side-splittingly funny. I've come to suspect it's one of those things where you had to be there because the material was a product of its time. That is, SNL tries to be funny by either skewering current events or pushing the boundaries of what's allowed on TV so as to be edgy. Thing is, what's "edgy" in 1977 is bound to be totally different from what's "edgy" in 2019.

Obviously SNL is very dependent on current events and is never going to age as well as a regular sit com or crime drama.  One thing you have to remember is what TV was when SNL first came out.  Most people got between 3 and 6 channels, of which only 3 had new content.  TV was highly self-censored as most advertisers feared touching anything "political" or "sexual".  NBC tossed up SNL in what was really dead time, it really did not care.  Compared to what else was on, it was groundbreaking.

However, the show certainly belongs at the top of any list covering this thread's title.  The first five seasons were pure gold (and another reason you may not find it as funny today is that the most common rerun is a series that edited down material to a 30 minute show and which drew heavily from the 5th season, the worst of the five, because it was the least out of date).  The 6th season was a train wreck about which there are several books.  The following crew which mostly lasted into season 10 was OK and had some solid work.  The following crews were just not that funny and this has been followed, since at least the turn of the century or just before it, by unfunny condecending lefties who just want to cover their political views over and over and over.


jeffandnicole

Quote from: MantyMadTown on February 19, 2019, 07:30:52 PM
Quote from: kevinb1994 on February 18, 2019, 07:01:19 PM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on February 18, 2019, 06:46:47 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on February 18, 2019, 04:53:43 PM
Quote from: RobbieL2415 on February 16, 2019, 09:25:53 PM
American Idol should have stopped after season six.
It never should have started to begin with.  Nor any reality show where the appeal is in the host(s) berating and humiliating the contestants.

I think later in the FOX Idol they shifted away from the laughably bad contestants (who I guarantee by this point, if not from the beginning were being bad intentionally for laughs/a better chance at getting on air). A lot of fans were disappointed by this.

Another reason why the format was bad to begin with. Blame the British for starting Pop Idol.

See I thought it started in America with American Idol. Before all these other versions came to be. Was Simon Cowell involved in this one as well before starting the X Factor?

Many of FOX's reality-type shows have European roots, which is why the main host/figure is British.  Simon Cowell has been involved since Day 1, and is actually still involved as an Executive Producer.

Gordon 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.

abefroman329

Quote from: MantyMadTown on February 19, 2019, 07:30:52 PM
Quote from: kevinb1994 on February 18, 2019, 07:01:19 PM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on February 18, 2019, 06:46:47 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on February 18, 2019, 04:53:43 PM
Quote from: RobbieL2415 on February 16, 2019, 09:25:53 PM
American Idol should have stopped after season six.
It never should have started to begin with.  Nor any reality show where the appeal is in the host(s) berating and humiliating the contestants.

I think later in the FOX Idol they shifted away from the laughably bad contestants (who I guarantee by this point, if not from the beginning were being bad intentionally for laughs/a better chance at getting on air). A lot of fans were disappointed by this.

Another reason why the format was bad to begin with. Blame the British for starting Pop Idol.

See I thought it started in America with American Idol. Before all these other versions came to be. Was Simon Cowell involved in this one as well before starting the X Factor?
I'm pretty sure X Factor got its start in Britain too.

abefroman329

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.

1995hoo

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 British version of that show was much better. You actually learned something about the restaurant business. I wonder to what extent the American version airing on FOX might have contributed to the focus on arguing and swearing.
"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.

kevinb1994

Quote from: abefroman329 on February 20, 2019, 10:58:28 AM
Quote from: MantyMadTown on February 19, 2019, 07:30:52 PM
Quote from: kevinb1994 on February 18, 2019, 07:01:19 PM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on February 18, 2019, 06:46:47 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on February 18, 2019, 04:53:43 PM
Quote from: RobbieL2415 on February 16, 2019, 09:25:53 PM
American Idol should have stopped after season six.
It never should have started to begin with.  Nor any reality show where the appeal is in the host(s) berating and humiliating the contestants.

I think later in the FOX Idol they shifted away from the laughably bad contestants (who I guarantee by this point, if not from the beginning were being bad intentionally for laughs/a better chance at getting on air). A lot of fans were disappointed by this.

Another reason why the format was bad to begin with. Blame the British for starting Pop Idol.

See I thought it started in America with American Idol. Before all these other versions came to be. Was Simon Cowell involved in this one as well before starting the X Factor?
I'm pretty sure X Factor got its start in Britain too.

Yes, which is the point MMT was trying to make in his posted reply.

abefroman329

Quote from: 1995hoo on February 20, 2019, 11:12:13 AM
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 British version of that show was much better. You actually learned something about the restaurant business. I wonder to what extent the American version airing on FOX might have contributed to the focus on arguing and swearing.
Good question.  The Ramsey we see on MasterChef is closer to the one that was on British television (less shouting and actually helpful on occasion), and that show also airs on FOX.

kevinb1994

Quote from: jeffandnicole on February 20, 2019, 10:44:15 AM
Quote from: MantyMadTown on February 19, 2019, 07:30:52 PM
Quote from: kevinb1994 on February 18, 2019, 07:01:19 PM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on February 18, 2019, 06:46:47 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on February 18, 2019, 04:53:43 PM
Quote from: RobbieL2415 on February 16, 2019, 09:25:53 PM
American Idol should have stopped after season six.
It never should have started to begin with.  Nor any reality show where the appeal is in the host(s) berating and humiliating the contestants.

I think later in the FOX Idol they shifted away from the laughably bad contestants (who I guarantee by this point, if not from the beginning were being bad intentionally for laughs/a better chance at getting on air). A lot of fans were disappointed by this.

Another reason why the format was bad to begin with. Blame the British for starting Pop Idol.

See I thought it started in America with American Idol. Before all these other versions came to be. Was Simon Cowell involved in this one as well before starting the X Factor?

Many of FOX's reality-type shows have European roots, which is why the main host/figure is British.  Simon Cowell has been involved since Day 1, and is actually still involved as an Executive Producer.

Gordon 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.

I forgot about Simon Cowell still being an executive producer of the since-rebooted-and-revamped American Idol series.



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