# Aborted Ideas in TV Shows **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 12, 2009, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042 "2009-12-12T23:32:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/21 "2009-12-13T10:12:43Z")
No one has mentioned\* Family Matters\*? Just as the name implies, it wasn’t supposed to be The Urkel Show; it was supposed to be a generic family sitcom. Jaleel White was only supposed to be a one-time guest. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/22 "2009-12-13T10:49:10Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > A bunch of Brady Bunch stuff, (cousin Oliver, their dog). In fact, the whole premise of the Brady Bunch - a family created from the marriage of two partners who were already parents - quietly disappeared. A few shows in the first season centered around stepfamily issues, but after that it was rarely mentioned - outside of the theme song! ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/23 "2009-12-13T12:31:50Z")
In Season 3 of the Wire, a major character is shown in the background in a gay bar. There was an expectation that his closeted life might be a subplot, but they never mentioned it again. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/24 "2009-12-13T12:55:51Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > From Deadwood: > > The first name in the billing during the credits is Timothy Olyphant. The opening scene is of him. Yet…it is quite clearly the Ian McShane show. I suspect that he was intended to be the main character but then ended up being of little purpose as an actor except for giving a nice crazy glare. And then of course Ian just stole the show. You have to wonder how it all would have been different if it had focused around the law-preserving rather than the law-breaking side of things. Wasn’t The Simpsons supposed to be a bit like that, Bart-centric until the producers settled on Homer as the star. EDIT: And in Doctor Who, the last season of the “old” Doctor made reference to an “[Other](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Other_%28Doctor_Who%29)”, some sort of character that was related to the Doctor’s distant past. The character never made it onto the big screen and remains an idea for the novels only. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/25 "2009-12-13T13:05:32Z")
The miniseries that launched the new Battlestar Galatctica included a kid character. He was never seen or mentioned again. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/26 "2009-12-13T13:17:30Z")
Another \*West Wing \*one: the character of Mandy, who was erased from the space-time continuum at the end of the first season. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/27 "2009-12-13T13:25:35Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > No one has mentioned\* Family Matters\*? Just as the name implies, it wasn’t supposed to be The Urkel Show; it was supposed to be a generic family sitcom. Jaleel White was only supposed to be a one-time guest. If I recall correctly, Klinger’s character on M\*\*A_S_H\* was originally a one-time guest shot. The visiting general is stopped by a sentry in a dress, and remarks, “Still trying to get out of the Army, Klinger?” The rest is history. ---
**Author:** ![cactus\_waltz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@cactus\_waltz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cactus_waltz)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/28 "2009-12-13T13:53:27Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > In Season 3 of the Wire, a major character is shown in the background in a gay bar. There was an expectation that his closeted life might be a subplot, but they never mentioned it again. This is referenced by creator David Simon in[this interview](http://sepinwall.blogspot.com/2008/03/wire-david-simon-q.html): > [@](#): > > There was something very compelling and real about just acknowledging that but not making it into grist for a storyline that didn’t add anything to our portrayal of [the character]. We were always laying pipe that could be picked up later. It doesn’t mean that you should pick it up. As for aborted ideas, the entire season 3 of Sopranos got a bit scrambled up after the passing of Nancy Marchand. The season is pretty disjointed, especially compared to season 1 and 2. As I understand it, she was to be a big part of a storyline with the FBI but the season had to rewritten in the last minute. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/29 "2009-12-13T13:57:27Z")
The whole pseudo-Christian theme of the next to the last two seasons of XENA about the prophet Eli and the coming of the One God of Love. Then the last season comes & that’s left by the wayside. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/30 "2009-12-13T15:48:18Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > The miniseries that launched the new Battlestar Galatctica included a kid character. He was never seen or mentioned again. Mostly true; he had a non-speaking role in _Bastille Day_; IIRC he was standing by the podium in the pilot’s briefing rooom as a sort of “mascot” while Starbuck gave a briefing. And had he was in _Water_, nut IMDB said his scenes were deleted. Other than that, though, you’re correct that they never did anything with him. In other sci-fi geekdom, _Farscape_ never did much with the Nebari Establishment, a race/government that uses a “mental cleansing” on nonconformists, and who also secretly infected their own “incorrigibles” with a kind of deadly STD and sent them out into the galaxy to wreak havoc amongst the Nebari Establishment’s “next on our list to knock off” adversaries. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/31 "2009-12-13T16:03:50Z")
> [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](#): > > No. I recall Sheridan telling Garibaldi that he had investigated a secret organization within the Earth alliance, and all he’d gotten so far was just the name of the group. It was something typical for a fictional conspiracy group like _The Trust_, or _The Inner Circle_, or something like that. Maybe it would have been tied to President Clark later, but the secret organization was never mentioned again. It was called _Bureau 13_. Unfortunately, there was already a fictional Bureau 13 as part of the game _Stalking the Night Fantastic_ and a trilogy of books based on the game, the first one being called…_Bureau 13_. So they dropped it. Copycats that they are, the Star Trek Universe just reversed the numbers and came up with Section 31. ---
**Author:** ![BKReporter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@BKReporter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BKReporter)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/32 "2009-12-13T16:20:28Z")
On _Family Matters_ Urkel was supposed to be one-shot character, but soon ended up hijacking the show. ETA: Ah, I see Big T already mentioned it above. ---
**Author:** ![planetcory](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/planetcory/32/1032_2.png) [@planetcory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/planetcory)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/33 "2009-12-13T16:24:04Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > No one has mentioned\* Family Matters\*? Just as the name implies, it wasn’t supposed to be The Urkel Show; it was supposed to be a generic family sitcom. Jaleel White was only supposed to be a one-time guest. Also on Family Matters was the youngest daughter, who went upstairs at the end of one season and was never seen or mentioned again. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/34 "2009-12-13T16:51:43Z")
At the end of one episode of **Seinfeld** Kramer announces he got a woman pregnant. We never hear about Cosmo, Jr. again. On **Married With Children** there’s Seven, whose disappearance was never mentioned (except for a few appearances on a milk carton). ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/35 "2009-12-13T17:08:35Z")
> [@planetcory](#): > > Also on Family Matters was the youngest daughter, who went upstairs at the end of one season and was never seen or mentioned again. Until she appeared in pornos that made Urkel exclaim “Did I do that?” Yes Jaleel White, you did. ---
**Author:** ![wierdaaron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eada6e/32.png) [@wierdaaron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wierdaaron)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/36 "2009-12-13T17:13:17Z")
Maybe something will happen with it, but at the beginning of this season of **Fringe** , there was this really hot FBI agent who was nosing into the story for a few episodes to the point where it seemed like she was a new regular character, and then she hasn’t been seen or mentioned of for the rest of the season, which is almost over. Either they changed their mind with her or she’s supposed to come back later. Including the things mentioned above, there were a lot of things in The West Wing that ended up being different from their original conception. Sam Seaborn was supposed to be the main character (thus Lowe’s eventual departure), Donna Moss was supposed to be as insignificant as the rest of the secretaries, etc. When people make a TV show, they usually have two or three seasons planned out in their heads, so when one becomes successful and seems like it will go on forever, things have to be re-calibrated mid-flight to allow the show to continue. This accounts for why Lost turned into crap as soon as it got popular, and then when an end point for the series was finally established, things got back to being good again, since the writers knew they’d be able to tell the whole story without needing to make episodes (or entire seasons) of filler. See also Heroes, which needs to be out down like a lame horse. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/37 "2009-12-13T17:32:30Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Another \*West Wing \*one: the character of Mandy, who was erased from the space-time continuum at the end of the first season. This happened sufficiently on TWW that fans spoke of characters being sent to “Mandyville.” Another one I can think of (but whose name eludes me entirely) is the black woman, based on real life Al Gore advisor Donna Brazile, who appeared quite prominently in the episode where President Bartlet walks to Capitol Hill to resolve the government shutdown (and is made to wait by the arrogant SOB SotH) and is never seen again. ---
**Author:** ![wierdaaron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eada6e/32.png) [@wierdaaron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wierdaaron)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/38 "2009-12-13T17:42:07Z")
I hate the “Mandyville” thing, because it shows an extreme lack of creativity in the audience of such a creative show. Would not “Mandyland” be much better a name for an imagined place? ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/39 "2009-12-13T18:02:16Z")
Two significant characters in the pilot for Weeds vanished once the series proper picked up. One was mentioned later (and may have reappeared), but the other is, as far as I know, vanished into the aether. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/40 "2009-12-13T18:06:23Z")
> [@Cyberhwk](#): > > Also on the **West Wing** , Sorkin originally said that Vinnick (Alan Alda) was to beat Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) in the election. Then when John Spencer died they changed their minds and let the VP-less Santos ticket win. > > Since then I he’s backpedaled though saying it was never a “sure thing” and they were still debating when they got news of his death. How would Sorkin know? He had left the show several years earlier. Judging by the show, it was clear that Santos was their planned winner, though they wanted Vinnick to be a credible threat. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042.md?page=3)