# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/41 "2009-12-13T18:13:43Z")
In the previous season (3) of Dexter, an internal affairs cop starts pestering Debra about her partner Quinn, implying that he’s mixed up in something illegal. She puts a lot of heat on Debra to help with the investigation, but Debra keeps telling her to fuck off. I don’t remember anything ever coming of that. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/42 "2009-12-13T18:17:41Z")
Saved by the Bell was originally about the teacher, she was not even around after the first season. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/43 "2009-12-13T18:20:36Z")
On the soap _Another World_, head writer Harding LeMay decided to break up boring married couple by having their son come home from college and announce he was gay. The network agreed to it, provided the son’s lover was never seen. The actor was told the story before being cast. The sponsor nixed the idea. ---
**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, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/44 "2009-12-13T18:31:13Z")
Star Trek: TNG. The “worm infested people” grand conspiracy thing was dropped like a hot rock after one episode. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/45 "2009-12-13T18:45:56Z")
> [@sciurophobic](#): > > At the end of one episode of **Seinfeld** Kramer announces he got a woman pregnant. We never hear about Cosmo, Jr. again. Speaking of **Seinfeld** , whatever happened to “the other”? In one episode, Jerry and ex-girlfriend-now-buddy Elaine decide that friendship (“this”) is great but it would be even better if they had sex (“that”). At the end, Elaine decides that they can’t keep having “this” and “that” without a full-fledged relationship “the other” and Jerry surprisingly agrees. As far as I could see, no mention is made of this again. It would have been a huge change to the dynamic of the show, but it seems odd for the writers to abruptly drop it when it would have been so easy to hit the reset button within that episode or the next with a throwaway line or two. (Unlike the pregnancy. Pregnancies end in all sorts of ways that aren’t necessarily fun to deal with in sitcoms. Also, I doubt if many people expected or wanted to see Kramer take care of a newborn. :eek:) Did I simply miss the part where their relationship went back to “this”? This has bugged me almost but not quite enough to start a thread over for several years now. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/46 "2009-12-13T18:59:23Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > On the soap _Another World_, head writer Harding LeMay decided to break up boring married couple by having their son come home from college and announce he was gay. The network agreed to it, provided the son’s lover was never seen. The actor was told the story before being cast. > > The sponsor nixed the idea. And so the story was changed so that the son came home and revealed that he was a male hustler (with strictly female clients)…and that was considered acceptable by the sponsors. :rolleyes: On the flip side though, when “As the World Turns” did introduce a gay character, head writer Doug Marland had originally intended him to have AIDS and die of the disease. But several gay & AIDS activists he discussed the story with convinced him to change it. He realized that having the first openly gay character in daytime soap history die sent a dismal message - that ALL gay characters will die. Hank (the gay character) instead had a lover die of AIDS off-screeen, but he remained HIV negative (or at least in remission). ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/47 "2009-12-13T19:13:05Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > Speaking of **Seinfeld** , whatever happened to “the other”? > > In one episode, Jerry and ex-girlfriend-now-buddy Elaine decide that friendship (“this”) is great but it would be even better if they had sex (“that”). At the end, Elaine decides that they can’t keep having “this” and “that” without a full-fledged relationship “the other” and Jerry surprisingly agrees. I’m not really a Seinfeld fan, but it seems possible to me that the agreement WAS the dropping of the ‘that’. Was it specifically said in that episode that they were going to add ‘the other’ or was it simply agreed that they couldn’t have ‘this and that’ without it? ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/48 "2009-12-13T19:33:15Z")
It could have so easily ended that way but didn’t; that’s what makes this particularly discontinuity puzzling to me. The last four lines of the episode are as follows: Kramer: So, ah, what’re you guys gonna do today? Elaine: Ah, this. And that. Jerry: And the other. Kramer: Boy, I really liked the two of you much better when you weren’t a couple. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/49 "2009-12-13T19:38:36Z")
OK, then. Odd, that. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/50 "2009-12-13T19:45:36Z")
> [@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 “Bureau 13”, and it was dropped because there was also around the same time a mediocre PC game that came out with the same name and they didn’t want any arguments over trademarks and all that. EDIT: God damn, I looked and still didn’t see it! -Joe ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/51 "2009-12-13T20:10:58Z")
_Angel_ had a couple of characters who were dropped with no mention of what happened to them, such as Phantom Dennis, who I suppose just went toward the light after Cordelia left, and software gazillionaire David Nabbit. Buffy season 7 had a couple of friends of Dawn who were mentioned in the first episode as her close friends and who were then never metioned again. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/52 "2009-12-13T21:10:23Z")
On the original Star Trek there was talk of having the Klingon character from the Tribbles episode (played by William Campbell, who earlier played Trelayne, the Squire of Gothos) as a recurring foil for Kirk. He ended up making some appearances 20 years later on DS9. You never saw that “one special woman” of Scotty’s from the “Lights of Zetar” episode. I wish they would have hired children’s TV puppeteer Shari Lewis, who co wrote the script and wanted to play the role, but was turned down. The Ferengi faded away from TNG after one season after being built up as the main antagonists. Fortunately Quark was reinvented on DS9 with Armin Shimerman surviving longer than he did as Principal Snyder of “Buffy”…I am about to say the words every principal dreams of saying: Miss Summers, you are expelled". ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/53 "2009-12-13T21:17:59Z")
I stopped watching Heroes mid last season, but for a while, Peter had abandoned some girl in a dystopian future. As of the last time I watched, he hadn’t gone back to rescue her. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/54 "2009-12-13T21:22:11Z")
> [@typoink](#): > > 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. If you mean Quinn and Doug’s gay son, Quinn has come back for a couple of episodes in Season 4 and 5. The actor who played Doug’s gay son found himself a movie career and presumably couldn’t be bothered to do television anymore. He has been name-checked on the show a couple of times though, which puts him ahead of Doug’s other three kids. Doug is a great dad. He even gave his kids cute nicknames: Tequila Shots, Snuck-It-In-While-She-Was-Sleeping, Doing-It-For-A-Lexus, and Turkey Baster. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/55 "2009-12-13T21:41:55Z")
Another “Star Trek” (original series) idea: I recall reading a long time ago that there was one episode in the works that would have centered on Bones & Uhura being stranded on a planet. The catch was that on this world, blacks are the ‘dominant’ race and whites were the discriminated-against ‘minorities.’ (And possibly, females being the dominant gender as well.) This world would have been a pre-warp speed level society, and the pair would have been forced to disguise themselves - with Bones pretending to be Uhura’s slave. But then, with the amount of racial tension following MLK’s assassination, the script was dropped as being too incendiary. I know I read about this, but don’t have a cite. Any die-hard Trek fans ever hear of this? ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/56 "2009-12-13T22:40:45Z")
Seinfeld finale (which may or may not make the following precisely on-topic): halfway through, Newman says something to Jerry along these lines: “Oh, Jerry, don’t worry. Soon, you shall see me in all my glory, and then you shall know the Ultimate Truth! \” At that instant I became absolutely convinced (as much as I could have been without being a fly on the wall during script discussions) that they were going to end the final scene with Newman walking into the jail cell where the Gang of Four were sequestered, the final camera shot cutting to Newman, in full devilish regalia (horns, pitchfork, the works), laughing maniacally, indicating that the protagonists were (and always had been) in Hell. But not only did they not do anything like that, Newman was never even revealed in anything remotely resembling his “full glory”, which is what later made me think that they originally were going to do it this way, but somewhere along the line chickened out. It would have blown the Newhart final-ep reveal completely out of the water, if they had had the guts to stick with it (assuming my hypothesis is correct of course), being oh so apt for that universe and all the weird crap that happened to them. Damned \ shame they didn’t… ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Hen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@Small\_Hen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Hen)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/57 "2009-12-13T23:21:56Z")
> [@The New and Improved Superman](#): > > Another “Star Trek” (original series) idea: I recall reading a long time ago that there was one episode in the works that would have centered on Bones & Uhura being stranded on a planet. The catch was that on this world, blacks are the ‘dominant’ race and whites were the discriminated-against ‘minorities.’ (And possibly, females being the dominant gender as well.) This world would have been a pre-warp speed level society, and the pair would have been forced to disguise themselves - with Bones pretending to be Uhura’s slave. But then, with the amount of racial tension following MLK’s assassination, the script was dropped as being too incendiary. I know I read about this, but don’t have a cite. Any die-hard Trek fans ever hear of this? I’ve never heard of that before, but I’ll bet it would make a smokin’ hot fanfic. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/58 "2009-12-13T23:28:15Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Saved by the Bell was originally about the teacher, she was not even around after the first season. Actually the show started as [Good Morning, Miss Bliss](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Morning,_Miss_Bliss). It ran one season, was cancelled, pickup up and retooled as SBTB. The teacher was dropped but the earlier episodes were retconned into the series when it went into syndication. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/59 "2009-12-14T00:06:26Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > If you mean Quinn and Doug’s gay son, Quinn has come back for a couple of episodes in Season 4 and 5. > > The actor who played Doug’s gay son found himself a movie career and presumably couldn’t be bothered to do television anymore. He has been name-checked on the show a couple of times though, which puts him ahead of Doug’s other three kids. Doug is a great dad. He even gave his kids cute nicknames: Tequila Shots, Snuck-It-In-While-She-Was-Sleeping, Doing-It-For-A-Lexus, and Turkey Baster. Yeah, I thought Quinn returned but stopped watching after S3 so wasn’t sure. I figured it was other acting commitments that pulled the son off the show, but it’s certainly jarring to see since he’s a major part of the pilot and was obviously being set up as a character who was going to cause serious trouble later on. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042/60 "2009-12-14T00:20:30Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > I stopped watching Heroes mid last season, but for a while, Peter had abandoned some girl in a dystopian future. > > As of the last time I watched, he hadn’t gone back to rescue her. Heroes is the king of this. Pretty much every new season, characters and plotlines from the last get dropped. They tried to blame his girlfriend on the strike, but they eventually said that they took so long that it was too late to do anything with her. Probably the most annoying was Ando getting the power to super-charge other heroes. I thought that there were so many possibilities of what he could do with that. He’s only used it twice since getting the power, and even then it was only to electrocute a couple guys. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aborted-ideas-in-tv-shows/521042.md?page=4)