# disappearing TV characters **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 21, 2000, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318 "2000-07-21T04:06:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2000, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/41 "2000-07-21T19:01:28Z")
Regarding obfu’s post about the disappearing D.A., it should be noted that this is one example where a purist could argue that no explanation is needed. In NYC, Distric Attorney is an elected office, so it’s totally possible that there’s one D.A. in one episode, and a different one in the next episode. Which brings up another point… Do/did they EVER show D.A. Schiff running for reelection? * * * Regarding the nosey Bewitched neighbor, I remember the actress died between seasons. That explains the switcheroo. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2000, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/42 "2000-07-21T19:14:26Z")
In the first season of Mission: Impossible the leader was Steven Briggs (Played by Steven Hill, now the top Lawyer on Law and Order). He was replaced by Peter Graves without any explanation I can recall. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2000, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/43 "2000-07-21T19:17:08Z")
On the Mothers-in-Law one of the fathers was played by Roger C. Carmel, but he got switched with someone else. The same thing happened with Mr. French on Family Affair, when Sebastian Cabot left for a year to be replaced by some thin guy with white hair (although Cabot did return). And I STILL think that X-Files stole its theme music from “The Mothers -in-Law”. ---
**Author:** ![sorrel554](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@sorrel554](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sorrel554)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2000, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/44 "2000-07-21T19:18:44Z")
[TV Guide Online](http://www.tvguide.com) has a fun game on this topic under its Features section. ---
**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:** [July 21, 2000, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/45 "2000-07-21T19:28:06Z")
On the pilot of Roseanne, her son was played by someone else (not David Fishman). On the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, aunt Vi was played by one actress. When she got pregnant, it was written into the show. She left in a dispute with the producers, and was recast with Daphne Reid. The Jazzy Jet character remarked on it in a line delivered perfectly “Mrs. Banks, I don’t know what it is, but since you had the baby you seem different.” ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2000, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/46 "2000-07-21T20:08:21Z")
no one’s mentioned yet My THree Sons - who had Michael Constantine as the eldest son, for I think just the first season, and then “adopted” Ernie (CHip’s "friend " in the show, but real life brother), to keep the title true, some vague mention maybe of the eldest going on to college, but after that first show back, Ernie was simply one of “my 3 sons” and no mention of the original kid, nor the adoption. Trivia, is my life, I have no other. other people answered the other stuff I was gonna… ---
**Author:** ![StrTrkr777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@StrTrkr777](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StrTrkr777)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2000, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/47 "2000-07-21T20:11:19Z")
Not to be picky but the character on Fresh Prince is Jazzy Jeff not Jet, but was known as Jazz. What about adding a character. Remember at the beginning of the run of The Cosby Show, they only had the four children and in fact Bill makes a statement to that effect, yet later they add Sondra. According to the IMDB the Becky Conner characters were played as follows: Alicia Goranson … Becky Conner Healy (#1, #3) (1988-1992, 1995-1996) Sarah Chalke … Becky Conner Healy (#2, #4) (1993-1995, 1996-1997 Jeffery ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2000, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/48 "2000-07-21T20:41:10Z")
I just remembered one that might top 'em all, even the Darin change… a TITLE CHARACTER switcheroo! In “The Life of Riley,” the main/title character was played by Jackie Gleason first, then William Bedix (who played the original radio Riley) later. Details below: [http://www.metnews.com/opinion/persp-riley.htm](http://www.metnews.com/opinion/persp-riley.htm) Has THAT ever happened before??? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2000, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/49 "2000-07-21T20:59:16Z")
Title character change? Nt happened before? Ever hear of Doctor Who? ---
**Author:** ![Me\_Joe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@Me\_Joe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Me_Joe)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2000, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/50 "2000-07-21T21:02:11Z")
stuyguy, although she wasn’t actually replaced, a similar thing did happen before. Back in the 1980’s, there was a fairly mediocre sitcom starring (i think her name is) Valerie Harper (who had played Rhoda on “Mary Tyler Moore”) and called simply enough “Valerie.” After about a year, Valerie Harper got booted off the show for being an ornery drama queen. But instead of cancelling the show, they kept it going under the name “Valerie’s Family” with Sandy Duncan. So even though she didn’t get replaced (her character was killed off), a show kept going after the title character was axed. It frightens me that I remember, or even knew this to begin with. ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2000, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/51 "2000-07-21T21:12:15Z")
Hey, Cal: Ever hear that this is the United States? (A smiley face to indicate that I’m only joshing WOULD go here, but I don’t use 'em.) Fat: Yeah, I remember that too now that you mention it. But with the title change, I’d say it qualifies… with an asterisk. Hey… Cal’s citing of British TV shows just got me thinking. Did they ever “explain” the switch from Mrs. Peel to Mrs./Miss. King (it was King, right?) on the Avengers? ---
**Author:** ![Kepi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kepi/32/7251_2.png) [@Kepi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kepi)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2000, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/52 "2000-07-21T21:17:06Z")
> [@](#): > > Funny thing about the “Happy Days” disappearing son…in the episode where Joanie and Chachi got married, the father was making a toast and said something about his two wonderful children, Joanie and Ritchie…no reference at all to Chuck! Another noticeable non-mention of Chuck occurred in another episode late in the series (don’t really remember the plot) when Marion says something about “raising three children - first Richie and Joanie, and now Howard”. I remember saying to myself, even during the original broadcast, “What about Chuck? Who raised him? A pack of wolves?” ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2000, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/53 "2000-07-21T21:49:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by stuyguy \* > \*\*Hey… Cal’s citing of British TV shows just got me thinking. Did they ever “explain” the switch from Mrs. Peel to Mrs./Miss. King (it was King, right?) on the Avengers? \*\* Mr. Peel came back. Memories are hazy, but I think he was an explorer (Amazon? Himalayas?) who had been missing for years. Emma says a teasingly proper goodbye to Steed, passes Tara King on the stairs on her way out (and says one thing to her, “He likes his tea stirred anti-clockwise”), and drives off with her husband. We only see Peter Peel from behind, wearing a bowler and carrying an umbrella. ---
**Author:** ![Yosemite\_Joy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/13edae/32.png) [@Yosemite\_Joy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yosemite_Joy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2000, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/54 "2000-07-21T21:54:18Z")
What about the boy from “Grace Under Fire”? Do you know the show? I watch it at 5 am… and let me tell you that it is especially difficult to decipher that a 10 year old one day suddenly is 16 or 17 the next at 5 in the morning. The show sucks, but it is better than the droning newscasters. ---
**Author:** ![KJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b2d939/32.png) [@KJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KJ)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2000, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/55 "2000-07-21T22:10:18Z")
Speaking of The Simpsons… Whatever happened to Dr. Marvin Monroe? In the “135th episode spectacular” they say the following: > [@](#): > > Answers to quiz “Which of the following popular Simpsons characters have died in the last season?”: > > If you chose Bleeding Gums Murphy and Dr. Marvin Monroe {fades in pictures of them from the silhouettes(sp?)}, you were…wrong. These characters were never popular. They imply that he died, but they don’t actually say it, and there is no episode where he actually does. I assume the voice actor died/got fired, but I want to know the straight dope. Anybody know what went on? Also, if you watch old episodes, it’s easy to spot the following minor differences: - Milhouse used to have black hair, but it changed to blue unexplainably. - Moe’s Tavern used to be blue, and it looked totally different. - Barney Gumble used to have blonde hair. - For a few episodes, Smithers was \ african-american \ (or severely tanned), but they changed it for no apparent reason. - The windows on the front of The Simpsons’ house used to not stick out, but they changed it after about the 1st season. Any others? ---
**Author:** ![ThisYearsGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@ThisYearsGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisYearsGirl)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2000, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/56 "2000-07-21T22:15:48Z")
From [http://www.snpp.com](http://www.snpp.com) Wasn’t Smithers black in one episode? Sort of. When “Homer’s Odyssey” was being produced, Smithers was accidentally animated with the wrong color. This goof is entirely the fault of Klasky-Csupo, and Producer David Silverman assures us that Waylon was always intended to be yellow. David suggests that you imagine that Smithers had just come back from a vacation in the Caribbean with a deep tan when the episode took place. ---
**Author:** ![Homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2000, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/57 "2000-07-21T22:21:37Z")
Now, I hear you’ve been having trouble with my show. Allow me to explain. > [@](#): > > They imply that he died, but they don’t actually say it, and there is no episode where he actually does. I assume the voice actor died/got fired, but I want to know the straight dope. Anybody know what went on? My writers wanted to have fun with the 135th episode special, and said Dr. Monroe died. Nothing is wrong with the voice actor for Dr. Monroe, he does many other voices. Saying he died was a joke, but it was carried by the writers in later episodes (Springfield General Hospital has a wing dedicated to Dr. Marvin Monroe) and it later became canon. > [@](#): > > - Milhouse used to have black hair, but it changed to blue unexplainably. We’ve had problems with Korean coloring studios before, as evidenced by this. > [@](#): > > - Moe’s Tavern used to be blue, and it looked totally different. Our set topography changes as we see fit. No explanation, no reason. > [@](#): > > - Barney Gumble used to have blonde hair. Again, trouble with the colorists. > [@](#): > > - For a few episodes, Smithers was african-american, but they changed it for no apparent reason. IIRC, this was for one episode in the first season, again, problems with the Korean colorists. They were… dealt with. > [@](#): > > - The windows on the front of The Simpsons’ house used to not stick out, but they changed it after about the 1st season. HAHA! You consider THAT the biggest problem with our house? Pay attention. It changes from season to season. The basement, the first floor, the garage, the chimney placement, hell, even the west retaining wall changes. Our house is not possible in a 3 dimensional universe. D’oh! Sincerely, Homer J. Simpson ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2000, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/58 "2000-07-21T22:42:14Z")
In Star Trek TNG, didn’t Ensign Wesley Crusher get kind of gradually pushed out of the picture? We see him less and less as the series goes on (thank God – I wanted to slap him). I heard gossip to the effect that nobody on the set liked the actor, and they just sort of elbowed him out. ---
**Author:** ![Minxsmom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d07c76/32.png) [@Minxsmom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minxsmom)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2000, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/59 "2000-07-21T22:51:43Z")
The A-Team had a different guy playing Face in the pilot episode (can’t remember his name). The directors decided that he was way too young to play the part. I know there were other reasons for ditching him (probably one of them was that he was a crappy actor - he was awful), but I can’t remember them now. Then they brought in Dirk Benedict. Another bit of A-Team trivia. They wrote Murdoch out after the pilot episode. The studio got so much mail complaining that he was absent from the second show that they put him back in. Unfortunately, they had already started filming and had the scripts all ready for the rest of the season, so they just let Dwight Schultz ad lib for the entire first season. ---
**Author:** ![tygre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c4cdca/32.png) [@tygre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tygre)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2000, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/60 "2000-07-21T23:08:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by fat angel \* > \*\*stuyguy, > although she wasn’t actually replaced, a similar thing did happen before. Back in the 1980’s, there was a fairly mediocre sitcom starring (i think her name is) Valerie Harper (who had played Rhoda on “Mary Tyler Moore”) and called simply enough “Valerie.” After about a year, Valerie Harper got booted off the show for being an ornery drama queen. But instead of cancelling the show, they kept it going under the name “Valerie’s Family” with Sandy Duncan. So even though she didn’t get replaced (her character was killed off), a show kept going after the title character was axed. > \*\* I believe they had to drop “Valerie” from the title of this series later in its run and it was called “The Harpers” or something similiar, since Ms. Harper (or her attorney) wanted some credit… Also, in the first season of 90210, Donna’s (Tori Spelling) mom is named Nancy- but named Felice and played by someone else in later seasons. –tygre [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318.md?page=4)