# 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:** 4
**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, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/61 "2000-07-21T23:10:15Z")
It was “The Hogan Family”. Sorry, now we return you to the thread in progress… –tygre ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2000, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/62 "2000-07-21T23:44:38Z")
Molly Ringwald was on “The Facts of Life” for the first season when she was about 11 or so. Then gone. What happened to Matlock’s first assistant, played by Linda Purl? My grandmother used to watch this show, and I thought she was prettier than the second one. (Purl, not my grandmother.) ---
**Author:** ![minlokwat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minlokwat/32/2844_2.png) [@minlokwat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minlokwat)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2000, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/63 "2000-07-21T23:47:28Z")
sheesh! I wasn’t talking about the old switch-eroo where a character is replaced with another actor/actress a la, Derrick on Bewitched/Lionnel on Jefferson/ and the aunt on Fresh Prince. We were talking about characters that simply vanish without explanation. Here’s one I thought of. What exactly happened to Crissy Snow on Three’s Company? I know of the salary squabble with Suzanne Sommers but what exactly happened to the character of Crissy? ---
**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, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/64 "2000-07-21T23:48:13Z")
She was referred to as his daughter, then “got a job elsewhere”. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2000, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/65 "2000-07-21T23:51:58Z")
Wesley Crusher - after a few seasons, he went to Starfleet Academy and was only in a few episodes after that. Eventually, he joined up with a character from an early episode called the “Traveler” and supposedly the two of them are now off happily running around higher planes of existence or some such. Smithers - it’s been well-explained, but the more cynical of us may realize that making the only black man in Springfield (at the time) Mr. Burns’ “assistant” was not exactly the smartest political move. Mulder - Yep, it now looks like old T-1000 is the replacement. Too bad. Bruce Campbell (of the Evil Dead/Army of Darkness series, Xena, and The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.) was on the short list of possibilities. I’ve always been a fan of his - he could use more exposure. ---
**Author:** ![beakerxf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc79bd/32.png) [@beakerxf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beakerxf)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2000, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/66 "2000-07-22T00:49:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by fat angel \* > Here’s another old t.v. switcheroo that always puzzled me – on “Bewitched” of course Darren was recast. But wasn’t there two (or even three) Mrs. Kravitz’es? I’m not surprised people don’t comment on that because they were all kind of annoying. I just wondered what the story behind that was. \*\* There were two Mrs. Kravitzes. The original Mrs. Kravitz died of (ovarian?) cancer. A little side note: neither Elizabeth Montgomery nor Agnes Moorehead liked the second Mrs. Kravitz. They felt she was too shrill. Re: Molly Ringwald on Facts of Life There was actually rather large cast the first season. However, the show was really struggling because there were too many characters and it was hard to write solid storylines (that, and half weren’t horrible actresses). So in the second season they decided to scrap more than half the characters. They explained it away by having the three main characters move out of the dorm and into a room above the cafeteria. The other characters made a few more appearances and then were fazed out. ---
**Author:** ![sugaree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@sugaree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugaree)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2000, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/67 "2000-07-22T03:55:03Z")
The episodes of Happy Days that featured Chuck were totally different in tone and feel than the post-Chuck shows, more kin to “American Graffitti”. The Cunningham’s house set was different. I thought that the whole show had been severely retooled. A recent disappearance- When Donna on “That Seventies Show” threw a party when her parents went out of town, she had a younger sister. Donna was upset when Fez hit on her sister because she was only 14 (never mind that Fez was only 16, and Kelso’s girlfriend Jackie only 15). Said sister has never been seen or mentioned again, even though a lot of attention is given to their parent’s marital problems. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2000, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/68 "2000-07-22T06:03:16Z")
I believe, although I didn’t watch the show, that **Chico and the Man** struggled along for another season, or at least half of one, after Freddie Prinze died. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2000, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/69 "2000-07-22T08:29:48Z")
I can’t believe no one has mentioned Pernell Roberts’ mysterious disappearance from _Bonanza_. As far as I know, he was there in one episode, gone without a trace in the next, with no explanation. For years, no one mentioned Adam at all. Several seasons later, they referred to his being in the merchant marine or something. Dan Blocker died during the show’s run and they had his character killed by outlaws. Tasha Yar didn’t mysteriously disappear from ST:TNG. She was eaten by an oil slick. Nothing mysterious about that. What she did do was to mysteriously re-appear. And re-appeared. And re-appeared. I have nothing against the dead as long as they stay that way. The oldest son on _My Threee Sons_ was named Mike, and I think he got married in the last episode he appeared in. I’m not sure how they wrote out William Frawley, who played the boys’ grandfather. Frawley died during the show’s run, I believe. I suspect they killed off the character, but I don’t remember. ---
**Author:** ![kawliga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ea666f/32.png) [@kawliga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kawliga)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2000, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/70 "2000-07-22T09:03:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by wring \* > \*\*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. > \*\* The eldest son “Mike” was played by Tim Considine for the first five seasons. In the first episode of the sixth season he married and moved to Arizona. He was never seen again but was occasionally talked about during that season at least. The show ran for twelve seasons. ---
**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 22, 2000, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/71 "2000-07-22T13:37:22Z")
Mike’s wife on My Three Sons was played by Meredith McRae, daughter of Gordon. On the Big Valley, the Barkleys had a younger son named Eugene. He went back east to school. The soap opera character was on All My Children. His name was Bobby Martin, younger brother to Tara. He went up to the attic one day to polish his skis, and was never seen again. On the Simpsons, Selma gave her name as Selma Bouvier McClure Hutz Terwilliger. The marriage to Lionel Hutz was never shown or explained. Since Phil Hartman, who voiced the character, was killed, it never will be. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2000, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/72 "2000-07-23T07:21:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Annie-Xmas \* > **Mike’s wife on My Three Sons was played by > Meredith McRae, daughter of Gordon.** I believe she was his wife. And I just read that she died. She was also one of the sisters on Petticoat Junction. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2000, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/73 "2000-07-24T04:34:06Z")
On _Battlestar Galactica_ Commander Adama had a daughter (Apollo’s sister), who was a prominent character in the pilot episode. Then in the series she appears as a bridge officer a few times, then disappears. ---
**Author:** ![spluurtaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@spluurtaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spluurtaf)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2000, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/74 "2000-07-25T00:38:49Z")
On the last season, Vinnie Barbarino(Travolta) pretty much disappeared, but some blond guy took his place. I couldn’t believe he came friends with the other sweathogs. ---
**Author:** ![dubikan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@dubikan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dubikan)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2000, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/75 "2000-07-25T13:51:35Z")
Talk about coming in late in the thread… Anyway, someone way up there in the first page mentioned the switch on the sister in Rosanne. IIRC, the last episode, featuring mostly clips of the seasons of yore also had a cute new segment where John Goodman played the youngest boy (don’t remember his name) as a grown man, and he was basically just lumbering about looking idiotic and whining that “they changed her! they changed her!” meaning his sister, which is “someone else” and nobody appears to notice… That was the only time I laughed that entire last season… ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2000, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/76 "2000-09-24T00:18:59Z")
As has been mentioned, there were many strange disappearances in _My Three Sons_. _Spy_ magazine once did a short article demonstrating that Fred MacMurray’s character must be a serial killer seeing how many characters simply disappeared without any explanation. One of my favorite oddball unexplained changes was in a series that lasted for only one season (1980-1981) called _I’m a Big Girl Now_. It starred Diana Canova as a young divorced women with a daughter. As the series begins, her father, played by Danny Thomas, moves in with her. Her mother had left Thomas and run off with his business partner (he was a dentist). Canova was supposedly working in a think tank in Washington, DC in the early episodes. In the middle of the season, suddenly the workplace changes to a newspaper with no explanation. The same co-workers were there (Sheree North was her boss and Martin Short was one of her colleagues), but the office had changed from a think tank to a newspaper for no reason (well, except presumably for the fact that the scriptwriters had decided that they didn’t know how a think tank would work). ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2000, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/77 "2000-09-24T00:47:39Z")
I used to watch I’m a Big Girl when I was little…VERY little. BTW, Martin Short mentioned the change on Dennis Miller Live. The FAmily Matters girl-her name was Judy. And dammit, I liked her better than Urkel…UGH!!! Full HOuse-Jesse’s last name on the show was first mentioned as Cochran. Second season-it changed to Katsopolis-What the fuck? ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2000, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/78 "2000-09-24T05:05:29Z")
Didn’t the original Mr. Wilson on “Dennis the Menace” disappear? He was replaced by his brother, who naturally was also named Mr. Wilson. I remember thinking it was pretty weird that Mr. Wilson #2 was living with his brother’s wife. I never saw an episode which explained the switch. Perhaps Mr. Wilson #1 was taking a nap in the garden one day and Mr. Wilson #2 crept up and poured poison into his ear. . . ---
**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:** [September 24, 2000, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/79 "2000-09-24T05:46:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Guinastasia \* > **Full HOuse-Jesse’s last name on the show was first mentioned as Cochran. Second season-it changed to Katsopolis-What the fuck?** He took the name Cochran to hide his Greek heritage. IIRC, they made a big deal about his taking Katsopolis back. ::Looks around:: Um…not that I watched it… ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2000, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/80 "2000-09-25T07:30:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CalMeacham \* > \*\*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. \*\* I guess he was captured or killed and the Secretary disavowed any knowledge… This post will self-destruct in 30 seconds. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318.md?page=5)