# Has a series ever actually successfully passed the torch? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 1, 2025, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-series-ever-actually-successfully-passed-the-torch/1020340 "2025-07-01T06:18:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2025, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-series-ever-actually-successfully-passed-the-torch/1020340/121 "2025-07-09T23:32:54Z")
But Mike didn’t appear as that particular character until Joel was gone. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2025, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-series-ever-actually-successfully-passed-the-torch/1020340/122 "2025-07-10T02:45:31Z")
Mike’s first episode didn’t have Joel, but am I right that they do see Joel one more time on the original run of the show and the two interact? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2025, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-series-ever-actually-successfully-passed-the-torch/1020340/123 "2025-07-10T02:55:02Z")
But Mike always was a fill-in bit player on the show playing many different characters. I don’t think the character he played when he took over was one Joel (the character) ever met. ---
**Author:** ![MacDoc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/macdoc/32/18696_2.png) [@MacDoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacDoc)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2025, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-series-ever-actually-successfully-passed-the-torch/1020340/124 "2025-07-10T02:58:04Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Did this Ballard person spend a significant amount of time with Bosch in the antecedent TV series, There is a history but I don’t think she ever appeared in the long running Bosch series but Bosch in in Ballard show in current show time - he advises her ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2025, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-series-ever-actually-successfully-passed-the-torch/1020340/125 "2025-07-10T03:40:43Z")
The Mike character was in Joel’s final episode, _Mitchell_. But he was on Earth with the mads the whole episode. Joel and Mike never interacted. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2025, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-series-ever-actually-successfully-passed-the-torch/1020340/126 "2025-07-10T17:33:22Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > [snip] am I right that they do see Joel one more time on the original run of the show and the two interact? Well for values of “the original run”, yes, Experiment 1001, Soultaker: > **[MST3K 1001 - Soultaker](https://mst3k.fandom.com/wiki/MST3K_1001_-_Soultaker)** > > Main article: Soultaker (film) Five young people are killed in a car crash. Some of their souls then try to evade the Soultaker, who is trying to collect them and send them to the afterlife. The Soultaker is revealed to have a personal interest in... ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2025, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-series-ever-actually-successfully-passed-the-torch/1020340/127 "2025-07-10T17:42:42Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > The Mike character was in Joel’s final episode, _Mitchell_. But he was on Earth with the mads the whole episode. Joel and Mike never interacted. Hey, here they are interacting. Thnaks to @ParallelLines for reminding me where I saw it. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/mHouLb1gU18/hqdefault.jpg "MST3K - Joel meets Mike") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHouLb1gU18) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2025, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-series-ever-actually-successfully-passed-the-torch/1020340/128 "2025-07-10T17:59:38Z")
More of a cameo than an actual passing of the torch from old character to new character, but it _was_ cute. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2025, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-series-ever-actually-successfully-passed-the-torch/1020340/129 "2025-07-10T19:36:31Z")
No problem, always happy to help out a fellow fan! Back to the thread though, as our OP laid out - > [@Asuka](#): > > For a passing the torch to happen though the replacement character and the original character have to be on screen together for a large portion of the work before the torch gets passed. It probably doesn’t count, but in terms of _intent_, yeah, I’d consider it a passing of a torch. Joel is present, shows his care for the team, but is making it clear that it’s Mike’s responsibility/problem now. YMMV of course! ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-series-ever-actually-successfully-passed-the-torch/1020340/130 "2025-07-11T13:32:41Z")
> [@digs](#): > > I was surprised that, when Kyra Sedgewick left _The Closer,_ a lesser-known character would just be promoted into her role and the series would continue as _Major Crimes._ The biggest change I notice is the detectives get more responsibility in Major Crimes. They’re working crime scenes and forming ideas about the case. Brenda in The Closer just gave the detectives orders. You do this and you do that. Then they came back with answers. Overall the transition was surprisingly smooth. Kyra was in _every_ scene. Mary McDonnell replaced her and was a central character. But she wasn’t in all the scenes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-series-ever-actually-successfully-passed-the-torch/1020340.md?page=6)