# Non-animated TV shows where the characters wear the same thing all the time **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 13, 2017, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-animated-tv-shows-where-the-characters-wear-the-same-thing-all-the-time/779758 "2017-02-13T15:55:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-animated-tv-shows-where-the-characters-wear-the-same-thing-all-the-time/779758/1 "2017-02-13T15:55:16Z")
Inspired by the recent Beverly Hillbillies thread. How many TV shows, not involving characters in uniform, are there where the main character(s) wear the exact same thing in every episode? The ones I can think of right away are: Gilligan’s Island The Beverly Hillbillies Kolchak: The Night Stalker Gilligan’s people wore the same thing for obvious reasons, but they did have episodes where they found costumes, as well as fantasy episodes. Otherwise, they wore the same thing. Carl Kolchak wore the same powder blue suit and straw boater hat in every episode because…I don’t know why. Were they trying to make him a “super hero”, with a modern “costume”? Maybe the suit protected him! 🙂 And TBH wore the same thing because they were stereotypes. There was no reason they couldn’t have gotten new clothes in the 9 years the show was on. The humor would still be the same. (One could argue it would be better - with Jed’s homespun “hillbilly-ness” coming from a more normally dressed guy). Are there any others? ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-animated-tv-shows-where-the-characters-wear-the-same-thing-all-the-time/779758/2 "2017-02-13T16:11:28Z")
Most main characters on The Dukes of Hazzard. Arya Stark on Game of Thrones Xena: Warrior Princess ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-animated-tv-shows-where-the-characters-wear-the-same-thing-all-the-time/779758/3 "2017-02-13T16:19:44Z")
Every version of Star Trek. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-animated-tv-shows-where-the-characters-wear-the-same-thing-all-the-time/779758/4 "2017-02-13T16:21:32Z")
That falls under the “uniforms” exception in the OP. Unless you’re talking about Deanna Troi’s blue dress. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-animated-tv-shows-where-the-characters-wear-the-same-thing-all-the-time/779758/5 "2017-02-13T16:22:45Z")
Wait, I’ve got another one: The main characters of _Lassie_, _Flipper_, and _Mr. Ed_ each always wore exactly the same thing. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-animated-tv-shows-where-the-characters-wear-the-same-thing-all-the-time/779758/6 "2017-02-13T16:25:12Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Gilligan’s Island ISTR that, in the first season of Gilligan’s Island, this was pretty much true for all of the characters; there was even a point at which someone made Ginger a second dress, using the Minnow’s tarpaulin, so she had a second outfit. But, as time went on (and this being a comedy in which strict canon wasn’t exactly followed), the Howells, Ginger, and (IIRC) Mary Ann all got additional outfits, while Gilligan, the Skipper, and the Professor remained with their singular outfits. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-animated-tv-shows-where-the-characters-wear-the-same-thing-all-the-time/779758/7 "2017-02-13T16:25:30Z")
Fonzie. White t-shirt, leather jacket. ETA: I recall a sight gag in one episode where his closet held nothing but white t-shirts on hangars. ---
**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:** [February 13, 2017, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-animated-tv-shows-where-the-characters-wear-the-same-thing-all-the-time/779758/8 "2017-02-13T16:26:03Z")
Mike Nesmith of \*the Monkees \*always wore a wool hat. _TV Guide_ even billed him as “Wool Hat.” ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-animated-tv-shows-where-the-characters-wear-the-same-thing-all-the-time/779758/9 "2017-02-13T16:29:40Z")
Both Deadwood and Hell On Wheels did this, for most characters, reflecting the fact that out on the wild frontier, new/different clothes were often a luxury few could afford. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-animated-tv-shows-where-the-characters-wear-the-same-thing-all-the-time/779758/10 "2017-02-13T16:38:27Z")
> [@Casey1505](#): > > Fonzie. White t-shirt, leather jacket. > > ETA: I recall a sight gag in one episode where his closet held nothing but white t-shirts on hangars. Early in the series, ABC put him in a windbreaker, rather than the leather jacket, because they didn’t want him to look like a hoodlum. Garry Marshall fought to keep the leather jacket, and, for a while, he was only “allowed” to wear the leather jacket when near his motorcycle. > **[Fonzie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fonzie#Production_details)** > > Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli, better known as "Fonzie" or "The Fonz", is a fictional character played by Henry Winkler in the American sitcom Happy Days (1974–1984). He was originally a secondary character, but was soon positioned as a lead character when he began surpassing the other characters in popularity. The Fonzie character was so popular that in the second season producers considered renaming the show to "Fonzie's Happy Days." Fonzie was seen by many as the epitome of coolness and a sex s [![](http://thumbnails109.imagebam.com/36649/8f6425366480638.jpg) ](http://thumbnails109.imagebam.com/36649/8f6425366480638.jpg) Also, he’d wear coveralls while working at the garage. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-animated-tv-shows-where-the-characters-wear-the-same-thing-all-the-time/779758/11 "2017-02-13T16:40:47Z")
Another example: Columbo. Weathered trenchcoat, rumpled dress shirt, tie. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-animated-tv-shows-where-the-characters-wear-the-same-thing-all-the-time/779758/12 "2017-02-13T16:41:10Z")
> [@x-ray\_vision](#): > > Arya Stark on Game of Thrones She wore the same thing for several seasons out of necessity, but now she changes her face as well as her clothes every other episode ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-animated-tv-shows-where-the-characters-wear-the-same-thing-all-the-time/779758/13 "2017-02-13T17:19:28Z")
_The Adventures of Superman_. The actors all wore the same clothes so that all scenes from multiple episodes could be filmed on one set (Perry White’s office, for example) before moving to another set. That way all the scenes looked consistent and could be spiced into the particular episodes they were intended to appear in. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-animated-tv-shows-where-the-characters-wear-the-same-thing-all-the-time/779758/14 "2017-02-13T17:39:56Z")
I can remember Ralph Kramden changing out of his uniform once in awhile on _The Honeymooners_, but I can’t remember Norton, Alice, or Trixie ever wearing anything different. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-animated-tv-shows-where-the-characters-wear-the-same-thing-all-the-time/779758/15 "2017-02-13T18:04:26Z")
Chips. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-animated-tv-shows-where-the-characters-wear-the-same-thing-all-the-time/779758/16 "2017-02-13T18:07:52Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > Chips. From the OP: > [@](#): > > How many TV shows,\*\* not involving characters in uniform,\*\* are there where the main character(s) wear the exact same thing in every episode? ---
**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:** [February 13, 2017, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-animated-tv-shows-where-the-characters-wear-the-same-thing-all-the-time/779758/17 "2017-02-13T18:13:06Z")
In _The West Wing_, much was made of the fact that Vice President Bob Russell always wore cowboy boots. Each of the Doctors in _Doctor Who_ had their own personalized outfit, which they wore in every episode (Tom Baker changed his slightly partly through his run). Some of the companions did, too: Adric, Jamie McCrimmon (his kilt, at least), Nyssa, and Ace, for a start. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-animated-tv-shows-where-the-characters-wear-the-same-thing-all-the-time/779758/18 "2017-02-13T18:17:25Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > _The Adventures of Superman_. The actors all wore the same clothes so that all scenes from multiple episodes could be filmed on one set (Perry White’s office, for example) before moving to another set. That way all the scenes looked consistent and could be spiced into the particular episodes they were intended to appear in. And as recently as last season , host Alyson Hannigan wore the same dress in every episode of Penn and Teller’s “Fool Us”. This was done to accommodate splicing of acts from different tapings in order to create complete episodes. I didn’t mind for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-animated-tv-shows-where-the-characters-wear-the-same-thing-all-the-time/779758/19 "2017-02-13T18:24:54Z")
Lost in Space ---
**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:** [February 13, 2017, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-animated-tv-shows-where-the-characters-wear-the-same-thing-all-the-time/779758/20 "2017-02-13T18:37:10Z")
Castiel on Supernatural is always in the same rumpled suit and trench coat. (Technically, he’s always in Misha Collins, too). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-animated-tv-shows-where-the-characters-wear-the-same-thing-all-the-time/779758.md?page=2)