# Series that essentially abandoned their original premise during their runs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 3, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-essentially-abandoned-their-original-premise-during-their-runs/545433 "2010-07-03T16:15:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-essentially-abandoned-their-original-premise-during-their-runs/545433/201 "2010-11-16T17:09:49Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Not quite. They were in a part of the galaxy where neither replicators or transporters (& presumably holodecks) had been invented yet. The Occampa homeworld was a complete dessert on the surface, but they were only there in the pilot. The local Kazons were amazed then Janeway had huge tanks of replicated water beamed down to the surface for barter. Apparently the best way the Kazons could come up with of getting water was to have it imported from other star systems. :dubious: I wouldn’t want to assimilate them either. The Caretaker specifically says that the Ocampan world-wide desert situation is his fault, and it’s a problem specific to that planet. The Kazon didn’t want to make water; they just wanted replicators and other magic Federation tech. Which is hardly surprising. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-essentially-abandoned-their-original-premise-during-their-runs/545433/202 "2011-06-09T12:31:51Z")
We’ve discussed The Doris Day Show before, and **audit1** sums it up pretty nicely [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12647331&postcount=40): > [@](#): > > Originally Posted by **audit1** > > **The Doris Day Show CBS 1968-1973** > > Season one Doris Day is Doris Martin is a widow living on a small farm with her two sons and father. > > Season Two. Doris martin now commutes to San francisco to work as a secretary on a magazine. Mclean Stevenson is her boss. > > Season three Doris Martin and her sons have moved to SF. She is now a writer for the magazine. > > Season Four. The kids are gone. All except Doris from the original cast are gone. John Dehner is her boss. > > Season Five no changes. None of these changes were made because of continuity issues; they were just rejiggering for ratings. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-essentially-abandoned-their-original-premise-during-their-runs/545433/203 "2011-06-09T13:37:17Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > I understand there’s very little cougaring in Cougartown. > > “It’s About Time” only lasted one season but managed to flip its premise on its head. Originally it was about two modern men stuck in prehistoric times. It ended up being about cavepeople stuck in the present. > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1G-TsdNWGg](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1G-TsdNWGg) Wow… it only took 2 replies to get to Cougartown. That the one I was going to add; Courtney Cox was such a slut in the first few episodes. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-essentially-abandoned-their-original-premise-during-their-runs/545433/204 "2011-06-09T14:15:54Z")
> [@icallbull](#): > > How about Valerie…or Valerie’s Family…or yet The Hogans. > > Dard to believe the show lasted some 5 years. I guess this is what happens pre-cable and theres nothing else to watch. ? The show was in the 80’s and there was cable by then. You didn’t have the plethora of channels that you do today, true, but _Valerie_, et al was definitely post-cable TV. And I would argue that the show didn’t abandon the premise so much as the star abandoned the show, causing it to change its premise… ---
**Author:** ![bmasters1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5e925/32.png) [@bmasters1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmasters1)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-essentially-abandoned-their-original-premise-during-their-runs/545433/205 "2011-06-09T15:19:15Z")
“Hardcastle and McCormick” was originally supposed to be about Judge Hardcastle using McCormick in his quest to catch 200 criminals who walked out of his courtroom due to “legal technicalities.” Eventually, it simply became a straightforward crime drama, which is how it remained for the rest of the run. According to the book on “Hardcastle,” only 18 of the 65 outings had anything to do with the Judge’s old case files. The authors also say that if it really was about catching those 200 criminals and resolving their cases, it would have taken about 9 seasons (at 22 outings/season) to “hack through the backlog.” ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-essentially-abandoned-their-original-premise-during-their-runs/545433/206 "2011-06-09T19:55:03Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > A more recent example is _The Big Bang Theory_, originally supposed to be about Leonard and Penny (both played by proven TV actos), which is turning into _The Sheldon Cooper Show_ Not so. The original pilot did not have either Penny the character or Kaley Cuoco the actress. The girl-across-the-hall was played by Amanda Walsh, not remotely a “proven TV actress,” and was ‘Katie’, a tough, hardened, seen-it-all waitress. The retooled pilot brought in Cucuo, Helberg, and Nayyar, and while a dominant theme was always Leonard-Penny, the show was always envisioned as an ensemble effort driven by Leonard/Sheldon. ---
**Author:** ![icallbull](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ac91a4/32.png) [@icallbull](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icallbull)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-essentially-abandoned-their-original-premise-during-their-runs/545433/207 "2011-06-14T14:41:51Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > ? > > The show was in the 80’s and there was cable by then. You didn’t have the plethora of channels that you do today, true, but _Valerie_, et al was definitely post-cable TV. > > And I would argue that the show didn’t abandon the premise so much as the star abandoned the show, causing it to change its premise… Unfortunately, I was one of the unlucky kids that didn’t have cable tv available in their neighborhoods until about 1990. I just did a basic search and found that TimeWarner cable only had some 41 channels back in 1986. (Someone video taped the channel guide and put it on YouTube). Also read that the DisneyChannel didn’t broadcast until December of '86. ---
**Author:** ![Troutsqueezer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Troutsqueezer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troutsqueezer)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-essentially-abandoned-their-original-premise-during-their-runs/545433/208 "2011-06-14T18:57:26Z")
I don’t want watch Fringe but my wife does. From what I can tell, the ol’ guy, the genius scientist at first was mostly crazy with bouts of sanity. Now he seems more sane than all the rest. Not only that, it seems to be a show about two competing universes now with a love triangle of sorts. Maybe this is what they were shooting for all along. Like I said, I don’t really watch it so I’m shooting from the hip. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-that-essentially-abandoned-their-original-premise-during-their-runs/545433.md?page=10)