# The Cousin Oliver Effect (spoilers possible) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 5, 2005, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cousin-oliver-effect-spoilers-possible/315783 "2005-08-05T21:02:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2005, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cousin-oliver-effect-spoilers-possible/315783/41 "2005-08-06T05:15:47Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Didn’t Leo DiCaprio get added to something when he was still an unknown? Full House or Family Ties or something? I think he got adopted or something. Growing Pains, which also added a daughter (who was aged five years over a summer between two seasons). I don’t know what DiCaprio’s relationship was to the Seaver family. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2005, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cousin-oliver-effect-spoilers-possible/315783/42 "2005-08-06T05:17:34Z")
> [@Loopus](#): > > Actually, Olivia wasn’t even Denise’s daughter- she was Denise’s stepdaughter: her husband’s daughter from his previous marriage. And for some reason she got left with her stepgrandparents. Well, her father was off in the navy and her stepmother was busy making _Angel Heart_. > [@](#): > > According to IMDb, Sondra first appeared in the 10th episode, first season. In the first episode, though, the mother asks Cliff pointedly “Why do we have four children?” (this line, along with much of the material in that episode, is drawn directly from Cosby’s comedy routines). The fifth kid, the oldest, was only added later. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2005, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cousin-oliver-effect-spoilers-possible/315783/43 "2005-08-06T05:22:26Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > Growing Pains, which also added a daughter (who was aged five years over a summer between two seasons). I don’t know what DiCaprio’s relationship was to the Seaver family. Growing Pains, that was it. Now I remember the daughter too. She had a huge Annie perm. I’m pretty sure Leo was adopted but I have no memory as to why. I suppose it was because all the other kids were in their 30’s by then. ---
**Author:** ![Loopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loopus/32/15343_2.png) [@Loopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopus)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2005, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cousin-oliver-effect-spoilers-possible/315783/44 "2005-08-06T05:27:48Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > In the first episode, though, the mother asks Cliff pointedly “Why do we have four children?” (this line, along with much of the material in that episode, is drawn directly from Cosby’s comedy routines). I think that was the pilot rather than the first regular episode. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2005, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cousin-oliver-effect-spoilers-possible/315783/45 "2005-08-06T08:21:55Z")
A bit off-topic, but inspired by the Thread title, many folks aren’t aware that [Cousin Oliver](http://www.robbierist.com/index.html) is an amazing guitar player. ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2005, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cousin-oliver-effect-spoilers-possible/315783/46 "2005-08-06T10:14:37Z")
Mel Brooks joined “Mad About You” as a semi-regular in the last two seasons or so as as Uncle Phil. Wasn’t a good move for the show, but hey, he’s Mel Brooks. You gotta love that… mm ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2005, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cousin-oliver-effect-spoilers-possible/315783/47 "2005-08-06T13:38:59Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > I’m pretty sure Leo was adopted but I have no memory as to why. I suppose it was because all the other kids were in their 30’s by then. Leo’s character’s father was a trucker. I remember that much. I remember there was an episode where he came looking for his son, and there was something about him possibly dying / being paralyzed due to some spine condition caused by too much truckin’. I can only assume that Leo was simply abandoned, but I can’t remember exactly. God only knows why I even remember _this_ much. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2005, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cousin-oliver-effect-spoilers-possible/315783/48 "2005-08-06T14:01:03Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > Oh–Family Ties–Andrew, the youngest son that Alex P Keaton prayed for. Death knell for sure. And how many years did Family Ties go on after Andrew was born? About five? Some death knell. And it is left to me to mention Mirth on Mork & Mindy- Jonathan Winters’ most shameful role. ---
**Author:** ![La\_Llorona](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@La\_Llorona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/La_Llorona)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2005, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cousin-oliver-effect-spoilers-possible/315783/49 "2005-08-06T14:28:02Z")
_Designing Women_, when Suzanne (Delta Burke) and Charlene (Jean Smart) left and they brought in, I believe, someone who was supposed to be a cousin of Charlene’s and some sort of relative of Suzanne and Julia’s…ugh. :o ---
**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:** [August 6, 2005, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cousin-oliver-effect-spoilers-possible/315783/50 "2005-08-06T14:37:17Z")
> [@BlackKnight](#): > > Leo’s character’s father was a trucker. I remember that much. I remember there was an episode where he came looking for his son, and there was something about him possibly dying / being paralyzed due to some spine condition caused by too much truckin’. I can only assume that Leo was simply abandoned, but I can’t remember exactly. > > God only knows why I even remember _this_ much. Leo was abandoned by his father and living on the streets when Mike took him in. I’ve heard of children bringing home stray puppies, but really… Roseanne’s daughter Darlene would later bring her boyfriend David into the house. This happens all the time on soaps. I watched Days of our Lives for over 10 years, and never once heard anyone mention the Brady family. Then cop Roman Brady gets assigned to protect Marlena from a stalker, and next thing you know there’s an entire family who never appeared before. If someone leaves town on a soap, nobody will mention them for years. Then they will be mentioned three times in one week, and show up the next week. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2005, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cousin-oliver-effect-spoilers-possible/315783/51 "2005-08-06T14:38:33Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > There were plans to add Tim Conway and William “I’m Darryl, this is my brother…” Sanderson nitpick: He was _Larry_ with the two brothers Darryl. I think that Leonardo Dicaprio was a street kid that Mike (Kirk “look at me I’m christian” Cameron) took in after hearing his sob story, or possibly after being pickpocketed by him. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2005, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cousin-oliver-effect-spoilers-possible/315783/52 "2005-08-06T15:31:23Z")
> [@La Llorona](#): > > _Designing Women_, when Suzanne (Delta Burke) and Charlene (Jean Smart) left and they brought in, I believe, someone who was supposed to be a cousin of Charlene’s and some sort of relative of Suzanne and Julia’s…ugh. Jan Hooks as Carlene Dawber, Charlene’s sister. Who’s a replacement rather than an addition so she doesn’t count, but does get honorable mention since in the episode “Odell” we meet and are introduced to all of Charlene’s siblings by name and there’s no Carlene. And Julia Duffy as Julia and Suzanne’s cousin Alison. Also a replacement rather than an addition. She lasted one season then was replaced by Jusith Ivey as B.J. Poteet. Certainly a long way from the stellar comedy of earlier seasons but there were a few solid episodes mixed in, like the Clarence Thomas episode (put together from scratch in something like three days) and “Mamed.” The Thomasens also tried a semi-Oliver by saddling Julia with Randa, the daughter of clients who left her alone with servants while they globe-trotted, but Randa only appeared a few times and then vanished without trace. Randa’s last name was _Oliver_. Coincidence? I think so! ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2005, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cousin-oliver-effect-spoilers-possible/315783/53 "2005-08-06T18:43:47Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > Come to think of it, the youngest wasn’t Kristy. But speaking of Kristy, did they ever cousin Oliver 8 is enough or Family? Quinn Cummings (the little girl from _The Goodbye Girl_) joined the cast of Family in its final season or so, but I don’t recall what her relationship was to the family, or what overall effect she had on the show. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2005, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cousin-oliver-effect-spoilers-possible/315783/54 "2005-08-06T19:09:44Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > As for relatives who actually improved the show, near the top of the list is Uncle Toonoose on the Danny Thomas Show. Tiny little nitpick: That was **Uncle Tannous** ---
**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:** [August 6, 2005, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cousin-oliver-effect-spoilers-possible/315783/55 "2005-08-06T19:25:31Z")
Eight is Enough added Abby’s nephew Jeremy Andretti for the last season, played by Ralph Macchio ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2005, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cousin-oliver-effect-spoilers-possible/315783/56 "2005-08-06T20:10:44Z")
Quote: Originally Posted by kunilou As for relatives who actually improved the show, near the top of the list is Uncle Toonoose on the Danny Thomas Show. > [@saoirse](#): > > Tiny little nitpick: > > That was **Uncle Tannous** According to the IMDb, Hans Conried’s character was Uncle [Tonoose.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045410/) ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2005, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cousin-oliver-effect-spoilers-possible/315783/57 "2005-08-06T20:28:01Z")
> [@Sternvogel](#): > > Quote: > Originally Posted by kunilou > As for relatives who actually improved the show, near the top of the list is Uncle Toonoose on the Danny Thomas Show. > > According to the IMDb, Hans Conried’s character was Uncle [Tonoose.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045410/) Son of a Gun. I had always figured that his name was Tannous, because that is actually a name. You learn something new… ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2005, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cousin-oliver-effect-spoilers-possible/315783/58 "2005-08-06T20:41:13Z")
British comedy series _Only Fools And horses_ (is this known in America) had Grandad in the early seasons. After the actor died, the character was replaced by Grandad’s brother Albert. Did it make the show better or worse? Well, it lasted for years afterwards, and grew in popularity. I think it was just as good either way. ---
**Author:** ![lhovis73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecd19e/32.png) [@lhovis73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lhovis73)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2005, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cousin-oliver-effect-spoilers-possible/315783/59 "2005-08-06T21:48:53Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > In Star Trek, there also was Spock’s half-brother and parents and Kirk’s brother and family and son. Notice how much more restrained they were about this sort of thing in the 60s series, though (probably because it was a new show and it wasn’t automatically assumed that anyone in the audience would really care if Sulu had a brother or Uhura had a sister, etc.). if I remember the episode with Kirk’s brother correctly, they beam down to a planet where everyone’s dead, or stark raving mad…and later discover that this planet has been attacked by the flying pancake creatures (as my brother and I used to call them…). Anyway, we never got to meet Kirk’s brother, he was dead at the beginning of the episode, right? The Next Generation established the idea of bringing in a relative whenever they couldn’t come up with a decent idea for the next episode… (Worf’s son and Troi’s mother were particularly hard to take…makes me angry just thinking about them…grrrr…) ---
**Author:** ![lhovis73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecd19e/32.png) [@lhovis73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lhovis73)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2005, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cousin-oliver-effect-spoilers-possible/315783/60 "2005-08-06T21:57:00Z")
No one has mentioned **The Sopranos** here…they’re constantly dragging in new characters who are related in some way to the regular cast. The whole last season revolved around a new character (Tony Soprano’s cousin, Tony B., played by Steve Buscemi) who was never mentioned (as far as I know) in the first four years of the show. I think the show is definitely getting worse, and the “Cousin Oliver effect” has something to do with it…mainly because the show seems to suck more as it adds more plot twists and secondary characters, and gets away from the original formula that worked so well (i.e., focused more or less exclusively on Tony Soprano, commenting to his shrink about how crazy his mobster life is…). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cousin-oliver-effect-spoilers-possible/315783.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cousin-oliver-effect-spoilers-possible/315783.md?page=4)