# The pilot and then the series **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 1, 2004, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pilot-and-then-the-series/248023 "2004-06-01T05:28:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pilot-and-then-the-series/248023/21 "2004-06-01T18:19:39Z")
IIRC, the A-Team pilot was the only one where the team actually shot and killed the baddies during the gunfights, instead of always shooting at their feet in the regular episodes. ---
**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:** [June 1, 2004, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pilot-and-then-the-series/248023/22 "2004-06-01T18:25:26Z")
Though the difference is not noticeable, Martin Landau was not in the original cast of **Mission Impossible**. He appeared as a guest star in the pilot and it was planned to be a one-shot deal. However, the producers liked him so much he became a guest star in every episode. And, of course, in the pilot, the tape did not self-destruct (the last line of the instruction was “Please dispose of this tape in the usual manner,” and they used this method several times in the first season.) One of my favorite obscure TV shows, **Once a Hero** recast its lead actor in between the original pilot. The new actor appeared in the two-hour premiere. Alas, the change caused people to think this brilliant series was in trouble, so it was preempted in major markets, got terrible ratings and was cancelled after three episodes. ---
**Author:** ![joshmaker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a587f6/32.png) [@joshmaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joshmaker)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pilot-and-then-the-series/248023/23 "2004-06-01T18:48:24Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > **Babylon 5** had several cast changes from the pilot movie when the first regular episode aired: Johnny Sekka, Tamlyn Tomita, and Patricia Tallman all left… Had Tomita’s character, Takashima, stuck around then, acording to [Straczynski:](http://www.jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-14863&query=Takashima) “Takashima would have been revealed as having been in on the Vorlon assassination attempt by season’s end, and would have betrayed Garibaldi in the events in “Chrysalis,” either giving him over to those involved with the coup, or pulling the trigger herself. While we would know this, our characters would not, for as much as another full season.” ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pilot-and-then-the-series/248023/24 "2004-06-01T18:51:16Z")
The pilot of _The Andy Griffith Show_ was an episode of _The Danny Thomas Show_ (or Make Room for Danny or whatever). Don Knotts wasn’t in it and the premise was that Andy was the kind of Sheriff who would flip a sign on his desk and now he’s the Justice of the Peace, etc. Some may rememeber that the pilot of _Happy Days_ was an episode of _Love American Style_. Along with Ron Howard, Marion Ross and Anson Williams were in it–Potsie was much cooler than he eventually became–but Richie’s dad was played by Harold Gould. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pilot-and-then-the-series/248023/25 "2004-06-01T18:56:11Z")
Donal Logue originally played the Phil Stubbs character on _Ed_. I don’t know if the full pilot was shot with him but I remember seeing commercials before the show aired that had him in them. Also, the pilot for _Ed_ was called _Stuckeyville_. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pilot-and-then-the-series/248023/26 "2004-06-01T19:20:47Z")
> [@Wasabee](#): > > Yeah as I understand it that “pilot” was done more as a selling sample to the network. It was shorter version of the first two episodes. > Anyone know whatever happened to the first Willow? [This](http://weblogs.variety.com/wicked_little_town/2003/09/the_riff_regan_.html) guy sees her as kind of the Wally Pipp of television pilots. ---
**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:** [June 1, 2004, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pilot-and-then-the-series/248023/27 "2004-06-01T23:39:54Z")
Loretta Switt was Cagney in the pilot of Cagney & Lacey, then replaced by Meg Foster, then replaced by the excellent Sharon Gless. IIRC Columbo dressed in a suit in the original movie, he didn’t develop the raincoat look until the series. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pilot-and-then-the-series/248023/28 "2004-06-01T23:55:51Z")
_Lost in Space_: In the unaired pilot, the ship was called the Gemini XII and there was no Robot or Dr. Smith. _Gilligan’s Island_: Different theme song, Professor, and the two girls were both secretaries. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pilot-and-then-the-series/248023/29 "2004-06-01T23:59:45Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > **Babylon 5** had several cast changes from the pilot movie when the first regular episode aired: Johnny Sekka, Tamlyn Tomita, and Patricia Tallman all left and were replaced by Richard Biggs (RIP ☹ ), Claudia Christian, and Andrea Thompson, all portraying new characters that had the same function as those in the original. Tallman later returned when Thompson left. Not to mention the Delenn makeup change. The original idea was that Delenn was meant to be a hermaphrodite, who would become fully female as part of her chrysalis change. There were also a couple of cosmetic changes, IIRC; PPGs were originally much bigger, and I don’t believe handlinks were introduced until S1 proper. > [@](#): > > IIRC, the A-Team pilot was the only one where the team actually shot and killed the baddies during the gunfights, instead of always shooting at their feet in the regular episodes. I don’t believe you do RC, Gargoyle. According to Wikipedia and confirmed by several other reliable resources, only one episode contains anybody being shot on camera and even then it wasn’t the A-Team who did it. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2004, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pilot-and-then-the-series/248023/30 "2004-06-02T00:36:49Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > [This](http://weblogs.variety.com/wicked_little_town/2003/09/the_riff_regan_.html) guy sees her as kind of the Wally Pipp of television pilots. I get an “about Variety weblogs” page plus lots of pop-ups at the other end of that link. Who is Wally Pipp? ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2004, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pilot-and-then-the-series/248023/31 "2004-06-02T01:23:29Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > I get an “about Variety weblogs” page plus lots of pop-ups at the other end of that link. Who is Wally Pipp? I got that “about Variety weblogs” page as well the first time – then I did something (which I forget) to make the page work correctly. The page I was intending people to see was an article about “The Riff Regan Awards,” which the author named after the actress who lost the job as Willow. The article mentions how, for instance, Lisa Kudrow was originally slated to play the role that Peri Gilpin landed on “Frasier,” or how Ray Romano originally had Joe Rogan’s job on “NewsRadio” (but Romano was NOT the guy who appeared in the pilot – they apparently had a lot of turnover in the role). Wally Pipp is the legendary Yankees first baseman who begged off one day because he had a headache, only to be replaced by … Lou Gehrig, who kept the job and went on his famous games-played streak. My analogy wasn’t PERFECT, since Pipp voluntarily gave up his spot and Regan obviously didn’t, but it was close enough. ---
**Author:** ![Murcielago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Murcielago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Murcielago)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2004, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pilot-and-then-the-series/248023/32 "2004-06-02T03:04:36Z")
Legend has it that Sipowicz was originally set to die from the gunshot wounds he received in the pilot of _NYPD Blue_. I did not begin watching the show until it was into the Bobby Simone years. After seeing the first season in syndication, I can’t imagine what it would have been like without Dennis Franz. He was far more interesting both as an actor and as character than the presumptive lead in the show, David Caruso as Kelly. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2004, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pilot-and-then-the-series/248023/33 "2004-06-02T03:27:39Z")
_Laverne & Shirley_ were “women of easy virtue” when they first appeared on _Happy Days_. Donna’s little sister disappeared immediately on _That 70s Show_. If you watch the very first episode or pilot of many shows, you will notice a distinct difference in many characters from the bulk of the series. E.g., Archie Bunker and Homer Simpson were a lot brighter and better spoken than in later episodes. ---
**Author:** ![Julius\_Henry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8797f3/32.png) [@Julius\_Henry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Julius_Henry)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2004, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pilot-and-then-the-series/248023/34 "2004-06-02T03:38:51Z")
The Huxtables had only 4 children and a different house in the pilot of _The Cosby Show_. Jerry Robinson was Bob Hartley’s psychologist partner instead of a dentist on _The Bob Newhart Show_. _M_A_S_H\* had a different Father Mulcahey (George Morgan) in the pilot. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2004, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pilot-and-then-the-series/248023/35 "2004-06-02T04:16:49Z")
Carol Hathaway’s (Julianna Margulies) suicide attempt in the \*ER \* pilot was supposed to be successful, but the producers had second thoughts and let her live. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2004, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pilot-and-then-the-series/248023/36 "2004-06-02T04:33:59Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Though the difference is not noticeable, Martin Landau was not in the original cast of **Mission Impossible**. He appeared as a guest star in the pilot and it was planned to be a one-shot deal. However, the producers liked him so much he became a guest star in every episode. Pretty much the same is true for William B. Davis as The Cigarette-Smoking Man in The X Files- although I’m not sure if it was the pilot and the first episode, and CSM became a recurring character (and the show’s primary villain), but didn’t appear in every episode. ---
**Author:** ![Murcielago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Murcielago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Murcielago)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2004, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pilot-and-then-the-series/248023/37 "2004-06-02T05:15:50Z")
Another _X-Files_ bit, IIRC, is that the pilot includes the only mention of Mulder as an “Oxford-educated psychologist.” This line from Scully precedes the only shot of Mulder wearing glasses which I remember. Apparently they thought the “brainy” cliches didn’t fit with the Spooky persona. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Too\_Saxy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/47e85d/32.png) [@Just\_Too\_Saxy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Too_Saxy)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2004, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pilot-and-then-the-series/248023/38 "2004-06-02T05:26:18Z")
Anyone ever seen the Brady Bunch pilot? Completely different house, different set of grandparents, and of course the infamous “Fluffy,” the girls’ tabby cat that’s never seen again. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2004, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pilot-and-then-the-series/248023/39 "2004-06-02T05:58:37Z")
> [@Rabid Child](#): > > The character of “Elaine” wasn’t in the _Seinfeld_ pilot at all. And Kramer’s name in the pilot was “Kessler” and he was portrayed as a man who hadn’t left his apartment in ten years yet still had a dog. The different name was due to the fact that Seinfeld and Larry Davis hadn’t received permission from Larry’s neighbor, Kenny Kramer, to use his name. One more tidbit. When the pilot episode aired, the show was called _The Seinfeld Chronicles_. Also, Jerry’s father was played by a different actor. ---
**Author:** ![audit1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@audit1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audit1)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2004, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pilot-and-then-the-series/248023/40 "2004-06-02T06:29:16Z")
On **Hogans Heroes** pilot episode Larry Hovis played Lt. Carter a shot down pilot who just arrived at the camp. When series time came around Larry Hovis is playing Sgt Carter an explosives expert. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pilot-and-then-the-series/248023.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pilot-and-then-the-series/248023.md?page=3)