# TV Binge Watch (Part 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [October 4, 2022, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711 "2022-10-04T16:51:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2022, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/61 "2022-10-10T18:33:28Z")
**Characters who were “put on a bus”** 1. Dukes of Hazzard - Bo and Luke “joined the NASCAR circuit” for part of season 5 when the actors held out during a pay dispute. 2. Downton Abbey - Michael Gregson disappeared in Germany while the producers tried to work with Charles Edwards around his other commitments. Eventually the character was killed offscreen. 3. New Girl - When Zooey Deschanel took time off for maternity leave, they put Jess, her character, on jury duty and sequestered the jury. This got the character away from her friends for a limited time, but I felt it was a waste. If that character was going to serve on a jury, then by golly I wanted to see what she was going to do on a jury. 4. Happy Days – After seven seasons, Ron Howard wanted to devote more time to his directorial career and wanted off the show. The show-runners eliminated the need for him to physically be part of the show by having the ‘Richie Cunningham’ character enlist in the Army and be stationed in Greenland _(although he was still mentioned in order to keep the Richie/Lori Beth romance story alive)_. 5. The Waltons - Michael Learned played mother, Olivia Walton, and quit the show season 7. Her character got tuberculosis and moved away to a sanitarium in Arizona. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2022, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/62 "2022-10-10T22:33:20Z")
> [@](#): > > **Characters who were “put on a bus”** 1. Dukes of Hazzard - Bo and Luke “joined the NASCAR circuit” for part of season 5 when the actors held out during a pay dispute. 2. Downton Abbey - Michael Gregson disappeared in Germany while the producers tried to work with Charles Edwards around his other commitments. Eventually the character was killed offscreen. 3. New Girl - When Zooey Deschanel took time off for maternity leave, they put Jess, her character, on jury duty and sequestered the jury. This got the character away from her friends for a limited time, but I felt it was a waste. If that character was going to serve on a jury, then by golly I wanted to see what she was going to do on a jury. 4. Happy Days – After seven seasons, Ron Howard wanted to devote more time to his directorial career and wanted off the show. The show-runners eliminated the need for him to physically be part of the show by having the ‘Richie Cunningham’ character enlist in the Army and be stationed in Greenland _(although he was still mentioned in order to keep the Richie/Lori Beth romance story alive)_. 5. The Waltons - Michael Learned played mother, Olivia Walton, and quit the show season 7. Her character got tuberculosis and moved away to a sanitarium in Arizona. 6. _Young Sheldon_ Herschel Sparks got put on a bus, ironically, as the Sparks’ family played a bigger and bigger role in the show; Billy Gardell was committed to a lead role on another show, with just an occasional line on _Young Sheldon_. But as the Young Sheldon role got bigger, he couldn’t balance both. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2022, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/63 "2022-10-11T11:51:02Z")
**Characters who were “put on a bus”** 1. Dukes of Hazzard - Bo and Luke “joined the NASCAR circuit” for part of season 5 when the actors held out during a pay dispute. 2. Downton Abbey - Michael Gregson disappeared in Germany while the producers tried to work with Charles Edwards around his other commitments. Eventually the character was killed offscreen. 3. New Girl - When Zooey Deschanel took time off for maternity leave, they put Jess, her character, on jury duty and sequestered the jury. This got the character away from her friends for a limited time, but I felt it was a waste. If that character was going to serve on a jury, then by golly I wanted to see what she was going to do on a jury. 4. Happy Days – After seven seasons, Ron Howard wanted to devote more time to his directorial career and wanted off the show. The show-runners eliminated the need for him to physically be part of the show by having the ‘Richie Cunningham’ character enlist in the Army and be stationed in Greenland _(although he was still mentioned in order to keep the Richie/Lori Beth romance story alive)_. 5. The Waltons - Michael Learned played mother, Olivia Walton, and quit the show season 7. Her character got tuberculosis and moved away to a sanitarium in Arizona. 6. _Young Sheldon_ Herschel Sparks got put on a bus, ironically, as the Sparks’ family played a bigger and bigger role in the show; Billy Gardell was committed to a lead role on another show, with just an occasional line on _Young Sheldon_. But as the Young Sheldon role got bigger, he couldn’t balance both. 7. _Two and a Half Men_ - Harper fell on the subway tracks in Paris and was killed by a train. Charlie Sheen’s rant in an interview with Alex Jones included calling his then-boss a “clown” and a “charlatan,” and he was dismissed from the show. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2022, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/64 "2022-10-11T13:34:49Z")
**Characters who were “put on a bus”** 1. Dukes of Hazzard - Bo and Luke “joined the NASCAR circuit” for part of season 5 when the actors held out during a pay dispute. 2. Downton Abbey - Michael Gregson disappeared in Germany while the producers tried to work with Charles Edwards around his other commitments. Eventually the character was killed offscreen. 3. New Girl - When Zooey Deschanel took time off for maternity leave, they put Jess, her character, on jury duty and sequestered the jury. This got the character away from her friends for a limited time, but I felt it was a waste. If that character was going to serve on a jury, then by golly I wanted to see what she was going to do on a jury. 4. Happy Days – After seven seasons, Ron Howard wanted to devote more time to his directorial career and wanted off the show. The show-runners eliminated the need for him to physically be part of the show by having the ‘Richie Cunningham’ character enlist in the Army and be stationed in Greenland _(although he was still mentioned in order to keep the Richie/Lori Beth romance story alive)_. 5. The Waltons - Michael Learned played mother, Olivia Walton, and quit the show season 7. Her character got tuberculosis and moved away to a sanitarium in Arizona. 6. _Young Sheldon_ Herschel Sparks got put on a bus, ironically, as the Sparks’ family played a bigger and bigger role in the show; Billy Gardell was committed to a lead role on another show, with just an occasional line on _Young Sheldon_. But as the Young Sheldon role got bigger, he couldn’t balance both. 7. _Two and a Half Men_ - Harper fell on the subway tracks in Paris and was killed by a train. Charlie Sheen’s rant in an interview with Alex Jones included calling his then-boss a “clown” and a “charlatan,” and he was dismissed from the show. 8. Babylon 5 - Commander Sinclair leaves the station in the second season and is replaced by Captain Sheridan. Actor Michael O’Hare had severe mental issues at the time including paranoid delusions and hallucinations. Showrunner J. Michael Straczynski was able to bring him back for a few episodes to close out the character arc. ---
**Author:** ![Bayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bayaker/32/3454_2.png) [@Bayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2022, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/65 "2022-10-11T15:09:50Z")
**Characters who were “put on a bus”** 1. Dukes of Hazzard - Bo and Luke “joined the NASCAR circuit” for part of season 5 when the actors held out during a pay dispute. 2. Downton Abbey - Michael Gregson disappeared in Germany while the producers tried to work with Charles Edwards around his other commitments. Eventually the character was killed offscreen. 3. New Girl - When Zooey Deschanel took time off for maternity leave, they put Jess, her character, on jury duty and sequestered the jury. This got the character away from her friends for a limited time, but I felt it was a waste. If that character was going to serve on a jury, then by golly I wanted to see what she was going to do on a jury. 4. Happy Days – After seven seasons, Ron Howard wanted to devote more time to his directorial career and wanted off the show. The show-runners eliminated the need for him to physically be part of the show by having the ‘Richie Cunningham’ character enlist in the Army and be stationed in Greenland _(although he was still mentioned in order to keep the Richie/Lori Beth romance story alive)_. 5. The Waltons - Michael Learned played mother, Olivia Walton, and quit the show season 7. Her character got tuberculosis and moved away to a sanitarium in Arizona. 6. _Young Sheldon_ Herschel Sparks got put on a bus, ironically, as the Sparks’ family played a bigger and bigger role in the show; Billy Gardell was committed to a lead role on another show, with just an occasional line on _Young Sheldon_. But as the Young Sheldon role got bigger, he couldn’t balance both. 7. _Two and a Half Men_ - Harper fell on the subway tracks in Paris and was killed by a train. Charlie Sheen’s rant in an interview with Alex Jones included calling his then-boss a “clown” and a “charlatan,” and he was dismissed from the show. 8. Babylon 5 - Commander Sinclair leaves the station in the second season and is replaced by Captain Sheridan. Actor Michael O’Hare had severe mental issues at the time including paranoid delusions and hallucinations. Showrunner J. Michael Straczynski was able to bring him back for a few episodes to close out the character arc. 9. Good Times - James Evans was killed in a car accident during the summer hiatus between seasons. Actor John Amos had differences with the writers and they didn’t write him into the next season 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2022, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/66 "2022-10-11T15:14:14Z")
**Characters who were “put on a bus”** 1. Dukes of Hazzard - Bo and Luke “joined the NASCAR circuit” for part of season 5 when the actors held out during a pay dispute. 2. Downton Abbey - Michael Gregson disappeared in Germany while the producers tried to work with Charles Edwards around his other commitments. Eventually the character was killed offscreen. 3. New Girl - When Zooey Deschanel took time off for maternity leave, they put Jess, her character, on jury duty and sequestered the jury. This got the character away from her friends for a limited time, but I felt it was a waste. If that character was going to serve on a jury, then by golly I wanted to see what she was going to do on a jury. 4. Happy Days – After seven seasons, Ron Howard wanted to devote more time to his directorial career and wanted off the show. The show-runners eliminated the need for him to physically be part of the show by having the ‘Richie Cunningham’ character enlist in the Army and be stationed in Greenland _(although he was still mentioned in order to keep the Richie/Lori Beth romance story alive)_. 5. The Waltons - Michael Learned played mother, Olivia Walton, and quit the show season 7. Her character got tuberculosis and moved away to a sanitarium in Arizona. 6. _Young Sheldon_ Herschel Sparks got put on a bus, ironically, as the Sparks’ family played a bigger and bigger role in the show; Billy Gardell was committed to a lead role on another show, with just an occasional line on _Young Sheldon_. But as the Young Sheldon role got bigger, he couldn’t balance both. 7. _Two and a Half Men_ - Harper fell on the subway tracks in Paris and was killed by a train. Charlie Sheen’s rant in an interview with Alex Jones included calling his then-boss a “clown” and a “charlatan,” and he was dismissed from the show. 8. Babylon 5 - Commander Sinclair leaves the station in the second season and is replaced by Captain Sheridan. Actor Michael O’Hare had severe mental issues at the time including paranoid delusions and hallucinations. Showrunner J. Michael Straczynski was able to bring him back for a few episodes to close out the character arc. 9. Good Times - James Evans was killed in a car accident during the summer hiatus between seasons. Actor John Amos had differences with the writers and they didn’t write him into the next season 🙂 10. Petticoat Junction - while lead actress Bea Benaderet was fighting cancer, her character Kate Bradley was “out of town” for a large chunk of the show’s fifth season. It was never explained where she was or why. Kate came home by the end of the season and the beginning of season six, but when Benaderet subsequently died, Kate went “out of town” again (TV characters didn’t die in the ‘60s), never to return. Pass ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2022, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/67 "2022-10-11T18:20:00Z")
**Late-night sidekicks** 1. The Tonight Show - Ed McMahon ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2022, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/68 "2022-10-11T18:28:14Z")
**Late-night sidekicks** 1. The Tonight Show - Ed McMahon 2. Late Night With Conan O’Brien - Andy Richter ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2022, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/69 "2022-10-11T18:56:40Z")
**Late-night sidekicks** 1. The Tonight Show - Ed McMahon 2. Late Night With Conan O’Brien - Andy Richter 3. The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson - Geoff Peterson Geoff was an animatronic human skeleton. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2022, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/70 "2022-10-11T19:59:28Z")
**Late-night sidekicks** 1. The Tonight Show - Ed McMahon 2. Late Night With Conan O’Brien - Andy Richter 3. The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson - Geoff Peterson 4. The Joey Bishop Show - Regis Philbin ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2022, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/71 "2022-10-11T20:19:41Z")
**Late-night sidekicks** 1. The Tonight Show - Ed McMahon 2. Late Night With Conan O’Brien - Andy Richter 3. The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson - Geoff Peterson 4. The Joey Bishop Show - Regis Philbin 5. Late Night/Show with David Letterman - Paul Shaffer ---
**Author:** ![Bicycle\_Bill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bicycle_bill/32/6208_2.png) [@Bicycle\_Bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bicycle_Bill)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2022, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/72 "2022-10-11T22:04:17Z")
**Late-night sidekicks** 1. The Tonight Show - Ed McMahon 2. Late Night With Conan O’Brien - Andy Richter 3. The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson - Geoff Peterson 4. The Joey Bishop Show - Regis Philbin 5. Late Night/Show with David Letterman - Paul Shaffer 6. The Man Show – Adam Carolla Although it was hard to tell if Carolla was Jimmy Kimmel’s sidekick, or _vice versa_. _ **-“BB”-** _ ---
**Author:** ![llikewise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/llikewise/32/8522_2.png) [@llikewise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/llikewise)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2022, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/73 "2022-10-12T01:24:31Z")
**Late-night sidekicks** 1. The Tonight Show - Ed McMahon 2. Late Night With Conan O’Brien - Andy Richter 3. The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson - Geoff Peterson 4. The Joey Bishop Show - Regis Philbin 5. Late Night/Show with David Letterman - Paul Shaffer 6. The Man Show – Adam Carolla 7. Jimmy Kimmel Live! - Guillermo Rodriguez ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2022, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/74 "2022-10-12T12:57:48Z")
**Late-night sidekicks** 1. The Tonight Show - Ed McMahon 2. Late Night With Conan O’Brien - Andy Richter 3. The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson - Geoff Peterson 4. The Joey Bishop Show - Regis Philbin 5. Late Night/Show with David Letterman - Paul Shaffer 6. The Man Show – Adam Carolla 7. Jimmy Kimmel Live! - Guillermo Rodriguez 8. Late Night With Seth Meyers - Fred Armisen ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2022, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/75 "2022-10-12T13:05:39Z")
**Late-night sidekicks** 1. The Tonight Show - Ed McMahon 2. Late Night With Conan O’Brien - Andy Richter 3. The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson - Geoff Peterson 4. The Joey Bishop Show - Regis Philbin 5. Late Night/Show with David Letterman - Paul Shaffer 6. The Man Show – Adam Carolla 7. Jimmy Kimmel Live! - Guillermo Rodriguez 8. Late Night With Seth Meyers - Fred Armisen 9. The Tonight Show (Jimmy Fallon) - Steve Higgins ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/76 "2022-10-13T19:01:15Z")
**Late-night sidekicks** 1. The Tonight Show - Ed McMahon 2. Late Night With Conan O’Brien - Andy Richter 3. The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson - Geoff Peterson 4. The Joey Bishop Show - Regis Philbin 5. Late Night/Show with David Letterman - Paul Shaffer 6. The Man Show – Adam Carolla 7. Jimmy Kimmel Live! - Guillermo Rodriguez 8. Late Night With Seth Meyers - Fred Armisen 9. The Tonight Show (Jimmy Fallon) - Steve Higgins 10. Comics Only - Fred Wolf Next: **SNL Characters** 1. Drunk Uncle ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/77 "2022-10-13T19:05:21Z")
Next: **SNL Characters** 1. Drunk Uncle 2. Emily Litella “Never mind.” ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/78 "2022-10-13T19:12:15Z")
Next: **SNL Characters** 1. Drunk Uncle 2. Emily Litella 3. Church Lady “Well isn’t that special!” ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/79 "2022-10-13T19:22:08Z")
**SNL Characters** 1. Drunk Uncle 2. Emily Litella 3. Church Lady 4. Land Shark _Candygram!_ ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/80 "2022-10-13T19:41:36Z")
**SNL Characters** 1. Drunk Uncle 2. Emily Litella 3. Church Lady 4. Land Shark 5. Leonard Pinth-Garnell “There. _That_ wasn’t so good, was it…?” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711.md?page=5)