> I loved Taxi more than I can say, and I loved Andy
> Kaufman and Christopher Lloyd most of all. But Jesus
> Christ! When three out of four shows started to be about
> them, it got to be too much, you know?
This brings up a similar category, the minor characters that began as one-shot roles but eventually became quite important, though not a lead character. Two cases I can think of were ones where the actor actually created the character and persuaded the producers to write it into the show. One was Christopher Lloyd’s character, Jim Ignatowski, on Taxi. Lloyd answered a casting call for a role in the first season of the show that was only to be a small part. He came to the audition with an complete history sketched out for the character that was entirely different from what the producers had been thinking of. They hired him and, seeing how well the character worked in that episode, decided to write him into the next season as a regular by having him become one of the cabbies. The other case was John Ratzenberger, who auditioned before the show came on for the role of Norm. The producers didn’t want to hire him for that part, so he proposed to them a new character for the show. The producers liked the character of Cliff Clavin and wrote him into the first season as someone who would appear in a few shows. He went over so well that soon he was one of the regulars.
Um, I would respectfully disagree here, IMHO, every single cast departure in MAS*H led to the introduction of a much more rounded and iteresting character.
**Major Frank Burns ** a one-note ninny is replaced by Major Charles Emerson Winchester, who has his faults, but also his sympathetic side. Remember the classic episode in which he found one-handed classical music for the talented piano playing soldier who lost an arm in combat? I believe that was the same episode that started with Winchester reading a letter from his sister who was in love with someone their parents looked down on. His initial reaction is to side with his parents, but by the end of the episode,he writes back to tell her that she has his support, and there are more imporatant things than money or social class. Real emotion there. Try imagining a similar storyline with the Frank Burns character…
Trapper John is replaced by B.J. Hunnicut, who has a real life at home including wife Peg. In another classic episode, he resists the efforts of a nurse who wants to him to sleep with her * in spite of * the fact that he is strongly attracted to her, he’s halfway around the world and it’s been a long time. However likable, ol’ Trapper J would have been boffing the babe in a microsecond.
Henry Blake who is very likable, but whose character is far too easily pushed around by the Hawkeye/Trapper crowd [or the Burns/Hoolihan crowd, for that matter] is replaced by Sherman T. Potter, who will not stand for “horse hockey” but can be persuaded by sincere conviction. The classic episode here is “The Tontine” which reveals him to be the last survivor of a group of World War One buddies and concludes with the line (paraphrasing from memory) “And here’s to my family – all of you.”
I’ll never figure out Lost in Space in a million years. The first couple of episodes focus on the entire family with Johnathan Harris playing an almost creepy villian type. All of a sudden Harris becomes a comedic villain type deathly afraid of everything (yet with a heart of gold). Then most of the shows focused on the relationship between Dr. Smith and Will Robinson. Why did they make this sudden change? Does anybody know?
As those crazy Latins used to say, de gustibus non est disputandum. I will grant that “ruining” was a value judgment on my part, but your point only underscores my own, Hometownboy, in that you also seem to feel that those cast changes forever altered the chemistry of the show in question. Our only difference is over whether it was altered for the better or for the worse.
Myself, I got sick of MASH* being Alan Alda’s soapbox for social change. Please be careful not to assume that I actually disagree with his politics, that’s not the issue here. The issue is one of whether the show stayed true to its ensemble-cast origins or was slowly taken over by one person and made into something it wasn’t when it started. To me the facts of this situation are clear, and for me the show suffered for it.
I was extremely irritated by Voyager’s slow slide into Star Trek: Janeway, the Doctor, and Seven’s Tatas. The other two modern series ignored some of their cast members, but none of them just let all but three totally dissolve into the background.
Lets not forget FRIENDS. When the show started off, it was centered around Ross and Racheal’s relationship, but as the show progressed it shifted to Chandler’s and Monica’s relationship and eventual marriage.
I’ve seen the same thing in comic strips as well. Probably the best example is Snoopy in Peanuts. He started out as a very minor character and quickly went on to take over the strip.
And for a more modern example how about Opus in Bloom County. Not only did he take over the script, he opened the door to talking animals in the strip in general.
And to drift sort of back on topic, I think the change in Frasier over the years has been interesting. He (Frasier) is still the star, but I think Nile’s character has grown far beyond what anyone originally planned. He gets my vote for best supporting actor in a comedy any day.
Fan mail. Dr. Smith was supposed to be “killed off” (or something) after only a few episodes, but the fans really, really liked him.
It’s the whole “give 'em what they want” thing… rather than try to “improve” the rest of the show, they just kept pushing the things that already works.
Y’know, the same phenomenon could be seen in the WWF… a couple years ago, Stone Cold was the shit. But then he got taken out due to neck surgery… and in his absense, The Rock became the star. “If ya smell” this, and “Candy Ass!” that… in fact, the only reason some of the other wrestlers are as popular as they are right now is because The Rock’s out filming for The Mummy 3.
Life Goes On started with a focus on the child with Down’s Syndrome and how the family coped with it and ended up being primarily about the youngest daughter.
I personally still HATE Urkel. If you recall, wasn’t Family Matters a spinoff of Perfect Strangers? Harriet was an elevator operator in the building Larry and Balkie worked in. (I cannot BELIEVE I remember that!)
Lisa Bonet was only on A Different World for a year, but left, reportedly because she was too much of a prima donna. BTW, perhaps you remember one of her roommates was Marisa Tomei.
In regards to the subtopic of temporary characters who became fixtures, I recall hearing that the Frasier Crane character on Cheers was supposed to only appear in one or two episodes, but quickly gained in popularity and became a regular.
Actually, Groening intended Homer to be the main character from day one, except Bart was much more popular. The Simpsons played off this for a while, then realized that they could get many more plot situations with Homer as the main character, they switched over.
OMG! GUIN! I never realized that, but now that I think of it, I remember Harriet on PS, and I remember an episode of FM where she got fired from being an elevator operator. Geez…
Ok I’ll dig deep into my mind and see what I can find.
Diff’rent Strokes. What was a story about a rich White man who adopted two Black orphans became a lot about Arnold.
Let me see if i can think up some others …
Well, sort of. Scooby Doo mystery thing was originally about This group of kids (Dan?, Daphnie, Velma and Shaggy) and their dog. Now scooby was the star of the show. So much so that eventually Dan and Velma were ousted. Then so was Daphnie so they could bring in Scrappy ( an annoying little puppy) who I suppose you could argue became the appeal behind it with his infernal saying which I am happy that I can not remember exactly enough to post. Help me, what the hell was that guys name? Not Dan but …
I understand the David Hasselhoff kinda took over Baywatch. lol, I almost typed that Babewatch. Really!
Lucy eventually dumped Ricky.
Ok, word of warning the only shows of these I watched was Scooby Doo when I was a kid. I’ve been working hard to ween myself off TV. Only 1 show left, Friends. What could I do though? It came on right after Seinfeld.
I agree with you absolutely. I watch Frasier for Niles and he’s the star for me. His character has grown enormously. I love Niles. I want to have his babies.
I agree with Niles Crane. The show’s original concept didn’t even have Frasier’s brother, but the producers saw David Hyde Pearce and decided his resemble to Kelsey Grammer was too great not to use him, so the character was born. Slight hijack: Last night the syndicated show was the one where Roz met the parents of the boy who got her pregnant. That had to be one of the funniest scenes in a sitcom ever. The line “We love dogs. We used to have two big snauzzers” had me literally ROTFLMAO. Niles’s reaction totally did me in.
Speaking of MASH, let’s not forget Klinger. A very minor character in two episodes the first season, he eventually took over Radar’s spot when Gary Burghoff left the show.
The same thing happened with Natalie Schaefer on Gilligan’s Island. The way Schwartz had it planned out, the other six had their definite personalities: screwball, sex goddess, tycoon…but Mrs. Howell was to be strictly the “And then what happened?” person. Schaefer requested a meeting with him and said, “I think this character should be more of a Dulcy.” “Dulcy” was the main character of a novel that I’ve never heard of, except in this context, but apparently she was a dippy society matron. She showed excerpts of the novel to Schwartz and the other screenwriter(s), and sketched out the character: always with the pearls and hat and gloves, and saying things like, “But what does one wear to a kidnapping?” “I often wish I was alone, particularly when I’m by myself.”
FWIW, that must have been the little edge that made the show work (for those who feel that it does work). If you’re restricted to seven characters, all of them should have an identity, instead of one just saying “Yes dear no dear”, as she otherwise would have been doing. And she did crack me up! She was a dingdong without being downright stupid, and she was a Lady.
On the slightly hijacked subject of one shot characters as reoccuring roles, I submit Jason Kravits as ADA Richard Bay on The Practice. He was supposed to be on for one show but the producers liked him so much he became a regular character opposite Helen Gamble. They were right to keep him. He was very annoying at the begining, but he was one of the most well rounded people on the show and grows on you quickly. I’m sorry he’s leaving.
Now, as for breakout characters from the begining, how about Screech from Saved by the Bell? He’s the only one that lasted through all three different versions of the show and it’s obvious Zack was who the show was really supposed to be about.
