# When TV shows break continuity: The Chuck Cunningham Syndrome **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 12, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-tv-shows-break-continuity-the-chuck-cunningham-syndrome/539207 "2010-05-12T19:14:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-tv-shows-break-continuity-the-chuck-cunningham-syndrome/539207/21 "2010-05-13T12:43:59Z")
Another Roseanne one–a boyfriend of Darlene is introduced as Kevin. The next ep he appeared in–and ever after–he was David. ---
**Author:** ![justafriend](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/71c47a/32.png) [@justafriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justafriend)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-tv-shows-break-continuity-the-chuck-cunningham-syndrome/539207/22 "2010-05-13T13:09:08Z")
> [@belladonna](#): > > Another Roseanne one–a boyfriend of Darlene is introduced as Kevin. The next ep he appeared in–and ever after–he was David. I think this is brought up in a way later episode when him and Darlene are fighting. David says something along the lines of David not even being his real name, he just started going by it because Darlene wanted him to. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-tv-shows-break-continuity-the-chuck-cunningham-syndrome/539207/23 "2010-05-13T13:35:19Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > “You called me a stuffed shirt and hung up!” > That _Cheers_/_Frasier_ conflict was resolved, but there was others left untouched. I recall a _Frasier_ ep that had Martin, Frasier and Niles pointing out how they’d always criticized each other’s choice in women (this occasioned by Frasier and Niles objecting to some women Martin was dating, and them recalling that Martin had disliked both Maris and Lilith) and how Hester Crane (Martin’s late wife, F & N’s mom) never did. But in Hester’s one appearance (that wasn’t a flashback or something similar) on an episode of _Cheers_, she was very clearly trying to break up Frasier and Diane. IIRC, Frasier’s mother first offerred Sam money to steal Diane away from Frasier, to which he replied “There isn’t enough money in the world to convince me,” and she said she understood. At the end of the episode, she just told Diane she’d shoot her if she married Frasier. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-tv-shows-break-continuity-the-chuck-cunningham-syndrome/539207/24 "2010-05-13T14:01:24Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > In an early episode of NCIS, Kate references an old movie and notes its relationship to the case, while Tony basically acts as if he’s never seen an old movie. For the rest of the series, Tony is the movie buff, constantly comparing current cases to movies he’s seen. In the series pilot, _Yankee White_, Gibbs is the one using movie references to solve the case (it takes place on Air Force One) while Tony is clueless. For the rest of the series run Gibbs’ pop culture knowledge was practically zero. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-tv-shows-break-continuity-the-chuck-cunningham-syndrome/539207/25 "2010-05-13T14:01:49Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > By the way – props to _Roseanne_ for a brilliant way of handling The Other Darren situation, when Sarah Chalke took over the role of Becky to accommodate Lecy Goranson’s college plans. It was a return to the show for the character, who had also been away at college, and not only does Roseanne have a line about how Becky’s been away so long they hardly recognized her when she got back, but the end-credits sequence has the whole family watching an episode of _Bewitched_ and commenting on how ridiculous it was to attempt to replace a well-known actor in the middle of a popular sitcom. Not exactly. Becky never went away to college (how could Becky go away to college, only to have Sarah Chalke replace her in Lanville?). On Goranson’s re-appearance on the show, variations of “Where have you been?” (along with the R’s hardly recognize you piece)) was a running gag through the whole episode, leading Becky to eventually remark, “Why is everyone asking that?” It was a brilliant use of the Darren phenomenon though > [@Bricker](#): > > In Buffy S2, “I Only Have Eyes For You,” the original couple was said to have suffered their tragedy in 1955, but the song “I Only Have Eyes For You,” was a 1959 hit. Wouldn’t this be closer to an anachronism? ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-tv-shows-break-continuity-the-chuck-cunningham-syndrome/539207/26 "2010-05-13T14:23:28Z")
Another on one from Frasier came in an episode where the brothers were fighting, and their father Martin explained that he never had a real brother, but had a partner who was like a brother ::cue story about them having a falling out, and his partner getting killed before they could reconcile::, and Frasier and Niles made up. Later there was another episode that centered around Frasier trying to make amends for offending his aunt to the point that she wouldn’t let Martin’s brother and nephew have a relationship with Martin, and his side of the family anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-tv-shows-break-continuity-the-chuck-cunningham-syndrome/539207/27 "2010-05-13T14:30:19Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > While it strains credulity that the Cunninghams have an alive-and-well family member that’s never mentioned at all, even in circumstances that the whole family would be naturally together or an absence commented upon, it’s not difficult to imagine that a deceased friend – indeed, a dusted, deceased friend – wouldn’t come up again where we, the viewers, would hear it. A dusted, deceased friend that Xander dusted. I don’t think I’d ever be able to say Jesse’s name ever again if I was Xander. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-tv-shows-break-continuity-the-chuck-cunningham-syndrome/539207/28 "2010-05-13T14:36:49Z")
On _Boy Meets World_, the main character had a younger sister in the first, and possibly second, season. She vanished a la Chuck Cunnignham, only to return three or four seasons later. Someone asked where she had been, and she goes, “I was in my room…I was in my room a _long_ time.” They also bought back a side character that left. In the first season, there was the stereotypicaly nerdy kid in the class who vanished when they went to junior high/high school…and was brought back for the high school graduation episode where we see him get his diploma. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-tv-shows-break-continuity-the-chuck-cunningham-syndrome/539207/29 "2010-05-13T14:40:25Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > …the end-credits sequence has the whole family watching an episode of _Bewitched_ and commenting on how ridiculous it was to attempt to replace a well-known actor in the middle of a popular sitcom. Chalke had the punchline: She says she always liked the _new_ Darren better. ---
**Author:** ![Nicest\_of\_the\_Damned](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8baadc/32.png) [@Nicest\_of\_the\_Damned](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nicest_of_the_Damned)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-tv-shows-break-continuity-the-chuck-cunningham-syndrome/539207/30 "2010-05-13T15:54:10Z")
I seem to remember on the first episode of Bosom Buddies “Buffy” and “Hildegarde” claimed to be sisters but in later episodes Buffy was Kip’s sister and Hildy was Henry’s sister but Buffy/Hildy, Kip/Hildy and Buffy/Henry were apparently not related (at least it was never mentioned that I can remember). Yeah, I watched Bosom Buddies when I was a kid. ---
**Author:** ![batsto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b2d939/32.png) [@batsto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/batsto)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-tv-shows-break-continuity-the-chuck-cunningham-syndrome/539207/31 "2010-05-13T16:01:11Z")
On Sledge Hammer!, Sledge is assigned his new partner (what’s-her-name?) on the first episode. Season 2 was supposed to be “Sledge Hammer: The Early Years”, since everyone seemingly dies in an explosion at the end of season 1. And yet he somehow has that same partner during the ‘Early Years’. ---
**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:** [May 13, 2010, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-tv-shows-break-continuity-the-chuck-cunningham-syndrome/539207/32 "2010-05-13T16:01:29Z")
In the last season of Grouded For Life, the youngest boy wasn’t there because the actor left the show to go back to school. During that season, the other characters would wonder where he was and the mom or dad would occasionally say that he was up in his room or in the backyard. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-tv-shows-break-continuity-the-chuck-cunningham-syndrome/539207/33 "2010-05-13T16:55:31Z")
> [@descamisado](#): > > Not exactly. Becky never went away to college (how could Becky go away to college, only to have Sarah Chalke replace her in Lanville?). > > On Goranson’s re-appearance on the show, variations of “Where have you been?” (along with the R’s hardly recognize you piece)) was a running gag through the whole episode, leading Becky to eventually remark, “Why is everyone asking that?” It was a brilliant use of the Darren phenomenon thoughWouldn’t this be closer to an anachronism? They also did a bit at the end where John Goodman is playing an adult DJ in a mental hospital. He keeps saying, “Why do they say she is the same? She’s not the same?” ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-tv-shows-break-continuity-the-chuck-cunningham-syndrome/539207/34 "2010-05-13T17:11:39Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > They also did a bit at the end where John Goodman is playing an adult DJ in a mental hospital. He keeps saying, “Why do they say she is the same? She’s not the same?” They say she’s the same, but she isn’t the same They say she’s the same, but she isn’t the same They say she’s the same, but she isn’t the same They say she’s the same, but she isn’t the same Man, it’s really easy to forget just how awesome Roseanne was. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-tv-shows-break-continuity-the-chuck-cunningham-syndrome/539207/35 "2010-05-13T17:26:49Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > They also bought back a side character that left. In the first season, there was the stereotypicaly nerdy kid in the class who vanished when they went to junior high/high school…and was brought back for the high school graduation episode where we see him get his diploma. He explains that all of his classes were in the hallway the camera didn’t show. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-tv-shows-break-continuity-the-chuck-cunningham-syndrome/539207/36 "2010-05-13T17:34:01Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > In _That 70’s Show_, Donna’s little sister, Tina, was afflicted with Chuck Cunningham syndrome, passing after only one appearance. Eric’s older sister, Laurie, also suffered from the syndrome before fighting it off (although only for a short time) after going through a The Other Darren procedure. Really? Stephen King should start writing his novels about Wisconsin. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-tv-shows-break-continuity-the-chuck-cunningham-syndrome/539207/37 "2010-05-13T18:10:01Z")
Not a TV series, but a child in the Doonesbury comic strip also got the Chuck Cunningham treatment. Joanie Caucus originally left her husband Clinton, her daughter JJ (Joan Junior), and her unnamed son behind when she left home. JJ later appeared as a regular character. Joanie married a second time (to Rick Redfern) and had another child, Jeff. But Jeff has been referred to as Joanie’s second child and Joanie once refered to herself as the mother of two children. Apparently her first son was erased from continuity. Another interesting note - I don’t think Joanie’s original name has ever been revealed in the strip. Caucus was Clinton’s last name. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-tv-shows-break-continuity-the-chuck-cunningham-syndrome/539207/38 "2010-05-13T18:22:34Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > A dusted, deceased friend that Xander dusted. I don’t think I’d ever be able to say Jesse’s name ever again if I was Xander. Agreed. It would have been neat to show Xander _trying_ to talk about Jesse once - even just accidentally mention him, and stop - but that’s awfully dark for a show that started off with a (relatively) light tone. ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-tv-shows-break-continuity-the-chuck-cunningham-syndrome/539207/39 "2010-05-13T18:25:20Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > In Carey Lowell’s first appearance on _Law & Order_, she’s very pro-death penalty, eager to see it used on a carjacker who killed his victim. Later episodes reinforce this. Oddly, in one of her character’s last appearances, she abruptly and casually announces that she’s _against_ the death penalty. I could understand if her attitude changed when she had a chance to personally witness how capricious and error-prone the process was, even if the DAs don’t mean it to be, but this wasn’t shown and her opinion change comes without warning (and is presented as rather smug). I beleive she testified to this in court, that she was against the death penalty because she saw it used as a bargaining chip, and she didn’t beleive bargaining with someone’s life was an ethical thing to do. ---
**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:** [May 13, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-tv-shows-break-continuity-the-chuck-cunningham-syndrome/539207/40 "2010-05-13T19:53:31Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > IIRC, Frasier’s mother first offerred Sam money to steal Diane away from Frasier, to which he replied “There isn’t enough money in the world to convince me,” and she said she understood. At the end of the episode, she just told Diane she’d shoot her if she married Frasier. I think you have the sequence backward. Hester’s threats of shooting Diane start early. It’s only at the end of the episode that she has a conversation with Sam along the lines of: Hester: I understand you used to date that waitress. Sam: [ruefully] Yeah. Hester: What would it take to get that started again? Sam: You don’t have enough money. Hester: Oh, are you sure about that? Sam: Yes, because there _isn’t_ enough money. Then Hester leaves Cheers, never to be seen again. crazyjoe: The Lowell scene I was thinking of was a casual conversation during a meeting with Jack, not in court. It was probably during the episode “Bad Girl” (in which a Karla Faye Tucker analogue faces first-degree murder charges) and she simply announces that she’s against the death penalty in response to Jack’s ambivalence about seeking it in this case. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-tv-shows-break-continuity-the-chuck-cunningham-syndrome/539207.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-tv-shows-break-continuity-the-chuck-cunningham-syndrome/539207.md?page=3)