TV Shows That Became A Different Show From How They Began

I believe so. Also, the final season aired up against the Super Bowl at one point! Yikes. Still a worthwhile watch all the way through, imo. Even if things did go completely off the rails into nigh-absurd unrecognizability.

 

Its final season is reminiscent of Newhart's final season....they went all in on the bat poop craziness to the point where you can't take it seriously so you might as well just buckle up and ride it out.

 

Characters also change. I recently saw the first Seinfeld episode. Kramer knocked on Jerry's door!

 

The color episodes are borderline unwatchable.

 

Wtf, was that? (referring to the 2nd intro). A family dramaedy with Fonda leading a double-life as some kind of crime fighter?

 

And his name is "Kessler" in the pilot episode.

 

Kramer also didn't leave the building in the early episodes.

 

And the pilot of "Mork & Mindy" was a "Happy Days" episode, sort of.

 

Probably the episode when Happy Days truly "jumped the shark."

 

No, the episode when Happy Days truly 'jumped the shark' is when Fonzie jumped the shark.

 

It's really not that bad of an episode and the show remained #1 for the next couple of years so that narrative while convenient is overplayed.

But introducing an out of the blue alien storyline is a sign a show has run out of ideas and just throwing crap at the wall to see what sticks.

Jumping the shark was silly but it followed a narrative of Fonzie jumping over things just moving it to water and and water skis.

 

Yes, but he jumped the shark. It's the only Happy Days episode where somebody jumps a shark.

 

Well there would be no reason to jump it 2nd time or jump another shark (which would be impossible in Milwaukee). Look, I remember the jump the shark website and understand the whole jumping the shark concept I have just come around to seeing that episode as the disastrous turning point of the series or that bad of an episode itself. It's infamy is overblown.

 

Or, is it a sneaky way to start a new show without pitching and producing a proper pilot?

 

I think the point about that Happy Days episode is that the show had unmistakably dropped all pretence of being a realistic view of the 1950s in favour of being the What Stupid Thing Will We Do With Fonzie This Week Show when they devoted an episode to Fonzie riding his motorcycle over a tank of water with a shark in.

 

Actually, the Fonz waterskis over a shark!

 

and the winner is? Lost In Space...; )

 

If not winner, damn close.

I remember back then a kid asking us "Hey guys, did you see Lost in Space last night?"

crickets

 

I have to admit I loved every episode in all three seasons...I know!

 

Was that a plot point? I.e., did any of the characters comment on it?

 

In that case, it stuck! Everyone involved got lucky they found Robin Williams to cast as the alien.

 

Yeah, Jerry mentions it in the pilot, « you haven’t left the building in ten years ». Apparently that’s why Kramer isn’t in the Chinese Restaurant episode.

 

What has already been mentioned:
Gunsmoke went from a radio program to a half hour black and white western to a full hour color soap opera.

For Los Angeles only:
Televised Dodger Games before and after Vin Scully’s retirement.

Cable news channels:
A tie. CNN went from right to left. Fox News called itself “Fair and Balanced”.

 

When I was a kid we had a version of this where we changed the words to something "naughty" but I don't remember it.

 

That's the funniest thing I never saw. I watched a little tiny bit of the first season, but quickly bailed and never saw the follow-up shows. Ron Howard said in his recent autobiography that he wanted to stay working, but was dismayed at the lack of movie roles and other "important" work. So he took this one, mainly as an opportunity to work with Henry Fonda. Howard said he was extremely relieved to get the Happy Days job soon after The Smith Family was cancelled.