Then the question became, what should I talk about? And at first I wasn’t sure. Then I remembered an article I had done last year about Star Trek concepts that never went anywhere, including the pilot episode “The Cage”. That episode was very different as it featured Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Pike and a Spock that was not quite the character we would love.
‘Even the second pilot was not quite the Trek we would love. Of course Star Trek isn’t the only show that experienced growing pains before it made it to air. The Cosby Show had a very different set in the pilot than we would see in the series. On Roseanne’s pilot D.J is played by a different kid. The Golden Girls pilot featured a gay cook in the house who thankfully disappeared real fast. Home Improvement was supposed to have a different assistant for Tim, but when the actor fell through Al came aboard. And Patricia Heston was sot the first choice for Jill. The first pilot of Just Shoot Me had some minor differences, most notably that David Space was not in the cast. Apparently Maya was a bit more grunge and the set looked vastly different, including a large staircase that served no real purpose.
And sometimes the changes are startling! We all remember Empty Nest as the Richard Mulligan vehicle about his daughters coming hone to live with him. But in the original pilot (a backdoor pilot in a Golden Girls episode) the premise involved a married couple dealing with their daughter going to college. Totally different concept, totally different cast (except David Leisure who was a different character entirely). In fact the only thing to survive was the set!!
Whether it’s just swapping an actor or everything is overhauled right down to the premise, looking back at original concepts for TV shows that were scrapped can be really fascinating. What if they hadn’t changed it, would the series have still been such a hit?
So, here are some great shows that everyone loves..and how different they could have been! Most of these pilot’s never aired.
The Honeymooners
Wait, what? Yep I discovered this during a visit to yhe Museum of TV and Radio in New York City. The Honeymooners began as a sketch on a show Cavalcade of Stars and Audrey Meadows was not the first to play Alice. Pert Kelton played for a couple episodes. Unaired pilots have been around as long as TV, I Love Lucy even had one.
Dick Van Dyke Show
Yep, sometimes wiser heads simply prevail. For instance the first pilot of The Dick Van Dyke Show had Carl Reiner as Rob. It was called Head of the Family and was, OK. Thankfully everyone figured Reiner wold be better behind the scenes and they put Dick Van Dyke in, and Mary Tyler Moore who also was not in that original pilot. Nor were Rose Marie or Morey Amsterdam. To say the least the original show was very different from what we ended up with.
The Munsters
I get the feeling that when first pitched, The Munsters was supposed to be played less as a comedy. While I was never much of a fan even I can see that this unaired pilot lacks any of the charm that actual series did. The make-up is off, the acting is bland, it’s in color!, and that theme music is awful. Eddie is way to bratty. But worst of all, no Yvonne DeCarlo? Nope.
Gilligan’s Island
Wow! Again was this supposed to more dramatic? The song is not the catchy theme we all love, it sounds like something from “The Little Mermaid” and some of the characters are missing. What no Ginger ot Mary Anne? Ginger was there but played by a different actress (who made it a very different character). Another actress played Mary Ann except her character was called Bunny (????). Also another actor played The Professor
All in the Family
This show did some tinkering before it became the show we love. In fact there were two rejected pilots! It took some doing before they got the right tone. Heck it’s not even called All in the Family, but “Justice for All”. Gee how long did it take them realize how stupid that title was?
Three’s Company
Man would this show have been different! Ok The Ropers survived, but very little else did! John Ritter isn’t even playing Jack, he’s David! No Joyce DeWitt or Suzanne Somers, and just like with Gilligan’s Island the theme is awful!
Happy Days
Happy Days began life as an episode of Love American Style, and in the episode we had Harold Gould as Howard, not Tom Bosley. By the way, I dare you to get that Love American Style theme out of your head!
Full House
I would love to watch this actual episode but so far all I have seen is the original version of the opening credits. What’s different? How about no Bob Saget! John Posey was Danny and while I’m sure he’s a fine actor you can tell just by watching he opening titles the chemistry is jiust off. He is sto similar to Joey and Jesse, unlike Saget who stood out. Yeah it’s hard to imagine the show without Saget, and the creators switched him with after the pilot
Growing Pains
Did you know Tracy Gold wasn’t the first Carol Seaver? Nope she was played by Elizabeth Ward. But the creators weren’t happy and reshot the pilot with Gold. And when watching the fotage, they made the right choice. The chemistry just wasn’t the same. Safe to say that the character would have been very different.
Married with Children
How would you like Tina Caspar as Kelly and Hunter Carson as Bud? Caspary was an Alyssa Milano look alike so it sure was a good change to Christina Applegate.
Saved By The Bell
We all know about Good Morning Miss Bliss, but did you know that there was a pilot version we never saw? It featured a young Brian Austin Green as a main role and was…not even close to the Saved By The Bell we would later love.
Seinfeld
This one is no secret, since the pilot was not unaired. It was and still is in the package of episodes for this series. But man, can you imagine if the show had not evolved after? Jerry living in a studio? No Elaine, just a boring waitress. George is more Woody Allen like and Kramer (oh, sorry-Kesler) is just weird! Oh and way to much stand up littered in the episode.
30 Rock
Believe it or not, this show was supposed to be the breakout role for Rachel Dratch. But after the pilot the creators decided to make some changes, causing Dratch to be replaced with Jane Krakowski. Can’t lie, that was probably a good choice.
Big Bang Theory
Yeah, I think this is common knowledge. If not, the original pilot of this show had no Penny, no Howard, and no Raj. It did have Sheldon and Leonard! The focus was on two girls who I guess were supposed to be the boys love interests. Well one was a friend, the other was named Katie and clearly what would become Penny. Except Penny is charming and Katie is boring with an attitude. She has Leonard and Sheldon lusting after her. Oh and as you can guess, Sheldon wasn’t quite the Sheldon we know now, even having sexual urges. The set is very different too. Also the theme song was “She Blinded Me With Science” which was awful, glad they went with Barenaked Ladies. To say the least, the first pilot was VERY different.
Star Trek Voyager
Finally, it wouldn’t be one of my articles if I didn’t end with a nod to Star Trek. And believe it or not, Kate Mulgrew was not the first choice to play Captain Janeway. Genevieve Bujold was cast, and it didn’t take creators long to realize what a mistake that was. She’s a find actress but just wasn’t into the grind and her Janeway is very flat and dull. This clip will make you appreciate Mulgrew!
There are lots more I didn’t mention, but you get the idea. And yes movies are not exempt. Can you believe Eric Stolz was the first Marty McFly? But that’s another subject. It’s very rare when the series we loved got started right out of the gate in the pilot. On Night Court half the cast would be replaced. On Friends, Joey was a jerk. On Everybody Loves Raymond, Robert was weird. On Will & Grace, Karen lacked her distinct voice and personality. On Two Broke Girls, Max is much nastier. But when a series has a good premise and solid creative teams, eventually the gold discovered.
Thanks for reading my 700 blogs! Wonder if I’ll make it 800?
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