When a sitcom is getting started, creators will throw all kinds of ideas out to see what will stick and what wont. It’s a natural part of the process for any show. Some ideas last, like Wilson hiding his face on Home Improvement. Others get forgotten, like how Raj went from not being able to speak to woman to being able to on The Big Bang Theory after the gag got old. And while lots of bad ideas never see the light of day, others will. But the idea is so off the mark it’ll appear for an episode or two before being abandoned. These ideas are so ridiculous you almost wonder why it even made it to concept, let alone screen.. Here are five early abandoned sitcom ideas which I never understood :
King of Queens, Carrie’s Sister
Lisa Rieffel is a fine actress, so the fact that the character vanished isn’t her fault. The character of Sara Spooner was Carrie’s sister, and Arthur’s other daughter, and was supposed to live with Doug and Carrie also. And she does, for about three episode before she vanishes. Why did the creators think they needed this extra character? Wasn’t Arthur enough? I guess so.
Full House, Joey’s Alcove
Here’s one that I don’t get. I mean it makes sense in universe, Joey being given the alcove under the stairs because there was no room in the house. But when he ended up staying, it was decided to turn the garage into a full room for him. Great but, what was up with that alcove idea out of universe? Why not just say Danny has a spare room? It always felt like a joke which never really landed. Including the visual gag of the mannequin who was always dressed in what Joey was wearing. This lasted nine episodes. Credit to the show for the episode that establishes the bedroom, rather than just pretending it was there all the long.
Murphy Brown, “The Cave”
This is a weird one, but it was a thing for a couple episodes. When originally conceived, Phil’s was supposed to be a dark place where politicians gather. So dark that when people opened the door to let light in, the customers would shout for the person to close said door. Yeah maybe it was supposed to be symbolic but all it really was, was lame. And it didn’t last, thank goodness because it was really annoying.
Friends, Marcel
Man was this a bad idea. Maybe for an episode it would have been one thing. The funny thing is for a time, this was the most popular part of the series. Yes I am talking about Ross’s pet monkey Marcel. Who added nothing to the show, and from what I’ve read only slowed production to a crawl. I was happy when he was finally shipped off and glad he never appeared again (except for that Super Bowl episode). Adding a pet almost never takes, because it’s like any other character on the show. If you don’t establish the pet from the very first episode all it’s going to do is feel forced. Which this very much did.
The Golden Girls, The Gay Houseboy (yes really)
Ok gotta be crystal clear, I dont have a problem with a gay character in any show. The problem is that this was the wrong character for this show. And no not because he was gay, because he was a houseboy which makes no sense. It’s true the reason this character was cut was because of how popular Estelle Getty ended up being, but I think it was a bad idea and wouldn’t have lasted anyway. The idea being that the women wouldn’t want to clean and cook so they need someone to wait on them. The show isn’t about high royalty it was about these four girls trying to make ends meet, squabbling back and forth. What did they need a houseboy for? All the houseboy would have done was interrupt the flow and give way to insensitive jokes. Heck even in the one episode he’s in he serves no real purpose aside from, being there.
It’s always fun to see a show’s early days and the ideas that didn’t quite pan out. You wonder, what would have happened had these stuck? How different would the show have been? There are plenty other early ideas that didn’t pan out I’m sure, so if I missed one you feel should be noted comment and let me know.
No comments:
Post a Comment