Sitcom Characters That Changed- Page 3

[DG]

Posted: 5/22/08 at 3:15am

I like what has been said about going from Mr. York to Mr. Sargent as Darrin on BEWITCHED:

You just can't switch Dicks midstream and expect no one to notice!

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 5/22/08 at 3:28am

Well, Miranda was played quite differently during Season 1 of SEX & THE CITY. I don't know how to explain it, but Cynthia Nixon's portrayal was bitchy but not really as well-rounded as what we ended up seeing towards the last couple episodes of the first season. I feel Samantha was more or less the same though. Carrie was less fabulous at the beginning, unfortunately by the end of the show she had gotten annoying. Anyone else remember that device where all the characters spoke to the camera mimicking Carrie interviewing people for her column? It stopped in Season 2, I believe.
If we're talking all shows and not just sitcoms, Alex Karev on GREY'S ANATOMY was entirely different in the first season (or maybe the first couple of episodes).
Also, the character of Sarah from BROTHERS & SISTERS was a bit more restrained, when watching the Season 1 DVD, you can tell when the character became the Sarah Walker we all came to love.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 5/22/08 at 3:56am

Alex wasn't even filmed in the original pilot of Grey's Anatomy. He was added after they shot it so all the scenes with him were reshoots.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 5/22/08 at 4:05am

You're right, I forgot about that. They added Alex only after they realized they wanted to change the way Dr. Burke was originally conceived.

[mauriposa]

Posted: 5/22/08 at 4:08am

I didn't know that about Grey's. Makes sense, though.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 5/22/08 at 4:12am

If you look at the GREY'S pilot, you can definitely tell that Alex is missing from major scenes and then whenever he is on during a "group" scene, they don't do any kind of long shots, it's always him isolated or sharing space with a couple characters.

[jeniferrenepatricia]

Posted: 5/22/08 at 5:38am

Well, in season one of "Sex and the City," Samantha was a lot more open to love, dating, a boyfriend, etc. Remember Jimmy? Also, I think Kim Catrall portrayed her as more of a "down to earth" person, and as time went out, she became a little "snobbish." Not necessarily with the girls, but her personality in general. Also, the way she spoke changed after the first season. When she was dating Richard, she couldn't even say the word "love" nonetheless be in a monogamous relationship. Remember the girls taunting her? "Samantha likes a guy..." when she was with Richard?

I do remember when they used to talk to the camera. I believe that I read a long time ago that Sarah Jessica Parker hated it, and said that only worked for her husband. (in "Ferris Bueller")

[StageManager2]

Posted: 5/22/08 at 5:57am

In THE COSBY SHOW pilot, Theo was called Teddy. Also, the house layout was different, especially the living room/stairwell.

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 5/22/08 at 10:40am

"Kramer started off almost a simpleton in SEINFELD, once again, gaining some smarts as Michael Richards developed the character."

Richards said he first played Kramer as being a bit behind the curve but realized the character was funny when he played him as believing he was so far ahead of everyone else.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/22/08 at 10:50am

Since we're also talking about replaced actors, the first two episodes of Roseanne had a different actor playing DJ.

Also let's not forget The Partridge Family switch. (At least on Bewitched, the actors had the same color hair). Partridge Family switched from a dark haired kid to a blonde haired kid.

It must be hard when kids are cast and as they grow, everyone realizes they can't act. Remember Carrie on Little House on the Prairie? When she was little she seemed mildly retarded. As the series progressed and Carrie grew, we knew there was something wrong because none of the plots revolved around her. I think Michael Landon had to poke Carrie with a stick everytime he wanted a response.

[Mandi Moo]

Posted: 5/22/08 at 12:05pm

In the first few episodes of M*A*S*H Father Mulcahy was played by a different actor.

Also, toward the end of the series Klinger just stopped wearing dresses. I think it was explained somehow, but it still makes me sad.

[Carl Magnum]

Posted: 5/22/08 at 12:14pm

On Full House, John Stamos started out as Jessie Cochran and he worked for his father as an exterminator. The characted was originally Italian, I think, and his parents were played by different actors.

[Jon]

Posted: 5/22/08 at 12:15pm

The disappearing child phenomonon is common - Chuck on Happy Days, Judy on Family Matters.

The Cosby Show had a suddenly appearing child. In the first season, there were Theo and three girls (Lisa Bonet, Tempest Bledsoe, Keisha Knight Pulliam). In one early episode, Claire asks Cliff, "Why did we have four children?", and he answers, "Because we didn't want five!"

In the second season, the new, oldest daughter (Sabrina LaBeouf)suddenly appeared.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/22/08 at 12:21pm

"The disappearing child phenomonon is common - Chuck on Happy Days, Judy on Family Matters."

A few seasons in to Happy Days, Marion Ross had a line that said "Howard, I've raised two children and I'm not about to change my ways." Maybe Chuck was Howard's love child and Marion didn't want him hanging around corrupting Ritchie and Joanie.

[D2]

Posted: 5/22/08 at 12:22pm

THE ODD COUPLE changed sets (and apparently addresses) midway through the run, as well as dropping and adding characters constantly. All the poker buddies (except Murray) disappeared relatively quickly, as did the Pigeon Sisters. Both Oscar and Felix had girlfriends for a season or two - they would come and go without explanation.

[Marianne2]

Posted: 5/22/08 at 12:24pm

If we are also just talking about shows in general now, in the pilot episode of "Beverly Hills 90210," the Walsh house is completely different from the rest of the series. I mean, it's a completely different house. Also very trivial, but the theme song for the first season was also just a tiny bit different. Same theme, but different music.

[Kitzarina]

Posted: 5/22/08 at 12:27pm

Topanga on Boy Meets World had a pretty drastic change midstream. She went from the weird psychic girl that everyone made fun of to the bombshell love of Corey's life.

As far as changing kids on Roseanne, how can you forget the delightful Sarah Chalke as Becky 2?

[Jon]

Posted: 5/22/08 at 12:34pm

On SOAP, Jimmy Baio's character went from the chubby, smart aleck pre-teen to the hot looking teen who actually had an affair with one of his high school teachers.

I suppose that's better than when cute little kids grow into ugly teens.

[Calvin]

Posted: 5/22/08 at 1:48pm

Claire also was much more housewifey in the way she dressed in that pilot episode of The Cosby Show.

Oh, and the Empty Nest pilot had Rita Moreno and a bunch of other stuff that had nothing to do with the actual show Empty Nest. Only Joe Isuzu, and even his character had a different name.

[billygoatgirl300]

Posted: 5/22/08 at 1:52pm

Did anyone mention the Waltons? John-Boy was played by two different actors

[Matters]

Posted: 5/22/08 at 2:05pm

[i]Topanga on Boy Meets World had a pretty drastic change midstream. She went from the weird psychic girl that everyone made fun of to the bombshell love of Corey's life. [/i]

That really annoyed me for a while, but in one episode (i think it was 'resurrection') cory acknowledged how she'd changed over the years and i appreciated that. Topanga also had about 2 or three different dads over the course of the series.

I find that Joey from friends changed IMMENSELY from the earlier seasons to the later ones, hard to describe but for lack of a better word i feel his character almost turned into a joke.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/22/08 at 2:21pm

"I find that Joey from friends changed IMMENSELY from the earlier seasons to the later ones, hard to describe but for lack of a better word i feel his character almost turned into a joke."

My opinion is that he was not a good actor. Once he got down the Italian machismo, he didn't know how to broaden the character so he just started exaggerating it. It also didn't help that he never had a steady girlfriend to ground the character.

[Jon]

Posted: 5/22/08 at 2:25pm

Around season 3, Dr. Hibbard of The Simpsons started wearing colorful patterned sweaters. This was a tribute to Dr. Cliff Huxtable, since The Simpsons had been moved to Thursday nights, opposite the Cosby Show (which was the Number 1 show at the time).

I like the Simpsons better on Sunday night.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 5/22/08 at 3:29pm

Oh, I remember another, the guy who played Victor in CHARMED (the witches' parents) was played by a completely different--and may I say TONS hotter--actor in the second episode of the series than the guy who went on to play the role for the duration of the show.

[worrell4077]

Posted: 5/22/08 at 3:31pm

On Full House, Grandma Tanner was played by two different actresses, I forget who played her in season one, but in another appearance of the character, Doris Robberts played her.

Full House, in one of the earlier seasons(I forget which one) Jessie flashbacks to his high school days and graduation and stuff like that, but then later in the show's run it's found out that Jessie dropped out of high school. He also watched sports with Danny and Joey and knew a good deal about it and I think there were some early episodes of him playing with the guys, but then later on, he's a complete novice about sports.

It's not really a sitcom, but on The Real Ghostbusters, Peter Venkman went from hating slimer and trying to zap him at any chance he could get to being friends with him. The voices changed to from Lorenzo Music to Dave Coulier(mainly rumored because of Bill Murray). Slimer changed as well from not speaking any coherent English to actually speaking somewhat clear English.