Written Reveling in Saturday Programming by Bridger Cunningham (former TVRG Writer)
Spinoff Stories: Friends (Article VI)
Written Questioning If Dead is Better by Bridger Cunningham (former TVRG writer)
Spinoff Stories: Married With Children (Article IV)
Written Asking Was FOX Smoking When They Wrote These Shows by Bridger Cunningham (former TVRG Writer)
Spinoff Stories: Mary Tyler Moore (Article III)
Written Examining History by Bridger Cunningham (Former TVRG Writer)
Spinoff Stories - Who’s The Boss [Article II]
For another great read on other spinoffs, click HERE to read about Three's Company, a long successful show forced to bow out the same season Who's the Boss launched.
The Original Hit Machine:
Who's The Boss (1984-92)
It is no wonder Who's The Boss became a solid performer in the '80s, as it bent the gender stereotypes. Beautiful, savvy businesswoman Angela Bower (Judith Light) hires a male housekeeper, former minor league pitcher Tony Micelli (Tony Danza, fresh off hisrun on Taxi). Together they maintained an unorthodox household comprised of his tomboyish daughter, Samantha (Alyssa Milano) and her sensitive son, Jonathan (Danny Pintauro). Rounding out the ensemble was Angela's late-in-life (and promiscuous) collegiate mother, Mona Robinson (Katherine Helmond). The ensemble jelled to perfection, never deviating in cast changes. The driving force behind the sitcom was the romantic notions Tony and Angela flirted with, not explored until later in the series.
The First Spinoff
Charmed Lives (1986)
Fran Drescher on Who's The Boss? Those two concepts sounded incompatible in the same sentence, save for the Season 2 finale featuring a backdoor pilot for Charmed Lives. The premise? A marketing campaign Angela is working on needs a young Italian lady for its advertisement image for a spaghetti sauce distributor. She is shown up by an earthy photographer (Donna Dixon, otherwise knows as Mrs. Dan Aykroyd). Both women do not get the gig, but decide their odd couple pairing would make suitable roommates. Sound believable? Viewers didn't think so either, and ABC hocked it after 4 episodes.
The Second Spinoff
Mona (Never Aired)
Integrating established characters from a parent series increases the odds of a series surviving. ABC sought to transplant scene-stealing Mona in 1987 into her own series which she relocates to New York to help her brother run a dilapidated hotel. The premise sounded promising, even with Season 3's cliffhanger leading Mona into this adventure. Then, the network did the math and realized tinkering with the 10th Place show on the air would damage it and scrapped the spinoff. Mona was indeed a scene stealer on Who's The Boss, but Helmond delivered more than zany laughs. Mona was an active woman of age, not only in her sheets, but in her collegiate forays and careers. She bridged the communication gap between her grandchildren and their parents, as well riling up her uptight, polished daughter. Without Helmond, an ingredient would have been missing in the nuclear chemistry of the cast. Wise decision, ABC, as the series rose to 6th Place the following season.
The Third Spinoff
Living Dolls (1989)
The last and most "successful" spinoff of Who's the Boss outlived the last efforts to colonize elsewhere by multiple episodes. If gaining 12 episodes is a clever way to market being a flop. At the close of Season 5, Samantha gets a visit from her Brooklyn friend, Charlie Briscoe (Leah Remini, of King of Queens and Kevin Can Wait fame). Charlie is snagged by modeling agency executive, Trish Carlin (Michael Learned, The Waltons), and integrated with an ensemble of teen models including Emily (Halle Berry, pre-fame). Critics vomited more acid than the series' bulimic models. If ABC didn't get the memo, the ratings registered a paltry 6.9 in 88th Place of the 96 shows that season. Ouch!
Tie-Ins to Parent Series
The two series which came to conception featured guest stars, and all ties were promptly severed from Who's the Boss? Smart move, ABC, as that show's ensemble was its Nielsen weapon! Why pollute the magic with failed characters?
Why These Spinoffs Failed
Timing is key to launching successful spinoffs. Charmed Lives and Mona splintered during the proper 2-3 season marks. However, what killed all of these shows was the characters being plucked from Who's the Boss. No one cared who Fran Drescher or Donna Dixon were, as they were featured extras who sorely stuck out of the sophisticated cast. And Remini, like Dixon and Drescher, was a capable actress saddled with a hill of horse droppings for material to act. Katherine Helmond was beyond capable of carrying her own show, but leaving Who's the Boss would have ruined both her character and the cast remains. The pilot idea would have been suitable as a continuation had Who's the Boss ended, but this was never pursued. Who's the Boss could have supported a successful spinoff, but they never developed supporting characters who gained a viewer following to transplant elsewhere.
Spinoff Stories -- Three’s Company (Article I)
The "Spinoff Stories" article series examines shows that spawned new programs, backdoor pilots, continuations, and reboots.
 |
| Photo Credit: Quote Catalog |
It may not be in the same league as I Love Lucy, Friends, or Seinfeld in terms of popularity and impact, but Three’s Company is still well-remembered for its risqué subject matter and tumultuous behind-the-scenes drama. While the show's innuendo-laced brand of humor seems like child's play when compared to the content shown and discussed on programs in the 21st century, the series sparked controversy and pushed boundaries back in the late 70's for the raunchy sexual overtones prevalent in much of the dialogue. Regardless of what critics or purists thought of the comedy series, viewers tuned in to watch in droves. The John Ritter vehicle was the 2nd highest-rated show on television in its third and fourth season, remaining in the top 10 for all of them sans the first and final. With massive commercial success came an opportunity for the network to milk the brand in order to maximize profits. ABC ended up producing two follow-up comedies in an attempt to duplicate the original's success. It would be an understatement to say things didn't work out the way the alphabet network hoped.
The Original Hit Machine -- Three's Company (1977-1984)
Based on the British sitcom Man About the House, Three's Company followed aspiring chef Jack Tripper (John Ritter) taking the place of Janet and Chrissy's (Joyce DeWitt & Suzanne Somers) old roommate Eleanor and moving in with the two. Although Tripper found himself with a new woman almost every week, he was forced to pretend to be gay in order for their landlords Mr. & Mrs. Roper (Norman Fell and Audra Lindley) to allow him to live with the girls. Along the way, Jack's sleazy friend & neighbor Larry (Richard Kline) also found himself falling in and out of relationships while simultaneously attempting to woo Chrissy and/or Janet. Just like the once controversial jokes, the premise of the series through the lens of the 2020s is hardly as scandalous as it once was. With that said, the comedic content of the series aged like fine wine despite the shock value of the premise aging like milk. The slapstick humor and rapid-fire double entendres still remain incredibly amusing thanks to the irresistible chemistry of the main cast and brilliant physical acting by comedy mastermind John Ritter. The characters remained the same for the first half of its eight-season run but the show went through many cast changes starting with the fourth. Angry about not getting paid as much as co-star John Ritter, Suzanne Somers departed the show and the role of the ditzy blonde was taken up by Cindy (Jenilee Harrison) in season five and then again by the more level-headed Terri (Priscilla Barnes) in seasons six through eight. Additionally, the Ropers left the series after the first three seasons. Don Knotts of Andy Griffith Show fame took over as the self-centered landlord Ralph Furley in the fourth season and remained a resident until the program came to a close. In spite of the core ensemble being redesigned thanks to departures and new additions, Three's Company remained one of the top programs on television for the majority of its run. The First Spinoff -- The Ropers (1979-1980)
Three's Company was at the height of its popularity during its third season. Because of this, it made perfect sense that ABC would strike while the iron was still hot and create a spinoff series. Fell and Lindley departed the show at the tail-end of the program's third year to helm a sitcom of their own. The Ropers focused on the elderly couple attempting to fit in as they found themselves in a new community after selling their apartment building. Richard Kline's Larry made an appearance in the first season finale while Jack, Chrissy, and Janet guest-starred in the season two premiere. Aside from those two installments, the former landlords and the show's supporting cast roster (Made up of Jeffrey Tambor, Patricia McCormack, and Evan Cohen) were expected to do the heavy lifting in the comedy department. Like the mothership, the spinoff was also an adaption of a British series (George and Mildred). Initially, the follow-up show did remarkably well. In fact, the six-episode first season was the 6th highest-rated sitcom of the 1978-79 television season. Unfortunately, a move to a less desirable Saturday slot caused the comedy's ratings to take a nosedive. It bowed out with a mere 28 episodes under its belt. Since it was cheaper to pay just one person for the role of the landlord (Don Knotts), the fictional couple was also evicted from the main show. Whether it was because of a lack of familiar faces or the timeslot shift, the series simply did not deliver. The Second Spinoff -- Three's a Crowd (1984-1985)
Four years after The Ropers was kicked off the airwaves, Three's a Crowd arrived in a much different climate than its unsuccessful predecessor. By 1984, Three's Company, the series that had never fallen below the top 10 since its second year, plummeted to 33rd in the Nielsen ratings for its eight and final season. With the plot of the spinoff already established in the final episodes of the former, Three's a Crowd entered the sitcom arena as an extension of the fading juggernaut. Once again following the footsteps of a British counterpart (Robin's Nest), the second spinoff of the ABC sitcom centered on Jack Tripper living with his girlfriend Vicky while butting heads with her disapproving father. Despite the series featuring the titular character, ratings were middling at best. It ended up doing a bit worse than the already lackluster last season of the original, settling for the 38th spot during the 1984-85 television season. The series met its maker after just one season of twenty-two episodes, six less than The Ropers. Whether intentional or not, the title of the series foreshadowed its fate. Audiences no longer had an appetite for the shenanigans of Jack Tripper and company.Future
In April 2016, the film company New Line reportedly had a Three's Company movie in the works. It's not clear if this will ever see the light of day but it would certainly be a challenge to find an actor as talented and suited for the role of Jack Tripper as the late John Ritter. Aside from this announcement, little else has come up regarding the future of this sitcom staple.
Tie-Ins
As stated earlier, the core four cast members (Jack, Janet, Chrissy, and Larry) all appeared on The Ropers. On Three's a Crowd, only Larry Dallas (Richard Kline) made a guest appearance. That cameo came during the back-half of the comedy's run in an episode entitled 'Deeds of Trust'. No one else from the original series came to visit.
Why These Spinoffs Failed
Like a lot of sequel programs that abandon the majority of the original show's cast, these two spinoffs simply failed to replicate the same magical feeling that Ritter, DeWitt, Kline, and the others created when they were all on screen together. The grumpy Mr. Roper may have played well off of the energetic and youthful trio of Jack, Chrissy, and Janet, but the dysfunctional relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Roper could not keep The Ropers afloat. It would be the equivalence of giving I Love Lucy's Fred and Ethel Mertz their own show. Both couples worked well in supporting roles alongside their livelier counterparts but their loveless marriage routine is not captivating enough to be the main focus of a series. Three's a Crowd had a similar problem when it came to its group of characters. Even though the show featured the same protagonist, the other cast members could not compare. Vicky's dad or E.Z. Taylor (Jack's surfer assistant chef) could not hold a candle to iconic personalities like Mr. Furley, Janet, or Larry. Had Jack gotten together with Janet, a character that had been on the show since the pilot, instead of Vicky (a character aimlessly introduced in the last couple episodes of Three's Company), there may have been a chance for Three's a Crowd to connect with viewers. Seeing two characters that had matured together through the years settle down and start a life together would have been a far more alluring premise then Jack being with a woman audiences had not grown a connection towards. Even then, the hype for Three's Company had essentially died down by the mid-80's. The final season of the original was the lowest rated of them all. All things considered, the franchise had simply run its course.
What did you think of this article? Were you a fan of the original or any of the spinoffs? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)