Characters who Took over/Saved a show...

[Phil Clark]

Ok, let's go the other direction now. What characters have been on an ensemble cast (or added to one) and ended up improving the show, or saving it from sure cancellation?

Fonzie was always intended as a minor character on Happy Days, but proved so popular that he became a major character. And those shows were good, until Ron Howard left and it all fell apart and Fonzie became too much the focus.

[Steve]

Alan Shore to The Practice - Pretty much singlehandedly improved ths show tenfold imo. Revitalized it. Proof? He got his own spinoff which is now Boston Legal. I'd give a little credit to Denny Crane too, but he didn't appear much before Boston Legal.

Worf to DS9 - The show was already good and didn't need saving, but Worf's addition just made it more interesting.

Detective Bobby Simone to NYPD Blue - Big hole left by Caruso back at the end of the '93 season, which Smits filled easily. Even if some don't think much of Caruso's actiong chops, there was a sense of wtf were the producers were going to do now at the time.

[Grant]

Patrick Warburton was a highlight the later/weaker seasons of Seinfeld and Newsradio. Adding Wesley to Angel halfway through the first season was a smart move.

[zilch]

Steve Urkel on Family Matters.

[Chiasm]

James Marsters as Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Without him I don't think Buffy would have been picked up by UPN and thus there never would have been a season VI or VII.

[StoneGold]

I don't know if he saved the show, but I'm going to put him up here because it's the one time he got added to a show, and it might have actually gotten better: Ted McGinley as Jefferson D'Arcy on Married... With Children.

[Chiasm]

Adding Wesley to Angel halfway through the first season was a smart move.

Knowing what Wesley became I agree. But at the time I remember being so mad that they were replacing super cool Doyle with Wesley that I quit watching the show for a while.

[jpk]

James Marsters as Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Without him I don't think Buffy would have been picked up by UPN and thus there never would have been a season VI or VII.

First thing I thought of, too. I also think adding him to the final season of Angel was a great jolt, creatively. He won't ever get credit for that, though, because the show was canceled after his only season on it.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Sasha Mitchell on Step by Step. The show was headed towards cancellation until he started showing up as a guest star. By the end of the 1st season it became apparent Cody Lambert had to stay.

Of course this upset Suzzane Somers who thought the show shouldn't have the charactor. By the 5th season Somers took more control and after a legal skirmish between Mitchell and his wife she decided to boot Mitchell.

No....puttin him on suspension or prohbation. Somers had wanted Mitchell gone and the legal problems was the excuse. The show limped thru 2 more seasons and 1 on CBS and dissapeared.

[Buried Alien]

He didn't exactly take over the show, but the addition of Richard Kline as a regular in the role of "Larry" on THREE'S COMPANY ratcheted up the number of funny characters on the show.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[StoneGold]

He didn't exactly take over the show, but the addition of Richard Kline as a regular in the role of "Larry" on THREE'S COMPANY ratcheted up the number of funny characters on the show.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)
No, but Mr. Ferley did take over the sho, in a certain sense.

[Gilda Dent]

Sasha Mitchell on Step by Step. The show was headed towards cancellation until he started showing up as a guest star. By the end of the 1st season it became apparent Cody Lambert had to stay.

Of course this upset Suzzane Somers who thought the show shouldn't have the charactor. By the 5th season Somers took more control and after a legal skirmish between Mitchell and his wife she decided to boot Mitchell.

No....puttin him on suspension or prohbation. Somers had wanted Mitchell gone and the legal problems was the excuse. The show limped thru 2 more seasons and 1 on CBS and dissapeared.

The legal skirmish involved charges of domestic violence, which both Sommers and Disney thought would reflect badly on the show.

Fonzie became very popular very quickly on Happy Days, so much so that the network wanted to change the name of the show to Fonzie's Happy Days and refocus the show from Ritchie and his family and friends to Fonzie. Henry Winkler fought against both changes, realizing that his character worked well in support, but not so well as the lead.

Steve Urkel on Family Matters. He was a minor one shot character late in the first season, I think, meant to be the wacky neighbor that the kids always have. It was quickly realized that they had someone with a gift for physical comedy like Lucy or Dick van Dyke, and more shows were written around Urkel.

Gilda

[Chiasm]

First thing I thought of, too. I also think adding him to the final season of Angel was a great jolt, creatively. He won't ever get credit for that, though, because the show was canceled after his only season on it.

And he certainly hasn't hurt Smallville either. While his character is currently MIA, the brief time he was there was so good and popular that the creators are actively trying to work out a way to bring him back and possibly make him a regular.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

The legal skirmish involved charges of domestic violence, which both Sommers and Disney thought would reflect badly on the show.

They pretty much put the kiss of death on the show. Without Cody there it died. Mitchell could have been warned , got treatment by Disney. Later he did come back as a guest star and to writre his charactor out. Its a shame....

Fonzie became very popular very quickly on Happy Days, so much so that the network wanted to change the name of the show to Fonzie's Happy Days and refocus the show from Ritchie and his family and friends to Fonzie. Henry Winkler fought against both changes, realizing that his character worked well in support, but not so well as the lead.

He also turned down a spin-off series which would see him and Danny ( the kid he adopted) living in Chicago or Milwalkee. Wrinkler made it clear that he didn't want a spin-off at all. Even though ABC was gonna give him whatever he wanted. I believe after 10 years he was tired of playing Fonzie.

Steve Urkel on Family Matters. He was a minor one shot character late in the first season, I think, meant to be the wacky neighbor that the kids always have. It was quickly realized that they had someone with a gift for physical comedy like Lucy or Dick van Dyke, and more shows were written around Urkel.

Gilda

He wasn't even that lol. Steve was supposed to be a 1 time only love interest for Laura and dissapear. Its just people went ape sh-t for him and the producers changed it from once...to twice...4 times...and finally by the 2nd season ABC made it clear the show would only stay if he was a cast member.

He literally saved the show...much to Jo Marie Payton ( Harriet Winslow) who thought the show would be a family sitcom. ;)

[titanfan]

Steve Urkel on Family Matters. He was a minor one shot character late in the first season, I think, meant to be the wacky neighbor that the kids always have. It was quickly realized that they had someone with a gift for physical comedy like Lucy or Dick van Dyke, and more shows were written around Urkel.

This ruined the show for me. I liked him in support, but during the later seasons, it seemed like he became the star of the show and the family was relegated to the background....

[titanfan]

Anyway...

Heather Locklear/Amanda on Melrose Place -- A show also headed for cancellation. The addition of Heather combined with a change in the show's focus to be more soapish and campy worked wonders.

[Dennis K]

Homer Simpson. When The Simpsons first started, it was a very Bart-driven show, the longevity it has enjoyed can be traced to the decision to make it more of a Homer-driven show.

[Dr. Hfuhruhurr]

Seven of Nine on Star Trek: Voyager. It would have met the same fate as ENTERPRISE, otherwise.

[Phil Clark]

They pretty much put the kiss of death on the show. Without Cody there it died. Mitchell could have been warned , got treatment by Disney. Later he did come back as a guest star and to writre his charactor out. Its a shame...

As I heard it he was abusive (he beat his wife) which is pretty crappy considering that he was a martial artist (he starred in two Kickboxer sequels). And when push came to shove he fled the country. I really liked the Code-Man, it is a shame he screwed up so big.

[titanfan]

He must be back in the US if he fled the country. I just saw him on a ER in a cameo last season.

<quick Google of Sasha Mitchell>

Hmm...apparently he's still separated with his wife, but has been awarded custody of his kids. They all appear to be living together in Tennessee.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

As I heard it he was abusive (he beat his wife) which is pretty crappy considering that he was a martial artist (he starred in two Kickboxer sequels). And when push came to shove he fled the country. I really liked the Code-Man, it is a shame he screwed up so big.


I remember him going on Oprah and telling her he was sorry. He never left the country...I believe he got in some trouble and went thru Court appointed therapy for his issues with his wife.

The Code-Man was f-cked because all they wanted was a reason. That show sadly wasn't the same.

[StoneGold]

Kirstie Alley as Rebecca Howe on Cheers. Seriously, do you know how badly a death Cheers probably should have died when Diane left? Instead, Rebecca started managing the bar and totally breathed fresh life into it. Hell, I'd say the show even got better when Rebecca joined the cast, just because for a while there, the show became all about Sam and Diane. With Rebecca, the cast as a whole got more of a spotlight.


To a lesser extent, Woody. He was just a great addition to the cast. But neither Coach nor Woody were as essential to the show as Diane was.

[Legato]

The Luthors from Smallville. Really I think the only reason Smallville isn't cancelled now is because the viewers want to see what drove Lex to become the evil bastard that he is in the comics. I like how they are playing the election angle this season.

Lionel is also a much more entertaining villain than any of the other villains that they have on Smallville. If anything he could be the key to Lex becoming a fulltime villain.

[ragnarok_2012]

I think the character Christine Sullivan brought a lot to Night Court. She just seemed to click really well with the rest of the cast when she was introduced. But I think it was Dan Fielding that really took over the show. Changing Dan from the prim and proper jerk to the sexaholic jerk made him a lot more interesting.

[xnef1025]

I agree with Spike on BtVS, but disagree on when. His very first appearance was what really elevated the show. While he didn't take the show over at the time, his and Dru's introduction gave the audience their first taste of bad guys they could have a twisted liking for. Up until then, it had just been MotW and the one-dimensional Master. Spike opened the door for more complex villians like Angelus and the Mayor. Without the initial positive reaction to Spike, the writers may never had tried to have such richly defined bad guys and Buffy would have faded out after the second season.

[Peter]

James Marsters as Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Without him I don't think Buffy would have been picked up by UPN and thus there never would have been a season VI or VII.

And this would've been bad because...?

;)

[Gilda Dent]

Huh. I must be the only big fan of BTVS who disliked Spike intensely and liked both Xander and Riley a lot more. I really wanted Buffy to end up with Riley somehow if it couldn't be Angel.

And I loved Dawn; I thought she added a lot to the show.

Gilda

[Davideaux]

Huh. I must be the only big fan of BTVS who disliked Spike intensely and liked both Xander and Riley a lot more. I really wanted Buffy to end up with Riley somehow if it couldn't be Angel.

And I loved Dawn; I thought she added a lot to the show.

Gilda


I also despised Spike, especially during the 'microchip' days. I wasn't fond of Riley though, although I liked seeing him getting sucked dry by vampires.

[tangentman]

I hated the over-emphasis on Spuffy in Season 7 and I hated the sappy turn that Spike took in the final year. Personally, the season started ineptly by having Buffy run into Spike during the first episode. I think his return would have had more impact if they'd draw it out for another episode or two. Hell, even Angel's return in Season 3 was teased out. The way it was handled in "Lessons" felt too rushed.

[Ontir]

Kirstie Alley as Rebecca Howe on Cheers. Seriously, do you know how badly a death Cheers probably should have died when Diane left? Instead, Rebecca started managing the bar and totally breathed fresh life into it. Hell, I'd say the show even got better when Rebecca joined the cast, just because for a while there, the show became all about Sam and Diane. With Rebecca, the cast as a whole got more of a spotlight.


To a lesser extent, Woody. He was just a great addition to the cast. But neither Coach nor Woody were as essential to the show as Diane was.

I have to agree. Woody was a replacement when an actor passed away, but when Shelly Long left, they had to hit the ground running. The only thing I ever lamented with Alley's arrival, was the loss of the intellectual side that the show had with Diane, but Frasier brought a bit of that back. Anyway, Alley's Rebecca had her own energy and agenda, which redirected the show, as well as re-energizing it, which is probably why it lasted as long as it did. Had Long stayed, they'd probably have gone another season or two, and ended (probably not well) after Sam and Diane got married.

Boston Legal

I don't think anyone imagined that Shatner and Bergen would be so prominent when the show began and when she joined the cast. It was intended to be a show for James Spader, but it's really turned into a show about 3 characters, though Julie Bowen is certainly pushing forward more than Monica Potter ever did, and even more than Mark Valley's been able to do, even with the network as obviously hot on him, as they are.

Happy Days

Without the Fonz, the show wouldn't have made it past season two.

Family Ties

It was supposed to be a show about two flower children raising their kids in a yuppie world, but it very quickly became all about Alex P Keaton!

Friends

It was supposed to be about Monica, Ross, and Rachel, but the other "supporting" characters quickly became equals.

[Buzz Dixon]

Dr. Smith was not in the original LOST IN SPACE pilot; he was added to give the show some on-going jeopardy in the early episodes, but was supposed to have been written out by show six -- that's the one where the planet the Robinsons are stranded on swings close to its sun, to they head for the polar region in their land chariot while Dr. Smith stayed in the Jupiter-2. When they returned to the Jupiter-2 in episode 8 they wer supposed to find a pile of ashes -- all that remained of Dr. Smith -- but by that time he had proven himself to be the most popular character on the show after the robot, so they added a radio message from him to indicate he was all right and brought him back into the series for good with episode 9.

[tangentman]

I think that Family Guy summed up the Dr. Smith problem rather effectively: send Will off into the wilderness with a mincing, boy-hungry pedophile indeed.

[Buzz Dixon]

Whaddya think, "DANGER, WILL ROBINSON! DANGER!" was all about? ;)

Seriously, however, LOST IN SPACE shares a certain trait with STAR TREK (in addition to the obvious sci-fi connection). In both shows the central character is supported by two other characters who act out his personal conflict.

In STAR TREK's case, Spock and McCoy verbalized the inner conflict of logic vs emotion. In LOST IN SPACE's case, Dr. Smith was the id, the robot was the ego, and Will represented the super-ego.

[BigJayStudd]

When Saved by the Bell jettisoned Miss Bliss, Milo, and two of Zacks friends and brought in Kelly Kapowski, A.C Slater and Jessie Spano. That's when the show REALLY started to take off.

[marshal99]

I think seven of nine saved voyager from an earlier demise. Her character did bring a breath of fresh air to the crew and established a hotter female character than Kes. :D

[Vesper]

James Spader, to be fair, dominated the final season of The Practice.

Jason Dohring, who plays Logan Echolls in Veronica Mars, has helped mold his character into one of the most complex young adults I've seen on network tv. He seriously reminds me of a young Edward Norton. Anyway, before he auditioned, his character was supposed to be just a bit role in the pilot. This season he's one of the leads. (He doesn't steal the show from Kristen Bell, but they play off each other beautifully.)

[tangentman]

True. Dohring makes the character his own and contributes interesting performances to the show. Too bad the same can't be said of Duncan or the actor who plays him. I hope that he'll leave the show by season's end. Duncan bores me incessantly when he's onscreen.

[Magneto_X]

I think seven of nine saved voyager from an earlier demise. Her character did bring a breath of fresh air to the crew and established a hotter female character than Kes. :D

I liked Kes. She was the best character in Voyager IMO.

7 of 9 is over-rated. She never seemed that sexy to me (T'Pol OTOH---).

Did Helen Gamble help The Practice? She quickly became one of my favourite characters. Even her first arc was incredible (FX is showing reruns on it during weekdays).

[Chiasm]

And this would've been bad because...?

;)

Season VI was my favorite. But I agree that season VII was blech.

[spoon_jenkins]

James Marsters as Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Without him I don't think Buffy would have been picked up by UPN and thus there never would have been a season VI or VII.
I don't think that's the case. It's not like Buffy was floundering and got rescued by UPN. WB wanted the series back, but UPN just made a better offer. And I'm pretty sure ratings declined (http://home.insightbb.com/~wahoskem/) into the sixth and especially the seventh season.

I'm another one who wasn't a fan of Spuffy. I think Spike was a strong character in Season 2. I think he was an anchor in the 6 and 7, dragged down Buffy as a character.

[Chiasm]

The reason Buffy wasn't floundering is because of Spike. He brought an instant lift to season II after a horrible season I - I love Buffy but even I cringe watching season I about how bad some of it was. Then when season IV was flailing about for a direction they brought back Spike and he carried what was an otherwise dismal and forgettable season. Same with season V. Take Spike out of the equation and I think the show would have been cancelled after season V. With him the ratings stayed good enough to continue. Thats why they brought him to Angel - they knew he was a character capable of carrying a show. And its why every single time they talk about a Buffy spinoff its always centered around Spike.

[Chiasm]

Huh. I must be the only big fan of BTVS who disliked Spike intensely and liked both Xander and Riley a lot more. I really wanted Buffy to end up with Riley somehow if it couldn't be Angel.

And I loved Dawn; I thought she added a lot to the show.

Gilda

LOL

I'm laughing because I remember back when Dawn was introduced I could have sworn that in the Buffy house I saw on the wall a picture of Fonzie strapping on Waterskis. Oh well, to each their own at the end of the day anyone who likes Buffy for whatever reasons is cool.

[spoon_jenkins]

Then when season IV was flailing about for a direction they brought back Spike and he carried what was an otherwise dismal and forgettable season.
But the highest rating number for Season 4 (http://home.insightbb.com/~wahoskem/buffy4.html) were early on (e.g. all the episodes rated 4.0 or higher were in December or earlier), and the ratings dropped off later in the season.

The relatively Spike-less Season 3 was probably the most successful of all.
He brought an instant lift to season II after a horrible season I - I love Buffy but even I cringe watching season I about how bad some of it was.
I generally like Season 1, but different strokes for different folks.

[Chiasm]

Season three had high ratings for two reasons: an excellent season II brought in lots of buzz and new viewers. And it had Faith - love her or hate her she made a compelling story. And that is also why season IV would start out high.

And I would imagine that for the most parts (excluding event episodes) that most series drop in ratings as the season goes on.

[tangentman]

Season 5 also pulled in better ratings than Season 4; I think that Spike added a great deal to the show, but I found the over-emphasis on him in Season 7 to be extremely annoying. Spike/Buffy wasn't the only storyline which needed resolution in the last year--so did Xander/Anya, Willow's redemption, Giles' letting Buffy go, Dawn growing up, Buffy as Dawn's guardian. I really wanted to see Buffy stand on her own two feet in the final year, yet up to the end, the writers had to anchor her with potential boyfriends (Spike, Robin).

[Kirayoshi]

Huh. I must be the only big fan of BTVS who disliked Spike intensely and liked both Xander and Riley a lot more. I really wanted Buffy to end up with Riley somehow if it couldn't be Angel.

And I loved Dawn; I thought she added a lot to the show.

Gilda
Gil, my friend, you are not the only one.

I did like Spike, but only during Season 2, when he was - and let's remember that he was - EVIL! As in opposite of good! As in the sort of person who is incapable of love! See where I'm going here? There seems to be a perverse pleasure among many fans of any property to see an inherently good character fall senselessly in love with an evil character. The Buffy page on fanfiction.net is dominated by Spuffy! I can also point you to the fans of Kim/Shego(Kim Possible), Kira/Dukat(DS9) and Jack/Nina(24).

The mistake that Joss Whedon made was to cater to the Spuffy crowd. He made Spike a regular, largely to capitalize on James Marsters' popularity, but in the end Spike was bled of all the characteristics that made him such a cool villain. Notably his villainness!

Rather than credit Spike for saving Buffy, I blame Spike(and Spuffy) for destroying Buffy.

[Magneto_X]

I would have prefered that Buffy had a relationship with Principal Wood then Spike.

[GoGo Yubari]

I enjoyed Spike in Seasons Four and Five, but in Six and Seven he just got tiresome (well-acted and with some fun bits, particularly whenever he and Andrew had dialogue, but tiresome).

Thankfully he went back to being awesome in the fifth season of Angel with no Buffy to hold him down.

[acagle7]

Anyway, getting back on topic, here's my pick. Barnabas Collins and Dark Shadows. Before Barnabas showed up the show was headed for cancellation, but after he was introduced, he became very popular and interest in the show started to build.

[tangentman]

Nancy McKeon saved The Facts Of Life from an early death when she came on as "Jo" in Season 2. Of course, the PTBs cleaned house with the cast, but she breathed life into the show. She was a decent actress and character who played well off the strongest personalities on the show (Mrs. Garrett and Blair).

[Chiasm]

Hey, no fair hijacking our hijacked Buffy thread back on topic. :D

[Chiasm]

Ok, since we're back on topic I'll come up with a new one and one I can't believe I didn't think of yet since this is my all time favorite show even over Buffy.

Scorpius on Farscape. Up til his introduction near the end of season one Farscape really SUCKED. Season one of Scape is a very hard watch. The characters were kind of boring and the show was seriously lacking for a real villian (Crais wasn't cutting it) and a direction. Scorpius made the show cool and from his introduction on the show got really good really fast and it finally had a plot and direction.

[tangentman]

Actually, I wanted to highlight "Jo's Best Moments" from The Facts Of Life. A truly special moment for me was when she fell in love with that sailor and tried to elope with him. I also liked the episode where she wrote a dishonest newspaper piece about the journalism teacher who gave her a hard time. Any other "Best Moments" out there for Jo fans? :D

[mattbib]

Knots Landing
Donna Mills started off simply as Sid's kid sister, but after his death she literally took became the major focus of the show for years.

Kevin Dobson and William Devane similarly became huge favorites.

M*A*S*H
Harry Morgan as Col. Potter came in three years after the show began; I think it's safe to say many viewers consider him more integral to the show than McLean Stevenson.

Beverly Hills 90210
Luke Perry wasn't in the pilot. But his character took the spotlight for eight of the show's ten years. Also, Tiffani Thiesen kind of "took over" while she was on.

[Ontir]

Nancy McKeon saved The Facts Of Life from an early death when she came on as "Jo" in Season 2. Of course, the PTBs cleaned house with the cast, but she breathed life into the show. She was a decent actress and character who played well off the strongest personalities on the show (Mrs. Garrett and Blair).


This is ture, and she was a great foil for the spoiled Blaire, but I have to agree with Margaret Cho: "I thought, 'OOH! she's gonna @$#% Blaire!!!'"

I also liked Kes on ST: Voyager, but I think she suffered from the writers not really knowing how to handle a character who was comparably young, but nearing middle age for her short-lived people. It would've been really interesting to see little subtle changes over the course of the series, like people noticing wrinkles around her eyes, and her hair graying. It would also be really interesting to see her working along side the crew, striving to get them back to Earth, knowing all along that she would probably not live to see it herself.

[Kirayoshi]

I would have prefered that Buffy had a relationship with Principal Wood then Spike.Heck, I'd have rather she had a relationship with Wood, Xander, Willow, Anya, Clem or the lead Gentleman than with Spike! :D

[Slappy san]

I don't know if he saved the show, but I'm going to put him up here because it's the one time he got added to a show, and it might have actually gotten better: Ted McGinley as Jefferson D'Arcy on Married... With Children.

Strange. I thought he had a rep for killing the show. :D

[Kamen Rider Might]

Steve Urkel on Family Matters.

Yup. Also, Kamen Rider V3 was going downhill as far as plot. Then they made Riderman.

[AceOfSpades]

Season three had high ratings for two reasons: an excellent season II brought in lots of buzz and new viewers. And it had Faith - love her or hate her she made a compelling story. And that is also why season IV would start out high.


I think Faith did provide a really well done blast of energy into BtVS. She was sexy, cunning, and just awesome. People always love the bad girl and she really helped the show. I also loved in the later episodes (Angel Season 4 and Buffy Season 7) where she just popped up as a reformed gorl, but still kick-ass.

[Magneto_X]

Faith fit in better with Angel. In Sunnydale she didn't seem to have a niche to fill and was a parody of herself.

It was like they switched her with Max from Dark Angel since she was using stereo-typical ghetto speak that just made her look silly.

[Paul Newell]

I don't know if he saved the show, but I'm going to put him up here because it's the one time he got added to a show, and it might have actually gotten better: Ted McGinley as Jefferson D'Arcy on Married... With Children.

Ted McGinley....TV serial killer.

Or, as I like to call him, "The Jumping Shark".

[Gilda Dent]

Whaddya think, "DANGER, WILL ROBINSON! DANGER!" was all about? ;)

Seriously, however, LOST IN SPACE shares a certain trait with STAR TREK (in addition to the obvious sci-fi connection). In both shows the central character is supported by two other characters who act out his personal conflict.

In STAR TREK's case, Spock and McCoy verbalized the inner conflict of logic vs emotion. In LOST IN SPACE's case, Dr. Smith was the id, the robot was the ego, and Will represented the super-ego.

Yeah, but only from the second season on. The first season, the show's plots really were more evenly spread about the family, and it wasn't until the second season that the popularity of Will, the Robot, and Dr. Smith became the focus of every flippin episode. I like them, but a little more of mom, dad, and the girls would have been nice, too. It would be like making The Doctor the focus of every Voyager episode. Wait, that would have improved Voyager. Nah, Doctor centered episodes had power because they were rare. Ensemble shows work best when the whole ensemble is used to good effect. I can't even watch the color episodes of Lost in Space any more.

Gilda

[DrewTheXenocide]

Abby completely consumed all of ER during season 7/8, which is a total shame, because a lot of cool things could've been done with the other charachters.

[Gilda Dent]

LOL

I'm laughing because I remember back when Dawn was introduced I could have sworn that in the Buffy house I saw on the wall a picture of Fonzie strapping on Waterskis. Oh well, to each their own at the end of the day anyone who likes Buffy for whatever reasons is cool.

I liked it on two levels. First, it reintroduced an innocent learning about the evil that lurks just below the surface of every person, institution, town, etc, the role filled by Willow in the first two seasons. Second, it was a great comment on the old sitcom standby of introducing a child as a newborn one season, then having him/her suddently four the next. Except, in this case, the suddenly added younger sibling was 13, and was literally there to add energy to the show.

Also, after the somewhat dismal second half of season 4, season 5 was actually pretty good.

When I introduced Emily to Buffy, we watched seasons 1,2,3 skipped to 5, and then pretty much stopped. I like to pretend the series ended there, with a damn near perfect ending, much, much better than the actual series ending. Except for a few isolated episodes, six and seven suffered from the same problems as four; good set up, poor resolution.

Gilda

[Magneto_X]

It would be like making The Doctor the focus of every Voyager episode. Wait, that would have improved Voyager. Nah, Doctor centered episodes had power because they were rare.

Gilda

Agreed. The Doctor was the best thing about that show. Exspecially after Kes left.

[Slappy san]

Agreed. The Doctor was the best thing about that show. Exspecially after Kes left.

He would have been even better if she hadnt left.

[spoon_jenkins]

I think Dr. Romano really brought a lot to ER. He ended up being one of the more interesting aspects of the show, especially as original cast members began to leave. It was pretty stupid to get rid of him. He made a great antagonist and he actually seemed more three-dimensional and interesting than a lot of the "good guys" on the show.

I'm laughing because I remember back when Dawn was introduced I could have sworn that in the Buffy house I saw on the wall a picture of Fonzie strapping on Waterskis.
I think a big part of Dawn was a sly commentary on the whole "Cousin Oliver" phenomenon. And she was really good (as both a character and a plot device) in Season 5. But after that was done with, it seems like they couldn't come up with anything interesting for her to do.

[spoon_jenkins]

He would have been even better if she hadnt left.
Yeah, I think the Kes-Doctor dynamic added a lot to Voyager. It was looked almost like they were planning to set up the most bizarre love triangle ;) of all time. Or was it a love trapezoid? I can't remember if Tom Paris was involved.

Anyway, this Voyager stuff get cloudy in my mind, because other stuff ruined the show much for me (I'm looking at you Capt. Janeway :mad: ) that I stopped watching during Season 2 or 3 (I think).

[StoneGold]

Strange. I thought he had a rep for killing the show. :D
No, he has a rep for killing shows in general. Married... with Children being the exception to the rule. I think there even used to be an official mention that it might be the exception on the site.

[AceOfSpades]

I think a big part of Dawn was a sly commentary on the whole "Cousin Oliver" phenomenon. And she was really good (as both a character and a plot device) in Season 5. But after that was done with, it seems like they couldn't come up with anything interesting for her to do.

It may be just me.. But I actually liked Dawn better as a character after the whole key thing was over. I felt season seven was where she actually came into her own and lost the whiney edge

[Gaz]

It may be just me.. But I actually liked Dawn better as a character after the whole key thing was over. I felt season seven was where she actually came into her own and lost the whiney edge
Me too. And I enjoyed almost all of Buffy. There are some bad episodes, and 4 and 6 are pretty weak in places, but they work better as long arcs, than as individual episodes.

And I dare say Ben Browder and Claudia Black saved Stargate: SG-1. Cam Mitchell and Vala slotted in neatly and gave a fresh energy to the show.

[TitoJones]

Joan Collins when she joined Dynasty.