On a side note. The actor who played "Gordon" Matt Robinson on Sesame Street, is the father of Holly Robinson Pete from 21 Jump Street and Hangin' With Mr. Cooper..
Ahh, that’s not MY Faceman. I got to meet him twice and since he was a very hormonal 13-year’s old crush I could barely form a sentence to speak, when Imet him as an adult. I was so flustered that my autograph reads “I hope it was good for you.” Both times my friends had to do the talking, it was a relaxed comic-con lots to time to chat. I stood there with a shy goofy smile. Thought you’d appreciate that story since you get me. 😂😂
This is the kind of content I come to RUclips for!!! I have always loved unsold television pilots, and pilots with differences in the actors I love watching them because it’s like being in an alternate universe where these shows actually made it
Imagine them NOT scrapping Back To The Future halfway thru filming .... keeping Eric Stltz , and NOT recasting Marty McFly with Michael J. Fox !! That was a friggin' close one there !!
that's a good point. regardless, we constantly sin. so, God, who is holy and just, will condemn us to hell when He judges us. but God is also love, and has sent His Son, Jesus, to pay man's past, present, and future sins on the cross. so, all that we have to do is to put all of our faith on Christ alone and not rely on inadequate attempts of trying to be good enough for heaven, and we will be saved from eternal damnation. ruclips.net/video/5LK2KgEFeQc/видео.html
I have one. There was a backdoor pilot episode of "The Brady Bunch" where friends of Mike and Carol Brady adopted a white child, and black and Asian friends. So it was a mixed race family. It was designed to be a spinoff. The episode starred Ken Berry as the dad and Brooke Bundy as the mother. This version never got made, but years later, a sitcom which had the same plot was picked up, called "Together We Stand", but this time the father was played by Elliott Gould and the mother was played by Dee Wallace Stone. The Asian child in this was played by Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan (best known as Short Round in "Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom" and Data in "The Goonies". )
In the pilot for Dynasty, the lead male role of Blake Carrington was played by George Peppard. Turned out he wasn't part of their A-Team. He was released and Aaron Spelling called up John Forsythe...possibly on a speaker phone with some angels listening in. ;)
First time i watched Dynasty, and heard Blake Carrington speak, the light bulb went off and instantly knew he was the voice of Charlie from Charlie's Angels! 😂
@scottmochinski5447 I was thinking that the entire video. I know Hollywood is brutal. I felt so sad for the actors who were in the pilots and then replaced.
Probably one of the worst ones in recent history has to be Amanda Walsh who played Katie in the unaired pilot of The Big Bang Theory which was ultimately replaced by "Penny" played by Kaley Cuoco. 12 seasons where she was making 1 million per episode towards the end... that's gotta hurt.
My friend Jarrett was one of the kids on the Step by Step pilot - got so far as appearing in the early seasons' opening titles wherever Christopher Castille would be. His version of the pilot leaked online not too long ago. The story is that he was cast before even the parents were, and he didn't look like either Patrick Duffy nor Suzanne Somers. He turned out well though! Really nice guy.
My elementary school drama teacher's daughter auditioned for Carol Seaver but clearly didn't make the top two (since she's not Tracey Gold or Elizabeth Ward). She brought the script in and all us 4th graders read as either Mike or Carol from the pilot script (obviously being a pilot script, we had no idea the show would become a hit or what we were actually reading). It was cool reading for a part from a real TV script. The kids all voted for who was best in the class.
I wonder if Mark Hamill ever regrets not staying the one of the most boring TV dramas of all time? I mean, he was stuck having to play Luke Skywalker instead. That must have been such a huge disappointment. (
I thought of three big ones that you missed: _Roseanne_: DJ Conner was played by Sal Barone and replaced by Michael Fishman, pilot was aired _Maude_: spinoff of _All in the Family_, an episode of that show was a back-door pilot, Carol was played by Marcia Rodd and replaced by Adrienne Barbeau _MASH_: Father Mulcahy was played by George Morgan and replaced by William Christopher, Father was actually played by three different actors, Rene Auberjoinis played him in the movie
I worked at a PBS station in the 90s, and got to meet Roscoe Orman when he made a personal appearance for some local event. I thought he would be so impressed by my ability to connect him to Kevin Bacon (a popular game at the time). He was very friendly and gracious when I geeked out and linked him through his appearance in "Striking Distance."
Tommy Hyatt on Alice was played by Alfred Lutter in the pilot. Alfred played the same role in the original feature film that starred Ellen Burstyn as Alice. Philip McKeon took over the role when it was picked up for series and stayed with the series for its entire run. Philip (RIP) was Nancy McKeon’s older brother.
I did not know that Mark Hamill was in Eight is Enough, Louie Anderson was in Perfect Strangers, and Elizabeth Ward as Carol Seaver in Growing Pains. I grew up on Perfect Strangers and Growing Pains and never even knew about those changes.
It is also interesting to see how casts shrunk or expanded as the tv series progressed. In a lot of cases the ratings had started to go down and they needed something to boost the ratings. In Growing pains they added a 4th child. In the A-Team they added Robert Vaughn and Eddie Velez. I loved the A-Team and can not imagine it without Dirk Benedict. I loved him in Battlestar Galactica and found it to be awesome that they included a cylon in the opening credits.
@@nicktaylor2657 I Was Just Thinking That Very Same Thing!!! Christina Applegate And David Faustino Were PERFECT For The Roles Of Kelly And Bud Bundy!!! 👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿🤩⭐⭐⭐
7:50 There was another change for what became All in the Family. D'urville Martin played Lionel Evans in the first two pilots, then they recast the role to Mike Evans.
For us older GenXers, Matt Robinson was our Gordon. I remember when the next guy came on, but I had mostly outgrown the show and wasn't watching much by then. Don't remember if I even knew that he was supposed to be Gordon.
The son of Suzanne Somers in Step by Step was originally played by Jarrett Lennon, but was replaced by Beethoven actor Christopher Castile. Lennon (who played Carla's son Ludlow on Cheers) had brown hair while Chris had blonde hair. In the opening credits, you can see Lennon in the opening shot of the family entering the amusement park and on the roller coaster with the family. It then cuts to Castile who is waving at the family from below with Peggy Rea
@radrobd123 Mark's more timid personality actually worked for covering for his absence on the coaster. It helps it make sense that he stays with Carol's sister or Cody instead.
The reason the producers of Eight is Enough didn’t want to let Hamill out of his contract was because of Star Wars being an unexpected blockbuster, and thought that having Hamill on the show would make it a guaranteed hit.
Thats crazy with Full House... I remember watching a video about that, the poor dude was all set thinking he landed a new series and boom...got sacked right after
+1 for an entire video about the drama and history surrounding Eight is Enough and it's cast, please! (And maybe a video sometime on shows that kids weren't supposed to watch but did anyway - Charlie's Angels, Fantasy Island, Miami Vice and more!)
Kids weren't supposed to watch Charlie's Angels or Fantasy Island? I had no idea. My parents watched them with me. And it's not like they were super permissive hippies or anything. . But I don't think those shows were a big deal. There were commercials more spicy than they were. And they were downright wholesome compared to something like Three's Company, which my parents didn't want me to watch. But they went to bed early, so... 🙂 And then there were the game shows, like Match Game, the Dating Game, etc., which could be very dirty. Even Hollywood Squares was pretty naughty at times. Or later, Married with Children, which my younger brother wasn't allowed to watch (I was all grown up by then). But he did anyway, of course.
@@jackgilchrist That alone is a list worthy of a video! Throw in a few movies as well - Creepshow, Nighmare on Elm Street 3, Porky's, Trading Places.... and there's enough material for an entire additional video.
I would have loved to watch Balki and "Cousin Louie" do the 'Dance of Joy'. They would've had to replace Bronson Pinchot too . . . after his back broke! 😆😆😆
Sesame Street is how I learned that the characters in shows were actors. I watched Sesame Street from the very beginning. There were four Gordons: Garrett Saunders (test pilot, never aired), Matt Robinson (1969-1972), Hal Miller (1972-1974), and Roscoe Orman (1974-2016, 2023-2024…) So my first Gordon was Matt Robinson, and when he left and was replaced by Hal Miller, my mom had to explain to me why Gordon looked different, that actors played roles, etc.
Then why was the second Honorable Mention about the Original Series which was never in the 70’s, let alone ‘80’s, talking about a pilot where none of the characters were recast, that weren’t exactly beloved (beyond Spock), and therefore totally irrelevant to the whole premise named in the title?
x That is a real shocker that Mark-Linn Baker was not the first Larry! (he is so amazing in the role and has such great chemistry with Bronson Pinchot) x Tracey Gold and Kirk Cameron were on a McDonald's commercial together before they took on their Growing Pains role! o That is a shock to see someone else playing the role, Tracey Gold as Carol Seaver is one of the best ever sister characters!
Louie Anderson's character on Perfect Strangers was named Lou Appleton. I'm not sure if the character was originally conceived on paper (before Anderson's casting) as "Larry", but once Anderson was let go and when Mark Linn-Baker assumed the role of the American cousin, he was then named Larry.
@@VaultMasterDBT Also the oirginal pilot has never been released nor has it ever appeared online only photos have been released with Anderson as Lou Appleton.
@@SuperMarioBrosIII Actually, there was a RUclipsr who posted a Perfect Strangers blooper reel that was put together by Lorimar (it was taken down a long time ago). Early in the reel, they did show a brief clip from the Louie Anderson pilot where Pinchot and Anderson were having a scene at the Ritz Discount Store. As I recall from the pilot storyline (which was re-used for Mark Linn-Baker's version), Balki had rearranged all the items in the store and asked Lou, "Do you naoootice anything different?" Lou then responds in annoyed, mocking way, "No, I don't NAOOTICE anything different!" That was the extent of the clip they showed. I wish I had captured it and saved it when it was posted.
Awesome video! I watched most of these shows but had no idea Louie Anderson was in the pilot for Perfect Strangers! It would have been interesting to see that series with him staying on the show.
I've interviewed many people who were involved in the creation of the show. While the video said the networks didn't see chemistry the creator was told that Louie was considered "too gay". Ironically, actor Mark Linn Baker (also gay) was cast instrad
Girl. You got it goin on. So so glad you do these. You got it down. And love the pilot episode unique stuff... Big Thanks girl... And HEY. If anyone is listening... I Don't Want my MTV.... I WANT QUALITY VERSION OF "B.J. AND THE BEAR" ON DVD..... NOW....!!!!
It was written for him, bur he was doing another show at the time, but suddenly became available before the pilot aired, so they were able to switch him out.
Yeah, both Benedict and Schultz appeared in cameos in the closing credits of "The A-Team" movie. George Peppard had of course died by then, and Mr T refused to have any part of the movie, so refused a cameo.
12:04 Louie Anderson as Cousin Larry??? Dafuq?? The reason they recast was ain’t no way Bronson was gonna be able to carry Louie Anderson at the end of the Dance of Joy!
I feel like if you grew up in the 80s you were either a Growing Pains Family or a Family Ties family. There was Cosby and Roseanne too - and they were huge, but it felt like those two shows were connected somehow.
Awesome vid!!! I really dug all of this trivia & best of all, it was all new to me. The casting in Perfect Strangers was especially interesting. The dance of joy certainly would have been different. Excellent work!
I have the complete series of Growing Pains on DVD. It has that unaired pilot included. It is so strange not having Tracey Gold play the role of Carol! I wonder whatever happened to the actress?
The first Gordon, Matt Robinson, also created and voiced the muppet Roosevelt Franklin. When Sesame Street phased out the Roosevelt Franklin muppet, Robinson left the show. I loved the Roosevelt Franklin segments.
I did meet Lou Ferrigno in the City back in the day when I use to go to conventions there it seemed like every other month. He was jacked man! I was never as jacked as he was when I was working out! He the Hulk!
Ferrigno was on "The Celebrity Apprentice" one season (when Trump ran it) and he said that he used to weightlift every day in his 60s, until he blew both his knees out.
Have you ever done a video about TV show houses that ended up being changed? For example, the Brady Bunch house looked very different on the first episode. The Cosby Show house also looked different on its very first episode.
@@mysocalledgenxlifethey did it on “Hangin’ with Mr.Cooper,” and actually discussed it on the show (it was the same set as Growing Pains). They also did in in “Family Matters,” and “Fresh Prince of Bel Air.”
@@tootruetrivia5715 Yes! That's right! I do remember that Hangin' With Mr. Cooper used the Growing Pains set initially. I remember those other houses being different too!
Fun vid -- I had no idea about most of those first choices! For Star Trek, the clip you showed features Majel Barret at the controls, and she went on to play nurse/doctor Chapel in the orig series, and a few other characters on other ST shows.
@@alanfike He did a lot of TV guest spots prior to Star Wars (including shows like The Streets of San Francisco-twice!-and The Magician) and was also the co-lead of an ABC sitcom called The Texas Wheelers that was canceled after one season. A lot of these appearances are hard to track down, but they’re interesting to see!
@@rockisheaven Mark Hamill was also on an episode of "One Day At A Time". He played Schneider's nephew. Mark Hamill also starred in the 1978 movie "Corvette Summer" along with Annie Potts. 🙂
Maybe you could do a video on actors that were replaced after the first season like Paige on Life Goes On and Colleen on Dr. Quinn. I’m sure there are others I’m forgetting. Sometimes they’d try to make them look similar and sometimes it would be a totally different looking actor! I have distinct memories of my dad messing with us every time we watched Life Goes On mid series and he’d say every time while watching the intro, “hey, what happened to the old Paige?” 😂
With Eight is Enough, the Bradford family matriarch was played by Diana Hyland who sadly died from cancer, thus Betty Buckley succeeded her in the role. (She was romantically involved with John Travolta who was dealing with her health issues while he was filming Saturday Night Fever.)
Also, with Happy Days, not only were there 3 Chucks and 2 "Howies"/Mr. C's, but there were actually 3 Joanies!! In between Susan and Erin there was an unnamed, uncredited Blonde girl playing her in an unaired original version of the first episode. It was reshot with Erin later. Which is why Mrs. C's hair kept changing style throughout the episode. Interesting, the reshot of that HD episode has something in common with reshot of the Growing Pains, Step by Step, Full House, Hulk, and Gilmore Girls pilot/first episode(s), the first season(s) intros to Growing Pains, Family Matters, Full House, and Eight is Enough, and the Third Season Intro to Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman after the "Colleen" twitch mid season: To save money, they tried to keep as much of the original footage/video in as possible, and mainly just shot/reshot footage/video with the replacement actor/actress. But on some you can spot the original performer on 'zoomed out'/out of focus footage (i.e. 1:38), and 'back of head'/'top of head'/'side of head' (quick shot) footage.
The original pilot for the Golden Girls the Sophia character had a very small role, it was then edited into what became the first episode. The original pilot of Melrose Place had a different Billy, he was fired and replaced by Andrew Shue and only his scenes were redone.
I love, loved Perfect Strangers!! It was a classic TGIF night. I remember watching this with my aunt..it was one of those shows, that made Friday night..I also remember Full House on Friday nights. And, I liked it better on Fridays-you knew it was the weekend..with Full House. It was an original TGIF..and, Just the 10 of Us (coach Lubeck from Growing Pains, and his daughters) 📺 😊💕 📼
Switching to Dirk Benedict for the A-Team was the right casting call, but I do really like Tim Dunigan! He was perfect in Wizards and Warriors as Prince Geoffrey Blackpool, younger brother to the equally tall Duncan Regehr as Dirk Blackpool, and I also remember really liking him in Disney's updated Davy Crockett (mini?) series.
I would love to see an animated movie of all the characters that disappeared from shows. Chuck Cunningham, Judy Winslow, Nebula Lawrence, Tina Pinciotti, a bunch of the original cast of The Facts of Life (maybe they should have done the reboot with them . . .)
@marks.3303 not even as a kid - I understood that it was a set. Nevertheless, I thought he was like Me. Rogers and such. Captain Kangaroo, on the other hand, was obviously an actor playing a character
It took me a while to realize that these characters were just that... Characters. But think about it... We also watched Mr. Rogers. He was Fred Rogers played by Fred Rogers. No wonder we were all confused.
Love the A-Team I bring up the change of Face all the time. I always think how the other guy must have felt I am sure Tim Dunigan knew the first choice for the role was Dirks Benedict. So, when Dirks is available for the role and then the studio guys who were the only guys that wanted now don't feel you're a fit he had to know he was about to be gone. I have 2 more quick one for you to add that I am surprised was not in the vide: Empty Nest the original pilot was a backdoor pilot (that is when studios stick a pilot for a new show idea into an existing show). On the Golden Girls season 2 finally. It starred Paul Dooley as Dr. Corliss and Rita Moreno as his wife Renee, it also has Geoffrey Lewis as Renee's multiple personality brother and David Leisure (Joe Isuzu) as Neighbor Oliver a pilot. The plot was about Renee dealing with the kids being out of the house and her Dr. husband's busy schedule leaving her alone and she is suffering from empty nest syndrome. The show eventually got picked up with another Golden Girls Dr. Henry Weston his daughters one of which moves home again the one guy from the pilot that returned was David Leisure whose name was changed to Charley who now works on a cruise ship. The concept behind the original Golden Girls episode made the most sense given the empty nest name. But Empty was a great show and led to the spinoff Nurses long before the DC Crisis on Infinity earth multiple show cross over NBC and Show creator Susan Harris did a cross over between all three shows that were all airing on NBC on Saturdays with hurricane hitting the Miami area as the over lapping thing. Interesting Rite Moreno thought the original idea was not picked up by NBC because Susan Harris didn't like Moreno and spent little time on set working on the Episode. The other one is a major miss! Or maybe a 2nd Lieutenant miss depending on how you look at it. Of course, I am talking about none other than Father Francis Mulcahy played by William Christopher. Whose depiction of a catholic church brought an influx of new Catholics to the church. Which is a great foot in and of itself. William Christopher was not the original Father Mulcahy the character was played in the pilot by George Morgan the character's name was changed between the pilot and the series from John Patrick Francis Mulcahy to Francis John Patrick Mulcahy. The George Morgan version from the pilot is written off as being "forgettable" but to be fair he didn't have much to work with in the pilot he maybe a couple lines and limited screen time. William Christopher amazing in the role and continued to portray the character after the MASH series went off the air on the spin-off After MASH. That would be a great video idea for you. spinoffs of popular shows of the time and how successful they were. I am thinking of doing a video on the many many Hannah Barbera spinoffs of the original Scooby Doo where are you series.
In the original MASH tv pilot, George Morgan played Father Mulcahy. He did work out and was replaced by William Christopher for the remainder of the shows run.
Golden Girls episode Empty Nest featured totally different actors and characters than the following series. David Leisure played a similar character in both though.
Some other interesting facts about Eight is Enough, is that the mom was still alive in the initial pilot, and that even now, it is easy to find and stream that initial pilot. The second episode, with the casting changes, has it so the mom died off screen and it introduces Abby, who would become the dad’s longtime love interest and future wife. As for Mark Hamill, he did have to contend with rumors that he purposely got into the car accident to get out of his Eight is Enough contract. An accusation that he has never denied nor has he ever confirmed it. But that car accident is the reason that they had Luke mauled by the creature on Hoth at the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back.
Abby didn't come along until Season 2. Joan Bradford appeared in 4 of the first 5 episodes (including the original pilot). For the rest of Season 1, Joan was "out of town" - it is said that Diana Hyland recorded audio dialogue from the hospital as she was getting treatment, but that is not present in any of the episodes as they are currently available. (I think the "Quarantine" episode in particular originally had her on the phone). In any event, ABC only showed the episodes without Joan in summer reruns and reshot the opening titles to remove her from the episodes she was not in, and when the show came back for Season 2, Tom Bradford was a widower but he was married again by November, to Abby.
I'm glad that Grant Goodeve played David Bradford in "Eight is Enough." Mark Hamill was great in Star Wars, but he wasn't very believable in "Eight is Enough." He just looked like he didn't belong.
As a Gen-Xer, I was very excited that Dirk Benedict came onto The A-Team, because I had loved Battlestar Galactica. I didn't even notice the age issue.
Honorable mention: Seinfeld characters Frank Costanza was originally played by John Randolph but was replaced by Jerry Stiller They even reshot the episode scene with Frank in them for syndication Also Jerry's father was played by a different actor in the first real episode other than the pilot a year earlier But they never reshot that episode for syndication 😊
There is an episode where Newman was going to jump off the building. You never saw him but only heard his voice. However, the voice is distinctly not Wayne Knight. It belonged to Larry David, co-creator of "Seinfeld".
Spock was not the only actor from the pilot to return for the series. The actress that played Number One in the pilot who also happened to be Gene Roddenberry's wife also played Nurse Chapel.
Due to the delay between pilot and series, Harold Gould had another commitment when Happy Days went into production and chose to remain with that other commitment. Shortly thereafter, he was cast as another paternal character of Rhoda.
I definitely remember as a kid the sudden change of the Gordons on Sesame Street. I even had a book when I was in second grade that had the (cartoon) image of the 2nd Gordon with his Afro and sideburns!
I was familiar with Matt Robinson as Gordon on Sesame Street because we had the cast album. But Hal Miller was the Gordon who was there when I was watching the show. By the time Roscoe Orman showed up, I was aging out of the show.
I'm glad Chris Castile was cast as Mark on Step by Step; however, the opening credits, filmed at Six Flags Magic Mountain, should have been reshot with Castille, instead of the first Mark, Jared Lennon.
bob saget's "the morning show"... on full house, wasn't danny the host of "wake up san fran"? art imitates life. and another honorable mention. mulcahy was originally played by george morgan, not william christopher. (bonus, william was on the 1st 4 epis of hogan's heroes in roles that never worked out, so it sorta comes around.) there are a lot of links from our shows to our parents' shows and back again, kinda like 6 degrees if you remove the limitation of 6. roseanne's sara gilbert is the adopted sister of melissa gilbert who played laura on lhotp with michael landon who was also on bonanza with dan blocker. dan's son dirk had a regular role on black sheep squadron with dana elcar as col lard who was also peter thornton on macgyver with richard dean anderson in the title role. richard was also col and later gen o'neill in the stargate franchise where a principle director was peter deluise who was on jumpstreet with steven williams as fuller. steven also made a guest appearance on at least one epi of stargate. there was another actor on stargate, a david ogden stiers, who was also on mash with william christopher who was on hogan's heroes... you see how this goes?
There were two Judy Winslows-you can see the first one Valerie Jones in the opening credits for about 4 seasons. Rachel Blanchard was the older sister on Flash Forward on Disney and had to be replaced after the pilot as she got the Clueless tv show gig. Don't forget the two Janeways on Star Trek Voyager.
I am now watching so many movies; I watched so many sitcoms that I had no time to also watch movies, without sitting in front of the TV all day and night. No clue how so many peers followed every movie and tv show
I LOVED Tracey Gold on Growing Pains and I am so glad that she got to do it.
She totally made that show, for me.
I agree. That other girl would have gotten on my nerves in short order.
On a side note. The actor who played "Gordon" Matt Robinson on Sesame Street, is the father of Holly Robinson Pete from 21 Jump Street and Hangin' With Mr. Cooper..
AND Rodney Peete's wife. (three Es)
I was coming to the comments to see if anyone posted this fact.
Ahh, that’s not MY Faceman. I got to meet him twice and since he was a very hormonal 13-year’s old crush I could barely form a sentence to speak, when Imet him as an adult. I was so flustered that my autograph reads “I hope it was good for you.” Both times my friends had to do the talking, it was a relaxed comic-con lots to time to chat. I stood there with a shy goofy smile. Thought you’d appreciate that story since you get me. 😂😂
I remember him being called Face, not Faceman.
@@jun6174 Face was the short version of his code name. A faceman was slang for handsome guy way back in the day.
This is the kind of content I come to RUclips for!!!
I have always loved unsold television pilots, and pilots with differences in the actors
I love watching them because it’s like being in an alternate universe where these shows actually made it
Ditto 🍿
😅❤ yea agreed 👍 me too.
Same 👌🏾🤎
Imagine them NOT scrapping Back To The Future halfway thru filming .... keeping Eric Stltz , and NOT recasting Marty McFly with Michael J. Fox !!
That was a friggin' close one there !!
Always trust the instincts of Al Bundy. After all, he did score four touchdowns in a single game for Polk High School back in 1966.
that's a good point. regardless, we constantly sin. so, God, who is holy and just, will condemn us to hell when He judges us. but God is also love, and has sent His Son, Jesus, to pay man's past, present, and future sins on the cross. so, all that we have to do is to put all of our faith on Christ alone and not rely on inadequate attempts of trying to be good enough for heaven, and we will be saved from eternal damnation. ruclips.net/video/5LK2KgEFeQc/видео.html
Trashiest show in the history of television.
@@jun6174 that was the complaint but it caused even more people to watch.
@@jun6174but funny as hell. Compared to what's on TV today, it is mild.
Tina Caspary was one of the cheerleaders in the movie "Can'tBuy Me Love."
I have one.
There was a backdoor pilot episode of "The Brady Bunch" where friends of Mike and Carol Brady adopted a white child, and black and Asian friends. So it was a mixed race family. It was designed to be a spinoff.
The episode starred Ken Berry as the dad and Brooke Bundy as the mother.
This version never got made, but years later, a sitcom which had the same plot was picked up, called "Together We Stand", but this time the father was played by Elliott Gould and the mother was played by Dee Wallace Stone. The Asian child in this was played by Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan (best known as Short Round in "Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom" and Data in "The Goonies". )
I remember that show. It also starred Scott Grimes.
In the pilot for Dynasty, the lead male role of Blake Carrington was played by George Peppard. Turned out he wasn't part of their A-Team. He was released and Aaron Spelling called up John Forsythe...possibly on a speaker phone with some angels listening in. ;)
First time i watched Dynasty, and heard Blake Carrington speak, the light bulb went off and instantly knew he was the voice of Charlie from Charlie's Angels! 😂
That’s gotta be the worst for an actor; to be cast in the pilot, lose the spot, then watch the show become a big success.
Just as worse as being cast as the second option because the original choice wasn't available.
@scottmochinski5447 I was thinking that the entire video. I know Hollywood is brutal. I felt so sad for the actors who were in the pilots and then replaced.
Probably one of the worst ones in recent history has to be Amanda Walsh who played Katie in the unaired pilot of The Big Bang Theory which was ultimately replaced by "Penny" played by Kaley Cuoco. 12 seasons where she was making 1 million per episode towards the end... that's gotta hurt.
My friend Jarrett was one of the kids on the Step by Step pilot - got so far as appearing in the early seasons' opening titles wherever Christopher Castille would be. His version of the pilot leaked online not too long ago. The story is that he was cast before even the parents were, and he didn't look like either Patrick Duffy nor Suzanne Somers. He turned out well though! Really nice guy.
Imagine being able to say you lost your role to Johnny Depp though
My elementary school drama teacher's daughter auditioned for Carol Seaver but clearly didn't make the top two (since she's not Tracey Gold or Elizabeth Ward). She brought the script in and all us 4th graders read as either Mike or Carol from the pilot script (obviously being a pilot script, we had no idea the show would become a hit or what we were actually reading). It was cool reading for a part from a real TV script. The kids all voted for who was best in the class.
What a cool experience!
That’s a really great memory!
That’s awesome
I would love a whole video about Eight Is Enough. Thanks for the walk down memory lane!
Tubi has the whole series including the pilot with Mark Hamill.
@@Hp411hpI was going to say that as well. Both Tubi TV and Pluto TV have it.
I only watched it for the two hotties, Connie and Dianne.
My sister and I loved that show. It’s rare to hear anyone mention it these days.
I wonder if Mark Hamill ever regrets not staying the one of the most boring TV dramas of all time? I mean, he was stuck having to play Luke Skywalker instead. That must have been such a huge disappointment. (
That Perfect Stranger opening dance and theme song was everything.
The Dance of Joy 🙂
@@forgottengrooves6073 😃👍
Would love to see Louie Anderson jump in Bronson Pinchot's arms in the dance of joy
I thought of three big ones that you missed:
_Roseanne_: DJ Conner was played by Sal Barone and replaced by Michael Fishman, pilot was aired
_Maude_: spinoff of _All in the Family_, an episode of that show was a back-door pilot, Carol was played by Marcia Rodd and replaced by Adrienne Barbeau
_MASH_: Father Mulcahy was played by George Morgan and replaced by William Christopher, Father was actually played by three different actors, Rene Auberjoinis played him in the movie
You left out a big one- George Morgan played Father Mulcahy in the pilot episode of MASH. Later replaced, of course, by William Christopher.
You are so right! Great call.
I'm glad you commented this> I planned to, but I wanted to read the comments first!
@@luvmuppets Always felt William Christopher fit the role better, after Rene Auberjonois's portrayal in the movie...🤓
I worked at a PBS station in the 90s, and got to meet Roscoe Orman when he made a personal appearance for some local event. I thought he would be so impressed by my ability to connect him to Kevin Bacon (a popular game at the time). He was very friendly and gracious when I geeked out and linked him through his appearance in "Striking Distance."
Gen X here (75')... I'm very happy that I was raised in the 80s & 90s. 💯👍🏾
Tommy Hyatt on Alice was played by Alfred Lutter in the pilot. Alfred played the same role in the original feature film that starred Ellen Burstyn as Alice. Philip McKeon took over the role when it was picked up for series and stayed with the series for its entire run. Philip (RIP) was Nancy McKeon’s older brother.
I did not know that Mark Hamill was in Eight is Enough, Louie Anderson was in Perfect Strangers, and Elizabeth Ward as Carol Seaver in Growing Pains. I grew up on Perfect Strangers and Growing Pains and never even knew about those changes.
The louie Anderson casting actually SHOCKED me for Perfect Strangers
It is also interesting to see how casts shrunk or expanded as the tv series progressed. In a lot of cases the ratings had started to go down and they needed something to boost the ratings. In Growing pains they added a 4th child. In the A-Team they added Robert Vaughn and Eddie Velez. I loved the A-Team and can not imagine it without Dirk Benedict. I loved him in Battlestar Galactica and found it to be awesome that they included a cylon in the opening credits.
Weird to think the adopted 4th child on Growing Pains was Leonardo Dicaprio!
Are you me?! Because I could totally have written this post!🤔😄
It's funny how Bud and Kelly Bundy switched hair colors from the original actors. I could never see Kelly as a brunette or Bud as a blonde.
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Ed O'Neill likes to tease Christina Applegate that she owes him her career 😊
@@nicktaylor2657 I Was Just Thinking That Very Same Thing!!! Christina Applegate And David Faustino Were PERFECT For The Roles Of Kelly And Bud Bundy!!! 👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿🤩⭐⭐⭐
7:50 There was another change for what became All in the Family. D'urville Martin played Lionel Evans in the first two pilots, then they recast the role to Mike Evans.
Don't forget about the original George Jefferson.
For us older GenXers, Matt Robinson was our Gordon. I remember when the next guy came on, but I had mostly outgrown the show and wasn't watching much by then. Don't remember if I even knew that he was supposed to be Gordon.
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I faintly remember having to get used to Gordon with no hair.
Maybe for early Gen Xers but not 70s babies.
I must have been on the transition as I distinctly remember a new Gordon. Was my first time encountering the "Darren situation"
The son of Suzanne Somers in Step by Step was originally played by Jarrett Lennon, but was replaced by Beethoven actor Christopher Castile. Lennon (who played Carla's son Ludlow on Cheers) had brown hair while Chris had blonde hair. In the opening credits, you can see Lennon in the opening shot of the family entering the amusement park and on the roller coaster with the family. It then cuts to Castile who is waving at the family from below with Peggy Rea
@radrobd123 Mark's more timid personality actually worked for covering for his absence on the coaster. It helps it make sense that he stays with Carol's sister or Cody instead.
The reason the producers of Eight is Enough didn’t want to let Hamill out of his contract was because of Star Wars being an unexpected blockbuster, and thought that having Hamill on the show would make it a guaranteed hit.
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that makes a lot of sense actually. i wonder what it would have done for his career?
@@mjnoir1 I think it would have hurt him more than anything, and I think Mark knew it.
Mark was in a car accident
@@juliemcarthur3004was he, though? 🙄🙄
Thats crazy with Full House... I remember watching a video about that, the poor dude was all set thinking he landed a new series and boom...got sacked right after
And Suzanne Somers was the girl in the white T-Bird in American Grafitti
Very true
Yes, everyone knows that. And, she was the girl walking away from Jack when he falls off the bike during the opening credits. She just has a wig on.
Louie Anderson was the OG cousin Larry!? THIS is why I subbed to your channel, sharing tidbits of info that I never knew... and I know everything! 🤪
+1 for an entire video about the drama and history surrounding Eight is Enough and it's cast, please! (And maybe a video sometime on shows that kids weren't supposed to watch but did anyway - Charlie's Angels, Fantasy Island, Miami Vice and more!)
Kids weren't supposed to watch Charlie's Angels or Fantasy Island? I had no idea. My parents watched them with me. And it's not like they were super permissive hippies or anything. .
But I don't think those shows were a big deal. There were commercials more spicy than they were. And they were downright wholesome compared to something like Three's Company, which my parents didn't want me to watch. But they went to bed early, so... 🙂 And then there were the game shows, like Match Game, the Dating Game, etc., which could be very dirty. Even Hollywood Squares was pretty naughty at times.
Or later, Married with Children, which my younger brother wasn't allowed to watch (I was all grown up by then). But he did anyway, of course.
@@jackgilchrist That alone is a list worthy of a video! Throw in a few movies as well - Creepshow, Nighmare on Elm Street 3, Porky's, Trading Places.... and there's enough material for an entire additional video.
That reminds me. They replaced Gregory Sierra with Edward James Olmas
Man....TV was tame back then compared to now.
I would have loved to watch Balki and "Cousin Louie" do the 'Dance of Joy'. They would've had to replace Bronson Pinchot too . . . after his back broke! 😆😆😆
Sesame Street is how I learned that the characters in shows were actors.
I watched Sesame Street from the very beginning. There were four Gordons: Garrett Saunders (test pilot, never aired), Matt Robinson (1969-1972), Hal Miller (1972-1974), and Roscoe Orman (1974-2016, 2023-2024…)
So my first Gordon was Matt Robinson, and when he left and was replaced by Hal Miller, my mom had to explain to me why Gordon looked different, that actors played roles, etc.
they should've just let susan get a divorce and marry some other guy. think of all the lessons you could teach the kids!
The first “Janet” did appear in the first episode of Three’s Company. She played a potential roommate that looks at the apartment.
No that was NOT Joyce DeWitt, that was a totally different actress. Joyce DeWitt did not appear until the second pilot, without Suzanne Somers.
and if you mean Valerie Curtain from the first pilot, that was not here either, totally different actress played the Patricia character
Star Trek Voyager should have been an honorable mention with Genevieve Bujold playing Captain Janeway.
😅 hi 👋 there heidifedor.
That was in the 90's!
@@thebaron9059 True, but it is primarily a Gen X show. Maybe early Millennials as well.
@@JimmyMon666 The video is literally titlled '10 Beloved 70's and 80's TV Characters'!
Then why was the second Honorable Mention about the Original Series which was never in the 70’s, let alone ‘80’s, talking about a pilot where none of the characters were recast, that weren’t exactly beloved (beyond Spock), and therefore totally irrelevant to the whole premise named in the title?
I watch docs all the time. You have told me some things I never knew! Especially about my favorite comedy as a kid - Perfect Strangers.
Thank you for this. This is excellent.
x That is a real shocker that Mark-Linn Baker was not the first Larry! (he is so amazing in the role and has such great chemistry with Bronson Pinchot)
x Tracey Gold and Kirk Cameron were on a McDonald's commercial together before they took on their Growing Pains role!
o That is a shock to see someone else playing the role, Tracey Gold as Carol Seaver is one of the best ever sister characters!
Who’s Kirk Camerson?
Louie Anderson's character on Perfect Strangers was named Lou Appleton. I'm not sure if the character was originally conceived on paper (before Anderson's casting) as "Larry", but once Anderson was let go and when Mark Linn-Baker assumed the role of the American cousin, he was then named Larry.
@@VaultMasterDBT Also the oirginal pilot has never been released nor has it ever appeared online only photos have been released with Anderson as Lou Appleton.
@@SuperMarioBrosIII Actually, there was a RUclipsr who posted a Perfect Strangers blooper reel that was put together by Lorimar (it was taken down a long time ago). Early in the reel, they did show a brief clip from the Louie Anderson pilot where Pinchot and Anderson were having a scene at the Ritz Discount Store. As I recall from the pilot storyline (which was re-used for Mark Linn-Baker's version), Balki had rearranged all the items in the store and asked Lou, "Do you naoootice anything different?" Lou then responds in annoyed, mocking way, "No, I don't NAOOTICE anything different!" That was the extent of the clip they showed. I wish I had captured it and saved it when it was posted.
I remember in the first episode of Roseanne, they had a different kid as D.J. Conner.
Oh that’s right!
@@mysocalledgenxlife And the case of the two Becky's LOL! George Clooney was on Roseanne too as Booker Brookes. 🤔🕵🔍📺🛋
And also on the Golden girls @@SuperMarioBrosIII
Awesome video! I watched most of these shows but had no idea Louie Anderson was in the pilot for Perfect Strangers! It would have been interesting to see that series with him staying on the show.
😊he also played in family fude
Could Louise Anderson have done the Dance of Joy?
I've interviewed many people who were involved in the creation of the show. While the video said the networks didn't see chemistry the creator was told that Louie was considered "too gay". Ironically, actor Mark Linn Baker (also gay) was cast instrad
I named my first Cabbage Patch doll Amy Melinda, after the actress that played Amy on The A-Team.
That’s the most Gen X comment I’ve seen on this video. Love it! 😂😂
Girl. You got it goin on. So so glad you do these. You got it down. And love the pilot episode unique stuff... Big Thanks girl... And HEY. If anyone is listening... I Don't Want my MTV.... I WANT QUALITY VERSION OF "B.J. AND THE BEAR" ON DVD..... NOW....!!!!
John Posey looks like a discount Cousin Larry from Perfect Strangers
I can't imagine anyone else but Bob Sagett as Danny Tanner. RIP Mr Sagett, our 80s TV Dad ❤
It was written for him, bur he was doing another show at the time, but suddenly became available before the pilot aired, so they were able to switch him out.
What I'm thinking...is that I wanna go back to the 80s. 😭😭😭
I was today years old when I found out there were THREE Chuck Cunningham actors, not just two.
Paul Riser was offered Full House. He declined. And did My Two Dads. Both shows started in 1987.
My Two Dads was before Full House
Whatever happened to his co star Greg Evigan. BJ & the Bear dude
My Two Dads was 2 days before Full House lol
@@samanthab1923he was on an episode of “Reba” playing a plumber who wanted to date Reba *lol* other than that, I’m not sure.
@@karenstoddard8278 Wow, even that was a while ago. Thanks 👋
at 17:49 you can see Dwight Schultz the one with glasses also making a cameo in the A team movie
Yeah, both Benedict and Schultz appeared in cameos in the closing credits of "The A-Team" movie.
George Peppard had of course died by then, and Mr T refused to have any part of the movie, so refused a cameo.
When my son was little he watched Chowder on Cartoon Network. Schultz voiced the character Mondoll 😮
@@dhenderson1810 My theory is that the old guy in the fishing boat was meant as a reference to Peppard.
12:04 Louie Anderson as Cousin Larry??? Dafuq?? The reason they recast was ain’t no way Bronson was gonna be able to carry Louie Anderson at the end of the Dance of Joy!
Louie played "Lou Appleton"; his name wasn't Larry. It's unclear if the "dance of joy" was even planned in the script yet when Louie did the pilot.
The biggest surprise for me was Louie Anderson in "Perfect Strangers". That would have been a far different show.
I feel like if you grew up in the 80s you were either a Growing Pains Family or a Family Ties family. There was Cosby and Roseanne too - and they were huge, but it felt like those two shows were connected somehow.
And in the first episode of Roseanne there was a different actor playing the little brother, DJ, not Michael Fishman.
It must be devastating for those replaced to always live with the thoughts of "what could've been" with their careers ...
Love your channel! Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
I found you a few days ago and I am obsessed with your channel! I love learning all of these things I never knew about my favorite shows!!
Awesome vid!!! I really dug all of this trivia & best of all, it was all new to me. The casting in Perfect Strangers was especially interesting. The dance of joy certainly would have been different. Excellent work!
I have the complete series of Growing Pains on DVD. It has that unaired pilot included. It is so strange not having Tracey Gold play the role of Carol! I wonder whatever happened to the actress?
The first Gordon, Matt Robinson, also created and voiced the muppet Roosevelt Franklin. When Sesame Street phased out the Roosevelt Franklin muppet, Robinson left the show. I loved the Roosevelt Franklin segments.
Another very good video. You have all of your facts straight and I like that
It takes a gifted individual to work as a casting agent and know which cast ensemble will guarantee success ❤.
I did meet Lou Ferrigno in the City back in the day when I use to go to conventions there it seemed like every other month. He was jacked man! I was never as jacked as he was when I was working out! He the Hulk!
Ferrigno was on "The Celebrity Apprentice" one season (when Trump ran it) and he said that he used to weightlift every day in his 60s, until he blew both his knees out.
He still plays the voice of the Hulk on almost all cartoons and video games.
@prman9984 Which is ironic as he never spoke as the Hulk in the TV series.
Have you ever done a video about TV show houses that ended up being changed? For example, the Brady Bunch house looked very different on the first episode. The Cosby Show house also looked different on its very first episode.
Oh that’s a great idea! I will put that on my idea board and see what I can come up with.
@@mysocalledgenxlife Thank you! That's awesome!
@@mysocalledgenxlifethey did it on “Hangin’ with Mr.Cooper,” and actually discussed it on the show (it was the same set as Growing Pains). They also did in in “Family Matters,” and “Fresh Prince of Bel Air.”
Also The Nanny
@@tootruetrivia5715 Yes! That's right! I do remember that Hangin' With Mr. Cooper used the Growing Pains set initially. I remember those other houses being different too!
This was excellent, thank you!
Fun vid -- I had no idea about most of those first choices! For Star Trek, the clip you showed features Majel Barret at the controls, and she went on to play nurse/doctor Chapel in the orig series, and a few other characters on other ST shows.
She also was the voice of the ship's computer, a role she reprised on the other Star Trek series (The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager).
That Mark Hamill story is wild. I didn't even know he was part of any television show.
@@alanfike He did a lot of TV guest spots prior to Star Wars (including shows like The Streets of San Francisco-twice!-and The Magician) and was also the co-lead of an ABC sitcom called The Texas Wheelers that was canceled after one season. A lot of these appearances are hard to track down, but they’re interesting to see!
@@rockisheaven Mark Hamill was also on an episode of "One Day At A Time". He played Schneider's nephew. Mark Hamill also starred in the 1978 movie "Corvette Summer" along with Annie Potts. 🙂
Thanks for showing a clip of Brad Pitt’s appearance on Growing Pains. That was one of the first times I remember admiring him on television.
Maybe you could do a video on actors that were replaced after the first season like Paige on Life Goes On and Colleen on Dr. Quinn. I’m sure there are others I’m forgetting. Sometimes they’d try to make them look similar and sometimes it would be a totally different looking actor! I have distinct memories of my dad messing with us every time we watched Life Goes On mid series and he’d say every time while watching the intro, “hey, what happened to the old Paige?” 😂
With Eight is Enough, the Bradford family matriarch was played by Diana Hyland who sadly died from cancer, thus Betty Buckley succeeded her in the role. (She was romantically involved with John Travolta who was dealing with her health issues while he was filming Saturday Night Fever.)
Saw Betty Buckley in CATS many moons ago
We weren’t raised by tv. We were raised outside with our friends and the garden hose.
Also, with Happy Days, not only were there 3 Chucks and 2 "Howies"/Mr. C's, but there were actually 3 Joanies!! In between Susan and Erin there was an unnamed, uncredited Blonde girl playing her in an unaired original version of the first episode. It was reshot with Erin later. Which is why Mrs. C's hair kept changing style throughout the episode.
Interesting, the reshot of that HD episode has something in common with reshot of the Growing Pains, Step by Step, Full House, Hulk, and Gilmore Girls pilot/first episode(s), the first season(s) intros to Growing Pains, Family Matters, Full House, and Eight is Enough, and the Third Season Intro to Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman after the "Colleen" twitch mid season: To save money, they tried to keep as much of the original footage/video in as possible, and mainly just shot/reshot footage/video with the replacement actor/actress. But on some you can spot the original performer on 'zoomed out'/out of focus footage (i.e. 1:38), and 'back of head'/'top of head'/'side of head' (quick shot) footage.
I wonder who the uncredited actress is.
@@charlottecharlie-w4o At this moment, so do I.
The original pilot for the Golden Girls the Sophia character had a very small role, it was then edited into what became the first episode. The original pilot of Melrose Place had a different Billy, he was fired and replaced by Andrew Shue and only his scenes were redone.
I love, loved Perfect Strangers!! It was a classic TGIF night. I remember watching this with my aunt..it was one of those shows, that made Friday night..I also remember Full House on Friday nights. And, I liked it better on Fridays-you knew it was the weekend..with Full House. It was an original TGIF..and, Just the 10 of Us (coach Lubeck from Growing Pains, and his daughters) 📺 😊💕 📼
Awesome job as usual! Enjoyed the video.
Love this. Fascinating. Thanks for posting.
Switching to Dirk Benedict for the A-Team was the right casting call, but I do really like Tim Dunigan! He was perfect in Wizards and Warriors as Prince Geoffrey Blackpool, younger brother to the equally tall Duncan Regehr as Dirk Blackpool, and I also remember really liking him in Disney's updated Davy Crockett (mini?) series.
I liked that Davy Crockett series too, but Tim Dunnigan will always be remembered as Captain Power.
There’s also a different child actor (Sal Barone) who played D.J. Connor in the pilot episode of “Roseanne” before the role went to Michael Fishman.
I loved perfect strangers as a kid. I can't imagine how much better it would have been with Anderson. He was one of my faves.
I would love to see an animated movie of all the characters that disappeared from shows. Chuck Cunningham, Judy Winslow, Nebula Lawrence, Tina Pinciotti, a bunch of the original cast of The Facts of Life (maybe they should have done the reboot with them . . .)
I sort of can't believe Family Guy never did this.
And Brendon Lambert(Josh Byrne)From Step By Step. When Carol Had The Baby Lily, Brendon's Character Just Disappeared.
Ha, I didn't realise Gordon on Sesame Street was played by an actor! At the very least, I thought the guy playing Gordon would be named Gordon 😅
That was my exact thought when I heard that!
Did you think he was a just a guy living on Sesame Street?
@marks.3303 not even as a kid - I understood that it was a set. Nevertheless, I thought he was like Me. Rogers and such. Captain Kangaroo, on the other hand, was obviously an actor playing a character
It took me a while to realize that these characters were just that... Characters.
But think about it... We also watched Mr. Rogers. He was Fred Rogers played by Fred Rogers. No wonder we were all confused.
Face was very pretty. He was the only reason I watched the ATeam. But Magnum P.I. was my 1st TV crush😊❤
That was the point. He used his looks to get stuff for the A-Team free.
@dhenderson1810 I'm aware. I was just making a comment, like the rest of us 🙄
No one was prettier than Bo Duke 😂😂 my first tv crush
💯💯💯
You missed 2 huge ones 😊 the waltons parents and the crew of the love boat. There were like 3 pilots before it was settled on that crew
you could add mother carlson from WKRP IN CICINATTI to the list.i dont remember the womans name but she was replaced by carol bruce
You know how hard it is to be to wanna watch a 20 minute video on RUclips? Very. I watched this one contently.
Love the A-Team I bring up the change of Face all the time. I always think how the other guy must have felt I am sure Tim Dunigan knew the first choice for the role was Dirks Benedict. So, when Dirks is available for the role and then the studio guys who were the only guys that wanted now don't feel you're a fit he had to know he was about to be gone.
I have 2 more quick one for you to add that I am surprised was not in the vide:
Empty Nest the original pilot was a backdoor pilot (that is when studios stick a pilot for a new show idea into an existing show). On the Golden Girls season 2 finally. It starred Paul Dooley as Dr. Corliss and Rita Moreno as his wife Renee, it also has Geoffrey Lewis as Renee's multiple personality brother and David Leisure (Joe Isuzu) as Neighbor Oliver a pilot. The plot was about Renee dealing with the kids being out of the house and her Dr. husband's busy schedule leaving her alone and she is suffering from empty nest syndrome. The show eventually got picked up with another Golden Girls Dr. Henry Weston his daughters one of which moves home again the one guy from the pilot that returned was David Leisure whose name was changed to Charley who now works on a cruise ship. The concept behind the original Golden Girls episode made the most sense given the empty nest name. But Empty was a great show and led to the spinoff Nurses long before the DC Crisis on Infinity earth multiple show cross over NBC and Show creator Susan Harris did a cross over between all three shows that were all airing on NBC on Saturdays with hurricane hitting the Miami area as the over lapping thing. Interesting Rite Moreno thought the original idea was not picked up by NBC because Susan Harris didn't like Moreno and spent little time on set working on the Episode.
The other one is a major miss! Or maybe a 2nd Lieutenant miss depending on how you look at it. Of course, I am talking about none other than Father Francis Mulcahy played by William Christopher. Whose depiction of a catholic church brought an influx of new Catholics to the church. Which is a great foot in and of itself. William Christopher was not the original Father Mulcahy the character was played in the pilot by George Morgan the character's name was changed between the pilot and the series from John Patrick Francis Mulcahy to Francis John Patrick Mulcahy. The George Morgan version from the pilot is written off as being "forgettable" but to be fair he didn't have much to work with in the pilot he maybe a couple lines and limited screen time. William Christopher amazing in the role and continued to portray the character after the MASH series went off the air on the spin-off After MASH.
That would be a great video idea for you. spinoffs of popular shows of the time and how successful they were. I am thinking of doing a video on the many many Hannah Barbera spinoffs of the original Scooby Doo where are you series.
Love American Style, forgotten about that show! WOW!!!!!
Comes on Catchy TV.
In the original MASH tv pilot, George Morgan played Father Mulcahy. He did work out and was replaced by William Christopher for the remainder of the shows run.
Golden Girls episode Empty Nest featured totally different actors and characters than the following series. David Leisure played a similar character in both though.
The original DJ in the pilot of Roseanne was Sal Barone instead of Michael Fishman
Nice work. You solved a couple of mysteries.
Some other interesting facts about Eight is Enough, is that the mom was still alive in the initial pilot, and that even now, it is easy to find and stream that initial pilot.
The second episode, with the casting changes, has it so the mom died off screen and it introduces Abby, who would become the dad’s longtime love interest and future wife.
As for Mark Hamill, he did have to contend with rumors that he purposely got into the car accident to get out of his Eight is Enough contract. An accusation that he has never denied nor has he ever confirmed it.
But that car accident is the reason that they had Luke mauled by the creature on Hoth at the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back.
Like I said, could have made a whole video about the 8 is enough casting situation. It was long and sad.
Abby didn't come along until Season 2. Joan Bradford appeared in 4 of the first 5 episodes (including the original pilot). For the rest of Season 1, Joan was "out of town" - it is said that Diana Hyland recorded audio dialogue from the hospital as she was getting treatment, but that is not present in any of the episodes as they are currently available. (I think the "Quarantine" episode in particular originally had her on the phone). In any event, ABC only showed the episodes without Joan in summer reruns and reshot the opening titles to remove her from the episodes she was not in, and when the show came back for Season 2, Tom Bradford was a widower but he was married again by November, to Abby.
@@thecraigbyrne I stand corrected. Thank you for the clarification.
The actress who played the mom died in real life
She was dating John Travolta
On sesame Street I thought it was the same actor, only back when he had hair.❤
I'm glad that Grant Goodeve played David Bradford in "Eight is Enough." Mark Hamill was great in Star Wars, but he wasn't very believable in "Eight is Enough." He just looked like he didn't belong.
As a Gen-Xer, I was very excited that Dirk Benedict came onto The A-Team, because I had loved Battlestar Galactica. I didn't even notice the age issue.
Honorable mention: Seinfeld characters Frank Costanza was originally played by John Randolph but was replaced by Jerry Stiller They even reshot the episode scene with Frank in them for syndication Also Jerry's father was played by a different actor in the first real episode other than the pilot a year earlier But they never reshot that episode for syndication 😊
There is an episode where Newman was going to jump off the building.
You never saw him but only heard his voice.
However, the voice is distinctly not Wayne Knight. It belonged to Larry David, co-creator of "Seinfeld".
Spock was not the only actor from the pilot to return for the series. The actress that played Number One in the pilot who also happened to be Gene Roddenberry's wife also played Nurse Chapel.
Due to the delay between pilot and series, Harold Gould had another commitment when Happy Days went into production and chose to remain with that other commitment. Shortly thereafter, he was cast as another paternal character of Rhoda.
I definitely remember as a kid the sudden change of the Gordons on Sesame Street. I even had a book when I was in second grade that had the (cartoon) image of the 2nd Gordon with his Afro and sideburns!
I was familiar with Matt Robinson as Gordon on Sesame Street because we had the cast album. But Hal Miller was the Gordon who was there when I was watching the show. By the time Roscoe Orman showed up, I was aging out of the show.
Sherman Hensley wasn’t the OG George Jefferson, and Carl Reiner was the OG Rob Petrie
I'm glad Chris Castile was cast as Mark on Step by Step; however, the opening credits, filmed at Six Flags Magic Mountain, should have been reshot with Castille, instead of the first Mark, Jared Lennon.
bob saget's "the morning show"... on full house, wasn't danny the host of "wake up san fran"? art imitates life.
and another honorable mention. mulcahy was originally played by george morgan, not william christopher. (bonus, william was on the 1st 4 epis of hogan's heroes in roles that never worked out, so it sorta comes around.)
there are a lot of links from our shows to our parents' shows and back again, kinda like 6 degrees if you remove the limitation of 6. roseanne's sara gilbert is the adopted sister of melissa gilbert who played laura on lhotp with michael landon who was also on bonanza with dan blocker. dan's son dirk had a regular role on black sheep squadron with dana elcar as col lard who was also peter thornton on macgyver with richard dean anderson in the title role. richard was also col and later gen o'neill in the stargate franchise where a principle director was peter deluise who was on jumpstreet with steven williams as fuller. steven also made a guest appearance on at least one epi of stargate. there was another actor on stargate, a david ogden stiers, who was also on mash with william christopher who was on hogan's heroes... you see how this goes?
Larry Hovis, who played Sgt. Carter on Hogan's Heroes was also on Gomer Pyle, USMC with another Sgt. Carter and William Christopher.
There were two Judy Winslows-you can see the first one Valerie Jones in the opening credits for about 4 seasons. Rachel Blanchard was the older sister on Flash Forward on Disney and had to be replaced after the pilot as she got the Clueless tv show gig. Don't forget the two Janeways on Star Trek Voyager.
I am now watching so many movies; I watched so many sitcoms that I had no time to also watch movies, without sitting in front of the TV all day and night. No clue how so many peers followed every movie and tv show