Not all reveals have caught to their unique premise over time — actually some modified their central story strains on objective.
Household Issues is a superb instance because it shifted its forged. The sitcom, which aired from 1989 to 1998, was a by-product of Excellent Strangers that adopted a middle-class Black household residing in Chicago. The hit sitcom starred Reginald VelJohnson, Jo Marie Payton, Darius McCrary, Kellie Williams, Jaimee Foxworth, Bryton McClure and Michelle Thomas.
Jaleel White joined Household Issues midway by means of the primary season.
“My efficiency was so nicely obtained throughout that preliminary episode that they started writing me into the following episode,” White recalled in his November 2024 memoir, Rising Up Urkel. “They even reshot new teasers for the season that featured me prominently, as if l’d been an unique forged member all alongside.”
Not each TV reveals has been successful story — with some initiatives getting cancelled earlier than any episodes even aired. NBC’s The Playboy Membership solely debuted three episodes in 2011 earlier than the present was canceled. The community cited low-ratings as the explanation behind the choice to drop the present, which was in the end changed by Rock […]
In the meantime, Westworld writers loved not being confined to a particular story line. (The dystopian present initially pulled inspiration from the 1973 movie of the identical title earlier than evolving the story.)
“One of many enjoyable issues about me for the present, when [producer] Lisa [Joy] and I had been speaking about it method again when, was the power of this present to shift genres each season, and the invitation to do it,” creator Jonathan Nolan informed The Hollywood Reporter in Could 2020. “We felt we had an open invitation to mess around, particularly on this second the place TV is reinventing itself consistently, to have a present that reinvents itself season after season.”
On the time, Nolan highlighted that the style modified from one season to the following. “You’ve gotten a Western, you may have a samurai film, you may have warfare films, you may have science-fiction. There are the entire totally different variations of the longer term you may have seen over time in films,” he added. “We get to mess around with all of that, and make textual content of all of that. So the concept that subsequent season will really feel totally different and distinct in style from the earlier seasons? Sure, that’s completely a part of the construction of the present.”
Hold scrolling for extra reveals that modified their premise between seasons:
‘Twin Peaks’ (ABC)
The Authentic Imaginative and prescient: The collection, which ran from 1990 to 1991, adopted an investigation into the homicide of homecoming queen Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) within the fictional city of Twin Peaks, Washington. The collection developed a cult following partly due to its campy storytelling — and creator David Lynch and Mark Frost‘s distinctive imaginative and prescient.
The place the Present Ended Up: Based on Lynch, there was by no means any plan to disclose who killed Laura. However after the community compelled the present to reply that thriller, Twin Peaks needed to pivot to a bigger dialog about good and evil.
Let’s do the time warp once more! TV reveals permit followers to take a deep dive into characters’ lives for an prolonged interval, however generally the medium requires a bounce ahead to maintain the story line transferring. The Resident, for instance, handled a surprising exit in August 2021 when Emily VanCamp selected to go away the […]
‘Westworld’ (HBO)
The Authentic Imaginative and prescient: The season began out in a futuristic theme park with androids that appear to be people staging a rebel.
The place the Present Ended Up: Because the present continued to air, the hosts had been introduced into the surface world and have become built-in inside human society.
‘iZombie’ (The CW)
The Authentic Imaginative and prescient: Primarily based on a DC comedian e-book collection of the identical title, iZombie was a tackle a supernatural police procedural that had Liv Moore (Rose McIver) consuming brains from individuals who had been murdered to assist the authorities determine what occurred to them.
The place the Present Ended Up: The third season launched a serious change when a zombie-run personal navy group compelled everybody in Seattle right into a zombie state. Consequently, Liv traded working on the morgue right into a job the place she smuggled individuals in and helped them full their transformation into zombies.
‘Mother’ (CBS)
The Authentic Imaginative and prescient: The Chuck Lorre-produced sitcom initially launched three generations of moms. Anna Faris performed Christy, who came upon her teenage daughter Violet (Sadie Calvano), was pregnant. Whereas attending an Alcoholics Nameless assembly, Christy bumped into her estranged mom Bonnie (Allison Janney), who additionally battled substance abuse issues.
The place the Present Ended Up: Christy’s makes an attempt to lift her two children with Bonnie’s assist rapidly fizzled out. As a substitute, the present pivoted to Christy, Bonnie and their group of buddies from AA. This dynamic shifted once more when Farris left the collection throughout season 8.
‘Riverdale’ (The CW)
The Authentic Imaginative and prescient: Primarily based on the long-lasting Archie Comics, the teenager drama initially targeted on a bunch of buddies who got here collectively to uncover the darkish secrets and techniques that existed inside their city.
The place the Present Ended Up: Riverdale didn’t wait lengthy to push boundaries with their storylines, which ranged from cults to killer board video games to time journey.
‘Saved by the Bell’ (NBC)
The Authentic Imaginative and prescient: The primary season of Saved by the Bell was really titled Good Morning, Miss Bliss and starred Hayley Mills as a junior highschool instructor navigating difficult conditions with assist from the scholars in her eighth grade class.
The place the Present Ended Up: Good Morning, Miss Bliss was in the end retooled into Saved by the Bell, which modified the setting from Indianapolis to Los Angeles and recast lots of the roles to concentrate on the scholars.
‘Scream Queens’ (Fox)
The Authentic Imaginative and prescient: The slasher collection, which premiered in 2015, starred an ensemble forged that included Emma Roberts, Jamie Lee Curtis, Billie Lourd, Lea Michele, Abigail Breslin, Glen Powell and Keke Palmer. Throughout the present’s first season, Scream Queens targeted on members of the Kappa Kappa Tau sorority that had been getting killed off by the mysterious Pink Satan killer.
The place the Present Ended Up: Season 2 shook issues up by having the satirical anthology introduce the Inexperienced Meanie that focused a hospital and its employees — which included lots of the forged members from the primary season. Stars akin to Kirstie Alley, Taylor Lautner, John Stamos and James Earl III rounded out the sophomore season.
‘Scrubs’ (NBC)
The Authentic Imaginative and prescient: Scrubs debuted in 2001 as a medical comedy targeted on the lives of staff on the fictional Sacred Coronary heart Hospital. Extra particularly, it was about J.D.’s (Zach Braff) journey from naive med faculty grad to assured doctor.
The place the Present Ended Up: After season 8, ABC renewed the present for a shock season, which took Scrubs from a hospital to medical faculty.
‘Cougar City’ (ABC)
The Authentic Imaginative and prescient: Created by Invoice Lawrence in 2009, Cougar City launched Courteney Cox as a single mom named Jules who determined to get again into courting by spending time with males youthful than her.
The place the Present Ended Up: Earlier than the primary scene was even over, Jules discovered love along with her neighbor Grayson (Josh Hopkins) — who occurred to be her personal age. Cougar City then pivoted to a present a couple of good friend group within the fictional city of Gulfhaven, Florida. Since Cougar City couldn’t change its title, the opening credit would often recommend different choices as a joke.
‘Household Issues’ (ABC)
The Authentic Imaginative and prescient: Household Issues was a by-product of ABC’s Excellent Strangers with Carl (VelJohnson) and Harriette (Payton) on the helm for the primary few episodes.
The place the Present Ended Up: White joined Household Issues in 1989 — midway by means of the primary season — because the Winslows’ nerdy neighbor, Steve Urkel. The position was solely meant to final one episode, however Urkel grew to become a breakout character that paved the best way for White to hitch the primary forged.
‘Kevin Can Wait’ (CBS)
The Authentic Imaginative and prescient: The sitcom, which premiered in 2016, initially adopted a newly retired police officer Kevin (Kevin James), his spouse Donna (Erinn Hayes) and their three children. Kevin Can Wait confirmed Kevin and Donna navigating life after their daughter Kendra dropped out of school to assist her new fiancé.
The place the Present Ended Up: Kevin Can Wait took a serious threat when Hayes’ character was written off in between seasons. After killing Donna off, the present changed Hayes with James’ former The King of Queens costar, Leah Remini, as the brand new feminine lead. Whereas the primary season centered on Kevin’s household life, the sophomore season had Kevin specializing in his new profession, partnership with Vanessa (Remini) and life as a single guardian.
Kevin Can Wait was canceled after two seasons and the outrage over Hayes’ surprising departure impressed AMC’s dramedy Kevin Can F**ok Himself.
