I am noticing a pattern, and I'm pretty sure it's been around for as long as sitcoms have been around, of replacing actors randomly throughout seasons. This is something I had noticed before, but until recently let slide due to most shows that I watch being good enough to overlook a little side character swap.
It wasn't until Juliet and I began watching "Til Death" that I became annoyed with this phenomenon. "Til Death" starts out as a humorous look at what happens when the newlywed couple moves in next door to the grumpy old married couple. It had great potential starting out, and the first season was a riot. Then things began to change, and not even subtly.
A recurring character on the show was that of the main couple's daughter, Ally. Over the course of 3 seasons (cancelled), they went through at least 5 different actresses playing the part. It wasn't even like they went in a timeline of season 1=this ally and season 2=that ally. It literally swapped her out in nearly every episode for most of season 2 and 3.
I credit the writers because likely realizing just how ridiculous this was, they began a running joke with Ally's boyfriend Doug where he believes he is living in a sitcom. This helped offset some of my frustration with always wondering which "Ally" would appear.
The actress who finished out the series playing Ally, was a couple other characters on the show in earlier episodes, including a waitress who gets stiffed by the main couple's battle with their friends to not get stuck with the check. An episode later she's the singing Ally, a gimic the writer's must have started pulling where the characters, Ally and Doug, start randomly singing songs that they write.
To top the actress switcher off, the main newlywed couple that the show was based on initially, is all but gone by the second season, replaced by some minor characters who randomly reoccur throughout the final two seasons.
So, as I was watching the Pilot episode of Dick Van Dyke, I notice it was really titled "Head of the Family," and starred the show's creator Carl Reiner, in the role that would become Dick Van Dyke's role. Apparently the ratings were low with the first episode and it was revamped to include Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore starting in episode 2. Which means this phenomenon has been around as long as sitcoms have been around.....and it irritates me.
I get attached to characters. I learn to like their mannerisms and acting styles. If "Til Death" has taught me anything, it's that sitcom characters can be fleeting, and I should appreciate what I have because I never know when it will be gone, replaced by a gimmicky star who just last week was playing the part of "extra number 2."
"the Evolution of Allison Stark over 4 seasons"What is the world coming to?
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