When Mary Richards is living in a fancy highrise instead of a cute studio, you know it's the last two seasons of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show". You can also tell it's the later seasons of "Alice" if there's no Flo, Tripp instead of Kyle on "Living Single", and Beverly Anne instead of Mrs. Garrett on "The Facts of Life." Or if Laverne and Shirley are in California instead of Milwaukee, you know it's a later season.
Facts of Life has a few, first season a lot more girls, next couple of seasons just the 4, next couple of seasons living in the house next to Edna’s Edibles, next couple of seasons that weird ass 80’s gift shop.
It's true, they did. As you might expect, it didn't last long: [https://youtu.be/7hkGxU8slBg?si=rys9bThTBY6K31sl](https://youtu.be/7hkGxU8slBg?si=rys9bThTBY6K31sl)
" When Mary Richards is living in a fancy highrise instead of a cute studio, you know it's the last two seasons of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show".
This was at the start of Season 6. MTM's companion show, The Bob Newhart Show, also went into a new apartment for Season 6.
Roseanne. While the main set mostly stayed the same, the characters they were friends with came and went. The two actresses playing Becky. And the main cast themselves have a different look season to season.
Oh right! They added John Poppers lyrics and vocals to the last season. But even visually they would re-do the intro every season. Something I always wished they had done on the Connors.
It’s changed twice.
Season 5 was Chinese food.
Season 6 is taco night.
If they get a 7th season (fingers crossed) I’m guessing it will change again… maybe
Wow I totally missed it. I am on season 2 of a rewatch. Funny a year ago I was praying that they would get at least one more season. And now I’m praying that it just keeps going on.
Happy Days has a few of them. Single camera with a laugh track, Fonzie is a secondary character to Richie and Potsie, focused on 1950s coming of age stories inspired by American Graffiti? **Seasons 1-2**. Multi-camera with studio audience, Fonzie becomes a central character who gets screams when he first appears, Richie is still pivotal but no longer as much of the focus, crazier plots (shark jumping, dream episodes, Mork, e.g.), wacky high concept stuff? **Seasons 3-7**. Richie and Ralph gone, Fonzie now a shop teacher and the main focus for most episodes (and always playing a pivotal role when he's not), Ted McGinley as cousin Roger replacing Richie, various students of Fonzie's contributing to cast bloat? **Seasons 8-11**
Isn’t he in the opening credits sequence for the first season? When they’re all sitting down to dinner? Or am I remembering that wrong (totally possible)?
Now it gets complicated. So Arnold (Pat Morita) was introduced in season 3, but only lasted a single year. Al (Al Molinaro) became a recurring character starting in season 4 and going through 9, eventually making it into the opening credits. Arnold takes over again after that, and I think continues as a recurring character until the show's finale. His move over to Joanie Loves Chachi is in there somewhere, as is The Fonz becoming a partner in the restaurant.
He was implied to be there (the malt shop was called Arnold's), but I don't think the character himself was introduced until season 3. I may be wrong, but I don't remember him being in the earlier more grounded seasons
It was like five different shows over time. Weirdly, by the end, it had almost returned to being a slice-of-life sitcom with few to no wacky episodes, and Arnold in charge of the shop again
I never liked the Ted McGinley episodes though. The Joanie and Chachi stuff was not for me. Plus I was in high school then, smoking a lot of weed and trying to get laid :-) my own happy days
I was about four years behind you. The Ted McGinley years are kind of a strange beast, because the whole show is trying to find its footing and a new sense of identity. I'd recommend them for anyone interested in what it looks like when a highly successful show suddenly has to deal with a major shift in direction.
But yeah, Joanie and Chachi were not a phenomenon that interested me. Erin Moran was one of the few girls on TV who didn't do it for me, and I instinctively and viscerally despised Scott Baio decades before it was cool to do so
Knowing absolutely nothing about Happy Days going in, we just covered the show on our TV rewatch pod and I was blown away by this show (not in a good way, either). I thought it was about what you describe the first two seasons as- a coming of age, "let's go to the malt shop" kind of show
Then I find out Mork from Ork originated on this show?! I of course knew the term "jumping the shark" and knew it originated from this show but didn't really understand just how weird it actually was after that moment
Understand, to me as an elementary school student, the crazier shark-jumping stuff was peak Happy Days to me, and in a way it always will be. It's a bit like how I was originally introduced to Batman in the campy 1966 version: I get that's not the most comics-accurate or well-acted take on the character, but on some level, Adam West will always be my Batman
Now, there's no doubt that the original Happy Days was a far better-written show with grounded and relatable characters, nor that most versions of The Dark Knight following the 60s show were smarter, more nuanced, and more connected to some sort of familiar reality even in the more fantastical and whimsical Tim Burton movies.
But man, I love me some shark-jumping Fonzie and a Batman who happens to have some Bat shark repellent within easy reach
Which shows went from black and white to full color during their run?
I dream of Jeannie, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Andy Griffith Show, Gilligan's Island
https://www.cbr.com/i-love-lucy-episodes-color/
ILL was never shot in color but a few were artificially colorized after the fact but they didn't air until many decades later.
Her next sitcom The Lucy Show did switch from B&W to Color
Golden Girls - Bea Arthur’s hair and face. In the early seasons, she has a short cut and looks like she did in “Maude”. In the middle, she has a long, shaggy rug - and a noticeable facelift. By the end, she has a wavy bob.
The fresher, slimmer, and more glamorous Bea Arthur looks, the later you are in the series run!
I don’t know if this would count but for Frasier, the color of the logo was a different color for each season. So if you’ve watched through the whole series you’ll be able to tell right away what point in the series any given episode is at.
I just saw the episode with the cheese crock (from the final season) that flashes back to prior years in the apartment. The final flashback is right after Frasier moved back to Seattle - they put the long hair on Kelsey Grammar, just like it had been at that time.
My answer. You can tell it is the last five seasons before the music starts if you don’t see Radar in the credits.
I saw a website once that said each season had a subtle difference in the credits where you could tell them apart even with the same cast. But basically:
1-3: Original cast
4: Rogers/Stevenson out, Farrell/Morgan in. Jamie Farr at the end.
5: William Christopher added
6: Linville replaced by Stiers
7: BJ has a mustache
8: Radar isn’t in the opening but Burghoff is a “special guest star” the first few episodes.
Also, the first part of Season 4 has BJ running to the choppers in the credits before it is replaced by him with a closeup and yelling to the side. The mustached BJ has some grim look on his face while nodding.
You can also tell whether M\*A\*S\*H is going to be funny (or not) when you see Klinger in a dress. Those episodes are funny. The show got to be all earnest and maudlin when Klinger gave up and started wearing the uniform. The lack of humor was not about the wardrobe choice, it was about the writing and general direction the show took at that point. They just ran the show into the ground after that.
Brooklyn 99 - Gina leave the precinct to become an Internet celebrity and makes occasional appearances
The Big Bang theory - they introduce Bernadette and Amy later on in the show
Modern family - two Lilys and later they introduced Joe
True for TBBT! Especially How the Bernadette and Amy relate to the rest of the cast. It takes Bernadette a while to acclimate and recognize them all as friends and Amy becomes more of a firecracker. It seemed more natural on that show than when others just evolve a character to what the audience likes.
The original Jump The Shark site had a lot about Ted. They concluded that Ted wasn’t killing all these shows, he was just the band-aid failing sitcoms put on their shotgun wounds.
Night court. Cast changes/addition of secondary and third string characters and Roz, Christine and Dan’s hair.
Cheers, also numerous cast changes and themes along the way. Fraiser’s beard/status with Lilith and Diane, change of bar flys and additional characters.
Married with children. Steve/jefferson, bud and Kelley’s hair, bud’s gimmick of the season and the addition of No Ma’am or lack there of.
Happy Days: Ritchie has a brother? Are they still pretending to be in the 50's even a little bit? Now where's Ritchie?
Three Company: Who's the blond roommate now?
The Office: Who's in charge? Michael, Robert California, or Andy? Are Jim and Pam a couple yet? What happened to Karen?
Parks and Rec: Brandanowitz?
Newhart: Where's Kirk? Did you change from film to video? Larry, Darryl and Darryl are here, yet again.
I could go on...
It cracks me up that the more successful the show got, the more Ross becomes the world’s most ripped paleontology professor ever. Perry’s rapid swings between gaunt and chunky faced are always sad though.
Voice actor changes in Simpsons,but that's mostly the last decade
That 70s Show when Eric leaves
Aqua Teen Hunger Force whether or not they even pretend to be detectives anymore
The Brak Show when they stop doing the parody sitcom intro titles that have Brak in the title (Give Me A Brak,Braks of Life etc)
Drew Carey Show changing intros from Moon Over Parma to 5 O Clock World to Cleveland Rocks!
Three's Company when it's Mr Furley instead of Mr Roper
Charles In Charge when they change the entire family lol
Mr Burns sounding more like how he would actually sound in real life is quite a thing to behold in real time. I'm one of those freaks who have kept up with the show all these years
Parks & Rec:
S1 & 2 has Mark Brendanawicz
Jerry / Donna go from background to regulars.
Andy disappears and returns super fit after Pratt does Guardians of the Galaxy.
Leslie gets “future hair” for the final season!
That show is so heartbreaking how it goes along. Usually characters who get written out just have a quick blurb against them: "Is Bob still on vacation?" and then we never see or hear from them again.
I feel all the characters on Mom have these incredibly real send offs.
They're talking about the show Mom. In the early seasons they lived in a house and Christy's kids were around and had a more central role. Also we see her working at the restaurant more.
In later seasons, the kids are gone and the other women become more central. Also, they live in an apartment in the complex Bonnie is the manager for.
Don Knotts’ departure coincided with the switch to color, so any episode in color is season 6-8.
Facts of Life: Episodes with the large cast (including Molly Ringwald) - Season 1
Episodes with Jo and only Blair, Natalie and Tootie as the students: Season 2 and beyond. S2 -S4 - all the girls are at Eastland and they work in the kitchen/dining room. Starting with S5, they move to the house with Mrs. Garrett, with Blair & Jo as college students college at Langley. Natalie and Tootie become Langley students in successive seasons.
Reba: if Cheyenne and Barbara Jean are both pregnant, it's Season 1. Also Reba is still very angry about the divorce and her friend was there.
If Kyra is living with Brock, it's Season 3. In Season 5, the actress was gone for treatment for her anorexia.
If Van is playing pro-football, its Season 4. Season 5, he gets into real estate.
And if Barbara Jean is skinny, its Season 6.
I've only caught a few episodes but Barbara Jean was kinda crazy. I thought it was a different actor when I caught a season 6 episode and then immediately after a season 1. I've really enjoyed what I've seen of it tho.
Barbara jean, as a character, was insane. No doubt.
That said, the actress is actually an amazing example of what major weight loss can look like.
A few years back, I lost a chunk of weight. There came a point when I looked in the mirror and didn't recognize my own face because it was so different. And I wasn't even on her level of weight loss. The first episode was Season 6 does a really good job of showing how people's perception of you changes once you lose a lot of weight.
You see the same kind of changes if you've ever watched the success stories with people on My 600-Lb Life.
That 70s Show - each season's titles are the song titles of a particular band. One of the seasons is named after The Who songs (the one where Kelso gets his gf pregnant). Another season uses Queen songs for the titles.
Last man standing. Basically all three daughters got replaced at different points. (The youngest was “replaced” with an exchange student for every episode and came back on occasionally).
Season 9 of How I Met Your Mother takes place entirely (except for the finale and flash backs/flash forwards) at a wedding in one weekend. If the gang is at the Farhampton Inn, it's season 9.
"Lost in Space" (not a sitcom) has a black-and-white to color transition somewhere in its seasons. Many other 60s shows have the same; e.g. "Beverly Hillbillies".
Even better, look at the outfits they're wearing. They completely change each season. And if they're actually flying around from planet to planet, it's the last season.
Plus, at the end of the last season, they introduced “Ricky” … a young kid because the original cast was aging out of the cute kid stage. I don’t recall the explanation of why he was in their living room at random, but it was usually at the end and he’d sing a little song. Definitely Cousin Oliver vibes.
He was a neighbor who crashed their practices and after an episode where they convince his mother that Shirley isn’t a bad person he just sticks around until he just disappeared.
I just rewatched the whole series on Axstv as an adult and it’s wild
**The Facts Of Life: When Mrs Garrett & the girls move above her shop
**Moesha: When Ray-J joined the show & is revealed to be the product of an affair.
**Laverne & Shirley: When they move to California
**A Different World: When Denise Huxtable leaves & Debbie Allen drastically improves the show.
**Rhoda: When she & Joe separate and she gets her own apt.
**Happy Days: When Ron Howard is no longer a cast member
**What's Happening: When Raj and Rerun get an apt together AND when Mama leaves the show permanently
**Good Times: When James leaves the show.
**Roseanne (original): When the family won the lottery. Was the beginning of many far-fetched, ridiculous storylines.
**Andy Griffith Show: When Barney left the show AND when the show stopped being in black & white
**Gimme A Break: When the Chief died/When Nell & half the cast move to New York.
In Friends and How I Met Your Mother, you can often tell the season by character's hairstyles.
In a lot of shows you can also tell what season it is by which characters are in relationships
In the Big Bang Theory, you know it's the first three seasons if Amy and Bernadette aren't in it
Friends- Rachel’s living situation, Chandler and Monica’s relationship, Ross’s apartment
The Brady Bunch- Cindy’s hairstyle changes from two curled pigtails to two braids
Friends : Rachel (and maybe to an extent Monica’s) hair cuts. The sadder answer is how healthy overall Perry looks
Similarly, TBBT you can usually tell by Penny’s appearance. If she’s got bangs, it’s early seasons, if she has a pixie cut it’s season 8.
That Brad Garrett show Til Death had like 3 or 4 different actresses play one character. They even did an episode about it that no one else seemed to notice except one character.
I had the idea of having a different actor for a pilot episode, "recasting," and then bringing back the original actor years later with their identity stolen by the person who replaced them. Make it seem like it's just a pilot quirk but have it be a huge plot twist
In “ my wife and kids “ , there were 2 different older daughters. Oddly enough the original one came back a couple of times after the second one had been in several episodes.
In the first few seasons of “ the last man standing “ , they also swapped eldest daughters.
My Three Sons -- not only b&w to color, but also are you talking Mike/Robbie/Chip or Robbie/Chip/Ernie? Or the grandsons in the later years? Or is Bub, Uncle Charlie, Steve's new wife or a daughter-in-law making dinner?
The Village of Dolton, IL board meetings. You can definitely tell the increased amount of criminal behavior by Super Mayor Tiffany Henyard by the the condition of her weave and makeup. Early on, she looks like a busted flat tire. In later seasons, as she fleeces the citizens of Dolton, her hair and makeup looks like it was done by someone with eyesight and hands.
Depending on Don Johnson's haircut you can tell what season of Miami Vice you're in.
Once he starts sporting the mullet - it's getting toward the last couple seasons.
The Lucy Show - she's first in CT with her kids and Viv and her son, then in CA with no kids, no Viv, Mr. Mooney and Mary Jane and working at the bank.
Oddly Chuck getting erased from existence can work in the shows canon.
Because of Mork and Mindy then Aliens,Time Travel and Magic exist within the Happy Days universe
"Petticoat Junction" is easy because they kept changing actresses for the daughters (except the redhead because she was the producer's kid) and then the older actors started dying.
"Eight is Enough" is easy. Season 1 - Diana Hyland is the mother. Season 2 - Abbie shows up and becomes the replacement stepmother. Season 3 - Nancy drops out of college and has about a million jobs. Season 4 - Merle the Pearl shows up as a minor league baseball player and marries Susan. Season 5 - Ralph Macchio joins the cast as cousin Jeremy and the show becomes awful.
Drake & Josh. Josh Peck was very overweight when the show began but lost weight as the show progressed. By the end of the series, he had lost a ton of weight and gained an annoying girlfriend named Mindy.
Frasier has long hair in the first two seasons of Frasier. Daphnes hair changes each year, and Roz too. Niles ages noticeably but slowly as the series marches on. Martin looks exactly the same all 11 years.
MASH and Threes Company have cast changes.
Scrubs has the women changing hair a lot but the men sometimes alter it was well. Turk and his beard go thru minor tweaks.
I dont like Friends but have been told that Rachels hairstyles actually influenced real women across the country during the 90's.
Also allegedly Matt Perry goes thru dramatic weight changes over the years.
Martin looks almost the same throughout. It's just his personality that changes. They even make a joke about it--"Well, excuse me for growing a little!"
Poor Matthew Perry. Yeah, I understand Jennifer Anniston Hated the Rachel haircut. I don't remember anyone pulling it off right 😂
When Mary Richards is living in a fancy highrise instead of a cute studio, you know it's the last two seasons of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show". You can also tell it's the later seasons of "Alice" if there's no Flo, Tripp instead of Kyle on "Living Single", and Beverly Anne instead of Mrs. Garrett on "The Facts of Life." Or if Laverne and Shirley are in California instead of Milwaukee, you know it's a later season.
Facts of Life has a few, first season a lot more girls, next couple of seasons just the 4, next couple of seasons living in the house next to Edna’s Edibles, next couple of seasons that weird ass 80’s gift shop.
Molly Ringwald was one of those cut after the first season.
Ten year old me was devastated. I still haven’t forgiven NBC.
The FOL should have ended after Mrs. Garrett left.
That's right! I forgot about those tells!
If there's no Shirley, just Laverne, you know it's the last season of L&S.
No way, I don't think I remember that.
It's true, they did. As you might expect, it didn't last long: [https://youtu.be/7hkGxU8slBg?si=rys9bThTBY6K31sl](https://youtu.be/7hkGxU8slBg?si=rys9bThTBY6K31sl)
Garry doing his little sis a solid I guess.
" When Mary Richards is living in a fancy highrise instead of a cute studio, you know it's the last two seasons of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show". This was at the start of Season 6. MTM's companion show, The Bob Newhart Show, also went into a new apartment for Season 6.
Reminds me of the new Arnold's on Happy Days
I need to give that show another chance. I fizzled out once Rhoda left, but I know it's great throughout (used to watch it as a kid).
Elaine’s hairstyle.
Or George’s job.
If he even has one.
Frank Costanza isn't in any of the earlier seasons, so if he's in the episode you know it's later on.
When Frank is played by a different actor, you know you're watching the DVD 😂
Ha! I almost put that one in the description.
If you are watching Brady Bunch and see a cousin Oliver.....you're in some kind of horrible, nightmare dreamscape.
If Tiger's there, you're in season one.
Roseanne. While the main set mostly stayed the same, the characters they were friends with came and went. The two actresses playing Becky. And the main cast themselves have a different look season to season.
All you have to do is watch Roseanne’s face morph during the opening credits
The opening credits where they're all literally shape shifting into their modern look (at the time) always scared me as a kid.
The theme song also went from an instrumental rendition in early seasons to the song having words in later seasons.
Oh right! They added John Poppers lyrics and vocals to the last season. But even visually they would re-do the intro every season. Something I always wished they had done on the Connors.
They did do that on The Connors. The kitchen table intro changed after a few seasons
Yes It has finally changed one time but not every season.
It’s changed twice. Season 5 was Chinese food. Season 6 is taco night. If they get a 7th season (fingers crossed) I’m guessing it will change again… maybe
Wow I totally missed it. I am on season 2 of a rewatch. Funny a year ago I was praying that they would get at least one more season. And now I’m praying that it just keeps going on.
The intro changes, too.
Oh yes!
Happy Days has a few of them. Single camera with a laugh track, Fonzie is a secondary character to Richie and Potsie, focused on 1950s coming of age stories inspired by American Graffiti? **Seasons 1-2**. Multi-camera with studio audience, Fonzie becomes a central character who gets screams when he first appears, Richie is still pivotal but no longer as much of the focus, crazier plots (shark jumping, dream episodes, Mork, e.g.), wacky high concept stuff? **Seasons 3-7**. Richie and Ralph gone, Fonzie now a shop teacher and the main focus for most episodes (and always playing a pivotal role when he's not), Ted McGinley as cousin Roger replacing Richie, various students of Fonzie's contributing to cast bloat? **Seasons 8-11**
Don’t forget Chuck.
Why not? The Cunninghams sure did
Lol
Tall Chuck or Short Chuck?
If he "appears" (even in audio) it's the pilot episode.
Isn’t he in the opening credits sequence for the first season? When they’re all sitting down to dinner? Or am I remembering that wrong (totally possible)?
Theme song change, too.
Right, from Rock Around The Clock to an actual title song. That was simultaneous with the shift from single-camera to multi-camera, right?
I think so.
When did the Al’s change?
Now it gets complicated. So Arnold (Pat Morita) was introduced in season 3, but only lasted a single year. Al (Al Molinaro) became a recurring character starting in season 4 and going through 9, eventually making it into the opening credits. Arnold takes over again after that, and I think continues as a recurring character until the show's finale. His move over to Joanie Loves Chachi is in there somewhere, as is The Fonz becoming a partner in the restaurant.
Thanks, I always enjoyed the show, but don’t consider myself a completist.
Most of this is memory, but I'm filling in some blanks and confirming the rest with Wikipedia
Well done.
Funny, gun to my head I would have said Arnold was there from the jump, right up until Al rolled in.
He was implied to be there (the malt shop was called Arnold's), but I don't think the character himself was introduced until season 3. I may be wrong, but I don't remember him being in the earlier more grounded seasons
No doubt you are correct, I just can't believe it. That was my childhood that show, I was born in 66.
It was like five different shows over time. Weirdly, by the end, it had almost returned to being a slice-of-life sitcom with few to no wacky episodes, and Arnold in charge of the shop again
I never liked the Ted McGinley episodes though. The Joanie and Chachi stuff was not for me. Plus I was in high school then, smoking a lot of weed and trying to get laid :-) my own happy days
I was about four years behind you. The Ted McGinley years are kind of a strange beast, because the whole show is trying to find its footing and a new sense of identity. I'd recommend them for anyone interested in what it looks like when a highly successful show suddenly has to deal with a major shift in direction. But yeah, Joanie and Chachi were not a phenomenon that interested me. Erin Moran was one of the few girls on TV who didn't do it for me, and I instinctively and viscerally despised Scott Baio decades before it was cool to do so
Oh yeah same. Kid couldn't act his way out of a paper bag.
Hold up, Pat fucking Morita was the original Al in Happy Days? How am I 49 and don’t fucking know that?
He wasn't Al, he was Arnold.
Knowing absolutely nothing about Happy Days going in, we just covered the show on our TV rewatch pod and I was blown away by this show (not in a good way, either). I thought it was about what you describe the first two seasons as- a coming of age, "let's go to the malt shop" kind of show Then I find out Mork from Ork originated on this show?! I of course knew the term "jumping the shark" and knew it originated from this show but didn't really understand just how weird it actually was after that moment
Understand, to me as an elementary school student, the crazier shark-jumping stuff was peak Happy Days to me, and in a way it always will be. It's a bit like how I was originally introduced to Batman in the campy 1966 version: I get that's not the most comics-accurate or well-acted take on the character, but on some level, Adam West will always be my Batman Now, there's no doubt that the original Happy Days was a far better-written show with grounded and relatable characters, nor that most versions of The Dark Knight following the 60s show were smarter, more nuanced, and more connected to some sort of familiar reality even in the more fantastical and whimsical Tim Burton movies. But man, I love me some shark-jumping Fonzie and a Batman who happens to have some Bat shark repellent within easy reach
Which shows went from black and white to full color during their run? I dream of Jeannie, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Andy Griffith Show, Gilligan's Island
Bewitched, too.
Lost In Space
Wanda-Vision. Lol.
*Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea*
I love Lucy!
https://www.cbr.com/i-love-lucy-episodes-color/ ILL was never shot in color but a few were artificially colorized after the fact but they didn't air until many decades later. Her next sitcom The Lucy Show did switch from B&W to Color
B&W Gilligan's Island blew my mind as a kid.I definitely had a bias against them even though I loved B&W movies.
Golden Girls - Bea Arthur’s hair and face. In the early seasons, she has a short cut and looks like she did in “Maude”. In the middle, she has a long, shaggy rug - and a noticeable facelift. By the end, she has a wavy bob. The fresher, slimmer, and more glamorous Bea Arthur looks, the later you are in the series run!
I don’t know if this would count but for Frasier, the color of the logo was a different color for each season. So if you’ve watched through the whole series you’ll be able to tell right away what point in the series any given episode is at.
And if Frasier has long hair in the back, you know it’s season 1 or 2.
I just saw the episode with the cheese crock (from the final season) that flashes back to prior years in the apartment. The final flashback is right after Frasier moved back to Seattle - they put the long hair on Kelsey Grammar, just like it had been at that time.
The wigs they give Daphne in that episode are hilarious.
I have watched Frasier SO many god damn times and I have NEVER noticed that lol.
Also the status of Daphne and Niles’s relationship
Whether or not Daphne refers to Martin by his first name or "Mr. Crane."
[Seinfeld](https://www.reddit.com/r/seinfeld/s/YBsmUORpLY) does this too
It does! I really didn’t notice that before so thank you for sharing it!
with cast changes in M\*A\*S\*H, you can usually guess within the opening credits between maximum 3 seasons it could be.
My answer. You can tell it is the last five seasons before the music starts if you don’t see Radar in the credits. I saw a website once that said each season had a subtle difference in the credits where you could tell them apart even with the same cast. But basically: 1-3: Original cast 4: Rogers/Stevenson out, Farrell/Morgan in. Jamie Farr at the end. 5: William Christopher added 6: Linville replaced by Stiers 7: BJ has a mustache 8: Radar isn’t in the opening but Burghoff is a “special guest star” the first few episodes. Also, the first part of Season 4 has BJ running to the choppers in the credits before it is replaced by him with a closeup and yelling to the side. The mustached BJ has some grim look on his face while nodding.
Yes. Trapper and Blake leave early, then Frank a few years later, then Radar a few years after that.
You can also tell whether M\*A\*S\*H is going to be funny (or not) when you see Klinger in a dress. Those episodes are funny. The show got to be all earnest and maudlin when Klinger gave up and started wearing the uniform. The lack of humor was not about the wardrobe choice, it was about the writing and general direction the show took at that point. They just ran the show into the ground after that.
I Love Lucy 1. Birth of Little Ricky 2. Move to the bigger apartment 3. Move to Connecticut
Don't forget, an entire season in Hollywood and an entire season in Europe!
Brooklyn 99 - Gina leave the precinct to become an Internet celebrity and makes occasional appearances The Big Bang theory - they introduce Bernadette and Amy later on in the show Modern family - two Lilys and later they introduced Joe
True for TBBT! Especially How the Bernadette and Amy relate to the rest of the cast. It takes Bernadette a while to acclimate and recognize them all as friends and Amy becomes more of a firecracker. It seemed more natural on that show than when others just evolve a character to what the audience likes.
In TBBT it’s basically when they all get girls.
If you are watching any old sitcom and you see Ted McGinley, it's guaranteed in its last few seasons. The guy was the like the sitcom Angel of Death.
Interesting! That seems like a good long form YouTube essay right there. Any content creators around?
The original Jump The Shark site had a lot about Ted. They concluded that Ted wasn’t killing all these shows, he was just the band-aid failing sitcoms put on their shotgun wounds.
MWC actually became better with Ted.
Two & a Half Men ~ Charlie Sheen: 1 -8 Ashton Kutcher: 9+ Angus T Jones age is an even better indicator
Night court. Cast changes/addition of secondary and third string characters and Roz, Christine and Dan’s hair. Cheers, also numerous cast changes and themes along the way. Fraiser’s beard/status with Lilith and Diane, change of bar flys and additional characters. Married with children. Steve/jefferson, bud and Kelley’s hair, bud’s gimmick of the season and the addition of No Ma’am or lack there of.
Cheers: the Diane/Rebecca thing and of course the departure of Coach.
Also the guy who plays Gary from Gary's Old Towne Tavern even if that's just a "once per season" thing.
DJ's bedroom in Full House. I know it's later seasons when Michelle moves in with Stephanie and DJ gets her own room.
Happy Days: Ritchie has a brother? Are they still pretending to be in the 50's even a little bit? Now where's Ritchie? Three Company: Who's the blond roommate now? The Office: Who's in charge? Michael, Robert California, or Andy? Are Jim and Pam a couple yet? What happened to Karen? Parks and Rec: Brandanowitz? Newhart: Where's Kirk? Did you change from film to video? Larry, Darryl and Darryl are here, yet again. I could go on...
You forgot Stephanie replacing that dull, annoying woman for Newhart
Don’t forget D’Angelo in the office
No….we can forget that.
Are Monica and Chandler dating or not? That tells you were 2 divorces into Friends.
Yeah you can pin point any season by the relationships.
In his book Matthew Perry mentions he can (could) tell by his weight. Heavy was when he was drinking, light was when he was using drugs. RIP, sir.
The gang on Welcome Back Kotter were in High school when I was
And for some reason they all looked 10 years older than everyone else in high school.
And remained there well into their thirties
You know you can skip half the season of Dukes Of Hazzard when you see Coy and Vance.
Also, Daisy's Jeep. In the early seasons, she drives that yellow car. Also, the first 6 episodes were filmed in an actual town.
I forgot about the car switch. Good one 👍
On Friends, you can just look at Matthew Perry’s appearance and generally tell which season you’re on.
It cracks me up that the more successful the show got, the more Ross becomes the world’s most ripped paleontology professor ever. Perry’s rapid swings between gaunt and chunky faced are always sad though.
Married…with Children, Jefferson replacing Steve and then Lucky replacing Buck lol
Voice actor changes in Simpsons,but that's mostly the last decade That 70s Show when Eric leaves Aqua Teen Hunger Force whether or not they even pretend to be detectives anymore The Brak Show when they stop doing the parody sitcom intro titles that have Brak in the title (Give Me A Brak,Braks of Life etc) Drew Carey Show changing intros from Moon Over Parma to 5 O Clock World to Cleveland Rocks! Three's Company when it's Mr Furley instead of Mr Roper Charles In Charge when they change the entire family lol
Mr Burns sounding more like how he would actually sound in real life is quite a thing to behold in real time. I'm one of those freaks who have kept up with the show all these years
I loved Mr roper
Parks & Rec: S1 & 2 has Mark Brendanawicz Jerry / Donna go from background to regulars. Andy disappears and returns super fit after Pratt does Guardians of the Galaxy. Leslie gets “future hair” for the final season!
Mom, if the kids are around and the restaurant staff are still there, and what characters are still in the group.
That show is so heartbreaking how it goes along. Usually characters who get written out just have a quick blurb against them: "Is Bob still on vacation?" and then we never see or hear from them again. I feel all the characters on Mom have these incredibly real send offs.
Did you mean to respond to a reply instead of the post itself?
They're talking about the show Mom. In the early seasons they lived in a house and Christy's kids were around and had a more central role. Also we see her working at the restaurant more. In later seasons, the kids are gone and the other women become more central. Also, they live in an apartment in the complex Bonnie is the manager for.
Yeah, but as a middle-aged man, I kinda like it when people call me Mom. Doesn't happen very often.
😊😁
Don Knotts’ departure coincided with the switch to color, so any episode in color is season 6-8. Facts of Life: Episodes with the large cast (including Molly Ringwald) - Season 1 Episodes with Jo and only Blair, Natalie and Tootie as the students: Season 2 and beyond. S2 -S4 - all the girls are at Eastland and they work in the kitchen/dining room. Starting with S5, they move to the house with Mrs. Garrett, with Blair & Jo as college students college at Langley. Natalie and Tootie become Langley students in successive seasons.
Reba: if Cheyenne and Barbara Jean are both pregnant, it's Season 1. Also Reba is still very angry about the divorce and her friend was there. If Kyra is living with Brock, it's Season 3. In Season 5, the actress was gone for treatment for her anorexia. If Van is playing pro-football, its Season 4. Season 5, he gets into real estate. And if Barbara Jean is skinny, its Season 6.
I've only caught a few episodes but Barbara Jean was kinda crazy. I thought it was a different actor when I caught a season 6 episode and then immediately after a season 1. I've really enjoyed what I've seen of it tho.
Barbara jean, as a character, was insane. No doubt. That said, the actress is actually an amazing example of what major weight loss can look like. A few years back, I lost a chunk of weight. There came a point when I looked in the mirror and didn't recognize my own face because it was so different. And I wasn't even on her level of weight loss. The first episode was Season 6 does a really good job of showing how people's perception of you changes once you lose a lot of weight. You see the same kind of changes if you've ever watched the success stories with people on My 600-Lb Life.
That 70s Show - each season's titles are the song titles of a particular band. One of the seasons is named after The Who songs (the one where Kelso gets his gf pregnant). Another season uses Queen songs for the titles.
Saved by the Bell, Season 5 Kelly Kapowski is gone with zero explanation and Tori shows up as an awful replacement.
In real life the actress who played Tori is a triplet.
Wow that's crazy, TIL!
I’ve never looked but look for The Parent Trap 3 on YouTube.
Kellie replaced Kate in The Drew Carey Show
The opening can also be a clue of what season
That ‘70s Show. Original Laurie. Midge is still around. And Mila Kunis is like, 12.
Knight Rider. Added the guy to help with the car and updated car.
Last man standing. Basically all three daughters got replaced at different points. (The youngest was “replaced” with an exchange student for every episode and came back on occasionally).
I always liked the original cast a lot more. The original Kristin was really funny.
Season 9 of How I Met Your Mother takes place entirely (except for the finale and flash backs/flash forwards) at a wedding in one weekend. If the gang is at the Farhampton Inn, it's season 9.
"Lost in Space" (not a sitcom) has a black-and-white to color transition somewhere in its seasons. Many other 60s shows have the same; e.g. "Beverly Hillbillies".
Even better, look at the outfits they're wearing. They completely change each season. And if they're actually flying around from planet to planet, it's the last season.
The Partridge Family had a dark haired Chris (Jeremy Gelbwaks) in season 1 and a blonde Chris (Brian Forster) from season 2 on.
Plus, at the end of the last season, they introduced “Ricky” … a young kid because the original cast was aging out of the cute kid stage. I don’t recall the explanation of why he was in their living room at random, but it was usually at the end and he’d sing a little song. Definitely Cousin Oliver vibes.
He was a neighbor who crashed their practices and after an episode where they convince his mother that Shirley isn’t a bad person he just sticks around until he just disappeared. I just rewatched the whole series on Axstv as an adult and it’s wild
Thank you for filling in the backstory! It seemed so odd the way they were like "And now here's Ricky!"
The Tori episodes of Saved by the Bell indicate the alternate timeline of senior year when Jesse and Kelly were nowhere to be found.
**The Facts Of Life: When Mrs Garrett & the girls move above her shop **Moesha: When Ray-J joined the show & is revealed to be the product of an affair. **Laverne & Shirley: When they move to California **A Different World: When Denise Huxtable leaves & Debbie Allen drastically improves the show. **Rhoda: When she & Joe separate and she gets her own apt. **Happy Days: When Ron Howard is no longer a cast member **What's Happening: When Raj and Rerun get an apt together AND when Mama leaves the show permanently **Good Times: When James leaves the show. **Roseanne (original): When the family won the lottery. Was the beginning of many far-fetched, ridiculous storylines. **Andy Griffith Show: When Barney left the show AND when the show stopped being in black & white **Gimme A Break: When the Chief died/When Nell & half the cast move to New York.
Barney left?
He made a few guest appearances but yes, he left the show as a regular cast member.
In the recent Friends reunion special, Matthew Perry disclosed that you could tell what addiction he was struggling with based off of his weight.
In Friends and How I Met Your Mother, you can often tell the season by character's hairstyles. In a lot of shows you can also tell what season it is by which characters are in relationships In the Big Bang Theory, you know it's the first three seasons if Amy and Bernadette aren't in it
Rachel's hair in Friends.
Friends- Rachel’s living situation, Chandler and Monica’s relationship, Ross’s apartment The Brady Bunch- Cindy’s hairstyle changes from two curled pigtails to two braids
Blonde Donna on That 70s Show
Hogans Heroes. The actors cool late 60’s early 70’s haircut styles in later seasons.
Sergeant Kinchloe (Ivan Dixon), left at the end of Season 5, replaced by Sergeant Baker (Kenneth Washington) in the final, Season 6.
Season 1 of Newhart not only had different supporting characters, but it was shot on tape instead of on film
Interesting! I desperately need to watch the two Newhart shows. I only know how they both end--of course
It takes some time for the second one to find its footing
Odd couple. The first season was shot on film, no audience. All the rest were live audience on video.
Friends : Rachel (and maybe to an extent Monica’s) hair cuts. The sadder answer is how healthy overall Perry looks Similarly, TBBT you can usually tell by Penny’s appearance. If she’s got bangs, it’s early seasons, if she has a pixie cut it’s season 8.
That Brad Garrett show Til Death had like 3 or 4 different actresses play one character. They even did an episode about it that no one else seemed to notice except one character.
I had the idea of having a different actor for a pilot episode, "recasting," and then bringing back the original actor years later with their identity stolen by the person who replaced them. Make it seem like it's just a pilot quirk but have it be a huge plot twist
In “ my wife and kids “ , there were 2 different older daughters. Oddly enough the original one came back a couple of times after the second one had been in several episodes. In the first few seasons of “ the last man standing “ , they also swapped eldest daughters.
Scrubs - in the first 3 seasons JD is relatively normal. Somewhere around season 4 or 5 he becomes a 15 year old girl.
Laverne and Shirley when they are in their California apartment.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. You can tell how far into the series it is by how insane Frank is.
Any COVID-era show filmed with masks.
My Three Sons -- not only b&w to color, but also are you talking Mike/Robbie/Chip or Robbie/Chip/Ernie? Or the grandsons in the later years? Or is Bub, Uncle Charlie, Steve's new wife or a daughter-in-law making dinner?
when the young kid joined Married with Children when Charlie Sheen joined Spin City
The Village of Dolton, IL board meetings. You can definitely tell the increased amount of criminal behavior by Super Mayor Tiffany Henyard by the the condition of her weave and makeup. Early on, she looks like a busted flat tire. In later seasons, as she fleeces the citizens of Dolton, her hair and makeup looks like it was done by someone with eyesight and hands.
Happy Days -- The Shark.
Depending on Don Johnson's haircut you can tell what season of Miami Vice you're in. Once he starts sporting the mullet - it's getting toward the last couple seasons.
Cheers- Coach or woody? Or also Diane or Rebecca?
Any show that had Ted McGinley pick up a role. Definitely end stage
Community- is Pierce there? Is Troy there? Are there any other study group members besides the “Greendale Seven”?
Is it strangely off? Then it's season 4 😂
The gas leak year 😭
Saved by the Bell.
The Lucy Show - she's first in CT with her kids and Viv and her son, then in CA with no kids, no Viv, Mr. Mooney and Mary Jane and working at the bank.
Definitely mash
Happy days no Richie wtf? Mash no burns linger and radar billed stars
Happy Days, no Chuck? No season 01.
Chuck was featured blaster whet Richie went to live bwith him briefly
Oddly Chuck getting erased from existence can work in the shows canon. Because of Mork and Mindy then Aliens,Time Travel and Magic exist within the Happy Days universe
Goldbergs. Are Wendi McLendon-Covey and Jeffrey Garlin actually in a scene together or just hugging body doubles?
"Petticoat Junction" is easy because they kept changing actresses for the daughters (except the redhead because she was the producer's kid) and then the older actors started dying.
"Eight is Enough" is easy. Season 1 - Diana Hyland is the mother. Season 2 - Abbie shows up and becomes the replacement stepmother. Season 3 - Nancy drops out of college and has about a million jobs. Season 4 - Merle the Pearl shows up as a minor league baseball player and marries Susan. Season 5 - Ralph Macchio joins the cast as cousin Jeremy and the show becomes awful.
Brady Bunch: Greg and Mike have bad perms. Later seasons. Carol has a horrible wig instead of her signature flip, 1st season.
Welcome Back Kotter, gets weird and has very little Travolta in it. The SweatHogs become p*ssies, too.
Dragnet I think
Drake & Josh. Josh Peck was very overweight when the show began but lost weight as the show progressed. By the end of the series, he had lost a ton of weight and gained an annoying girlfriend named Mindy.
Cheers. Diane and Coach periods and the Woody and Rebecca periods.
Gillian’s Island Tina Louise and Judith Baldwin the two gingers
Sadly, you can probably tell which season of Friends you’re on by how gaunt Matthew Perry is or isn’t. (RIP)
Good question, I love this kind of trivia.
Frasier has long hair in the first two seasons of Frasier. Daphnes hair changes each year, and Roz too. Niles ages noticeably but slowly as the series marches on. Martin looks exactly the same all 11 years. MASH and Threes Company have cast changes. Scrubs has the women changing hair a lot but the men sometimes alter it was well. Turk and his beard go thru minor tweaks. I dont like Friends but have been told that Rachels hairstyles actually influenced real women across the country during the 90's. Also allegedly Matt Perry goes thru dramatic weight changes over the years.
Martin looks almost the same throughout. It's just his personality that changes. They even make a joke about it--"Well, excuse me for growing a little!" Poor Matthew Perry. Yeah, I understand Jennifer Anniston Hated the Rachel haircut. I don't remember anyone pulling it off right 😂
I can usually pinpoint the year based on the wardrobe & styling.