5 Sitcom Sequels That Were Doomed From the Start
Hats off to sitcom producer Chuck Lorre — he somehow figured out how to keep the Big Bang Theory gravy train running down the tracks by continuing the story (albeit in prequel form) with Young Sheldon. It’s an obvious ploy: When one hit series is ending, move a couple of popular characters into a new show and keep the paychecks coming. The only problem is that viewers usually aren’t interested in watching a watered-down version of an old favorite, dooming sitcom sequels like these straight to cancellation hell.
Three’s A Crowd
Sex-starved ‘70s sitcom viewers were titillated by the concept of Three’s Company, with its promise of three randy roommates who just might catch one another coming out of the shower. After the show burned through Suzanne Somers and several blonde replacements, ABC executives decided to replace the show with Three’s A Crowd, featuring John Ritter’s Jack Tripper in… a monogamous relationship. What was so spicy about that?
The sitcom cranked out a season’s worth of episodes, but it was a losing effort since, as the New York Times noted, “Mr. Ritter has just about completely drained the character of Jack of all its conceivable possibilities.”
The Golden Palace
At least Three’s A Crowd gave it a go with its biggest star. After first-billed Bea Arthur declared seven seasons of The Golden Girls was enough, CBS decided America needed more Rue McClanahan and continued the show as The Golden Palace.
The sitcom, which featured the gals running a hotel with the help of Cheech Marin and Don Cheadle, only lasted a year. "Without Dorothy, it didn't work,” show creator Susan Harris admitted to Entertainment Weekly. Lesson learned: The Golden Girls was “what it was and that’s the way it should remain.”
Joey
There was a reason they didn’t call it Friend.
The adventures of Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe and Joey were a ‘90s phenomenon, built on the cast’s charisma and the promise that “I’ll be there for you.” Matt LeBlanc is a charmer, but viewers missed the camaraderie. The Village Voice said the show was “almost funny,” which neatly sums up the problem.
AfterMASH
Sure, Alan Alda had a movie career to fall back on, but Jamie Farr had bills to pay. Hence, AfterMASH, a continuation of the Korean War sitcom set in peacetime United States, starring three of the show’s less prominent characters.
Unfortunately, producers soon found out that not many viewers had been wondering about what happened to Father Mulcahy. Critics got out their baseball bats, with TV Guide calling it the seventh-worst show of all time, and Time naming the sitcom sequel one of the worst 100 ideas of the century.
Archie Bunker’s Place
Archie Bunker’s Place had the opposite problem of The Golden Palace — the lead character agreed to continue the show, but everyone else waved goodbye.
The continuation represented a role-reversal — Carroll O’Connor, who’d often complained about being stereotyped, was all in for more Archie Bunker. Norman Lear, on the other hand, thought it was a terrible idea and refused to let the show continue with the name All in the Family.
The show lasted a few seasons, but it killed off Jean Stapleton’s Edith. Unforgivable.
