Characters that turned stupid?
07-21-14 | 10:50 AM
#26
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Re: Characters that turned stupid?
Kristin Kreuk on Smallville
07-21-14 | 11:30 AM
#27
Re: Characters that turned stupid?
Potsie from Happy Days. The first couple of years he was kind of at the same level as Richie but right around when Fonzie became the focus of the show he became dumber and dumber. He went down to Ralph's level and once Ralph left it was even worse. Happy Days in general became dumber once Fonzie got too popular. The first couple of years are almost a different show than the remaining series.
07-21-14 | 11:36 AM
#28
DVD Talk Godfather
Re: Characters that turned stupid?
I always liked how Frasier Crane was such a smart character on Cheers. At the time there were so few smart characters on TV comedies. One episode however, had him trying to cure Carla's fear of flying. He leads an entire group of phobics on an airplane and for whatever reason suddenly became a blabbering idiot on the flight screaming "These things go down!" It was so out of character and completely irrational -- it bothers me to this day.
On the other end of the spectrum, there was a late-in-the-run episode of Cheers where Sam was pretending to be impotent to seduce a difficult conquest. Fine, but then at the end of the episode, for some reason, he denies it and says "No, I said I was impudent. Yeah, I'm a wise-ass". There is absolutely NO WAY Sam makes that joke-- the other way, sure, but under no circumstances does he use the word impudent correctly in a sentence and those writes should have known that.
On the other end of the spectrum, there was a late-in-the-run episode of Cheers where Sam was pretending to be impotent to seduce a difficult conquest. Fine, but then at the end of the episode, for some reason, he denies it and says "No, I said I was impudent. Yeah, I'm a wise-ass". There is absolutely NO WAY Sam makes that joke-- the other way, sure, but under no circumstances does he use the word impudent correctly in a sentence and those writes should have known that.
07-21-14 | 11:48 AM
#29
Re: Characters that turned stupid?
Britta on Community.
Started off as the smartest one in the group. Evolved into a stick in the mud character. Then she just became stupid.
Started off as the smartest one in the group. Evolved into a stick in the mud character. Then she just became stupid.
07-21-14 | 12:03 PM
#30
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Characters that turned stupid?
Jethro Bodine. There's no way by the end of the series he was behaving like someone who graduated from 6th grade in a mere three years.
07-21-14 | 12:05 PM
#31
happens here all the time.
07-21-14 | 12:16 PM
#32
Moderator
07-21-14 | 12:21 PM
#33
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Characters that turned stupid?
07-21-14 | 12:23 PM
#34
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
07-21-14 | 01:01 PM
#35
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From: The Pacific Northwest
Re: Characters that turned stupid?
Three big examples that popped to mind for me, have all been mentioned already:
- Eric Matthews on Boy Meets World
- Randy Disher on Monk
- Adam Rhodes on Rules of Engagement
And one more that hasn't yet:
Burton "Gus" Guster on Psych
- Eric Matthews on Boy Meets World
- Randy Disher on Monk
- Adam Rhodes on Rules of Engagement
And one more that hasn't yet:
Burton "Gus" Guster on Psych
07-21-14 | 01:37 PM
#36
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Characters that turned stupid?
Bull Shannon from Night Court
Doug Wilson from Weeds
Michael Kelso from That 70's Show
Chrissy Snow from Three's Company
Doug Wilson from Weeds
Michael Kelso from That 70's Show
Chrissy Snow from Three's Company
07-21-14 | 01:40 PM
#37
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Characters that turned stupid?
Every character on Lost
07-21-14 | 02:37 PM
#38
DVD Talk Godfather
Re: Characters that turned stupid?
I'm really surprised that people named this trend after Flanders, when, to me, Homer is the perfect example. I mean, he was always dumb but they seem to find ways to take it to new levels.
07-21-14 | 06:05 PM
#39
DVD Talk Godfather & 2020 TOTY Winner
07-21-14 | 08:00 PM
#40
DVD Talk Godfather
Re: Characters that turned stupid?
Well then, I'll chalk that one up to being around Frasier for so long.
07-21-14 | 08:19 PM
#41
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Characters that turned stupid?
I'm pretty sure that I once heard Susan Olsen, the actress who played the youngest Brady Bunch girl, complaining that her character went from childish to mentally retarded.
07-21-14 | 09:47 PM
#42
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Characters that turned stupid?
Dexter Morgan
In the beginning of the series, he carefully planned how to kidnap his victims. By the end of the series, he was kidnapping people with no planning at all. He would just snatch people in broad daylight at an airport with thousands of witnesses and security cameras.
In the beginning of the series, he carefully planned how to kidnap his victims. By the end of the series, he was kidnapping people with no planning at all. He would just snatch people in broad daylight at an airport with thousands of witnesses and security cameras.
Spoiler:
I'm not sure if I agree that Sam Malone got dumber really. He seemed about the same to me throughout the course of Cheers but I haven't sat down and watched the whole series in order for a long time.
Michael Scott turned from being a character with good intentions but just not very bright to being borderline retarded as The Office went on. Same thing with Kevin from that series.
07-21-14 | 11:16 PM
#43
DVD Talk Special Edition
Re: Characters that turned stupid?
I was reading this whole thread thinking "nobody say Kevin from The Office... nobody say Kevin from The Office... nobody say Kevin from The Office..." But the last post did.
Yeah, Kevin went from "average not-so-bright guy" in the first couple of seasons to "so borderline retarded we're surprised he's able to dress himself" in the last couple.
Yeah, Kevin went from "average not-so-bright guy" in the first couple of seasons to "so borderline retarded we're surprised he's able to dress himself" in the last couple.
07-22-14 | 01:26 AM
#44
Mod Emeritus
http://forum.dvdtalk.com/tv-talk/546505-characters-getting-dumber-season.html YES!
I'm re-watching Friends from the beginning and in Season 5 they turned Ross into a bumbling idiot that has rage issues. It wasn't some gradual evolution of his Character. It seemed to just happen overnight. Oddly enough it's at the same time Rachel is now the smarter one. Maybe they switched to Women writers? 
What are some other Characters that went from smart to stupid?
What are some other Characters that went from smart to stupid?
07-22-14 | 05:30 AM
#46
Re: Characters that turned stupid?
Eric turning stupid came out of nowhere but I thought that portrayal was more entertaining.
Yeah and also she started out as attractive on that show but as she got even stupider she started to look more clownish as well, with the harsh make up and crazy pig tails. I was surprised to find out that she became a sex symbol with that role until I saw earlier episodes.
Yeah and also she started out as attractive on that show but as she got even stupider she started to look more clownish as well, with the harsh make up and crazy pig tails. I was surprised to find out that she became a sex symbol with that role until I saw earlier episodes.
07-22-14 | 07:25 AM
#47
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
07-22-14 | 07:38 AM
#48
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Re: Characters that turned stupid?
I was a kid when the show originally aired and I thought Urkel was funny. When I rewatched some episodes as a teen, I saw how ridiculous he was. In addition, to the character, some of the episodes related to Urkel were pretty awful like the inventions and the Stefan crap. Urkel is also an example of TV audiences taking too much to a stupid character. Urkel didn't appear until halfway through the first season and prior to that the show was set up by the EPs to be a working middle class version of The Cosby Show. Some of the early episodes worked well. After Urkel appeared, his character appeared more because of the audience.
A similar thing happened on Glee, Brittany in season 1 came off as a lovable dumb blonde and audiences loved her. The character was given more screen time after season 1, but they made the character too stupid at times and Heather Morris' acting was awful at times.
A similar thing happened on Glee, Brittany in season 1 came off as a lovable dumb blonde and audiences loved her. The character was given more screen time after season 1, but they made the character too stupid at times and Heather Morris' acting was awful at times.
07-22-14 | 09:35 AM
#49
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Re: Characters that turned stupid?
From that article in Post #5, Oswald and Lewis from The Drew Carey Show. In the earlier episodes, they were close to normal and Oswald was something of a ladies man, by the 3rd or 4th season they were cartoon characters. They were funnier as cartoon characters, though.
07-22-14 | 11:19 AM
#50
DVD Talk Limited Edition