or better yet, becomes the franchise -
A few years ago I was watching The Penguins of Madagascar with my (then) young daughter, and the thought occurred to me that the Penguins were supporting players in the movie but had ended up being more popular than the main characters and had a TV show to boot. Then it occurred to me that this was not an unusual occurrence in show business (well, duh!)
Who was the first big star in Warner Brothers animated cartoons? Porky Pig, back in the 1930s. But by the 1940s his star had been eclipsed by Bugs Bunny, and by the 1950s he was a supporting player, ranking behind Bugs and Daffy Duck (and arguably the Road Runner, too.)
Likewise, Woody Woodpecker was originally a goofy, bug-eyed, buck-toothed winged pest in one of Walter Lantz's Andy Panda cartoons, but after successive appearances (and a makeover) he became the main star of the Walter Lantz studio.
Now, moving on to real life performance:
Mr. Spock on Star Trek (the original series)
David Gerrold (who scripted The Trouble With Tribbles) once cracked that there were executives at NBC who referred to ST as "The Mr. Spock Hour."
Urkel on Family Matters
America's favorite geek of the 1990s. Orignally, his character was slated for a one-time appearance. (By the time the show finished its run, it was hard to hide the fact that Jaleel White had grown into a rather handsome young man.)
Dr. Smith, Will, and the Robot / Lost in Space
It's hard to believe that this was supposed to be Guy Williams' show. Jonathan Harris was billed during the 3-year run as "Special Guest Star" because Dr. Smith was supposed to be eliminated sometime during the first season. Apparently the script writers found him to be much more interesting a character than Prof. Robinson, so Smith's demise kept getting postponed, deferred, and ultimately forgotten. By the second season, probably half of the shows seemed to revolve around the Dr. Smith/Will/Robot triumvirate. (Yeah, the Robot was a lot more fun than Prof. Robinson, too.) They tried to restore some balance during the 3rd season, but Smith & Robot were way too much fun to keep in the background.
Fonzie on Happy Days
And to think that the nervous network execs were afraid to have a hoodlum as a regular member of the cast. They wanted him to wear a golf jacket or windbreaker. (Seriously.)
Hoss on Bonanza
To put this in perspective: Did anyone really notice when Pernell Roberts left the cast? (Who?)
I think that Bonanza lasted several years beyond its expiration date, due mainly to the good-natured appeal of Dan Blocker as Hoss Cartwright. The fact that the show folded one season after Mr. Blocker's tragic and untimely death says a lot.
Inspector Clouseau / the Pink Panther movies
Originally, this was supposed to be series of movies focusing on David Niven as the Phantom/Sir Charles Lytton.
Close, but no cigar
Larry, Darryl, and Darryl / Newhart
I found LD&D to be hysterical during their first 2 or 3 appearances on the show. But with each successive appearance, the less amusing I found them to be. And besides, no one, but no one, can upstage Bob Newhart. Ever.
A few years ago I was watching The Penguins of Madagascar with my (then) young daughter, and the thought occurred to me that the Penguins were supporting players in the movie but had ended up being more popular than the main characters and had a TV show to boot. Then it occurred to me that this was not an unusual occurrence in show business (well, duh!)
Who was the first big star in Warner Brothers animated cartoons? Porky Pig, back in the 1930s. But by the 1940s his star had been eclipsed by Bugs Bunny, and by the 1950s he was a supporting player, ranking behind Bugs and Daffy Duck (and arguably the Road Runner, too.)
Likewise, Woody Woodpecker was originally a goofy, bug-eyed, buck-toothed winged pest in one of Walter Lantz's Andy Panda cartoons, but after successive appearances (and a makeover) he became the main star of the Walter Lantz studio.
Now, moving on to real life performance:
Mr. Spock on Star Trek (the original series)
David Gerrold (who scripted The Trouble With Tribbles) once cracked that there were executives at NBC who referred to ST as "The Mr. Spock Hour."
Urkel on Family Matters
America's favorite geek of the 1990s. Orignally, his character was slated for a one-time appearance. (By the time the show finished its run, it was hard to hide the fact that Jaleel White had grown into a rather handsome young man.)
Dr. Smith, Will, and the Robot / Lost in Space
It's hard to believe that this was supposed to be Guy Williams' show. Jonathan Harris was billed during the 3-year run as "Special Guest Star" because Dr. Smith was supposed to be eliminated sometime during the first season. Apparently the script writers found him to be much more interesting a character than Prof. Robinson, so Smith's demise kept getting postponed, deferred, and ultimately forgotten. By the second season, probably half of the shows seemed to revolve around the Dr. Smith/Will/Robot triumvirate. (Yeah, the Robot was a lot more fun than Prof. Robinson, too.) They tried to restore some balance during the 3rd season, but Smith & Robot were way too much fun to keep in the background.
Fonzie on Happy Days
And to think that the nervous network execs were afraid to have a hoodlum as a regular member of the cast. They wanted him to wear a golf jacket or windbreaker. (Seriously.)
Hoss on Bonanza
To put this in perspective: Did anyone really notice when Pernell Roberts left the cast? (Who?)
I think that Bonanza lasted several years beyond its expiration date, due mainly to the good-natured appeal of Dan Blocker as Hoss Cartwright. The fact that the show folded one season after Mr. Blocker's tragic and untimely death says a lot.
Inspector Clouseau / the Pink Panther movies
Originally, this was supposed to be series of movies focusing on David Niven as the Phantom/Sir Charles Lytton.
Close, but no cigar
Larry, Darryl, and Darryl / Newhart
I found LD&D to be hysterical during their first 2 or 3 appearances on the show. But with each successive appearance, the less amusing I found them to be. And besides, no one, but no one, can upstage Bob Newhart. Ever.
