My Cart - When we watch a TV show we tend to think that the final product is exactly what was written in the first place and matches the vision of everyone involved. In reality, things are slightly different! It’s common for shows to be re-written, re-shot, and adapted due to sudden events, which means that what you see on the screen may not be exactly what was initially planned.
Sometimes changes occur for the worse, while oftentimes they can save a show.
Scrubs
This beloved show didn’t change dramatically from the pilot episode, maybe because the biggest change was yet to occur… the writer and creator of this comedy series, Bill Lawrence, was worried that Scrubs wouldn’t have a second season, so he planned a huge plot twist that could have ruined everything.
The Janitor doesn’t interact with anyone else apart from JD, the main character, in the first season, because the idea was to reveal that the Janitor was merely a figment of the doctor’s imagination. Thankfully, the show was picked up and this plot line dropped, which allowed brilliant improvisations and great comedic moments from the Janitor – this helps the show achieve almost like a cult status amongst fans, who love the character.
Another brilliant show with an amazing first season, True Detective almost had a different ending from the one everyone loved. Cohle and Hart, Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson’s characters, were initially planned to disappear into the unknown in the end, in mysterious circumstances – likely supernatural in nature. This would have ruined the realistic, gritty feeling the show is known for, so we’re glad that creator Nic Pizzolatto changed his mind…
If you ask yourself who was the main character in this show, you’ll find that question difficult to answer. With a vast and varied cast, and a lot of backstory for each character, it’s fair to say that most were important. Still, one stands out from the crow. Doctor Jack Shepherd was the leader of the Oceanic survivors and turned out to be vital to the story.
Originally, however, he was supposed to die in the pilot episode, leaving the castaways to survive on their own – and audiences everywhere upset! So keeping him on definitely helped the show, especially because he was such a key player in the main plot.
Can you imagine Star Trek without Kirk, one of its most iconic characters? Neither can we! And yet, in the original series that aired in the 1960’s, Captain James T Kirk wasn’t supposed to be as important as he turned out to be, the honour going to Captain Christopher Pike instead. However, because the pilot was deemed too slow and cerebral for audiences, this first episode wasn’t aired and William Shatner, in his role as Kirk, became the de facto main character from the second pilot on.
