TV Trivia, maybe you knew, maybe you didn't
 

THE FACTS OF LIFE
*This was the longest running TV show with an all female main cast.
*Kim Fields was only 9 years old when she portrayed "Tootie" (who was supposed to be 12 years old) on the series. In order to make her appear older, during the first season, she wore roller skates to increase her height on camera.
*Kim Fields was the first female, minority child star. She is also a graduate of Pepperdine University with a degree in communications.
*Nancy McKeon got her start in show business at the age of two by modelling baby clothes in the Sears catalog. She and her brother did more than 65 commercials! She decided to not take part in the Facts of Life reunion movie. Like many others, she felt that reunion shows just don't live up to one's memories of the series and since she won't watch such TV shows, she wouldn't appear in one either.

GOOD TIMES
*Good Times was a "spin-off" of the TV show, "Maude". Maude had also been a "spin-off" of the series, "All In The Family".
*John Amos was fired from the series after the third season after comments he made about the backstage fights in an interview. He had become a partner in a garage and, just as things might be looking up for the family, he was killed in an auto accident! His character was one of the first comedy sitcom characters to ever be killed off.
*Before the next season began, Esther Rolle pretended to be ill so she could leave the TV show. In truth, she was upset over the way that Jimmy Walker's "jive-talking", womanizing and dishonest character (on screen) had become such a bad role model for black youth. The show explained her absence by saying that her new husband had developed cancer and they had moved to the South where the weather would better suit his condition.
*Then, at the beginning of the sixth season, Esther Rolle reappeared on the show, back with her children and without her husband. No reason was ever given for his absence!
*Good Times was cancelled due to low ratings in December of 1978 and the "final" episode aired on January 3rd of 1979. Then in May, the network decided to air the final nine episodes which had already been taped and the series truly ended.
*Both Jay Leno and David Letterman were writers for the show.

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES

*The Desperate Housewives first episode was actually the 2nd pilot episode. The first pilot starred Michael Reilly Burke as Rex Van De Kamp, Sherly Lee as Mary Alice Young, and Kyle Searles as John Rowland. The scenes with those characters were re-shot for the pilot we all saw on the air with Steven Culp as Rex, Brenda Strong as Mary Alice, and Jesse Metcalfe as John.

*Desperate Housewives' creator, Marc Cherry, first attempted to sell the series to the networks as a comedy series about frustrated housewives. Everyone rejected the show including HBO and Lifetime. When he just slightly rewrote the pilot, adding the sexual undertones, ABC said, "SOLD"!

*Marc Cherry got the idea for Desperate Housewives from his mother! She mentioned to him that operating their household and raising children with Cherry's father away so much, sometimes made her feel "desperate".

*Teri Hatcher had some pretty stiff competition for the role of Susan Mayer! Mary-Louise Parker, Calista Flockhart, and Heather Locklear were all considered for the role! Teri was extremely happy to get the role. She has stated that she was nearly resigned to being a "has-been" when she got the part on the hit series. Welcome back Teri!

*While shooting the scene where she stumbles into a wedding cake, Teri Hatcher actually broke two ribs! With everyone on the set concerned about her obviously serious injury, Teri refused to get medical attention until after she finished shooting! What a trooper! Nicollette Sheridan read for the role of Bree Van De Camp, but was hired to portray Edie Britt. Marcia Cross tried out for the role of Mary Alice Young, but was hired to play Bree Van De Camp.

*At least as of the time this was written (end of first season), every episode except the pilot was named after a song and in every episode, someone says, "So here's the deal".

*In the pilot episode, Martha Huber says that she has to take care of Edie Britt's son, but then there was no more mention of Edie having a son for the rest of the first season.

DIFFERENT STROKES

*The original concept for the show was different from what would come on the air. It would have been on ABC and set in an upscale Long Island town, not in Manhattan. There was no older brother, originally, and the housekeeper would have been younger and sexier. The production company balked, and ABC lost interest.

*Charlotte Rae was promised a smooth return back onto this series if her spin-off, The Facts of Life, had failed. But it was renewed, so she was replaced.

*The episode "The Girls School" (episode #1.24) was the pilot for the spin-off The Facts of Life.

*Dana Plato was written out of the series when she became pregnant in 1984, and it was agreed that it would be out of character for the same to happen to Kimberly Drummond. However, she was allowed to return for guest appearances after the birth of her son.

*When Conrad Bain signed on to do Maude, the production company promised him his own show when that one ended. By then, Gary Coleman was also signed to the company. When the planned updating of the "Our Gang" comedy series, which Coleman would have been in, was aborted, they paired them and decided to come up with a suitable premise.

*Gary Coleman wanted the show to end in 1985, when it moved to ABC, but was persuaded into signing on for another year, after which it was cancelled.

*When ABC picked up the show, the producers contacted 'Dixie Carter' to return to play Maggie Drummond, but she was unavailable because shortly after NBC canceled, she had landed her role on Designing Women, so Maggie was recast with Mary Ann Mobley.

*Alan Thicke, who wrote and sang the theme song, had to record a new version of the song for ABC because NBC owned the copyrights to the original.
*Mr. Drummond paid $3,500 a month for his Park Avenue apartment.

*Gary Coleman, who played loveable Arnold Jackson, was born with a defective kidney and received a transplant at five years of age. The abnormal functioning of his kidney during his first five years of life is what caused him to be smaller than normal for his age.

WEBSTER

*Webster Long's parents were killed in a car accident. The Papadapolis couple took him in because George was Webster's godfather.

*Emmanuel Lewis was discovered by a network executive while appearing in a Burger King commercial. He was immediately signed to a contract and then the TV show was designed around him.

*Webster called Mr. Papadapolis, "George". He called Katherine, "Ma'am" because it sounded a lot like "Mom".

*Jerry Seinfeld was on the writing staff for the show but was fired after only a few episodes. In a newspaper interview, Jerry said that was one of the most humiliating experiences of his life.

*The original title of the show was to be "Another Ballgame" (which instead became the title of the first episode). Then the name was changed to "Then Came You". When the name was finally changed to "Webster", Alex Karras and Susan Clark were understandably upset. They signed on to do a show about a nice white couple who accept and love the afro-american son of a former friend. The producers and audiences fell in love with the "cute as pie" Emmanuel Lewis, however, and the TV show soon centered around "Webster".

*Emmanuel Lewis may have been a little too cute for his own good! His mother regularly complained about him constantly being picked up and carried around by members of the crew. They treated him as if he were 6-years-old (as he appeared) rather than his actual age of 12-years-old. He was so cute that people couldn't help themselves even after the complaints. Finally, the head of Paramount television had to order the crew to stop.

A DIFFERENT WORLD

*Originally, the character of Whitley was to only appear in just the pilot. However, she became so popular that not only did she become a regular, but it helped to make Jasmine Guy the star of the show.
*Darryl M. Bell inherited a large sum of money and controlling interest in a Fortune 500 company; however, he blew through the cash in a matter of months buying friends ridiculously expensive gifts and was forced to declare bankruptcy soon thereafter.
*The show's theme was sung by Phoebe Snow in the first season. It was sung by from season's two through five was sung by Aretha Franklin. In the final season, it was sung by Boyz II Men.
*Dawnn Lewis, who played Jaleesa on the show, was one of the songwriters of the show's theme.


THE JEFFERSONS

*The picture on the Jeffersons' desk by the telephone changes in every episode. It alternates between shots of Louise, George, Lionel, and Mother Jefferson.
*The building in the opening sequence is located at 185 E 85th Street in Manhattan.
*CBS never gave "The Jeffersons" a proper series finale. The cast, bitter that they never got a chance to say goodbye, reunited years later for a stage play based on the sitcom.
*When the show first started George constantly referred to Tom as a honky. After a few seasons Sherman Hemsley asked the writers to stop having George call him that, as he felt that the characters were friends and he felt George would not use a racist term on a friend. When the writers refused to stop Hemsley simply mumbled the the word every time he said it, forcing re-shoots. Eventually the writers stopped using the word.

WHAT'S HAPPENING?

*Fred Berry had his middle name legally changed to "Rerun."

*According to writer Eric Monte, ABC had originally planned to do a TV version of Cooley High. After a poorly received pilot, ABC retooled it completely; "What's Happening!!" was the result.

*In the initial draft, the role that became the character "Rerun" was going to be a skinny white kid.

*The Thomases' house is actually the recycled Sanford and Son set (minus the junk).

*Mabel King wanted the Thomas family to have a mother and a father (on the air Roger and Dee's parents were divorced, and their father remarried in 1977 and was not seen again). The producers' refusal contributed to her decision to quit her role in 1978.

*The character 'Dee Thomas' was ranked #5 in TV Guide's list of "TV's 10 Biggest Brats" (27 March 2005 issue).

SEX AND THE CITY


*The medicine cabinet in Carrie's apartment was first spied by Sarah Jessica Parker at a flea market shortly before filming began on the series. She and Matthew Broderick didn't buy it but reconsidered. When they went back, the cabinet was already sold to "some TV show". When she showed up for filming, the medicine cabinet was there.

*The naturally blond Cynthia Nixon dyes her hair red to play Miranda on the show.
*On the day she shot the scene where she goes to the Paris Cinema to see "Joy for Two" and it later rains very heavily, Sarah Jessica Parker wasn't feeling well, so she sent her assistant to fetch her a home pregnancy test. She learned she was in fact pregnant just before shooting the scene; scripted as a rather giddy, happy scene (it is in the episode, "Anchors Away!"), this obviously helps explains why she is extra-smiley.

*The ballerina tutu that Sarah Jessica Parker is wearing in the opening credits cost only $5 from a vintage store. The episode "I Heart NY", which is a "love letter" to New York according to Darren Star, was assumed by many to be a reaction to the terrorist attacks on the USA of 11 September 2001. The episode however, was actually written, filmed and titled before September 11, and shown soon afterward. The timing was a coincidence.

*The final word spoken in the very last episode was "Fabulous". The show became so popular that a tour was setup to view the New York City locations of the series by bus.

*In the very beginning of the show the last thing "Mr. Big" says to Carrie is Abso-f***in-lutely. And in the very last episode, he says that after he and Carrie return from Paris.

*Kim Cattrall turned down the role of Samantha Jones twice before being convinced by Darren Star's boyfriend to give it a try and shoot the pilot episode.
*The Versace "dress of a thousand layers" that Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) wore in the final episode has a retail price of $79,000.

*In the episode where Carrie is invited to Mr Big and Natasha's engagement party, the props department decided to make up a first name for the character to appear on the invitation, knowing that it would never appear on screen. Sarah Jessica Parker opened the envelope to find she had been invited to the wedding of "Boris and Natasha" (named after the villains in Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends), she reportedly couldn't stop laughing for five minutes.

*The early episodes of the show had characters looking directly at the camera lens and commenting on the events in the story. This element was dropped in later episodes.

*Cynthia Nixon does not have pierced ears. All of her earrings on the show were clip-ons. Sometimes the costume designers would send away earrings they liked to a jeweler to make them clip-on earrings.

THE GOLDEN GIRLS

*Rue McClanahan was to play Rose and Betty White was to play Blanche but they switched roles because they didn't want to be typecast.

*Estelle Getty (Sophia) is 73 days younger than Beatrice Arthur (Dorothy), even though Sophia is Dorothy's mother.

*Early on in the series, Beatrice Arthur carved a large exclamation point on the set's front door.It can still be seen anytime a character opens it. [I always wondered why that was there]

*The girls consumed over 100 cheesecakes during the show's 7-year run. And Beatrice Arthur hates cheesecake.

*It took 45 minutes in make-up for Estelle to be transformed into Sophia.
*Estelle Getty suffered from stage fright, every Friday night for 26 weeks during the show's taping.

*Two of the prop men on the show used to play practical jokes on the cast and once took nude and semi-nude pictures of themselves and put them into the Blanche's Boudoir calendar which was used on the episode "'Twas The Nightmare Before Christmas".

*Rue McClanahan was found asleep in all sorts of places on the set.

*When the original pilot script was submitted to Disney/Touchstone, Michael Eisner liked it but he felt something was missing. He thought a show about three old women living together might scare away younger viewers. He asked Susan Harris to keep working on it. Harris then added the character of Sophia. When she was added, Dorothy became just another woman dealing with her mother and Eisner loved it. After Sophia was added and a pilot was shot, a character named Coco, a gay male servant was cut from the series. [I wondered what ever happend to that character]

*The writers of the show always tried to give Sophia the raciest lines. They did this because her character had a stroke earlier in life, which made her unable to control the things she was able to say.

*The idea for the show came from NBC executive Brandon Tartikoff, who was visiting his elderly aunt one day and saw how she and her next-door neighbor, who was also her best friend, interacted with each other. Even though they would argue and bicker a lot, they were still best friends and loved each other. Tartikoff thought that would make a great show, and "The Golden Girls" was born.

*It was not originally scripted for Blanche to have a Southern accent. Instead, it was Rue McClanahan's idea to do so.

*Estelle Getty was the second youngest of the four women, yet she played the eldest.

wow, these are great. I did't know half of this stuff.

I know, right?

Three's Company
*The final episode of the series didn't air until the beginning of the 1984-1985 season when it served as the lead in to its spin-off Three's a Crowd.
*Janet and Chrissy had another roommate named Eleanor before Jack moved in.
Billy Crystal auditioned for the role of Jack Tripper.

*At the end of the second episode, first season, Jack says: "Goodnight, John Boy." This was a direct wink at John Ritter's former performance on The Waltons as Reverend Fordwick.

*Suzanne Somers was fired midway through the show's run due to salary disputes, amid a very public lawsuit and loads of publicity.

*Any time Norman Fell said an especially funny or witty line, he would look directly into the camera as he laughed.

*Priscilla Barnes (she was Terry) said her years on this show were the unhappiest in her professional career. She almost quit as soon as she was cast because she did not like the backstage atmosphere.

*The exterior shots of the Roper's apartment was an actual corner apartment-house in Santa Monica. Permission was obtained by the owners for filming rights.

*Audra Lindley and Norman Fell left the show after the third season for a spin-off about their characters. They were promised by the ABC network that if their show didn't make it past its first season, their spots were secure for a permanent return to "Three's Company". Their spin-off lasted a season and a half, so ABC was not obliged bring them back. They were permanently replaced by Don Knotts.

*The first season DVD set was rushed onto the market due to the demand after the death of John Ritter in 2003.

*In the opening credits, the brunette that knocks Jack Tripper off his bike was Suzanne Somers in a wig.

*The 1980-1981 season was very difficult for the cast and crew. Suzanne Somers began to demand higher pay than her fellow cast members and part ownership of the show. When she was refused, she would often not show up to work. John Ritter and Joyce DeWitt refused to work with Somers any longer. So her character Chrissy was written out of the season except for a 60-second scene at the very end of the episodes. In these scenes, Chrissy was visiting her family and she would call Jack and Janet on the phone. These scenes were filmed early in the day so Somers would be off the set by the time Ritter and DeWitt arrived as they wanted no contact with her. At the end of the season, Somers was fired and Chrissy was never mentioned again.

*In the show's opening (beginning with the sixth season), a toddler walks up to Joyce DeWitt as she is feeding a deer. The toddler is Jason Ritter (son of John Ritter). This is revealed by DeWitt in a bonus feature of the Season 4 DVD.

*Nick at Nite began airing reruns of the show in 2001. A viewer called the network and claimed that in the episode "The Charming Stranger" (ep. #8.11), John Ritter's genitals can be seen very briefly in one scene where he is wearing boxers and sitting on his bed. Nick at Nite deleted that scene from subsequent repeats. Ritter told The New York Observer: "I've requested that they air both versions, edited and unedited, because sometimes you feel like a nut, and sometimes you don't."



227
*Series was based on a play of the same title by Christine Houston. It had been presented at the Crossroads Theatre and Arts Academy (Marla Gibbs's company) prior to being adapted as a series.

* Countess Vaughn got her role after mentioning on Star Search in 1988 that her dream was to appear on the program.

*Sandra Clark was never intended to be a regular character. She was added to the cast after testing positively with audiences.

A-TEAM


*George Peppard probably felt fairly comfortable in his role as the tough guy "Hannibal" as he had served in the Marine Corps.

*The very first episode of the A-Team TV show aired immediately following the 1983 Super Bowl game.

*Many of us may be much more familiar with Dwight Schultz in his role as "Reg Barclay" on Star Trek The Next Generation and Voyager.

*On March 31, 1985, during the very first "WrestleMania", Mr. T and his tag team partner Hulk Hogan defeated Paul Orndorff and Roddy Piper.

*During the opening credits of the series, you can see a "Cylon Warrior" pass by Dirk Benedict. Cylons were his enemies as "Starbuck" in the cast of the 1978-1979 series "Battlestar Galactica".

*General Hunt Stockwell (Robert Vaughn) came to the series in the 5th season episodes. He kept promising that he would help the A-Team clear themselves with the law if they would just do a few more little jobs for the government. He never fullfilled his promise. Maybe you remember Robert Vaughn in his best-known role as Napoleon Solo in "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

*The "B.A." in B.A. Baracus (Mr. T's character) stood for "Bad Attitude" and it sure fit the role!

I LOVE LUCY

*I Love Lucy ran for 6 full seasons. During the entire stint on television the show never fell below No. 3 in Nielsen ratings.

*In January of 1953, the "I Love Lucy" introduced an eyebrow raising episode in which Lucy gave birth on the air to "Little Ricky." Pregnant with her real life first son, Desi Jr. at the time, a record 44 million viewers tuned in to watch the live birth.

*Ball and Arnaz's coupling had been labeled tumultuous with the couple having fist fights literally on the set on several occasions.


*Lucille Ball was a communist

*Desi Arnaz used to cheat on Lucy left and right. One time she beat up one of his lovers right on their yatch knocking her in the water.

*Their real life nanny was a black woman who once punched Desi in the face for hitting Lucy.

*The character that played Fred was an alcholic who stumbled to the set several times drunk as a skunk.

*After 20 years of marriage, Ball and Arnaz divorced in 1960. While Arnaz turned to alcohol and was rarely seen in public again, Ball took out a loan for $3 million and bought her ex-husbands half of Desilu. At the time, Desilu was the world's largest production facility and Lucy's take-over made her the first woman in history to hold such a position.

Beverly Hills 90210
*To make the show last longer with the characters in high school, the gang did junior year twice.

*Tori Spelling is not listed as part of the main cast in the pilot.

*Jackie Taylor was played by Pamela Galloway in the pilot and by Ann Gillespie for the rest of the series.

*Lyman Ward played Jim Walsh in the pilot. The scenes were cut and re-shot with James Eckhouse.

*Brandon Walsh was also the name of Josh Brolin's character in The Goonies.

*Many changes after the pilot episode: The Walsh house changes to a different building (which explains the odd scenery behind James Eckhouse in the re-shot pilot scenes... it matches the Walsh house used in the remaining 10 years of the series, not the house used only in the pilot.) Also, Brandon's car changes from a Chevy Chevette in the pilot to a different model car in later episodes, referred to as "Mondale". Also, 'Luke Perry' does not appear in the series pilot, he is first featured in the 2nd episode.

*The main characters attended the same non-existent college, California University, as the main characters on Saved by the Bell: The College Years.

*In its early seasons, the show's episodes were issue-based until the producers decided it should become a teen soap opera.

*The character of Dylan was only supposed to be on for one or two episodes.

* Dylan's house exterior changed without him moving. The first outside shots showed a white house in a comfy neighborhood. Later it showed at dark wood house set back from the street and down a slight incline.

* The name of the fictional series that Steve's mom was the star of was "Hartley House".

*The role of Valerie Malone was given to Tiffani Thiessen after Alicia Silverstone had already turned it down.

*Aaron Spelling created the character of Gina Kincaid especially for Vanessa Marcil.

*The character 'Jim Walsh' was ranked #41 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" (20 June 2004 issue).

*Terence Ford and Arthur Brooks portrayed Dylan's father, Jack McKay, in two episodes before Josh Taylor assumed the role.

*"West Beverly" does not exist. Beverly Hills High School would not allow the use of their name in the series.

Sanford and Son
*Based on the BBC series Steptoe and Son. Several first season episodes of "Sanford and Son" were based on episodes from the earlier series.

*In the second episode it is revealed that Lamont's middle name is Grady. But in a later episode Fred admits that Lamont is his middle name and that he actually has no first name because he and Elizabeth never got around to it.

*In the episode, "The Lucky Streak", it was revealed that Lamont has no first name. "Lamont" is his middle name because Fred and Elizabeth couldn't think of a proper first name for him.

*The producers' original choice for Fred Sanford was Cleavon Little, who turned it down due to prior commitments. He suggested Redd Foxx to them for the role of Fred Sanford.

*The character Fred Sanford was named after Redd Foxx's brother.

*Whitman Mayo's character "Grady Wilson" is actually named after actor Demond Wilson (Lamont Sanford). Demond Wilson's full name is "Grady Demond Wilson."

*In the midst of filming episodes for the 1975 season, Redd Foxx had a feud with NBC when he demanded a salary that the network could not afford. Unable to reach an agreement Foxx walked off the show for the rest of the season and the producers were forced to create episodes around his absence. The continuity of the show explained that Fred Sanford was away in St. Louis attending his cousin's funeral and leaving his friend Grady (Whitman Mayo) in charge of the business. Oddly enough, this would turn out to be the highest rated season of the show's entire run.

*Fred originally came from St. Louis, Missouri, which was the birthplace of series star Redd Foxx.

*Besides Esther, Fred had three other sisters-in-law, Flossie, Minnie and Ethel.

*In the closing credits, the phrase "Sanford & Son was recorded on tape before a live audience" is spoken by Demond Wilson.

*In one episode, Fred makes a reference to the Mayo Travel Agency. This was an actual business run by cast member Whitman Mayo who played Grady.

*Chico, Julio's goat, was actually a female.

*This show held the same time slot for its entire run, Friday nights at 8pm on NBC.

*This was the only Norman Lear-produced sitcom that didn't air on CBS.

*The front of the Sanford House, which doubles as the entrance to the Junk Store, appears in the opening credits but was never seen in an actual episode.

*Redd Foxx was a huge fan of the '30s vocal group The Ink Spots and sang many of their songs on the show. NBC would not pay the royalties because the cost was astronomical. So out of his love for the group Redd Foxx paid them out of his own pocket.

*Redd Foxx and LaWanda Page had been friends since childhood, and she was his first and only choice to play Fred's sister-in-law Esther.

Wow these are great!!

Give us more!! Give us more!!!:D :D

Roseanne

*In the first episode featuring David Healy, he is introduced as Kevin Healy. However, in the episode "Everyone Comes to Jackie's", Roseanne says (speaking of Darlene's control over David), "David isn't even his real name - she just made that up!" On another episode, Darlene and David are filling out their college applications in the car, and Darlene points out that David left the space for his middle name blank. He admits that his middle name is Maurice. (I remember that!)

*Shelley Winters plays Estelle Parsons' mother in the show, but she is only seven years older in real life.

*Featured the first same-sex kiss on American network television.

*Even though Sal Barone played D.J. in only the first episode, his name continued to appear in the credits for most of the first season.

*All the exterior shots going to and coming from commercial breaks are shots of various city streets and buildings in Evansville, IN. This is where Matt Williams, the executive producer, attended college.

*DJ stands for David Jacob

*Alicia Goranson's request to wear her hair shorter as Becky was originally turned down by the producers. Goranson took her case to Roseanne, who solved the issue by taking up a pair of scissors and hacking Goranson's hair short then and there.

*In Alicia Goranson's first episode after her absence, she's in the kitchen and Darlene comes in and says, "Where the hell have you been?", referring to her replacement by Sarah Chalke.

*Not only did two actresses play Becky (Alicia Goranson and Sarah Chalke) but there were also two D.Js (Sal Barone and Michael Fishman), two actresses playing Dan's mother Audrey Conner (Ann Wedgeworth and Debbie Reynolds), three actors playing Crystal's son Lonnie (Josh C. Williams, Luke Edwards and Kristopher Kent Hill) and two actors playing DJ's best friend Todd (Troy Davidson and Adam Hendershott)

*'Sara Gilbert' received story credit for the 1992 episode "Don't Make Me Over"; she was 17 at the time.

*"Corn" (the vegetable) is shown or mentioned in every episode. (usually creamed corn)

*The Rooster shirt is in almost every episode. In one episode, each cast member ends up wearing the Rooster shirt. Even Andy.

*All three of Roseanne's husbands (Bill Pentland, Tom Arnold, and Ben Thomas) made at least one guest appearance on the show.

*The show's original title was "Life and Stuff".

*In "The Courtship of Eddie, Dan's Father", Crystal's blind date Donald asks Dan about the design of the Conner's kitchen. Dan says he didn't design it, and when asked who did, Dan responds, "Some guy named Garvin Eddy." Garvin Eddy is the production designer on a number of sitcoms, including this one.

*During the last four seasons of the show, recurring guest stars Johnny Galecki (David) and Glenn Quinn (Mark) actually appear in more episodes than their on-screen girlfriends/wives Sara Gilbert (Darlene) and Sarah Chalke/Lecy Goranson (Becky)

*Early during the first season, Roseanne frequently butted heads with the show's creator Matt Williams. Williams worked as the executive producer for the show's first thirteen episodes, but quit when Roseanne vehemently refused to say to her on-screen husband, "Well, you're my equal in bed, but that's it." Roseanne felt it was a line her character would never say.

*Although Alicia Goranson returned in the eight season to play Becky, Sarah Chalke, her replacement, still played Becky in some episodes that season. When Goranson left the show again at the end of the season, Chalke took on the role of Becky full time again.

*Sal Barone was originally cast as D.J. and appeared in the pilot. However, there was some friction on the set between Barone and Sara Gilbert so his mother took him off the show.

*George Clooney appeared in the first season, as Roseanne's boss at the factory where she worked.

*In the episode "Father's Day" Ed mentions that Dan's mother was eight months pregnant when Dan was three, meaning he has at least one sibling. A sister was referenced in one of the earlier episodes but never talked about again. The reference may have been cut out when the series went into syndication.

The role of Archie Bunker off tv's All In The Family was to be played by actor Mickey Rooney.

Actress Telma Hopkins was to star opposite Bill Cosby as his wife in CBS's Cosby but the two couldn't get along, so Cosby insisted on teaming once again with Phylicia Rashaad.


Late actress Mabel King was written off tv's What's Happening!! due to contract disputes and wanting to venture in other projects such as movies.

The ideal concept of tv’s Good Times came from Eric Monte and Mike Evans, better known as the first Lionel off The Jeffersons.


Family Matters was a spin-off of Perfect Strangers.

Gilligan's Island
*Carroll O'Connor (Archie Bunker on "All In the Family) tested for the role of the skipper, Dabney Coleman (Mr. Drysdale in the Beverly Hillbillies Movie) tested for the role of the professor, and Jayne Mansfield was offered the role of Ginger but turned it down.

*The theme song for Gilligan's Island refers to Mr. Howell as a Millionaire, but in several episodes he's referred to as a Billionaire.

*Bob Denver (Gilligan) was cast on another TV show 5 years before Gilligan's Island. He played the part of Maynard Krebs in "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis".

*The original pilot episode never aired due to changes made after it was shot. The professor, Ginger and Mary Ann were all replaced with new actors. Ginger and Mary Ann were changed from secretaries to a movie star and a farmer's daughter.

*The Gilligan's Island theme song lyrics originally went: ... The movie star, and the rest ... and was changed to ... The movie star ... The Professor and Mary Ann ... After all, it wasn't fair that all of the actors except the professor and Mary Ann were referred to in the song!

*Jim Backus (Mr. Howell) provided the voice for the well-known cartoon charachter Mr. Magoo.

*Gilligan was the only character that never had his full name mentioned on the TV show. Some of the people associated with Gilligan's Island say his first name was supposed to be "Willy" but Bob Denver insists that he always believed that Gilligan was his first name!

WKRP in Cincinatti
*WKRP was suppossedly at 1530 on the AM dial and the station's mascot was a Carp (fish).

*There was no real radio station in Cincinnati with the call letters WKRP but, after the show began, a station in Georgia applied for those letters and got them. The producers of the TV show wanted to sue but the FCC said that only a legitimate radio station can own the rights to call letters. By the way, there was a "WKRC" in Cincinnati before the show started.

*Several times during the show a character would talk about "Mayor Springer." Today, we know his as "Jerry Springer" the talk-show host. Yes, he was actually the mayor of Cincinnati at that time!

*Loni Anderson was the 1st runner-up in the 1964 Miss Minnesota contest.

*In the pilot episode, it's stated that WKRP is a 50,000 watt station. In the rest of the series, it's referred to as a 5,000 watt station.

*Doctor Johnny Fever had been fired from a job in Los Angeles for saying the word "Booger" on the air.

*The TV show was nominated for 2 Emmys and 3 Golden Globes, all for Loni Anderson as Best Actress. Unfortunately, she didn't win any of them.

Love Boat
*This series was based upon Jeraldine Saunders' novel titled, "The Love Boats". She wrote the book from her personal observations while serving as a hostess on a cruise ship.

*The Love Boat was actually filmed on two ships. In addition to the "Pacific Princess", filming was also done on the "Island Princess" although that name was never used on the series.

*Filming took place while on actual voyages ranging from the Virgin Islands to Alaska. Those cruises were always booked solid very far in advance! Passengers not only found it exciting to watch a TV show in production, they were also eligible to appear on the series as "extras"!

*In order to maintain interest in the show, in 1981 the Love Boat travelled to Austrailia, in 1982 to the Mediternanean and to China in 1983!

*A musical segment was also added in 1982 called the "Love Boat Follies" where the regular and guest cast would sing and sometimes dance.

*More changes were made in the fall of 1985 in an attempt to stop the slowly worsening ratings. The theme song sung by Jack Jones was changed to a "hipper" version sung by Dionne Warwick. A group called the "Love Boat Mermaids" were added to perform a musical number each week. (One of them was Teri Hatcher ... Who would later star on "Lois and Clark" and "Desperate Housewives"). A casino was added to the ship. Airtime was also moved from 9:00 to 10:00 PM. Those changes didn't help. By the spring of 1986, a final attempt to save the show was made by giving Captain Stubing a love interest and eventually having him marry.

*The Love Boat Mermaids were played by: Teri Hatcher (Amy), Nanci Lynn Hammond (Jane), Tori Brenno (Maria), Beth Myatt (Mary Beth), Debra Johnson (Patti), Macarena (Sheila), Andrea Moen (Starlight) and Deborah Bartlett (Susie). You probably know Teri Hatcher better from her roles on "Lois and Clark" and "Desperate Housewives"

*It was sad for hardcore viewers when the series ended in 1986 but that wasn't the last time we saw the crew of the Pacific Princess. In addition to a number of TV specials the following season and a TV reunion movie in 1990, they also got together on October 30, 1998 for Vicki's Wedding on episode #10 of "Love Boat: The Next Wave"! Julie and Doc were also pretty "Lovey-Dovey" on that episode. Only Fred Grandy did not appear. He had become a politician by that time and was trying diligently to lose his "Gopher" image!

Blossom
*In the pilot, the younger of Blossom's elder brothers was called Donnie. In the series he was renamed Joey. The role was played by 'Joey Lawrence' in both titles.

*ALF (from the series ALF) was a credited guest star as himself in episode

*According to the series pilot, the character 'Six' was named because of the number of beers her parents drank the night of Six's conception. This minutiae was downplayed later in the series, referring to her birth order instead.

*In the pilot Blossom's parents were married.

*A writer from the show named the character "Six" after a friend he knew from high school whose name is Seven.

*The show often contained references to another NBC show, Seinfeld, and vice versa.

Fantasy Island
*Michelle Pfeiffer made her 2nd ever on screen appearance on the episode "Elizabeth's Baby/The Artist and the Lady" which aired on January 17, 1981. It was her first "speaking" part. She had only one line and played the role of "Deborah Dare".

*Hervé Villechaize was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 1982 for Best Supporting Actor in a TV Show, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV.

*The Fantasy Island plane (dee plane, dee plane) was owned by author Richard D. Bach (author of, "Jonathan Livingston's Seagull") before the series began and was put up for auction after the show ended. It should be quite the collector's item as it had been signed by all of the show's guest stars which included quite a number of the television stars of that time.

*Ricardo Montalban hurt his back in 1951 while filming "Across the Wide Missouri". He had to have an operation on his spine that took over nine hours to complete! He had credited roles in more than 80 movies (including TV movies) and has guest-starred on more than 50 TV shows! He also appeared on the series, "The Colbys (1985)". Also, he was Loretta Young's brother-in-law. Loretta had starred on her own TV show, aptly titled, "The Loretta Young Show (1953)" and it aired for 8 seasons!

*The show was filmed in Burbank, California and Kauai, Hawaii.

*Hervé Villechaize committed suicide in 1993 at age 50 by shooting himself.

*The producers considered doing one episode in "3-D" but unfortunately, they decided against the idea.

Where in the world are you finding these facts? I'll have to read them all when I have more time - guess the students waiting to register won't wait, huh? :rolleyes:

From another message board. Interesting, huh?

The Cosby Show
*Clair's maiden name, Hanks, is the maiden name of Bill Cosby's real life wife, Camille O. Cosby.

*In the Italian version, the family name has been changed from Huxtable to the more pronounceable Robinson. "I Robinson" ("The Robinsons") is the name of the show.

*The house in the pilot episode was different from the series. Cliff makes a remark having four children and not five.

*Joseph C. Phillips, who played Denise's husband, appeared in an earlier episode as one of Sondra's boyfriends.

*Phylicia Rashad was pregnant throughout much of the third season. As a result, her scenes were greatly reduced and what little she was used in, she had to hide her condition, such as sitting behind a desk.

*In real life Earle Hyman, who plays Cliff's father, is only 11 years older than Bill Cosby, who plays Cliff. Clarice Taylor, who plays his mother, is only 10 years older than he.

*Phylicia Rashad is only ten years older than Sabrina Le Beauf.

*Anna was the first name of both Heathcliff Huxtable and Bill Cosby's mother; Russell was the first name of Heathcliff Huxtable's father and Bill Cosby's younger brother, Russell Cosby.

*The first episodes in the show's next-to-last season had an opening in front of a "Mother Hale" mural. However, when there was a disagreement over what compensation would be paid to the kids who painted the original mural, the show switched back to its previous season's "Apollo Theater" opening, with an added graphic for Erika Alexander, who was now a regular on the show. Some episodes began with Bill Cosby and Raven telling the viewers that it was not a repeat. The final season used a slightly modified version of the "Mother Hale" opening.

*The character of Sondra, the Huxtables' eldest daughter, was added almost as an afterthought. They decided there should be another child that represented the results of a good upbringing, hence a daughter in college. When casting the role, it came down to two actresses: 26-year-old Sabrina Le Beauf and 21-year-old Whitney Houston. LeBeauf's theater experience won her the role.

*Before the opening credits in one episode, Olivia walks up to Cliff wearing a Bart Simpson mask, a reference to Fox's "The Simpsons" (1989) taking away so many of The Cosby Show's viewers.

*The black button that Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby) wears in some of the later seasons says "SD Jr," a reference to Cosby's close friend Sammy Davis Jr., who died during the series' run.

*In the first few episodes of season 1, the only son, Theodore, is referred to as "Teddy," a nickname that is never used again - "Theo" is what everyone calls him thereafter.

*In one of the earlier episodes, Theo buys a shirt by designer Gordon Gartrelle. Throughout the series, the real-life Gordon Gartrelle worked in various jobs for the series and is listed as a producer of the show during the last few seasons.

*The show's theme was composed by Bill Cosby and Stu Gardner.

*In episode #1.13 ("Father's Day") we learn that Cliff's birthday is in October.

*Rudy was originally going to be a son, but when a suitable boy could not be find, girls were allowed to audition.

*Nobody gave this sitcom much chance for success partly because it was on Thursday night against Magnum P.I. (1980) (TV), a very popular CBS drama series at the time. The sitcom eventually became the #1 show on the air and routinely out-rated Magnum. In one episode of the show, Cosby wore a "Magnum" baseball cap.

*The character Cliff Huxtable was ranked #1 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" (20 June 2004 issue).

*At the start of the show, Cliff's name was Clifford. In later episodes, he is referred to as Heathcliff. Finally, in the first episode of the last season, Clair calls him Heathclifford.

*Carl Anthony Payne II, who played Theo's friend Cockroach, was fired from the show for refusing to cut his hair.

*Bill Cosby insisted that the show be filmed in New York due to his dislike of working in Hollywood.

*The show was initially rejected by ABC but later picked up by NBC where it became a huge success.

*Theo was found to be dyslexic, just like the late Ennis Cosby in real-life.

*Much of the artwork that hangs on the walls in the Huxtable household is by renowned fine artist Synthia Saint James.

*The episode "Mr. Quiet" (episode # 1.23) was actually a pilot for a proposed spin-off starring Tony Orlando as a man who runs a community center and Ada Maris as his girlfriend. The series never came to fruition.

*Winnie and Nelson Tibideaux are named for Winnie Mandela and Nelson Mandela, the first Black president of the Republic of South Africa and his then-wife.

*Bill Cosby's real-life family was the basis of the Huxtables. Both families consisted of four daughters and one son, the son being the middle child.

*In the final episode of the series, Cliff rings the door bell and dances Claire off the stage to the song "Embraceable You". This scene was totally improvised. The doorbell was a reoccurring theme throughout the final season. (I remember Phylicia said she didn't know what he was going to do, she was just following along)

Welcome Back Kotter
*The original title of the series was to be simply "Kotter," but that was before composer John Sebastian had difficulty writing the theme song lyrics. He couldn't find enough rhyming words for the title. Giving up on that tack, he decided to compose lyrics that illustrated the premise of the show in a song called, "Welcome Back." The producers were so impressed with the song that they decided to change the series title to "Welcome Back, Kotter." The song was also released on a single which went to #1 on the charts.

*The show always began and ended with Gabe Kotter telling his wife Julie a joke, except for the last episode. In that episode, Marcia Strassman had left the set after a dispute, so Gabe Kaplan tells the last joke to a stuffed bear.

*The show was originally banned in Boston. The Boston ABC affiliate did not want to air the show at first because they thought it was about busing, a very heated topic at the time. They eventually ran the show with no problems.

*Gabe Kaplan and John Travolta both left the show after the third season. Kaplan left over creative differences with James Komack. Travolta left after the massive success of Saturday Night Fever (1977). Kaplan appeared rarely in the final season but his name was still featured in the opening credits as being the star of the show. John Travolta appeared occasionally in the final season. When he did appear he was listed as "Special Guest Star".

*A spin-off was planned starring Ron Palillo titled "Horshack". The show was to feature Arnold Horshack and his family. Episode #2.19 "There Goes Number 5" served as the pilot for the proposed series but the show never materialized.
This sitcom was not aired in Italy until John Travolta's big smash on the silver screen as Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever (1977), whose title was literally translated as "La febbre del sabato sera". This is why Italian adaptors decided to rename this sitcom "I ragazzi del sabato sera", i.e. "Saturday Night Guys".

Out of This World
*Evie's dad was an alien who lived on the planet Anterias on was never seen on the show. Evie did, however, talk to him using a crystal cube.

*Evie's alien powers were; the ability to stop and restart time, materialize things into existence from nowhere, and she could also transport herself instantaneously from one place to another.

*Evie lived with her mother in Marlowe, California.

*The Mayor of Marlowe was the honorable Kyle Applegate who was played by Doug McClure. Doug is probably best known for his role of Trampas on the 1962-71 series, "The Virginian". Doug was one of the top stars in western movies during the 1960s but was versatile enough to accumulate nearly 60 guest-starring roles on TV series during his career, most of which were not western roles. Doug had good, boyish looks playing roles of twenty-somethings well into his forties. He worked in movies and on television practically to his dying day in early 1995 from lung cancer.

*The alien ships you saw during the opening credits were "borrowed" from the 1979-81 TV series, "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century". In the first episodes there were scenes of aliens on the planet Anterias. The robes they were wearing were the same ones worn by the Time Lords in the 1963-89 series, "Doctor Who".

All in The Family
*This tv show broke new ground with the first "toilet flush" ever heard on a tv show.

*Jean Stapleton turned down the role of Jessica Fletcher on "Murder, She Wrote". Then Angela Lansbury was cast in the role.

*Rob Reiner is the son of Carl Reiner; a huge star during the beginnings of television and perhaps best known by baby-boomers as Alan Brady on the Dick Van Dyke Show.

*All in the Family spun-off three other tv shows ... "Maude", "The Jeffersons" and "Archie Bunker's Place". "Maude" had its own spin-off ... "Good Times".

*Rob Reiner is best friends with Billy Crystal. They met while appearing on All In the Family. They were born just minutes apart from each other in New York!

Charlie's Angels
*At one point, the series was getting 18,000 fan letters each week!

*Originally, the producers of the tv show wanted a blonde, a redhead and a brunette for the three Charlie's Angels cast members but they wanted both Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith so bad that they gave up the idea.

*John Forsythe was not the first choice for the voice of Charlie. The originally hired actor showed up drunk for work and John agreed to take the job.

*The hair style worn by the charachter "Jill Monroe" was so popular that shortly after the show began, a large percentage of America's females were wearing "Farrah Fawcett Hairdos".

*Robert Wagner reluctantly accepted 45% ownership of the series as payment for a prior contract he had with Aaron Spelling. He said that he felt the show was the worst idea he'd ever heard!

*Charlie's Angels was the only immediately obvious hit of the 1976-77 season. By the end of the season, 59% of all tv viewers were watching the show in its time slot. It stayed in the Nielson ratings "Top Ten" for the first three seasons.

*Two of Charlie's Angels cast posed in Playboy magazine. Tanya Roberts in October of 1982 after the series was cancelled. Farrah Fawcett posed in December of 1978 (not nude) and bared it all at age 48 in December of 1995.

*Originally, the show was to be about three female cops and would be called "Alley Cats". Kate Jackson suggested that the women be detectives instead, that the name be changed to "Harry's Angels", and that Harry should be a voice on an intercom and never be seen. The producers used all of her suggestions except they changed "Harry's" to "Charlie's" because the tv series "Harry O" was already using that name. Ironically, Jackson was ultimately fired from the show for constantly complaining about how lousy the scripts were.

*Due to the popularity of Charlie's Angels, it was the first show to break the $100,000 per minute barrier for advertising.

The Honeymooners
*Jackie Gleason and Art Carney were first cast together on "The Cavalcade of Stars" program. Art's character "Ed Norton" was introduced on that series.

*According to Jackie Gleason, Orson Welles was the first person to call him, "The Great One".

*In addition to Audrey Meadows and Joyce Randolph, several other actresses played the roles of Alice and Trixie. Pert Kelton, Sue Ane Langdon and Sheila MacRae played Alice. Elaine Stritch, Patricia Wilson and Jane Kean played Trixie.

*Jackie Gleason did not originally want Audrey Meadows to be cast for the part of Alice Kramden. He thought she was too young and too pretty. She sent him pictures of herself dressed as a poor housewife and he changed his mind.

*In 1956, Art Carney won an emmy for the tv show as best actor in a supporting role. Jackie Gleason and Audrey Meadows both earned emmy nominations that year too but did not win.

*You know how you're always hearing that some series is filmed in the same studio where the Ed Sullivan Program was done. Well, The Honeymooners episodes were done there first!

*Jackie Gleason was born in a poor part of Brooklyn, NY pretty similar to his home on the Honeymooners.

*The often heard of "Lost Episodes" of the series are actually the sketches of the Honeymooners that were performed on the Jackie Gleason Program. They were in Gleason's possession all those years (30) and he always knew where they were. He had copies because it was in his contract that he would receive copies of all shows.

*The inscription on Jackie Gleason's headstone is his trademark phrase, "And Away We Go!".

*Everyone knows that Jackie Gleason starred in the movie, "The Hustler" in the role of "Minnesota Fats". Many people know that Jackie did not use a "double" for the pool shots as he was an excellent pool player himself. Few people are aware, however, that he got his skill by actually working as a pool hustler in his younger days!

Family Matters
*At the beginning of the series the Winslow family had 3 children. The youngest, Judy, was ultimately phased out. (I still can't believe they made that child walk up the stairs and never came back down)

*The character of Steve Urkel was named after a friend of one of the producers, and was only supposed to appear once. However, the audience's response was so overwhelmingly positive that the producers decided to make Urkel a regular character.

*On the ABC Family airings, there is an extended opening sequence, which presumably has not been used since the series originally aired on ABC.

*The theme song for the pilot was "What a Wonderful World," not "As Days Go By".

*Many sets used in scenes inside the house were also used in "Hogan Family, The" (1986) and "Step By Step" (1991) .

*Jo Marie Payton-Noble's Harriet Winslow originated in Perfect Strangers as an elevator operator.

*Telma Hopkins's tight rope walk scene on episode "Life of the Party" was added because she had learned how to do it for "Circus of the Stars", as part of the highwire act.

*The character of Steve Urkel was so popular, that it spawned a series of merchandise including a talking doll, trading cards, posters, books, lunchboxes and t-shirts. The character even had its own limited edition cereal.

*The show was cancelled by ABC after its eighth season but eventually picked up by CBS in hopes of attracting a younger audience.

*There was supposed to be a 10th season featuring Steve and Laura's wedding but CBS cancelled the show after one year on the network.

* Jo Marie Payton-Noble left the show when it moved stations from ABC to CBS because she didn't like how the show overemphasized the Steve Urkel character. (Why the momma always wanna leave?)

The Incredible Hulk
*This tv show became the first sci-fi series to win an Emmy Award in a non-technical category when Mariette Hartley won in 1979 for "Outstanding Actress in a Dramatic Series".

*The reason that Dr. Banner was working on experiments to increase human strength is that his wife died in a car accident and, although he was there, he couldn't get her out of the wreck.

*Richard Kiel ("Jaws" from the James Bond films) was first offered the role of the "monster" on the program but turned it down. Then Arnold Schwarzenegger was rejected for the role because he wasn't tall enough. Lou Ferrigno who had co-starred with Schwarzenegger in the movie documentary "Pumping Iron", finally landed the role.

*The series set records for its special effects spending at the time. Because of this, in order to keep other costs down, lots of footage was used over and over again in multiple episodes and some other tv show footage (from other series).

*Ted Cassidy who narrated the opening segment of each episode is best known for his role as "Lurch" in the 1964-66 series, "The Addams Family".

*Even though the "monster" had died in the third and final movie "The Death of the Incredible Hulk", Bill Bixby was working on a fourth movie when he himself fell ill and died. That movie was to have been called, "The Rebirth of the Incredible Hulk".

*Lou Ferrigno had been a professional body builder and football player from Canada. He won the "Teen Age Mr. America" title in 1970; "Mr. America" and "Mr. Universe" titles in 1973; and "Mr. Universe" again in 1974! At that time he weighed 275 pounds, his chest measured 59 inches, and he had 22 1/2" biceps! He was so popular that he averaged 2,000 letters per week from fans!

Knight Rider
*The premise for the tv show has interesting origins. It seems that Brandon Tartikoff felt that it was pretty difficult to find handsome male stars for the cast that could also act. He imagined a concept where the leading man would be getting out of bed with a woman and simply say, "Thank you". Then, while chasing criminals, he would simply say, "Freeze"! When the innocent victims thanked him, he'd only respond, "You're Welcome". Otherwise, the majority of the dialog would be done by a car with artificial intelligence. Luckily for us, David Hasselhoff was able to do a little bit better than that!

*The car's name, Kitt is an acronym for "Knight Industries Two Thousand". It was stated in one of the episodes that the car cost $11,400,000 to produce!

*Michael, Kitt and their support staff worked out of a huge estate called "F.L.A.G. - The Foundation For Law And Government". F.L.A.G. was originated by a dying billionaire who spent the final years of his life building the organization to fight evil and benefit mankind. Devon Miles took over his "vision" after his death.

*Kitt may have seemed unstopable at times but the car did have one weakness. It could not see (scan) through lead.

*Michael and Kitt both had "evil doubles" on the tv show. They were Garthe and K.A.R.R. Garthe was the son of the dying billionaire, and his face was the model for Michael's plastic surgery. Convenient, huh? David Hasselhoff could play both parts. K.A.R.R. was built by Knight Industries just like Kitt but they forgot to include the directive to protect human life in K.A.R.R.'s programming! It was left with its primary programming being "self-preservation at all costs".

*Kitt's serial number was "Aplha Delta 227529".

*Prior to receiving his new identity, Michael's last name was "Long".

*David Hasselhoff was a huge rock star in many countries around the world! In Germany (1989) he was selected the "Most Popular and Best Selling Artist of the Year"! He wasn't just a hero on the tv show either. In 1995 he saved a drowning child AND helped to rescue the victim of a car crash! In 1996 he finally got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Moonlighting
*The episode "It's a Wonderful Job" has a dream sequence where the Blue Moon detective agency becomes the Hart Detective Agency, with an employee named Lionel, played by Lionel Stander. Both are in-joke references to "Hart to Hart" (1979).

*Much of the show's popularity derived from the unconsummated sexual tension between the main characters. When the writers finally relented and allowed the characters to get together, the show's ratings plummeted.
*In the episode "When Girls Collide" 'Bruce Willis (I)' is seen standing in front of a film poster for Die Hard.

*In the episode when Maddie and David sleep together for the first time, the bed scene was filmed with the mattress propped vertically against a wall and the actors standing and leaning against it (notice Shepherd's hair falling the wrong direction). The reported reason is that Willis had a broken shoulder and Shepherd was pregnant. Also, parts of that scene were filmed with a body double for Willis because of his injury.

*The episode "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice" opens with an introduction by Orson Welles. Welles died five days before the episode was broadcast, thus his cameo was likely the last time Welles ever appeared before a camera. Welles's name didn't appear in either the opening or end credits so you could in some way say that he was uncredited but "he received" a captioning in the beginning of the episode though, that read "This program is dedicated to the memory of Orson Welles 1915-1985".

*During episode 4.3, "Take a Left at the Altar", there is a chase between a car and a biplane, and part of the theme from North by Northwest can be heard. Eva Marie Saint, who co-starred in the film, guest-stars in the episode as Maddie's mother.

*Episodes of the show were delayed so many times, one promotional spot for the series featured an actor playing a network employee waiting for the next episode to be delivered.

*Glenn Gordon Caron was hired away from the series Remington Steele, another series about a pair of bickering detectives, to create and produce this show.

*Bruce Willis was the very last of about 3,000 actors to audition for the role of David Addison.

Melrose Place
*Heather Locklear was credited as a "special guest star" for six seasons.
*Thomas Calabro,(Michael Mancini) was the only original cast member to remain on Melrose Place throughout the entire run.

*Melrose Place is a so-called "branch" of Beverly Hills, 90210 since part of the Melrose Place story begins there. The storyline between Jake Hanson (Grant Show) and Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth) continued during the beginning of the series. Also in the pilot the cast of Beverly Hills, 90210 which included Jennie Garth, Ian Ziering, Brian Austin Green, and Tori Spelling made several recurring guest appearances.

*Actress Hunter Tylo was originally cast in the role of Taylor McBride, but became pregnant soon after being hired, and was fired. Producers said the pregnancy violated the change-in-her-appearance clause in her contract, and she sued them. Tylo won the suit against Aaron Spelling and the other producers, and was rewarded $4.9 million.

*Stephen Fanning was originally cast in the role of Billy Campbell, but was fired when filming first began because he had gained too much weight. He was replaced by Andrew Shue, who re-shot the "Billy" scenes in the pilot two days after getting the role.

*The third season was originally going to end with Kimberly blowing up the apartment complex, but that was scrapped since the Oklahoma City bombing occurred a month earlier. Not wanting to be insensitive to the national tragedy of the Oklahoma City bombing, the producers had the final shot of the season being Kimberly hitting the detonator, then showed the explosion in the season premiere in the fall of 1995.

*When the series ended, people who worked on the show sold bottles of the swimming pool water on EBay.

*Courteney Cox, Dean Cain, Calista Flockhart, Julianna Margulies, Paul Rudd, Robert Sean Leonard, Sherry Stringfield, Pamela Anderson, Noah Wyle, and Kathy Ireland all auditioned for roles when the show was first being cast in 1992.

*As "Matt Fielding" on this show, Doug Savant played the first openly gay character in a prime-time American soap opera.

*Both Linden Ashby and Rob Estes had guest appearances in the first season and second season and then became prominent members in the cast later in the series as completely different characters. Ashby played Jo's ex-husband and then became Dr. Brett "Coop" Cooper and Estes played Sam and then became Kyle McBride.

*By early 1999, FOX decided that the ratings erosion as well as the extremely high production costs (it was said that they could have filmed an entire pilot just on Heather Locklear's salary) warranted cancellation

In Living Color (some of this we know already)
*The pilot episode began with a skit entitled "Love Connection", starring Keenen Ivory Wayans as 'Mike Tyson', Jim Carrey as 'Chuck Woolery', and Kim Coles as 'Robin Givens'.

*The dance troupe on this show was called The Fly Girls. In the third season, a new dancer, Jennifer Lopez, was cast as one of the Fly Girls.

*Actor Shawn Wayans first appeared as the show's music DJ "SW1", but later gave those reigns to DJ Twist to focus more on his acting.

*According to an Oscar profile in Entertainment Weekly, Thomas Haden Church auditioned for a spot on the show, but was edged out by Jim Carrey.

*Homey D. Clown's real name is Herman Simpson

*For the first few episodes, an exotic-looking logo was used for the opening credits. After the band Living Colour claimed the show stole the logo from them and threatened to sue, the logo was changed to one with rather plain-type letters.

*Keenen Ivory Wayans left the show in the middle of the fourth season over disputes with Fox about censoring the show's content and rerunning early episodes without his consultation. At the end of the season, Kim Wayans, Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans followed their brother in leaving the show. Damon Wayans had already left the show at the end of the third season to pursue his film career.

Family Ties
*Stars Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter share the same birthday: 21 June 1947. Gross was born in Chicago and Baxter was born in L.A.

*The producers originally wanted Matthew Broderick to play Alex P. Keaton, but the actor had to decline the role when his father became terminally ill.

*It was never revealed what the P in Alex P. Keaton stood for.

*Ed O'Neill was considered for the role of Steven Keaton.

*The show was modeled after producer Gary David Goldberg and wife Diane's real-life experiences as former 'hippies' transforming into suburban family life.

*Michael J. Fox added the P. in Alex P. Keaton as an ad-lib in his audition, the writers loved it and kept it. 'Michael J. Fox' 'qv) almost didn't get the role of Alex - due to the fact that NBC exec Brandon Tartikoff didn't find it believable that Meredith Baxter and Michael Gross would have a son that was so short.

*According to Michael J. Fox's last Spin City episode, Alex P. Keaton became a Junior Congressman from Ohio.

*One year before playing Michael J. Fox's father in _Back to the Future (1985)), Crispin Glover played Alex P. Keaton's friend in the episode Birthday Boy.

*When Meredith Baxter became pregnant during the hiatus between the second and third seasons, her pregnancy was written into the show. However, she still was written out of several episodes after giving birth to twins in real life.

*Tom Hanks played Elise Keaton's brother Ned.
*Alex was born in Africa when Elyse and Steven were serving in the Peace Corps.

*'Michael J. Fox' 's first audition was deemed terrible by 'Gary Goldberg' because Fox came off too smart-aleck. Casting director 'Judith Wiener' really liked Fox and begged Goldberg to see him a second time. Fox took a different approach, the audition went great, and Fox was offered the part.

*The cast wanted to end the show with the entire Keaton family dying in a plane crash. They absolutely didn't want to do a reunion show in the future.

*Throughout the series' run, exterior establishment shots of the Keaton home were never used in any of the episodes, which is very unusual for a family sitcom. The vast majority of all scenes were played out in the kitchen.

ALF
*ALF's name is Gordon Shumway, and he's from the planet Melmac.

*Producer 'Paul Fusco' was the voice of ALF.

*Michael Eisner, head of The Walt Disney Company, made an unsuccessful bid to buy the series outright before Lorimar made a syndication deal with Alien Productions.

*The final episode ("Consider Me Gone") was, indeed, intended as a cliffhanger. At the time it was filmed, NBC was still up in the air over whether the show would be cancelled. The cliffhanger format was intended to help persuade NBC to give the show one more chance, if only to resolve the "To Be Continued" ending. Six years later, the TV movie Project: ALF finally brought closure--although the lack of the original human cast, and poor writing, cause many fans to reject Project: ALF as part of the show's canon.

*The name of every episode is also the name of a song. Each is relevant to the episode's plot.

*ALF stands for Alien Life Form.

*The names of the Melmacian holidays and currencies mentioned by ALF in some episodes are actually the surnames of the crew-members.

The Bernie Mac Show
*The show is shot in single-camera style with no laugh track or studio audience.

*Bernie was originally hesitant about doing the show for fear it would tone down his comedic style.

*The idea for the show was originally pitched to NBC, ABC, CBS and the WB.

*Production on the fourth season had to be suspended for eight weeks in order to allow Bernie Mac to recover from a serious case of pneumonia.

*Larry Wilmore, who created and executive produced the show, was fired by FOX during the show's second season. Reports cited that Wilmore and the network constantly clashed over the show's creative direction. FOX executives felt that the show didn't have enough laughs and were disappointed with the show's ratings in its second season while Wilmore was frustrated with FOX's treatment of the show and creative interference.

Mork and Mindy
*Many of the gags seen on the show were on-the-spot improvisations by Robin Williams, and later by Williams and Jonathan Winters. If you pay attention to Pam Dawber, you can often see her having difficulty not laughing at the ad libs.

*When Conrad Janis and Elizabeth Kerr temporarily left the show, their absences were explained by having Fred fulfilling his dream of becoming a conductor and going on the road and Cora joining him there.

*Unlike humans, who evolved from the apes, Orkans evolved from chickens.

*Mork and Mindy's downstairs neighbor, Mr. Bickley, wrote greeting cards for a living.

*As of 2004 Mork and Mindy's house is the most popular landmark in Boulder, Colorado.

*The house used for the exterior shots of Mindy's home is at 1619 Pine St near downtown Boulder. Mindy's father's music store was actually a bookstore on Boulder's Pearl Street Mall.

*Producer Garry Marshall said he came up with the basic concept of the show during a phone call with an ABC executive. He said he set the show in the college town of Boulder because he had a friend with a child attending Colorado University.

*Jonathan Winters' first appearance on the show was as Dave McConnell (one of Mindy's relatives) in "Mork and the Family Reunion". Winters went on to join the cast full-time as Mearth in the following season.

*Mork's furry alien pet, Bebo, was credited as himself.