Not everyone likes change; whether it be a family member who moves away, or growing apart from a friend, or if you’re a geek like us, when our favourite TV shows replace its lead cast.
However, things don’t go swimmingly, and after a running joke of how Alan wants to see a musical, Walden imagines a musical number titled “You’re a douche”, which parodies famous musicals and delights with its catchy tune and great dance moves. This had me in hysterics. Honest to God, it was the most fun I’ve had watching the show in so long. And I remember, just as the song finished, the first thing I thought was:
“This never would’ve happened if Charlie was still here”
I was one of the many fans sceptical about when it was announced, but then Ashton Kutcher was cast as an entirely new character – that’s when I became furious. At this point, I was not a fan of Kutcher in any way, shape or form. His movie work did not impress. I almost refused to watch the show. But then, when it finally came back on, I decided to watch the opening two-parter to see how right I was about Kutcher… I was wrong.
Am I saying that I prefer the show without Sheen? Maybe I am. I’m not sure. All I know is, I was wrong to be so harsh towards Kutcher before he had even walked on screen. Still, I seem to have a knack for this…
He was actually rather great! His body language, the way he delivered his lines, like Ashton, it was a big smack in the face for me and I’ve enjoyed his performances ever since. Whilst I think the show has differed in quality, Smith has been constantly entertaining, switching from happy and fun to seriously dark. And when the Doctor goes dark, the acting gets better. It was most notable in last year’s A Town Called Mercy, which he was just excellent in. It’s the same situation with Sheen and Kutcher, I don’t know if I prefer Smith to Tennant. Still, no matter how much I love either, I’ll never forget the pit in my stomach filled with hate when the change was gonna happen.
Of course, it’s not always good; take Scrubs for example. In my opinion, Scrubs is one of the best comedy shows of all time. But when it came to Season 8, it was decided for J.D., the main character, to leave. No one made a fuss about this. Why? Because after the beautiful ending to Season 8, everyone thought that Scrubs was over anyway. And for a while, it was. But then came the awful thing that is… Money. Yep, it was renewed for another season. The series was close to being fully milked; Season 9 (Scrubs: Interns) was made, and changed quite a bit..
Sacred Heart Hospital was changed into a Medical School, and we followed the lives of Med Students, among them Denise Mahoney, a character introduced in Season 8, and James Franco’s douche of a brother. Rather than J.D., we listened to the thoughts of Lucy Bennett, our new main character. Only Donald Faison (Turk) and John C. McGinley (Dr. Cox) returned to the main cast, with other favourites such as Zach Braff (J.D), Sarah Chalke (Elliot), Neil Flynn (The Janitor) and Ken Jenkins (Kelso) making limited appearances. Hell, Carla was barely even mentioned let alone appeared!
With stuff like that happening, we can’t blame people for not being open to new things. But what we can blame them for is not even trying. For better or for worse, everything changes; I guarantee that within the next 5 years, if your favourite show hasn’t already ended, then it will at least take a different turn. But how will you react when that happens? Would you watch Peep Show without David Mitchell and Robert Webb? Would you watch Homeland without Claire Danes and Damian Lewis? Of course not. But there’s a difference there: Peep Show could never go on without those two, whereas Homeland is not safe.
There seems to be a rule of American television that every single cast member is expendable in some way or another. Let’s say Claire Danes dies (touch wood), that won’t mean a thing. Homeland will go on with Brody and some new CIA agent, cause that’s just how it works. So you can all enjoy Peep Show until it sadly comes to an end, and relish in the fact it will always stay the same. But when it comes to US show, prepare for anything. Just don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Two and a Half Men has proved ever so greatly that a show doesn’t always have to rely on its star; if you REALLY like these shows, you’ll give them a chance no matter what.