Which Character Suffered More in Richie's Absence?

[Guy Incognito]

Anson Williams started out as the co-lead, then was downgraded to third or fourth banana (depending on how you view Ralph Malph), and then found himself even further down the totem pole once Ron Howard and Don Most left (and Scott Baio and Erin Moran became the new young leads). By the end of the series, he was a complete non-entity and frequently the butt of everyone's jokes (remember Arnold's reaction when he returned to buy the restaurant and was wistfully commenting on all the new faces, and Potsie cheerfully announced that he was still around? "Why?"), and the fact that he didn't even make the finale speaks volumes. That, and the fact that he got beat up (offscreen) by Chachi during the last season. Think about that for a minute.

So I'd say that Potsie definitely suffered more than any other character. But Anson probably enjoyed cashing those checks regardless.

[Sunshine Cab]

Potsie.

Most definitely.

[mets82]

Btw, welcome to the board!!

And yes, Potsie for me. He was hardly in it after Richie and Ralph left.

[howilu]

To me, when Ron Howard and Donny Most left the show, Potsie was no longer needed since he was part of the old gang and the focus shifted to Joanie and Chachi. So that's where Roger came in as a new character who would play off Fonzie and eventually the two would work together when Roger became the principal at George S. Patton Vocational School and Fonzie would be the Dean of Boys.

[Sunshine Cab]

Originally Posted by mets82

Btw, welcome to the board!!

And yes, Potsie for me. He was hardly in it after Richie and Ralph left.

Thanks!

[Race's Girl]

I think that Fonzie suffered too

[visaman666]

Potties stayed to sing at Arnold's.

[AMackII]

It was Potsie more importantly

[TV Guy]

Originally Posted by Dr. Thong

Okay, Richie couldn't get time off to marry Lori Beth, so Fonzie acted as a stand-in.

I wonder if Fonzie acted as a stand-in on the wedding night, too.

[Superswiper]

Potsie. Sure, Lori Beth suffered too, but unlike her, Potsie was one of the original main characters, arguably the deuteragonist to Richie in the first two seasons. But in the last four seasons, he was basically a background character. Such a role decrease.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by TV Guy

I wonder if Fonzie acted as a stand-in on the wedding night, too.

Bwahahahaha! That's very funny!

The post-Richie years were terrible. Lori Beth, Potsie, Fonzie and the show itself suffered when Richie Cunningham left Happy Days. No amount of Ted McGinley or Helen from Wings could save it. No amount of Lori Beth filling in for her absentee husband could make up for him leaving.

[jehobden]

Originally Posted by Guy Incognito

Anson Williams started out as the co-lead, then was downgraded to third or fourth banana (depending on how you view Ralph Malph), and then found himself even further down the totem pole once Ron Howard and Don Most left (and Scott Baio and Erin Moran became the new young leads). By the end of the series, he was a complete non-entity and frequently the butt of everyone's jokes (remember Arnold's reaction when he returned to buy the restaurant and was wistfully commenting on all the new faces, and Potsie cheerfully announced that he was still around? "Why?"), and the fact that he didn't even make the finale speaks volumes. That, and the fact that he got beat up (offscreen) by Chachi during the last season. Think about that for a minute.

So I'd say that Potsie definitely suffered more than any other character. But Anson probably enjoyed cashing those checks regardless.

http://epguides.com/HappyDays/#navbar

From the list of production numbers here, it appears that Anson Williams left Happy Days altogether at some point halfway through Season 11. I haven't seen all of these to know, but his last-filmed appearance may have been in "Welcome Home", where Potsie appeared with Richie & Ralph. The episodes were aired in a much different order though, making it look as though Potsie was there every other week or so, similar to how Bewitched handled Dick York's leaving the show with several episodes left to be filmed. York appeared in the final Season 5 episode aired, but it was filmed long before many other episodes that season.

[Dr. Thong]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Bwahahahaha! That's very funny!

The post-Richie years were terrible. Lori Beth, Potsie, Fonzie and the show itself suffered when Richie Cunningham left Happy Days. No amount of Ted McGinley or Helen from Wings could save it. No amount of Lori Beth filling in for her absentee husband could make up for him leaving.

Certain actors and characters cannot be replaced. When you take them out of the show, it changes the chemistry of the show, it's a shock to the system.

Henry Winkler may have been the star as Fonzie, but Ron Howard was the actor the show was originally built on and his character was the yin to Fonzie's yang. The two actors had a great chemistry together and Howard was the linchpin that tied everything together.

I think the big mistake was bringing in characters who, in some instances, were watered down versions of the characters they were taking the place of. Roger is a prime example of this.

Don't blame Ted McGinley for what happened in the final years of Happy Days, blame Garry Marshall and the writers for coming up with weak characters and situations to keep a show going past its prime.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by Dr. Thong

Certain actors and characters cannot be replaced. When you take them out of the show, it changes the chemistry of the show, it's a shock to the system.

Henry Winkler may have been the star as Fonzie, but Ron Howard was the actor the show was originally built on and his character was the yin to Fonzie's yang. The two actors had a great chemistry together and Howard was the linchpin that tied everything together.

I think the big mistake was bringing in characters who, in some instances, were watered down versions of the characters they were taking the place of. Roger is a prime example of this.

Don't blame Ted McGinley for what happened in the final years of Happy Days, blame Garry Marshall and the writers for coming up with weak characters and situations to keep a show going past its prime.

I agree. It seemed as though Garry Marshall kept continuing Happy Days long after the actors and the audience got bored. The show should have ended at the end of Season Seven, when Richie left. Instead, it continued as a zombie of its former self for another four ghastly seasons.

[Dr. Thong]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

I agree. It seemed as though Garry Marshall kept continuing Happy Days long after the actors and the audience got bored. The show should have ended at the end of Season Seven, when Richie left. Instead, it continued as a zombie of its former self for another four ghastly seasons.

And to make matters worse, he spun off Joanie and Chachi for season 10. The characters were bumped up and became featured characters to fill the void created by the absence of Richie and Ralph and Garry Marshall takes them out of the show.

I've said this many times before, but Happy Days wasn't the same show during those last four seasons. I think it might have been better off if the show's name had been changed to Jefferson High or something else. Kind of like when All In The Family became Archie Bunker's Place after the departures of Rob Reiner, Sally Struthers and Jean Stapleton.