« Briefing Room: Interview with Pitchfork Fest and Brilliant Corners of Popular Amusements Producer Mike Reed | Interview: Brian Posehn » |
Television Fri Sep 09 2011
Sitcom Cast Change Countdown #7: The Hogan Family
Okay, this is a weird one.
Do you remember The Hogan Family? These days, the late-'80s sitcom is notable primarily as the first starring role for a teenage Jason Bateman (he played the oldest brother, David). You might also remember that it was set in Oak Park. But today we're focusing on another highly notable facet of the program: one historic casting change.
When launched in 1986, its title was Valerie, and it was intended as a vehicle for its star, Valerie Harper. What's that you say? Valerie Harper wasn't on The Hogan Family? Well, you're right, sort of. Valerie was fired from the show just two seasons in, after sternly objecting to plans to shift the show's tone and focus. Matriarch and prior focal point Valerie was "killed off" in a car accident, and the show was now about the rest of her family-- her three sons, her pilot husband, and now her husband's sister. Sandy Duncan was brought in as Aunt Sandy, and the show went on, awkwardly at first, as Valerie's Family: The Hogans (logical enough: the old show was about Valerie, now this new show was about her family). Aunt Sandy and the gang would carry the show through 1991, accounting for four of the show's six seasons.
Meanwhile, Harper was suing producers for breach of contract, a case she eventually won, and before long those same producers decided "Valerie" should be eradicated from the title, too. In 1988, it became The Hogan Family we know and love. Or at least know. Unless this is the first you've heard of it. In which case, tune in next time for a more familiar #6 in our Sitcom Cast change Countdown.
Check out #8: A Death in the Family, #9: The One With the Magical Morphing Baby, and #10: Saved By the Bell