From beginning to end - two totally different shows!
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00:00The TV game is a hard one to break. Myriad shows are chucked against the wall every season,
00:05and it's almost impossible to predict what will stick. Many a long-running programme has started
00:10out providing one kind of content and ended up doing something totally different. With that in
00:15mind, I'm Adam from WhatCulture and here are 10 TV shows that changed dramatically.
00:20Number 10, New Girl. In 2011, Fox felt absolutely certain that the sheer force of Zooey Deschanel
00:26would be enough to sell a sitcom. Every advert and poster for New Girl featured Deschanel as Jess,
00:32the titular character, front and centre, with her co-stars way out in the background if pictured at
00:37all. She was, we were promised, adorkable. And to be fair, Deschanel was a great fit for TV.
00:43Then at the peak of her powers, her public persona worked perfectly in 20-minute chunks.
00:48This simple premise saw her quirky school teacher character move into an apartment with a disparate
00:52bunch of boys, wherein hijinks couldn't help but ensue. Quickly though, the writers realised that
00:57there was life in this project beyond Zooey Deschanel, the show. As the rest of the cast,
01:02Jake Johnson, Lamorne Morris, Hannah Simone and the exceptional Max Greenfield found their feet
01:08in the supporting roles, the show was reshaped around the ensemble. It transformed from a star
01:13vehicle to the era's best hangout show. So distinct was this transformation that Jess could be written
01:18off the show for a spell while Deschanel gave birth. Smart writing and great cast chemistry
01:23turned what could have been a flash in the pan into one of the great modern network comedies.
01:28Number 9, The Leftovers. This masterful drama created by Damon Lindelof and Tom Parada,
01:34on whose novel it's based, is by design in a constant state of flux. We're dropped into a
01:39terrifying reality in which 2% of the world's population has disappeared without trace or
01:44explanation, and from there, we follow an evolving cast of characters as they make sense
01:48of the new reality and hope to rebuild. Most obviously, each season takes place primarily
01:54or entirely in a different location. For the first run, we're in a small town in New York state,
01:59where our series-long protagonists, Kevin and Nora, find each other among a landscape of religious
02:04fundamentalism, nihilism and grief. After this, we decamp first to Miracle, Texas, a town unblighted
02:11by the rapture-like event, and later, Australia. Beyond this though, the tone and genre shift
02:16perceivably, sliding from psychological drama into something akin to sci-fi. The series remains
02:21rooted in realism commendably throughout. As time passes, we see the departure fade into the
02:26background. Life, as it must, goes on for those who remain. Number 8, Peep Show. Jesse Armstrong
02:33and Sam Bane's sitcom will rightfully be remembered as one of the 21st century's best, but
02:38uncommonly for a British comedy, it didn't half-outstay its welcome. For long-term fans of
02:43the show, watching the dying days of Mark and Jeremy was like watching an entirely different
02:47programme. At the outset, Peep Show was as well-observed as British comedy had been in years.
02:52Everybody is a Mark or a Jez, two diametrically opposed characters who are nonetheless equally
02:58dysfunctional. From romantic failures to thwarted careers, delusions of grandeur and unreliable
03:03mates, Peep Show was a painful laugh precisely because so much of the content was recognisable.
03:08Somewhere along the way though, it turned into a cartoon. While that's hardly uncommon for
03:12long-running comedies, it's rare to see a show once so grounded go so totally wild.
03:18Low-key disappointments were replaced by snakes, electric fences and decisions no human would ever
03:23make. The show never forgot how to tell a joke, but the limping form of Peep Show's final days
03:28is something of a blight on a show that could have been perfect had it ended earlier.
03:33Entourage
03:34For the first few seasons of HBO's Entourage, we were presented with a satire of the vacuity
03:39and banality of modern Hollywood. We followed burgeoning actor Vincent Chase and his coattail
03:44riding friends as they enjoyed life in the lap of luxury without much in the way of discernible
03:48talent. For the remainder of its run, Vince and the boys got everything they could imagine,
03:53be that wealth, material goods, beautiful women or inexplicable career success,
03:58again without a discernible talent between them. Each season was more pointless than the last,
04:02setting up conflicts that would be overcome an episode later or some of the most ludicrous
04:07deus ex machinas in TV history. While the show initially poked fun at these greedy,
04:11amoral characters, by the end it was clear the writers thought they were to be celebrated.
04:16The incessant product placement, meaningless celebrity cameos and casual hate speech entirely
04:21replaced the compelling stories of the first three seasons. The movie in which it transpires,
04:26Vince is also a great director as well as the world's greatest actor, is the cherry on top of
04:31the sundae. Number 6, Parks and Recreation. This Amy Poehler-led sitcom went through several
04:37iterations in its seventh season tenure. When it started off, it was quickly dismissed as another
04:42office imitator, not least because of its mock-doc style and the personnel involved on both sides of
04:47the camera. It quickly switched its tone into something akin to a live-action Simpsons,
04:52much for the better. The town of Pawnee felt incredibly well realised, and while they
04:57maintained the talking head format, creator Michael Schur was less strict with the folks
05:01reality format. As the show became more satirical of modern politics, it changed again, with seasons
05:06three to five carefully plotted, perhaps hitting its peak with Poehler's Leslie Knope running for
05:11city council in a massively compelling run of episodes. In its endgame though, it pioneered
05:16a bizarre trend of modern comedy and became a show about how important it is to be nice to
05:21one another. Gone were the well-crafted relationships and dramatic tension, gone were
05:25the jokes, for the most part. Unfortunately, Parks and Recreation limped over the line,
05:30and was indirectly responsible for the likes of Ted Lasso. Number 5, Moral Oral. This criminally
05:36underrated adult swim stop-motion series from Dino Stamatopoulos, Community Starburns, was a bold
05:42proposition from the off. Spoofing American sitcoms and religious kids programming, it was an acidic
05:47take on small-town fundamentalism. The gist of the early show saw our titular character get into
05:52scrapes through far too literal interpretation of Christian messages. For the ensuing havoc,
05:57he'd then be punished severely by his father, Clay, one of the most hauntingly well-realised
06:02stop-motion characters ever depicted. The episodic nature of the first two seasons was turned on its
06:07head for the final full-length run. Season three is one long arc, delving into incredible darkness
06:13as Stamatopoulos and his co-writers shift focus primarily to Clay, his past, and what made him
06:19the abusive, hate-filled figure we've followed and laughed at thus far. It's easily the show's
06:24finest season. The writing is immaculate, maintaining Moral Oral's often-shocking comedy,
06:30while presenting a character study, as well as a note of genuine earned hope, that the majority
06:35of live-action shows could only hope to achieve. Number 4, Orange is the New Black. One of Netflix's
06:41earliest hits, Orange is the New Black is a show whose lofty aims only grow as it goes on. Set in
06:47a women's prison, by design viewers are introduced quickly to a large cast of inmates and guards.
06:52The entry point, though, is Piper Chapman, who sticks out like a sore thumb in her capacity as
06:57an unworldly wasp convicted of a historic one-off offence. As the show goes on, though, the writers
07:02smartly realise that Piper is by no means the most interesting character they have at their disposal.
07:08Indeed, Orange is the New Black is commendable for the diversity of its cast,
07:12and through flashbacks, we're introduced to women from all walks of life. With Piper's story pushed
07:17to a supporting role, it allows showrunner Jenji Kohen to examine topics like the education system,
07:22immigration, mental health, and the cycle of poverty. The show isn't always the most subtle,
07:27but its ability to reshape and refocus allows it to examine important issues on a major platform.
07:33While Piper remains the de facto lead, by its conclusion, the show is a true ensemble piece,
07:38and arguably has its finest moments in the last couple of seasons.
07:42Line of Duty What a difference a budget makes!
07:46The first three seasons of Line of Duty were made from the standard British drama purse,
07:50that is to say, savings were made possible. The cast was kept small, AC-12's internal affair
07:56coppers, their subject, and a few baddies. Plots were sharp, plenty of moving pieces,
08:01but action, location, and set pieces were at a premium. Once the broadcaster realised
08:06they had a genuine sensation on their hands, though, things changed sharpish.
08:09From a small team of straight arrow police investigating a few bad apples,
08:13Line of Duty's plots became labyrinthine, involving vast conspiracies, gunplay,
08:18codenames, and a lot of scenes involving baddies piling into or out of black Land Rovers.
08:23It's a matter of taste which you prefer, but as the show and the budget took off,
08:27it's noticeable that the stories became a whole lot wackier, the stuff of action movies rather
08:32than the stuff of real newspaper headlines. The final left a lot of fans disappointed,
08:37but the mundanity of the ending was almost the point. Crime often isn't exciting or glossy.
08:43After three seasons of daftness, though, that's not what the viewers were conditioned to expect.
08:48Atlanta FX's Extraordinary Atlanta is an example of
08:53when a network puts total faith in a creator. When the show began in 2016,
08:58star and writer Donald Glover was already somewhat of a hot commodity. Around this time,
09:02he blew up to a significant degree thanks to his renaissance man, Prolificacy. Luckily for fans,
09:07the network was smart enough to leave well enough alone. Atlanta's elevator pitch,
09:12and the focus of its first season, is simple enough. Glover plays Earn, a smart but often
09:17unlucky man attempting to break his cousin, a rapper on the rise by the name of Paperboy.
09:22The show is a character piece, a slice of life in the titular city as well as a satire of the
09:27music game, one Glover knows well in his childish Gambino guise. There were surreal moments from the
09:33off, but once Glover is let off the leash, things go really wild. As in when he wishes,
09:39Atlanta goes off on location, set episodes in a haunted house, with Glover playing Teddy Perkins,
09:44one of TV's wildest one-off characters, or excuse the main cast altogether.
09:49TV is hardly an auteur's medium, but Atlanta, more than almost any show, has a defining vision
09:54throughout, even when it shifts its style, personnel and continent from episode to episode.
10:02Watching Walter White laugh manically wedged under his floorboards,
10:05or inadvertently cause the death of his brother-in-law, or barely flinch as a child
10:09is murdered, and it can be easy to forget that Breaking Bad was, at one time, a black comedy.
10:15One of TV's great premises, Breaking Bad sees a meek teacher decide to make a fortune from
10:20crystal meth after being diagnosed with cancer. The measured pacing of season one gave us plenty
10:25of time to watch Walter blundle through the drugs game, enjoy a culture clash with former student
10:30Jesse Pinkman, and gradually assert himself in a world that has often made him the butt of the joke.
10:36It doesn't take too long for things to take an incredibly dark turn though.
10:39Creator Vince Gilligan's intention was to show us a good man turned evil,
10:44how logically that might play out, and as Walter embraces villainy, the laughs certainly dry up.
10:50The show embraces a lot of genres, western, gangster, thriller, but the most shocking
10:55transformation is its tone. In comparison to the weighty themes and plots examined in its last days,
11:00the first season is a downright knockabout. But what did you think of our list there? Please
11:05do let us know about our entries, and also let us know which TV show do you think changed the
11:10most, for better or for worse? If you want to follow me on socials, I am at Strawn87 on
11:16Instagram and on Twitter, come and chat to me on there if you like. Thank you for watching
11:19everybody, I hope you enjoy the rest of your day, and until next time, take care.