What TV characters have suffered the worst Flanderization?

[kuromusha]

Flanderization:

The act of taking a single (often minor) action or trait of a character within a work and exaggerating it more and more over time until it completely consumes the character. Most always, the trait/action becomes completely outlandish and it becomes their defining characteristic. Sitcoms and Sitcom characters are particularly susceptible to this, as are peripheral characters in shows with long runs.

The trope is named for one of the examples in The Simpsons, Ned Flanders, who was originally just a considerate neighbor and attentive father, with his devout nature simply being that he willingly attended and paid attention in church, all to make him a contrast to Homer, before becoming obsessively religious to the point of insanity.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Flanderization

 

[BisexualMMA]

Fonz got out of control.

Urkel got way out of control.

 

[Sunfish]

Frasier?

 

[kuromusha]

Frasier?

The funny thing is that Niles got reverse-flanderized. His character at the beginning of the show was a more over-the-top version of Frasier but as the show went on, he mellowed out.

 

[Jesus X]

Fonz got out of control.

Urkel got way out of control.

 

[iThrillhouse]

Everyone on the Office essentially

 

[INTERL0PER]

This happens to basically every character in every major sitcom that runs for a long time. It's why I prefer the British tendency to go out on top, instead of running it in to the ground.

I remember watching later episodes of friends and it felt like it had happened to every character on the show.

"I'm Phoebe... I say weird things!"
"I'm Chandler... I make smart remarks!"
"I'm Joey... I say stupid things!"
"I'm Monica... I'm a neurotic!"
"I'm Ross... I'm a nerd!"
"I'm Rachel... I've got great hair!"

 

[El_Dyablo619]

Ned Flanders

 

[Sunfish]

Everyone on the Office essentially

The good one or the one with Steve Carrell in it?

 

[Turtlejuice]

This happens to basically every character in every major sitcom that runs for a long time. It's why I prefer the British tendency to go out on top, instead of running it in to the ground.

I remember watching later episodes of friends and it felt like it had happened to every character on the show.

"I'm Phoebe... I say weird things!"
"I'm Chandler... I make smart remarks!"
"I'm Joey... I say stupid things!"
"I'm Monica... I'm a neurotic!"
"I'm Ross... I'm a nerd!"
"I'm Rachel... I've got great hair!"

I agree, most of the best comedies only run for 2-4 series. My major disappointment, and one that follows the theory of "Flanderisation" is Red Dwarf. It's sad for me, because series 1-5 it was my favourite show, series 6 was decent, then it just went down hill.

 

[Thai Domi]

 

[kuromusha]

Him and George.

 

[Pliny Pete]

Them little broads from Full House

 

[iThrillhouse]

The good one or the one with Steve Carrell in it?

everyone on that show got SUBSTANTIALLY worse post-Carrell.

at one point the people on that show literally seemed like genuine office wierdos you would find in real life.

it's still a funny show but its like watching two completely different shows.

 

[Law Talkin’ Guy]

Hillary, Carlton and Jazz in Fresh Prince.

 

[DyslexicDave]

Mr. Furley

 

[Cptn1NSAN0]

Although I still love the show, every character in Sunny in Philadelphia suffers from this.

 

[Sunfish]

everyone on that show got SUBSTANTIALLY worse post-Carrell.

at one point the people on that show literally seemed like genuine office wierdos you would find in real life.

it's still a funny show but its like watching two completely different shows.

Two different markets and two different senses of humor I agree.

 

[ufcfan4]

Him and George.

Even Elaine too. She went from the normal one of them who would occasionally become just as aggressive/insane, the great "shut up and pack!" scene from early on, for instance, or the "I DON'T LIKE THIS THING AND HERE'S WHAT I'M DOING WITH IT!" but then became increasingly bitter, cynical, and unfeeling- particularly in the last two seasons.

With Elaine though the change seemed more organic as they did a great job of making her sort of go off the deep end in Season 7 when she couldn't take the fact that George was engaged and she wasn't. It was at that point that she started to contemplate her life and how shitty certain things were and that played well with the last two seasons where that quality and the cynicism were exaggerated.

Take for example the contrast of her liberal attitudes in the first couple of seasons *she found George's co-worker wearing fur highly objectionable* to the late Joe Mayo episode where Puddy is wearing the fur coat and Jerry comments on her dislike of it asking if she hates it because she is against people wearing fur. And Elaine is like, "for fur, against fur, it's too exhausting. I just don't want to be on the arm of an idiot."

Jerry was the only one was who basically even Steven throughout the show.

George went from neurotic and insecure to uncontrollably angry and explosive and Kramer went from quirky to having no social skills at all and being an doucher. They all remained hilarious throughout but the changes were there.

 

[ufcfan4]

This happens to basically every character in every major sitcom that runs for a long time. It's why I prefer the British tendency to go out on top, instead of running it in to the ground.

I remember watching later episodes of friends and it felt like it had happened to every character on the show.

"I'm Phoebe... I say weird things!"
"I'm Chandler... I make smart remarks!"
"I'm Joey... I say stupid things!"
"I'm Monica... I'm a neurotic!"
"I'm Ross... I'm a nerd!"
"I'm Rachel... I've got great hair!"

oh yeah Joey went from kind of dumb to incredibly stupid. Monica went from somewhat finnicky to full on obsessive compulsive.

Ross, well to paraphrase someone from Sherdog who put it better than I ever could, "Ross became a creepy douche that none of the others respected."