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If you were a TV watcher in the late ’70s, you probably remember the madcap zaniness that was “Mork & Mindy.” Starring the always unpredictable Robin Williams, the show was an instant hit and sent Williams’ career into overdrive. But while we remember the show, the catchphrases (Nanu-nanu!), and absurdity, not many people realize the series only lasted four seasons.
Mork got his start on “Happy Days,” on an episode that ended up becoming one of the best backdoor pilots of all time. Not long after that, Mork’s spin-off was greenlit and, soon after, fans were suggesting the spin-off was better than the original. Season 1 of “Mork & Mindy” was a massive success and finished as a top 3 show in the ratings. Suddenly, it seemed as though ABC had found its next big sitcom success, but executives decided to tinker with the formula. The results were a never-ending slide in the ratings that the series never recovered from.
While Season 1 was mainly focused on Mork, which allowed Williams to improvise and create comedic genius, executives wanted Season 2 to look more like a traditional sitcom. Characters were added, and plots started revolving around the ensemble. They also shifted the show to Sunday night, a move Gary Marshall said also hurt. “The problem is that many kids don’t watch a lot of television on Sunday nights,” Marshall wrote in his memoir “My Happy Days In Hollywood.” “So we were basically sent to the wolves.” The result was a drop to 27th in the ratings.
More changes from ABC led to even worse ratings
By the time Season 3 rolled around, ABC moved “Mork & Mindy” back to Thursday nights where it had found success in Season 1. By then, however, the series had dipped in popularity. More characters were added to the ensemble, but all they did was take even more screen time away from Robin Williams, who creator Gary Marshall said was already looking to take the next step in his career. “In the third and fourth seasons I knew that Robin started dreaming of making movies,” Marshall wrote in his memoir. “It is difficult to maintain the momentum on a sitcom when your star has one foot out the door and the rest of the cast and crew know it.”
Even when the show attempted to bring back the wackiness of the original season by adding Jonathan Winters as Mork’s son in Season 4, it couldn’t help the beating the sitcom was taking in the ratings, as it fell to 61st overall. Finally, ABC had seen enough and pulled the plug, despite the story ending on somewhat of a cliffhanger, with Mork sent back to prehistoric times. Producers were planning on using that cliffhanger to change the show into a time-traveling, educational program, where Mork and Mindy would meet several historical figures. That idea never materialized.
Despite the series’ short-lived run, Mork and Mindy are still remembered as one of television’s best sitcom couples, and for launching the career of one of Hollywood’s top comedic actors.
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