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From all the attention he received, you’d think “Six Feet Under’s” Nate Fisher was the
first TV character ever to die.
Not hardly. Television deaths occur with surprising
regularity. The one interesting thing about them, and perhaps to the
credit of the shows' writers, is that so few people seem to remember
them.
Where Nate’s death was remarkable was in its ingenuity, coming as
it did in the weeks leading up to Sunday's finale. The writers'
aim, a pretty clever one, was to use his death to wrap up the
series, as a metaphorical shroud. Nate, a man who never found
satisfaction at home or at work, finally finds in death the sense of
purpose his life lacked. And though he dies, he remains as a ghost,
there to usher the others on their way. In
the final sequence we witnessed the deaths of all the Fishers in a
flash-forward. Television being the way it is, expect to see this
plot device, death as doorway, coming to you on another network real
soon.
But ordinarily TV deaths are less the work of creativity as of necessity. It's an ugly business, for sure, but there are times when
there's little or no choice in the matter but to kill off the
character.
Below are three occasions when death is the best
option.
When a key actor dies. Actually, it's happened far
more often than people may recall: Dan Blocker (“Bonanza”)
in 1972, Jim Davis (“Dallas”) in 1981, Michael Conrad (“Hill
Street Blues”) in 1983, Redd Foxx (“The Royal Family”) in
1991, John Ritter (“8 Simple Rules”) in 2003. This poses a
problem for TV executives, especially if the series happens to be
built around a specific actor, as in the case of Ritter.
In choosing to continue a show, as ABC did with
“Rules,” the network faces the challenge of doing it in a manner
that won't alienate the audience. ABC addressed Ritter's death head
on by writing it into the show: His character, Paul Hennessy, died
suddenly, just as Ritter died suddenly.
Death is also the only likely option where it's a
supporting actor. The network knows that loyal viewers won’t
likely accept another actor in the role. Rather than recast the
character, it’s better to lay him to rest. That was done with Hoss
when Blocker died and with Jock
Ewing when Jim Davis passed away while "Dallas" was
shooting. Hoss’s death was alluded to in the 1972 season premiere
of “Bonanza,” while Jock’s death was part of the storyline
that launched the 1981 season on “Dallas.”
To explain a transition. A
character's death can help a show address a change in concept or
some other transition, such as when an actor leaves a show.
“The Sopranos” does this every season. Ralphie (Joe
Pantoliano), Adriana (Drea de Matteo) and Big Pussy (Vincent Pastore)
are just a few of the characters who have found themselves “whacked”
at the end of their story arc.
“NYPD Blue” handled Jimmy Smits’ exit by killing off
Bobby Simone. Henry Blake on “M*A*S*H” perished when McLean
Stevenson left. James Evans (John Amos) on “Good Times,” Edith
Bunker (Jean Stapleton) on “All in the Family” and Bobby Ewing
(Patrick Duffy) on “Dallas” likewise died when the actor who
played them departed, though Bobby, of course, rose from the dead
after Duffy came back to the show.
To salvage the show. When ratings are low, the options are
few: either axe the show or try changes that will breathe new life
into it. At that point, there's still some risk that changes will
drive off remaining viewers, but it's a minor one for sure. Changes
can include switching time periods, revamping the format,
introducing new characters, or killing off old ones.
Often it's supporting actors who get the bump when a
show is struggling, as when Manny Quinlan (Henry Darrow) got knocked
off in 1975 as part of the overhaul of “Harry O.”
But sometimes, though far less often, it's a lead
character. James Garner did himself in on “Nichols,” an offbeat
series the actor produced and starred in for NBC in 1971-1972.
“Nichols” was a turn-of-the-19th-century Western about a
drifter (Garner) who reluctantly serves as sheriff of a small
Arizona town. Nichols was also an amiable conman similar to the
anti-heroes Garner had played on “Maverick” and in movies such
as “Support Your Local Sheriff.” Yet viewers never warmed up to
the character.
NBC not only switched “Nichols” to another night but
changed the title to “James Garner in Nichols,” hoping that
Garner’s name might attract more viewers. But nothing worked. “Nichols”
struggled all season.
By the time filming began on the year’s final show, “Nichols”
was on the bubble. In a last-ditch attempt to win renewal, Garner
had Nichols gunned down in the opening minutes of the final show of
the season and replaced with a new character, Nichols’ stalwart
twin brother (also played by Garner), a more conventional hero. The
plan called for Nichols’ brother to avenge the murder and take
over as the focus of the series in the second season.
It was an audacious move, and it might have worked had
the network stuck with the show. NBC chose not to, instead canceling
“Nichols” just before the episode aired.
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