the odd couple

In the life of a television show there are always changes. It could be the departure or addition of a cast member, a new set or shooting location, or just the aging of characters. But, those are subtle changes that many viewers just shrug off as the natural progression of a program.

Then there are those changes that are so drastic that they take viewers by surprise, making them wonder if this is the same show they watched the previous season. When these changes take place between the freshman and sophomore seasons of a show this really takes a toll on the fan base. Throughout the history of television there have been a number of shows that have seen such changes between the end of season one and the beginning of season two. After the jump you'll read about nine such examples.

"Mess O' Potomac": Good news... John Bolton is out. Bad news... he's making money with moustache rides. Even more bad news... Donald Rumsfeld has wormed his way back in the news. An old memo has surfaced and it's not fun and it's full of quotation marks. Senior Foreign Policy Analyst John Oliver elaborated on the use of quotes and air-quotes. The sun analogy was beautiful, haha.

Jerry Belson, who has written for classic shows like The Odd Couple and The Dick Van Dyke Show, died of cancer on Tuesday. He was 68.

His death was announced by his friend and writing partner, Garry Marshall; they worked together on the two shows mentioned above and on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. As you can see by his IMDb profile, he's worked as a writer, producer, or director on many classic shows, as well as many cult classics like The Tracey Ullman Show. His last TV credits were on The Drew Carey Show, Tracey Takes On..., and The Norm Show.

Two of the boys from 'N Sync have an idea for a television show. One of them is a slob, the other is a clean freak: and they're roommates! Sound familiar? Joey Fatone and Lance Bass are creating a reality-ish series based on their lives for UPN. See.. it's the funniest thing. Joey is a total slob. And Lance is a tight ass. Get it? Oh the comedy that will ensue. I don't know about Lance, but Joey actually seems like a fine actor. He had a memorable supporting role in My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding.

UPN says the show is a modernized version of The Odd Couple (but you already figured that out, didn't you?). Its working title is Out of Sync and UPN is planning for a launch this fall.