History EarlyInstallmentWeirdness / TVShowsGToO

* On ''Series/{{Grimm}}'', one of the first episodes had a bear-like Wesen turning completely into an actual bear. This was never referenced again, nor have any other Wesen shown that ability. When asked if Monroe would similarly be able to turn into a wolf, the showrunners said, "Yes, if he got angry enough". This is clearly not the case in later canon.

** To expand the concept above - Rider 2 isn't a secondary rider, but a lead rider. Similarly, ''Riderman'' isn't seen as a secondary rider of ''Series/KamenRiderV3''. Instead, he's just considered the fourth Rider. The first true secondary rider came at ''Series/KamenRiderAgito'' via Kamen Rider G3, and even then he didn't transform with a driver unlike the [[Series/KamenRiderRyuki next series']] Kamen Rider Knight.

* ''Series/TheOfficeUS'' with its chubby, balding Michael Scott, random background deskworkers, and very straitlaced, plainly-dressed Kelly Kapoor (instead of the pop culture-obsessed WomanChild she's better known as) in its short first season. The first season is also more cynical, keeping in tone with the UK version, right down to Michael Scott being more of a self-absorbed, intolerable boss a la David Brent instead of the well-intentioned bumbling boss he came to be. The series began to shape its own identity in Season 2.

** While the look and layout of the titular office remains mostly the same during it's 9 season run (excluding
the exterior), the lighting in Season 1 is ''extremely'' poor in quality. This was likely deliberate, to match the intentionally bad halogen quality of the original UK version. Gradually throughout the later seasons, the lighting would improve to studio level lighting. This move also coincided with show beginning to film in High Definition.

** The first two seasons used a laugh track. Late in the second season (spring 1975), the episode "Fonzie Gets Married" was taped in front of a studio audience, and the change became permanent starting with season three... and the "big applause" era had started.

* Early episodes of ''Series/OnlyFoolsAndHorses'' don't start with the famous theme song.

** The season one closing credits ended with the family all seated at the dining room saying grace solemnly, then tearing into dinner. Though the normal "jukebox" shot was also used (comprising the first half of said credits; the dinner scene made up the second half), it was actual film of lights swirling around on the jukebox instead of a static image of the jukebox itself. The "normal" closing credits sequence would take effect starting in season two.

** The first two seasons used "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and the Comets as its theme (in lieu of Pratt and [=McClain=]'s "Happy Days," which incidentally became a hit in its own right). Even when the normal theme was used, it initially had a lyric about "She's my steady, I'm her man, I'm gonna love her all I can", which wasn't in later episodes.

** Howard Cunningham was far more sedate, while Marion was more motherly. Mr. C was hyped up considerably by the fall of 1975, while Mrs. C's motherly-ness was turned up a notch.
** The layout of the house, to accomodate a three-camera setup that was filmed in a studio, was far different, with the kitchen on the left and the living room at stage right. The reverse was seen in later years.

*** This could be attributed to Marshall drawing a distinction between fights with his brothers which, while vrutal, were not intended to maim or seriously injure each other, and a no-holds fight with someone seeking to do real harm.

** Howard Cunningham was far more sedate, while Marion was more motherly. Mr. C was hyped up considerably by the fall of 1975, while Mrs. C's motherly-ness was turned UpToEleven.

** In general, Season One was more PG than the rest, and relied far less on ribald humor. It was there to some degree, including Al's fondness for dirty magazines and Peg's sexual frustration with Al, but later seasons would pour on the cheesecake UpToEleven, regularly featuring scantily-clad women (often played by Playmates) and nearly every other joke was about sex to some degree, either Al's inability to enjoy it with Peg, Peg's inability to get it from Al, Bud's inability to get it from anyone (and his frequent [[ADateWithRosiePalms dates with Rosie Palms]]), Kelly getting it from just about everybody and Marcy going from uptight and prim to repressed and wanton. Season One would never have involved a plotline such as Marcy orgasming while giving a speech, or the Bundy's realizing their "romantic getaway" was being filmed.

** The late Comedy Central era has an odd case of this with Pearl Forrester, Dr Forrester's mother introduced as a one-off character in the season six episode "Bloodlust" and brought back to replace Frank for the six-episode seventh season. She played a frumpy older character during that period before switching to a younger character closer to her real age for the remaining seasons when she took over the lead Mad spot from her son. As well, early on Joel Hodgson played Joel Robinson as "sleepy,' which many viewers interpreted as "stoned." This was soon abandoned. WordOfGod is that Hodgson actually was only half-awake in the first episode, and he decided to incorporate that into the general characterization for a time.

** Hexenbiests being identifiable by a mark below their tongues never comes up again after the third episode, "Beeware", nor their rivalry with Mellifers or why the Mellifer queen told Nick that "something is coming".

** The early episodes include spots by folklore and urban legend specialists explaining the backgrounds of the myths (phased out as unnecessary as the show went on), and formal interviews with experts in fields related to the myth instead of simply filming the hosts' conversations with them as is now the show's current custom.
** The show's much lower budget is evident in early episodes, which show Adam and Jamie having to go to sometimes considerable trouble to obtain a single car or enough weather balloons and helium to lift a lawn chair. Eventually the support staff and budget (and the addition of the Build Team to have more parallel experiments) grew large enough to make filming these scenes unnecessary.

** It's not until later in Season 1 that characters actually use the word "Wesen".

** Certain characters have their names pronounced differently in their debut episodes. For example in "Winter Is Coming", Illyrio pronounces Daenerys as 'den-eer-iss' when 'den-air-iss' became the accepted pronunciation. Talisa also pronounces her name 'ta-liss-ah' when she is introduced, but everyone else later says 'ta-lee-sah'.

** Similarly, the Muppet News Flash segments were also different. The Newsman would report on a bizarre story or interview a guest star playing a role related to said story. It wasn't until season two that the formula of the Newsman began being comically hit by something related to the story he had just reported on.

** The "Muppet Labs" sketches only featured Bunsen in the first season, and had Bunsen testing his inventions on himself. When it became apparent that this was not working for his character or funny, Beaker was quickly created and added to the sketches in season two.

** In the first season, especially towards the beginning, the writers set up Prince Arthur and the Lady Morgana as having a potential romantic relationship. Later, this was abandoned to avoid the creepy incest vibe on a family show -- since Morgana is basically Arthur's adopted sister. This caused a good bit of fan outrage in some circles, however, since IncestIsRelative, and they felt Arthur had much less chemistry with Gwen.

** Fonzie appeared far less often and was less essential to the plots. The show was more focused on the Cunninghams, Richie in particular. Fonzie also didn't have his leather jacket, instead wearing a light beige windbreaker, due to ExecutiveMeddling at Creator/{{ABC}} (they felt that a leather jacket [[HollywoodDressCode made Fonzie come off as a hoodlum]]). Early on, Fonzie was also much more of a jerk than most people know him to be, and only [[TookALevelInKindness became the all around good guy]] after becoming a major character. Possibly explained/retconned in a later episode detailing how Richie met him.

** Chronologically, it was later firmly established that the show took place nineteen years before the year in which it aired (i.e. the 1976-77 season was set in 1957-58), but the first season avoids any indication of exactly what year it is. It can't be 19 years before: that would be 1955, and even the very first episode features songs that were recorded a couple of years later than that.
*** One episode that aired in January 1975 (74-75 season) dealt with the 1956 presidential election and its outcome, so it would have to have been early November 1956.

** The humour was more risque, and there were plots such as Richie wondering if he should go "all the way" with his new girlfriend and Fonzie almost marrying an exotic dancer. Later episodes did have occasional dirty jokes, but they were considerably less dirty.

** The first season features Vanessa Estelle Williams as Rhonda Blair, the BlackBestFriend of the cast. After the showrunners failed to do anything with the character, Blair was written out, with Williams commenting after the fact that there was a lack of direction with the character -- but you wouldn't know if from the credits, which play her up as an integral member of the cast.

* In the pilot of ''Series/{{Leverage}}'' all of the characters, but particularly Parker, start off as more well-rounded, vs. Later episodes where Parker can't grift and Hardison can't do do lifts