Bionic Ripoff!!

[mego73]

Here's a fan site that tells the story about it:

Fly Jaime - Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman

"Production of Season 1 of The Bionic Woman was commissioned with very short notice before broadcast. This resulted in a few time-saving and cost-cutting measures being implemented in order to have a half-season's worth of episodes ready in time to air during the first half of 1976. One of the measures was the decision to remake "Survival of the Fittest" which had been the second regular hour-long first-season episode of The Six Million Dollar Man and which was a little over two years old at this point."

[Captain]

Things were a lot different then. Writers were almost exclusively freelancers, and if they sold a script, a lot of them would hurriedly rewrite it, featuring characters from other shows, with the hope of lightning striking twice. It seems like lightning struck that same spot a LOT for some writers. I doubt this was the case here though...looks like plain old copying...using the same script by the producers. Wonder if the writers were paid twice?

Could be worse...at least they didnt go to the old stand by "clip" show.

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

TV has ALWAYS recycled plots. Last year I was at home sick, and watched a "classic tv" marathon. They showed an episode of "Father Knows Best" where the one kid got a paper route and couldn't keep up so dad had to help out. Then they showed an episode of "Leave it to Beaver" where the Beav got a paper route and couldn't keep up so dad had to help out. Followed a bit later by "My 3 Sons" wherein the younger kid got a paper route and couldn't keep up so dad had to help out. Then there was an add for "Tyler Perry's House of Paine" where the younger kid got a paper route....

If you think about it, you can come up with a bunch of episodes for every genre that they ALWAYS do.

Don C.

[mego73]

One of the big plot recycles in sitcoms back then was the allergic plot:

A character seemingly becomes allergic to another family member or the family pet. They try all these things to cure the allergy, it doesn't work. Then, finally, at the end, it turns out to be something that was given to the character that was causing the allergy:

Like on The Patty Duke Show, Patty is allergic to Cathy, they begin to believe it is psychosomatic because Cathy outdoes Patty in school. But it turns out Patty was really allergic to a new broach that Cathy was wearing.

Then, on The Brady Bunch Jan, at first seems to be allergic to Mike Brady, then Tiger, but at the end it turns out to be Tiger's flea powder.

I remember it was also done on My Three Sons, but I don't remember the details of that one.

[Mikey]

I think the "evil twin" plot is the biggest over-used plot in TV history.

Just about every show has done it in some form or another.

[megoapesnut]

Wasn't there another episode duplication between 6MDM and BW where each had to defuse some doomsday machine/computer? I know there was one in the 6MDM series. Do I remember correctly that the BW series had a similar one?

[ironman1188]

one and done airing mentality. at best there might have been a thought of reruns but not till season 3 was in the can for 6mdm (the magic 100 episode theory)
even if it felt "familiar" when BW aired it wouldn't have felt any different from the typical rehashing of the formula for any action show.

in watching Emergency I saw some of the same "errors". In the pilot Roy and gage meet Jim reed and Pete Malloy at rampart. In mid season 1 they are watching adam 12 on tv and get a call and miss the end (and the adam 12 clips used actually were an episode that guest starred Marco Lopez) and it's driving them bonkers not knowing how Adam 12 turned out
then in a later Adam-12 season Roy and guage guest star meeting Pete and Jim again at Rampart

I remember that. And then Charlie's Angels went to Las Vega$ and met Dan Tanna only to have him and a little girl watching the show in a later episode of Vega$.

[Megotu]

The shared reality/tv reality split happened on Batman too. One episode of course has GH and Kato doing a window pop up scene. Then they had the crossover two -parter...Then in another episode, Bruce announces that he and Dick have to get home in time to watch Green Hornet, his favorite TV show.

[Ranger 3]

Its not a 'rip off', it's a 'remake' or 'reimagined'. I hear they did the same thing with Battlestar Galactica a few years back...

M

[Cmonster]

Its not a 'rip off', it's a 'remake' or 'reimagined'. I hear they did the same thing with Battlestar Galactica a few years back...

You mean REGURGITATED.

SC

[jwyblejr]

One of the big plot recycles in sitcoms back then was the allergic plot:

A character seemingly becomes allergic to another family member or the family pet. They try all these things to cure the allergy, it doesn't work. Then, finally, at the end, it turns out to be something that was given to the character that was causing the allergy:

Like on The Patty Duke Show, Patty is allergic to Cathy, they begin to believe it is psychosomatic because Cathy outdoes Patty in school. But it turns out Patty was really allergic to a new broach that Cathy was wearing.

Then, on The Brady Bunch Jan, at first seems to be allergic to Mike Brady, then Tiger, but at the end it turns out to be Tiger's flea powder.

I remember it was also done on My Three Sons, but I don't remember the details of that one.

Just saw the M*A*S*H allergy episode last night. Cartoons use it as well. Of course with those,someone always winds up getting fur shaved off.

[TrueDave]

Ive wondered how many times "Groundhog Day" has been used as a plot.

i watched a really fun Xena where shes in a spell and wakes up everyday to teh same day. Wonder who else . . i love that plot.

[Mikey]

Was reading episode guides of SMDM and Bionic Woman and think I found another "Bionic Ripoff"

Six Million Dollar Man --- "Look Alike"
Down on his luck boxer Johnny Dine has had plastic surgery to make him Steve Austin's double. He then infiltrates the OSI building when the real Austin is on a fishing holiday. After finding out the truth, Steve decides to turn the tables on Dine's superiors by posing as the boxer in turn.

Bionic Woman --- "Mirror Image"
While Jaime Sommers is on holiday in Nassau, doctor James Courtney has transformed Lisa Galloway into Sommers' double using plastic surgery. Galloway infiltrates the OSI building to photograph top-secret documents and if needed, assassinate Oscar Goldman. Meanwhile, Courtney's henchmen are moving in on Jaime to get rid of her so Lisa can take her place permanently. When Lisa is captured, Jaime poses as Lisa.

m

[LadyZod]

I always enjoyed the "character A overhears part of a conversion and believes one they are not loved, when in reality they're planning a surprise party" plotline that was used and over used by Three's Company.

I recall Different Strokes doing it, Family Ties, Facts of Life, Golden Girls, Brady Bunch, etc.

And speaking of the Golden Girls... no other show in the history of TV did a better Clips Show episode than those 4 old dames. And I do believe they did several over the years.