Webster: Why the Spin-Off Failed

Every '80s kid remembers "Webster," the sitcom about an adorable orphan (Emmanuel Lewis) and his adopted parents (Alex Karras and Susan Clark). But did you know that "Webster" almost had a spin-off? Find out why the spin-off never happened, and why Webster visited "Star Trek: The Next Generation," on the latest episode of the Atomic Abe series Behind the Backdoor Pilot.
Watch more episodes of Behind the Backdoor Pilot: • Behind the Backdoor Pilot
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Narrated by Kevin Maher
Written by Nick Nadel
Edited by Mike Schuster
Produced by Kevin Maher and Nick Nadel
Executive Produced by Tim Finn
Thumbnail by Colton Ogburn ( / coltonogburn )
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[@Klaus666]

I love your videos so much. Also, I'm laughing so hard at the "sitcom traumameter" 🤣🤣 Keep up the great work!

[@atomicabe]

Thank you!

[@moonprincesst.s.h.4ever115]

I agree with you, but I am glad that Punky ranked so high on the "sitcom trauma meter." I mean it is one thing for your parent to go to get milk and does not come back. it's a whole nother thing when your parent takes you to get the milk and "forgets" to take you home again.😂🤣

[@SuperMarioBrosIII]

@@atomicabe The little blonde kid is actor Ben Ganger but actually looks like Brett Kelly aka The Kid from Bad Santa. 🎅👱‍♂📺🎥

[@seanahmed9079]

I too love the underhanded snark of your commentary so much!!

[@TomMSTie1138]

A "Very Special Episode" of Webster featuring McGruff is the most 80's thing I've ever heard.

[@southernoregoncatmom6519]

For sure!

[@kingovharts]

😂Yep

[@Lovely38373]

I love it

[@christianlarson2933]

I went to elementary school with Billy Lombardo's brother. In the mid 80s, he told us all on the playground that his family was moving to LA because his brother was going to be a huge star. A few years later, they moved back and never spoke of it again. Years later I got a job in my hometown delivering pizza while attending a local college, and Billy Lombardo was the assistant manager.

[@manuginobilisbaldspot2]

Ouch.

[@HelzHeli313]

That's crazy..

[@Authentic_Jarrette_4travels]

He actually looks like a pizza manager

[@sirgothnerd9297]

Where was this

[@sirgothnerd9297]

I would've hired him

[@JoeyArmstrong2800]

I remember most 1980's backdoor pilots but I don't recall this one. I love KZbin. Great job.

[@atomicabe]

Thanks for watching!

[@SuperMarioBrosIII]

@@atomicabe Ernie Hudson was in a failed backdoor pilot for Diff'rent Strokes. Hudson was bald at the time.

[@noneofyourbusiness4616]

The bizarre final season on Webster was a generous add-on to fill out the failed spin-off. Thank you for the weirdness fix!

[@kristinazubic9669]

I loved that house, with the secret passage behind the clock.

[@tvforeverus]

Who ever thought I needed such a massive deep dive into the history of the sitcom Webster?

[@gmcneoplan84]

To be fair you didn't have to come to this page or click on the thumbnail for this subject. Just saying.

[@trinaq]

I don't recall this attempted spin off, but thanks for bringing it to our attention.

[@nathancoleman7235]

I did'nt know there was a proposed "Webster" spinoff series

[@hatednyc]

My entire childhood was filled with programs and films involving orphans: Punky Brewster, Diff’rent Strokes, Webster, the Land Before Time, et cetera.

[@originalkingalpha5116]

Don't forget the Pound Puppies.😂😂😂

[@hthrun]

Batman, Superman, Spider-Man...

[@MyAccountIs17YearsOld]

Muppet Babies

[@hthrun]

​@MAGAjuana420Crew were they orphans? I thought it was just a daycare...

[@meursault-ey7wq]

Growing Pains

[@AOCITYBOY]

When I was a kid in elementary, I used to tell other students Webster Emmanuel Lewis was my cousin..😂😂

[@A_YouTube_Commenter]

You lied to us!

[@AOCITYBOY]

@@A_KZbin_CommenterYeah I lied, I was 8 yrs old, I apologize, every kid wanted a famous family member to brag about. 😂

[@freakshowfilmfestival3591]

So your Uncle ISN'T Michael Knight? 🤨

[@mfar3016]

That’s awesome! On that note, I once pretended to be Molly ringwald when volunteering to answer phones at the MDA telethon. 😮

[@freakshowfilmfestival3591]

Now I will never know if I was donating to the REAL Molly Ringwald. 😖🤦

[@COMPFUNK2]

I only watched Webster sporadically, but this was another great video.

[@COMPFUNK2]

HOWEVER… After watching this video, I stayed up late binging season one.

[@josephedric4081]

6:00 LOL! The Four Tops: "They were friends with Webster, for some reason."

[@doctorhorton]

Almost 7 minutes in until I find out that’s not Patrick Duffy, it’s Mac Davis 😅

[@jeanemlicar]

More like a Patrick Duffy’s knock off. 😂😂😂😂

[@jazzbo13]

Mac Davis was the poor man's Patrick Duffy, as Billy Lombardo was the poor man's Scott Baio.

[@ERASEREPLACEPLACE]

Alex, Susan and Emanuell finally bonded after another heated confrontation (between two grown adults and a child, mind you) off-camera. Emanuell Lewis was actually aware that his inclusion in the show had trashed everything Alex and Susan had signed up for. And he ate himself up with guilt over it for a couple of seasons. After being froze out by the couple on a western-themed episode, a dejected Emanuell walked out of the set on the verge of tears and wasn’t paying attention to where he was strolling. He went right into a pen full of horses and nearly got trampled. Alex Karas saw this and ran in and pulled a panicked Emanuell to safety. After this, it was Alex Karas who changed his attitude and realized that something he (and his wife) had done had played a part in Emanuell almost being stomped to death. He sat everyone down and declared a new start for how the cast related to each other. If you watched the show, you could actually see that the palpable “tension” was gone after the early seasons. The narrator of this vid was right; the behind-the-scenes drama of “Webster” was almost like an afterschool special, complete with a happy ending.

[@teijaflink2226]

But it's not right that a child was involved in it. Emanuel Lewis was absolutely adorable and an amazing actor but I honestly feel too much pressure is out on a child to have them play such a big part in a sitcom, he should focus on school and playing with his friends and not on working and specially not work place drama.

[@ERASEREPLACEPLACE]

You're right. But back then (arguably even NOW) that just isn't the case. The woman who played Mrs. Garrett on "The Facts of Life" wanted out of "Different Strokes" because she saw how Gary Coleman was pressured. She said that on days when he wasn't feeling well (he had some kind of problem with his kidneys) grown men would surround him and say "Hey, see all these people working here? Not just your co-stars, but the crew and everyone? All of their jobs depend on YOU..." and so on. I mean, they were guilting him into pushing past the symptoms of his illness in order to get the sitcom filmed. @@teijaflink2226

[@dhenderson1810]

The original plan was that the show wasn't even about Webster. It was going to be a sitcom about an ex-footballer and how he deals with retirement and a new marriage. Alex Karrass and his wife signed on (as they are married in real life). Webster was then pitched to them to be included. They agreed thinking he would be a side character who would bring extra laughs and younger viewers. However, soon they found that the show was changed completely and Emmanuel Lewis was the star, not the support actor, as the station was trying to copy the success of "Diff'rent Strokes". So this where the tension came. Plus Lewis was always catered to by the production team ahead of things the others asked for. So really, it was the station who lied to Alex Karras and told him lies about how the show would be done.

[@dhenderson1810]

​@@ERASEREPLACEPLACEI always found it hypocritical of the producers of the show to, on one hand, have an ep where Kimberly's friend is pregnant and the lesson is everyone dropping their prejudice and accepting her, yet when Dana Plato in real life fell pregnant, she was fired. Also, if you see how things turned out for all those three kids after the show ended, it showed that it wasn't a healthy work environment.

[@kjk7611]

​@@dhenderson1810I agree to an extent. Dana Plato & Todd Bridges were damaged goods from day 1. The sitcom had nothing to do with that. Other than giving them easy access to under-age sex & drugs. The sh#t with Coleman was just foul. Coleman was on dialysis. He had no or nearly no functioning kidneys. Which is why he was given up for adoption, in the 1st place.

[@bernd6471]

This is the craziest stuff I’ve seen. The 80s were wild. I think with some retooling that pilot could have worked. It seems to fit right in with the TGIF ABC aesthetic. Maybe a love interest and a sassy housekeeper.

[@tangoblue]

“They were friends with Webster for some reason.”

[@originalkingalpha5116]

🍿😂

[@originalkingalpha5116]

@@user-oz5vl2ho8v 😂😂😂

[@Drew791]

Love this channel! I’m going to go ahead and connect the Punky Brewster / Fenster Hall dark universe with Webster, in my own head cannon, by way of P.J.

[@Schwee_OG]

My favorite! Thank you! Keep those failed spinoffs coming please!🥰

[@charlesdebarber2997]

That horse punching gag from Blazing Saddles still holds up today. They literally had to train that horse to flop like that... That's a lot of work for a single gag.

[@stingrey1571]

@15:30 HOLY CRAP. That episode traumatized me as a kid. That single episode is the reason why I have a fire extinguisher in every closet in my house.

[@IsiahTomas]

Yeah, this one was tough to watch too, every time.

[@Lboogie0711]

Webster! This is us referenced the show cause some kids were making fun of Randall, since he was adopted. I like this 80s tv show along with Gimme a Break, different strokes, and growing pains.

[@artnapper7008]

Really well put together and narrated. Awesome job.

[@atomicabe]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks!!

[@Lboogie0711]

Have you ever thought about doing videos on spin offs for gimme a break and the facts of life spin offs?

[@atomicabe]

Yes! Both shows will be featured on future episodes of Behind the Backdoor Pilot. Thanks for watching!

[@vinnym5607]

"Facts of Life" is that king....er, queen of failed backdoor pilots.

[@Stephen-to7jx]

The show The Torkelsons waa retooled as Almost Home.

[@Stephen-to7jx]

@@matthewdaley746 Olivia Burnette also played a cello phenom on Wings

[@11679MRT]

Billy Lombardo - I always see him as the kid from The Money Pit.

[@erinmalone2669]

I love learning about old backdoor pilots. Such weird episodes

[@rhysredin3030]

I honestly thought Emmanuel Lewis was dead, and then I realized I had confused him and Gary Coleman.

[@melissacooper8724]

I can understand why. Because both Gary Coleman and Emmanuel Lewis were both short in stature.

[@blackamerican40]

RIP Alex, Mac and Norman. 😢🙏🙏🙏

[@jeffha4057]

As an 80s kid, this was insanely entertaining. Well done!

[@erinmalone2669]

“The Brando of orphans with two letter names.” You kill me.😅

[@atomicabe]

Thanks!

[@Makoto03]

This was fantastic. I remember seeing reruns of webster during the 90s as a kid. I had no idea there was a backdoor pilot for another orphan comedy sitcom. Also the startrek crossover is such a strange way to end the series.

[@atomicabe]

Thanks!

[@QuasarSniffer]

So the link between Star Trek: The Next Generation and Little Shop of Horrors was... Webster!? A revelation! On the subject of whether Webster's adventure on the Enterprise is canon or not, Star Trek has always had a more wobbly relationship with canon than Star Wars. The novels and comics frequently contradict each other (the original Gold Key comics were written without anyone involved ever seeing the show), so I've always been of the opinion that stuff outside of the actual series and films is dealer's choice when determining what's canon and what's not. Best just enjoy the extraneous Trek material without having to worry whether or not it's "real."

[@KasumiKenshirou]

The novels & comics have never been canon. Even the Filmation animated series (except one episode about Spock's childhood) and Star Trek V were considered "apocryphal" in the 1990s.

[@SuperMarioBrosIII]

@@KasumiKenshirou Webster did air on Friday nights on ABC for a while in the fall of 1985 but this was before the whole TGIF thing started with ABC LOL!🤗📺📼👍

[@SuperMarioBrosIII]

That episode of Webster with Michael Dorn aka Worf was the final episode of Webster which aired in 1989.

[@TheRTM]

Man I miss the 80s!😂

[@pinebarrenpatriot8289]

I cant help to notice that Mcruff the crime fighting dog is shaking the hand of "Griff" from Married with Children😄

[@MikeLutton]

that was funny mom calling up a Orphan like she is Ordoring a dominos pizza lol

[@john1701q]

Bruce Wayne does the same thing.

[@melissacooper8724]

I don't recall this backdoor pilot, but I can understand why it never became a spinoff.

[@debbiedebonair8029]

The actor who played the orphan , was on flowers in the attic.😢

[@mamacindyrogofsky495]

Holy cow. I just made the same comment in this section. 😂😂 I thought he looked familiar.

[@A_YouTube_Commenter]

I remember this episode now seeing this. I was a kid back then and thought it was weird that Webster got sidelined on his own show.

[@dare2win215]

🤣🤣🤣🤣 the commentary is absolutely hilarious! PLEASE, write my eulogy. lol.

[@atomicabe]

Thanks!!

[@demetriharlan5887]

This took me back.

[@DeeNice681]

Here’s something people don’t know, when the spin-off failed they kept the idea of orphans living with foster parents. They kept Larry O. Williams(10:07) and got Jimmie Walker instead of Mac Davis. To try to shield it from this failed pilot, they linked the show to the 1981 movie ‘Bustin Loose’. They called it ‘Bustin Loose’ also, but it really had no link to the movie. They got veteran actress Vonetta McGee and casted a young Aaron Lohr and ‘Diff’rent Strokes’ actress Tyren Perry. The show had good ratings, but was canceled after a year, some say because of problems with the kid actor’s!

[@manuginobilisbaldspot2]

I remember seeing a couple episodes of that show on USA.

[@DeeNice681]

@@manuginobilisbaldspot2 Yeah I believe it came on USA in the late 80s. It came on early Saturday mornings on local Detroit television in the early 90s, which is how I saw it!

[@LM_357]

Arnold vs Webster, the greatest celebrity boxing match that never was...😔

[@James-mz7tv]

Okay, not a regular to the channel, this shit had me actually laughing hard... the 1980s-90s VHS-trailer" vocal performance is slick. Pretty funny, man.

[@atomicabe]

Thanks!

[@pacario9625]

Surprised Webster didn’t replace Wesley Crusher. Would have made complete sense…

[@john1701q]

Shut up Webster!

[@pacario9625]

@@john1701q Webster Crusher...it has a nice ring.

[@anumbus]

Little known additional fact. The 90s NBC short-lived sitcom, "The Torkelsons," was also named "Almost Home" in its second and final season before it was canceled. Also Actor Billy Lombardo shares a name with a best-selling author. Ironically, both Billy Lombardos were born in Chicago, IL. The actor is now 52 and the author is 62. The author Lombardo is more known than the actor Lombardo.

[@atomicabe]

Yes, that's an interesting conection. We are big fans of The Torkelsons/Almost Home. Perhaps that show will be the subject of a future video about retooled sitcoms.

[@fatcat8033]

7:55 : Websters jacket is lit 🔥.

[@Ms.Tasha.]

😆 Pleather

[@taylordowning2533]

This was an excellent video! Keep up the great work.

[@atomicabe]

Thanks!!

[@gregsmith9183]

Webster was a staple 80s sitcom here in Australia. Loved watching it and OH the cuteness factor was way of the scale.

[@jessyleppert2]

I met Emmanuel Lewis and he was very nice

[@obelix703]

18:29 Wait, Webster did a Bugsy Malone rip-off?

[@vinnym5607]

it was the 80s. Who didn't?

[@longbeachcalifornia847]

I remember this TV show Webster this took me back to my childhood days 80s classic Emmanuel Lewis

[@donovan1971]

The poor man's different strokes. I can't wait to see the poor man's "Hello Larry". As always I appreciate your videos. Great for trivia nights.

[@atomicabe]

Thanks so much!!

[@Larry]

I loved Different Strokes as a kid, but I never heard of Webster before.

[@WrvrUgoThrUR]

I think I rented ‘The Backdoor Pilot’ from a hole in the wall video shop back in the 80s😂😂😂😂

[@-Evil-Genius-]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 *📺 "Webster" was a popular 80s sitcom featuring an orphan named Webster and his adopted family.* 00:53 *🌟 Emanuel Lewis, who played Webster, became a cultural icon in the 1980s, appearing in commercials and TV specials.* 03:28 *📺 ABC quickly incorporated Emanuel Lewis into "Another Ball Game," changing it to "Then Came You," and eventually "Webster," sidelining the original stars' roles.* 06:29 *🔄 The show's producers attempted a spin-off called "Almost Home," featuring Ma Davis as a musician fostering orphans, but ABC didn't pick it up.* 08:36 *🏠 The failed spin-off backdoor pilot introduced new characters and a foster home setting, focusing less on Webster.* 14:05 *😂 Norman Fell, known for "Three's Company," added comedic relief to the failed spin-off pilot, "Almost Home."* 17:37 *🌀 "Webster" concluded with bizarre final seasons, including a clip show and a crossover with "Star Trek: The Next Generation."* 19:47 *🚀 The series finale of "Webster" featured a surreal crossover with "Star Trek: TNG," leaving viewers puzzled.* 22:49 *🎬 Emanuel Lewis continued acting after "Webster," making cameo appearances and occasional media appearances.* Made with HARPA AI

[@JesusGomez-wp2xb]

Fantastic video ..great editing..I'm hooked

[@atomicabe]

Thanks so much!!

[@calvinwoolfolk324]

I always love Webster as a kid n plus i didn't know Webster have a spin off too n also the kid that play the chucky voice looks like the chucky doll too lol 😂😂😂😂😎😎😎😎❤️❤️❤️❤️😆😆😆😆

[@Water_Rabbit]

That was indeed a Very Special Episode of Atomic Abe.

[@user-fs2jw9en6j]

Great job!!

[@atomicabe]

Thank you!

[@djmexicanodetx2195]

Webster!!

[@francissobotka8725]

I miss Emanuel Lewis he was a kid but had more of the it factor than most adult actors .I was just a kid myself when the show debuted.But never mind that shit here comes Mongo!

[@lusasilva8373]

He's the Brando of orphans with 2 letter names. 😂 Funny how some child actors are so recognizable that you think they were on a lot more sitcoms.

[@haljordan777]

10:35 The Big Bang Theory had a similar joke 20+ years later. The guys were trying to get kids interested in science and Sheldon suggested a plan involving luring kids with candy.

[@poppinc8145]

"Don't take candy from a stranger" is a common saying.

[@mamacindyrogofsky495]

Believe it or not Emmanuel was 12 when he started show.

[@hassanburton669]

I Seen an Interview With Emmanuel Lewis A Couple Of Years Ago… He’s Definitely 💯 a Brooklyn Dude Hardbody! Very Intelligent Too.

[@garichar]

Webster was the voice of a generation. MY generation!

[@ecto1996]

The Doll episode scared the shit outta me, as a kid.

[@erinmalone2669]

Me too!

[@pinebarrenpatriot8289]

Scarlett from GI Joe was my 8p's cartoon crush. Ya'll know you had one too😅

[@vinnym5607]

Omg, I remember "Webtoucbles" as a kid. So strange.

[@raulzavala9061]

A missed crossover opportunity that never materialized was when Webster and Diff'rent Strokes were both on ABC's Friday night line-up in the '85-'86 season.

[@christianbrother4724]

Webster creeped me out. He never aged.

[@doyleharken3477]

"hey steve, is the new script ready yet?" "yeah, it's amazing. we have mr. porter make a child molester joke" *snorts an entire line of coke* "ALRIGHT!"

[@edreid7872]

The new orphan played a twin who died eating sugar cookies in the 1987 movie Flowers in the Attic..😂

[@fizzyfuzz5878]

You're so funny 😂😂

[@Authentic_Jarrette_4travels]

lol at the singing renditions at 18:08 😅😅😅😅😅 and 18:55

[@Neufutur]

2:34 The alien has a sweet, heavenly voice... like Urkel!

[@Shadowbannddiscourse]

I was kind of laughing at that whole meter thing that you did and it's weird. Because different strokes have that same meter and I'm sure a bunch of other 80s sitcoms did. I just can't think of him right now. What a trip, ha ha ha. I'd always some tragic story behind the comedies that we used to watch. That's the strange thing when it came to the person's background and how they got where they were.

[@ruralglamour]

Larry O. Williams plays another orphan in a short lived tv show starring Jimmy Walker called Bustin Loose. The girl that Webster is singing to is named Ebony Smith. She was on several tv shows and plays Jeffersons granddaughter.

[@mamacindyrogofsky495]

I thought she looked familiar as well. All I remember of her is George has a gun and the little girl almost shot herself after getting ahold of it...

[@Rao_Rolland]

Emmanuel Lewis was the dude back in the day. 80's icon. TV legand.

[@kyliethelittlespider-mangirl94]

I have two original characters I made who are siblings and while trying to figure out what last name to give them, my friend requested “Webster.” I thought that was a nice idea and it fit the two sibling characters I had, even if I never saw this show which also had the same name.

[@ArtByDesign80]

2:24 Webster’s “parents” were in PORKY’S?!?! 🤯

[@andreasstavrinou6219]

This was a great video, can you do one on Just the ten of us, the growing pains Spin-Off.❤

[@Antnj81]

One little detail about this video I got to point out that I really like is when you show the "if twitter had been around" twitter feed and if you pay attention to the last post, its 'Taylor Swift Updates' with the post: "Hey ya'll, guess who was just born!!!" 😅😅😅

[@atomicabe]

Thanks for noticing that! Glad you like the video.

[@theoriginalkrabbypatty]

Webster was sooo adorable and it was so funny when I was a kid! Vary rarely did spinoffs work in the 80’s, we didn’t have the tolerance for it!

[@deadfIag]

Been here since Dr Zaius was right. Glad you are on KZbin. I still go back to the Andrew 12 sided Dice sometimes.

[@atomicabe]

Thank you so much! Everyone should check out "Andrew 12-Sided Dice Clay" from Atomic Abe's Kevin Maher. kzbin.info/www/bejne/paaTlJqCm8-oaqc

[@Authentic_Jarrette_4travels]

lol I remember this. I think It briefly came on at like 3am when I randomly woke up. I’m surprised it failed it actually looks good from the clips I’ve seen.

[@bebespeaks7827]

At 16:21 the blonde curly haired orphan boy had played the role of Cory in Flowers In The Attic suspense horror film (1987).

[@scottstallings5029]

WE❤LOVE ❤️ YOUR CHANNEL 😊

[@HankHillspimphand]

something so oddly sincere about these shows. fraiser is my favorite, it like a warm hug. even with the bad jokes, corny messages and laugh track but it works. i miss shows like this even though i wasn't born back then. anyone got any MUST see shows? if i like fraiser(mid 90s i like more), cheers and kinda liked golden girls, the are so many shows that all seem the same its hard to find true gems that hold up good videos mate, so interesting learning all the links between so many shows. were the a rise in murderers in the 80s? because the are way to many orphans lol

[@taylordowning2533]

Family Ties, It's a Different World, Dear John, My Two Dads, and so many great shows from that era.

[@pablosilva6988]

Great video 💯

[@atomicabe]

Thanks!!

[@joemccandless1278]

It was a sad day when I learned there was no elevator inside our grandfather clock.

[@FrenkTheJoy]

The Newsie orphan clearly went to the child acting school from that SNL sketch from like 10 years ago.

[@Shadowbannddiscourse]

P, s, I'm surprised you didn't feature.Hello, Larry.Which was A different stroke spin-off.I remember watching that back in their early eighties

[@googalacticgoo]

The early 80s were filled with racy jokes themes and punchlines. Remember the episode when the parents were listening in on webster playing a card game with his female friend and they thought they were being naughty

[@jamesbetzer6542]

If I'm not mistaken, the set for the spinoff was also used for one of my favorite 80s/90s sitcoms Mr Belvedere.

[@BenChurchill76]

Why was Webster even there to begin with? Like...why did they send him alone on a plane to this friend's house to do...what, exactly?

[@ecojosh1]

Emmanuel Lewis should have a cameo in "Strange New Worlds".

[@manuginobilisbaldspot2]

6:18…is that Griff from Married With Children?!? Lmao since Webster was based in Chicago, I’m making it canon that these shows were in the same universe.