Webster: Why the Spin-Off Failed

[@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

[@nathancoleman7235]

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

[@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

[@ironmaster6496]

Damn haha that sucks

[@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.

[@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...

[@AquarianNomadic]

Muppet Babies

[@hthrun]

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

[@meursault-ey7wq]

Growing Pains

[@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!

[@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.

[@tangoblue]

“They were friends with Webster for some reason.”

[@originalkingalpha5116]

🍿😂

[@originalkingalpha5116]

@@JonathanHebrews 😂😂😂

[@trinaq]

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

[@kristinazubic9669]

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

[@jessewilley531]

A friend of mine asked Michael Dorn about Webster. According to him, Webster's set's were being torn down before the series was done being shot. So they needed ANY available spot on the Paramount lot where they could shoot. Since literanlly every other show said No and TNG's first season had gone over budget they needed to do something the executives happy, TNG was chosen. (The fact the Webster is shown being a Trekkie throughout the show is just a happy accident.) As for why you got Worf and NOBODY else, that was because Dorn was 1. often in hours before TNG started shoot for the day anyway to get into makeup. 2. given an episode of TNG off. And no... it couldn't bring a tear to Worf's eye. As per the director's cut of Star Trek VI: Undiscovered Country, klingons do not have tear ducts.

[@atomicabe]

That's interesting, thanks for the info. Poor Michael Dorn drew the short end of the stick and had to do the Webster cameo.

[@jessewilley531]

@@atomicabe Not really. They shot the episode on the same day as TNG episode. It was just whatever day the rest of the cast was shooting on the set for the planet of the week. He came in on extra day on one week and didn't have to show up at all the next week and he still got paid as if he did. Given the quality of TNG season 1, I'd say that's a win. I have my own funny Michael Dorn story. I was on a family trip to Atlanta. It happened to be the same weekend as DragonCon. As I left the bathroom at the train station, this guy says 'nice pin'. (I was wearing my jean jacket with my combadge.) I said something like 'your voice seems familar'. It wasn't until he laughed that I realized who it was.

[@josephedric4081]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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. 😖🤦

[@jessyleppert2]

I met Emmanuel Lewis and he was very nice

[@mamacindyrogofsky495]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@Schwee_OG]

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

[@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.

[@VerdantRange]

I'd say the Trek crossover is non-canon since Worf is unfamiliar with Earth customs, despite being raised on Earth.

[@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.

[@ArtByDesign80]

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

[@blackamerican40]

RIP Alex, Mac and Norman. 😢🙏🙏🙏

[@artnapper7008]

Really well put together and narrated. Awesome job.

[@atomicabe]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks!!

[@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.

[@SuperMarioBrosIII]

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

[@Stephen-to7jx]

The show The Torkelsons waa retooled as Almost Home.

[@Stephen-to7jx]

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

[@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!

[@DeeNice681]

The show was reran from 1988 to 1991 on the USA Network. It hasn’t really been seen since, save a couple of episodes on KZbin.

[@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.

[@jeffha4057]

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

[@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

[@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!

[@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.

[@-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

[@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.

[@11679MRT]

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

[@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!🤗📺📼👍

[@erinmalone2669]

I love learning about old backdoor pilots. Such weird episodes

[@obelix703]

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

[@vinnym5607]

it was the 80s. Who didn't?

[@Daring2Win]

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

[@atomicabe]

Thanks!!

[@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!

[@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!!

[@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.

[@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.

[@gregsmith9183]

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

[@longbeachcalifornia847]

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

[@TheRTM]

Man I miss the 80s!😂

[@melissacooper8724]

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

[@Larry]

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

[@erinmalone2669]

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

[@atomicabe]

Thanks!

[@MikeLutton]

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

[@john1701q]

Bruce Wayne does the same thing.

[@pinebarrenpatriot8289]

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

[@Mr.Pacario]

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

[@john1701q]

Shut up Webster!

[@Mr.Pacario]

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

[@LM_357]

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

[@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!

[@PhilBrown-p8f]

Great job!!

[@atomicabe]

Thank you!

[@JesusGomez-wp2xb]

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

[@atomicabe]

Thanks so much!!

[@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.

[@Water_Rabbit]

That was indeed a Very Special Episode of Atomic Abe.

[@djmexicanodetx2195]

Webster!!

[@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.

[@taylordowning2533]

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

[@atomicabe]

Thanks!!

[@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 😂😂😂😂😎😎😎😎❤️❤️❤️❤️😆😆😆😆

[@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!"

[@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).

[@fatcat8033]

7:55 : Websters jacket is lit 🔥.

[@Ms.Tasha.]

😆 Pleather

[@DennisTheInternationalMenace]

I'm confused, How can a show get canceled but then go on making new episodes? I thought when you're canceled, thats the end???

[@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...

[@Neufutur]

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

[@WrvrUgoThrUR]

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

[@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.

[@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?

[@ecto1996]

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

[@erinmalone2669]

Me too!

[@mamacindyrogofsky495]

The little blonde boy in show was he the boy who starred in Flowers in the attic Corey?

[@HardRockMiner]

Tv was just better then. I can't even watch it today.

[@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!

[@Rao_Rolland]

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

[@CannonKnight]

I'm actually surprised Emmanuel Lewis is still alive. I must have been thinking of Gary Coleman.

[@edreid7872]

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

[@jamesbetzer6542]

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

[@NelsonSwampWorldTour]

This episode had me HOWLING. I forgot how cheesy the writing and acting on "Webster" was. The whole shtick was that Webster was cute. That's it. And this spin-off was even worse. Thanks for this!

[@pablosilva6988]

Great video 💯

[@atomicabe]

Thanks!!

[@vinnym5607]

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

[@garichar]

Webster was the voice of a generation. MY generation!

[@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.

[@christianbrother4724]

Webster creeped me out. He never aged.

[@moonprincesst.s.h.4ever115]

Webster getting beamed onto the Enterprise-D's bridge and only meets Worf is like Deadpool saying that the audience only ever sees the X-Men Colossus and his trainee Negasonic Teenage Warhead, "... like the studio couldn't afford another X-Man." I mean, Captain Picard could have at least made a cameo. And yes, I am full-fledged Trekkie and nerd, and I am proud of it! 🤓🤓🖖🏽🖖🏽

[@NinjaTylerBlack]

where do you find such good quality of so many obscure shows

[@andreasstavrinou6219]

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

[@FrenkTheJoy]

Not gonna lie, if I was a sitcom writer and knew we only had one season left I'd probably be pitching weird ideas like that too.

[@FrenkTheJoy]

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

[@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.

[@tyrusgilliam2030]

I loved the two part episode when Webster got locked in the attic for checking out a bookcase. It was also a past clip show.

[@gr33n3ggs4]

Loved when Webster burned down the apartment ; then ma'am explains that, same thing happened to her when she was little. She started a fire that claimed many lives and she has never told anyone about it until just now. I remember the camera panning in for a close up and she's holding back tears she says she can still hear their screams until this day.