1/1/2024 0 Comments Fresh beat bandOn Dallas Miss Ellie went from being played by Barbara Bel Geddes to Donna Reed and then, after one season, back to Bel Geddes (again without explanation). If you are of a certain age (40 years old and over) you will recall that Richie Cunningham’s brother Chuck disappeared after season one of Happy Days (again no explanation). Such cast changes are not without precedent in the TV world. I don’t have the heart to tell them she has joined many others in that big lost character pool kept somewhere in a Hollywood warehouse. My kids really liked her and are wondering where she has gone. Do writers and producers have so little respect for their viewers as to think they will not notice such cast changes? The Fresh Beat Band has already undergone cast changes, with the character Reed being played by Hadley Fraser in season one and replaced by Patrick Levis in season two (again, no explanation), and now they have dropped Melody (owner of the Groovy Smoothie) played by Dioni Michelle Collins. Unfortunately, this is part of a TV tradition that I find slightly irritating and a bit condescending. No explanation has been given as to the change in appearance of the character, and so kids are expected to be as resilient as Bewitched fans seeing Dick Sargent become Darrin (replacing Dick York) without any explanation. It actually stands out in a significant way, and both of my kids noticed it immediately. For the first two seasons these characters were played by Jon Beavers, Thomas Hobson, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, and Shayna Rose, but now in the third season Marina is being played by Tara (no relation to Katy) Perry. The Fresh Beat Band revolves around four likeable teenagers (Twist, Shout, Kiki, and Marina) who go to music school, dance and sing a lot, and seemingly have nothing else to do but have a good time. The show is now starting its third season, and in keeping with a very odd TV tradition, unexplained cast changes stand out as an incongruity that – whether TV executives like it or not – kids do notice and do not appreciate. If you are of a certain age (10 years old and under) Nickelodeon’s The Fresh Beat Band is probably part of your world.
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