10 TV Shows That Became Hits After Dropping Their Original Premise

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Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad’s original premise was a darkly comic drama about a desperate man trying to pay for healthcare by selling drugs. However

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The Office

Although The Office adapted the UK series of the same name for new audiences across the Atlantic, the show improved its fortunes immeasurably when it stopped copying its original inspiration.

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Brooklyn Nine-Nine

The first season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine benefited from the superb chemistry between Andy Samberg’s Jake Peralta and Melissa Fumero’s Amy Santiago,

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Parks And Recreation

Like The Office, Parks and Recreation needed to stop copying its inspiration to succeed. However, in this case, the original inspiration for Parks and Recreation was the U.S. version of The Office.

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American Dad

While American Dad features some of the best side characters in cartoon history, most of these figures only cropped up after the show’s first two seasons.

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New Girl

Despite its title, New Girl’s weakest episodes were early ones that focused on the discord between Jess Day and her male roommates. Once New Girl focused on the entire group’s complicated dynamics.

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Cougar Town

Cougar Town’s title was the subject of much mockery online when the show was first announced, and for once, the mob might have been right about this particular moniker.

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Happy Days

Happy Days did eventually jump the shark so badly that the show coined that neologism. However, in its early years, this comedy benefited hugely from the magnetic screen presence of Henry Winkler's Fonzie.

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Mom

Originally, Mom was about a teen mother, her mother, and her mother’s mother all living together under one roof. Like any great sitcom premise,

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South Park

South Park’s first few seasons made a name for the show thanks to their shock humor and boundary-pushing gags.

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Yankees Fall to Orioles in Aaron Judge's Return from Toe Injury

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