Classic Sitcom Characters That Didn't Start out as Stupid as they Became

Joey on Friends

Edith Bunker.

If you watch the pilot episode, she’s a completely different person.

But Edith wasn't ever really dumb - she was smart in a lot of ways. She may have missed the point a lot, but she wasn't stupid.

DY-NO-MITE!

True, R3. I’d say more naive than anything.

The point was, to me, that she was a totally different person in the beginning.

Rose Nylund started out as naive and very matter of fact. Then she just became a complete idiot — but it made better TV.

Kelly Bundy on Married With Childern

Donald Trump

Purring twink Drake Parker-Nichols went from being a razor-sharp witty and savvy 15 year-old to a seemingly-lobotomised 19, without explanation.

How does one go from a teendom spent successfully hustling adults (for money, you pervs), stunning people into silence with clever zings and duping experienced authorities all while passing school.....into a late adolescence where one can’t manage to operate household appliances, see through the pranks of gradeschool kids, or pronounce the names of countries?

Perhaps Josh literally fucked his brains out as well as figuratively.

It might be quicker to list characters that didn't get Flanderized.

George Jefferson went from got headed upstart to bumbling idiot during the ten years the show aired.

Suzzane Sugarnsker lens this thread.

Noel - stay away from Suzanne’s keyboard.

GO!

Homer Simpson

Whoopi Goldberg on THE VIEW.

Vinton and Naomi Harper - Mama’s Family. Vint was already slow, but became a complete moron in the syndicated episodes. Naomi went from smart trashy cookie to ridiculous dumb blonde.

Screech on SBTB started as a genius and ended as a dumbass.

Rose wasn't AS stupid in the first couple of seasons.

Jack on "Will and Grace."

Kimmy Gibbler

"Homer Simpson" on Police Cops -- uh oh, SpaghettiOs!

Suzanne Sugarbaker was never dumb. Some of y'all don't understand what you are saying.

She was flighty, self-centered and selfish, but she wasn't dumb, just uninterested in anything not about her!

Jake, the kid on Two and a Half Men. He started out pretty smart, then heavily dumbed-down by season 5. I think they even joked about it when the actor came back for the series finale.

Actually it was Jean Smart's character, Charlene, that started out innocent and a little off the wall and then turned stupid by the second season.

Mallory on Family Ties. In the first few seasons, she was a typical teenage girl, into shopping, boys, etc. And some episodes showed her intelligence and sensitivity. Then she hooked up with Nick and the show dumbed her down.

Every male character on Cheers.

Tony Banta on Taxi

Meg from Family Guy, she was played by the white adjacent girl from Mean Girls and was chill. Only be obnoxious and unlikable when she was replaced by the wonky eyed Russian girl from That 70's show.