Shows with reverse flanderization

[Lance Uppercut]

Most shows, especially comedies, have a tendency to take a character, and gradually mAke the character wackier over time.

I was thinking about, how many times have the characters either stayed consistent or went the other way and got more serious.

The only ones that come to mind are

Howard from the Big Bang theory. Went from creepy, perverted stalker nerd, to probably the most adult of all the other characters.
Amy from Big Bang theory went from Sheldon clone to a rather normal person with insecurity issues. It’s debatable if that counts since she became almost unrecognizable from earlier episodes and her personally doesn’t revert back in flashbacks. And her insecurities became it’s own weird thing with Penny

The other one I was thinking of was Hodgins from Bones. He went from a crazy hair conspiracy theorist (which I now realize reminds me of Sami Zayn) to cool dude who still believes in them but is way more laidback about them and is more interested in doing the coolest option in the lab

[I'm Team Bayley and Indi]

Wesley on Buffy and Angel

[Spider2024]

Hillary from Fresh Prince. Went from spoiled, leeching rich girl to fully functioning adult who could actually take care of herself.

Also Carlton, but that one's a little debatable. He was very silly in the final season but trust me, the Season 1 version of Carlton was a much more 'one-note' character than the Season 6 version of him.

Theo and Denise from The Cosby Show also count, since they both became mature adults at the end after being problem children for a lot of the series.

[realist]

Funny enough, Glenn Quagmire. The "Me, too" movement forced "Family Guy" to evolve the character beyond one-dimensional sex-crazed pervert. Admittedly, I haven't watched the most recent season yet, but the last time I watched, I found myself kind of impressed with the way they were using him.

[mrtuesday]

That's called "character development".

[wildojinx]

May 13, 2022 5:51:28 GMT -5 realist said:

Funny enough, Glenn Quagmire. The "Me, too" movement forced "Family Guy" to evolve the character beyond one-dimensional sex-crazed pervert. Admittedly, I haven't watched the most recent season yet, but the last time I watched, I found myself kind of impressed with the way they were using him.

Have they changed Herbert's character yet?

[Dr. T is an alien]

May 13, 2022 11:12:10 GMT -5 wildojinx said:

May 13, 2022 5:51:28 GMT -5 realist said:

Funny enough, Glenn Quagmire. The "Me, too" movement forced "Family Guy" to evolve the character beyond one-dimensional sex-crazed pervert. Admittedly, I haven't watched the most recent season yet, but the last time I watched, I found myself kind of impressed with the way they were using him.

Have they changed Herbert's character yet?

I haven't watched in some time, but would they actually need to? He may be a one-note character but it isn't like he was used a bunch. Sure, he's a really disturbing one-note character, but that's the joke to begin with.

[crowley1986]

Herbert hasnt been much in it any more iirc

[thechase]

Bulk and Skull from Power Rangers

[El Pollo Guerrera]

Klinger in M*A*S*H. Started as a background character in women's clothing, became the camp's "I'll do anything to get out" running joke, replaced Radar as clerk and accepted the responsibilities of his post. And in the Final Episode, decided to stay in Korea to help his wife's family.

[karl100589]

April in Parks and Rec comes to mind.

[Ben Wyatt]

May 14, 2022 0:04:50 GMT -5 karl100589 said:

April in Parks and Rec comes to mind.

You can make the argument that the entire cast grows as characters by the time the series ended.

[Heartbreaker]

One thing I find interesting about Friends is how it starts with a group of well adjusted people and Rachel is the stereotypical rich brat. Then by the end of the series, everyone is so flanderized while Rachel is the most normal one in the group.

[Gerard Gerard]

Hank from Breaking Bad evolved pretty neatly from barebones plot device/foil for Walt to actually being a carefully crafted study on modern masculinity and, ultimately, the moral centre of the show once we 'lost' Walt.

Saul Goodman too would be the more immediate answer, but he went and got his own show.

[theironyuppie]

Quinn Morgendorffer and the Fashion Club in Daria became more rounded characters in the show's latter seasons, even if the comedy was a bit lacking compared to the earlier episodes.

[BorneAgain]

Rimmer on Red Dwarf is an interesting example in that while he still is an insufferable smeghead at times, the show has gradually demonstrated some real nuance to him and made him capable of cleverness and even badassery, all while not fundamentally altering the core of who is too much.

[Gravedigger's Biscuits]

Barney Stinson in HIMYM somehow had both flanderization and character development.

Flanderization in that his schemes to sleep with women became more and more outlandish and elaborate. But then you had the character development with his backstory on how he became that way, growing up without a dad and his desire to start his own family.

[Ben Wyatt]

May 14, 2022 7:35:30 GMT -5 theironyuppie said:

Quinn Morgendorffer and the Fashion Club in Daria became more rounded characters in the show's latter seasons, even if the comedy was a bit lacking compared to the earlier episodes.

Excellent call on Quinn