TV Shows You Forgot Started Under A Different Title

It's easy to understand why "Seinfeld" is seen today as one of the most popular, beloved, and influential shows of the past 50 years. Its unique brand of fast-paced, whip-smart comedy and stories that defied convention became a watershed moment in television that paved the way for countless others and shaped the landscape of sitcoms forever. Famously a "show about nothing," its episodes were anything but ordinary, often revolving around a single everyday moment like waiting for a seat at a restaurant or buying a loaf of bread.

But as quintessential a series as "Seinfeld" has become, it actually didn't start out that way. When it premiered in July of 1989, the show was without one of its main characters and even had a different title. Airing as "The Seinfeld Chronicles," it centered on New York comedian Jerry Seinfeld and his surly, quirky friend George Costanza, alongside a wacky neighbor. It still starred Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards, but the neighbor played by Richards is named Kessler, not Kramer, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Elaine Benes was nowhere to be found. Instead, there's waitress Claire, played by Lee Garlington, and a woman named Laura (Pamela Brull), whose romantic interest Jerry hasn't been able to figure out.

Amazingly, the pilot episode was greeted famously by jeers from test audiences, and it was considered a losing effort. Thankfully, they'd make a few key changes, simplifying the title, and TV history was made.

Arriving on the airwaves in 1975, "Saturday Night Live" became an instant classic. But "SNL" was hardly the first live sketch comedy show on television, as it had been a successful format for decades. What set it apart was its 'Not Ready for Prime Time Players,' a collection of raw talent that made it decidedly different than those that had come before. It was far edgier, too, even to the point of being controversial, breaking down comedy barriers that helped it become an American cultural staple while turning nearly its entire cast — including Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, and Dan Aykroyd — into stars. But when the series got its start, it actually went by a different name.

That's because ahead of its premiere, the studio learned that there was another show in development called "Saturday Night Live," a variety show hosted by renowned sports anchorman Howard Cosell. To avoid legal problems or confusion among the audience, the sketch comedy show launched as "NBC's Saturday Night," which is how it remained for its first season. Cosell's program didn't last, ending after just one year, so NBC renamed their late-night series "Saturday Night Live," which is how it's been known ever since. And it's a good thing too, because "SNL" rolls off the tongue a lot better than "NSN."

In the mid-1990s, the "Star Trek" franchise was one of the biggest names on TV, with two shows on the air: "Deep Space Nine" and "Voyager." Later in that decade though, ratings for both shows began to decline, and it felt like some franchise fatigue was setting in, so the decision was made to wait until both shows had ended before launching another. The result was "Star Trek: Enterprise," which aired its first episodes in the fall of 2001 and tried to shake up the status quo by being a prequel, set more than 100 years before Kirk and Spock, in the early days of mankind's space exploration.

What some may not remember, however, is that when the show first began, it did more than just change the setting, it also ditched the "Star Trek" in the title, perhaps trying to avoid the nerdy stigma of the brand name. It's hard to imagine a major franchise trying to distance itself from its own name, but that's exactly what "Star Trek" tried in 2001. Thus, for its first two seasons, the series was known simply as "Enterprise," and featured a pop song in the main title sequence, a far cry from the orchestral themes of prior "Trek" shows.

Unfortunately, these changes did little to attract a broader audience, and by Season 3, the show was officially retitled "Star Trek: Enterprise." With a new showrunner in Season 4, reviews improved, but it wasn't enough to save it, and the show was given the ax after its fourth season.

John Ritter was one of the biggest sitcom stars thanks to "Three's Company." That series itself spawned a continuation after several of its key cast members exited the show, with the new title "Three's a Crowd." But when that one came to an end, Ritter struggled to find another popular series, starring in short-lived shows like "Hooperman" and "Hearts Afire." In 2002, though, the actor took the adult lead in the sitcom "8 Simple Rules," where he starred as a middle-aged father and husband raising three kids.

Katey Sagal of "Married... with Children" played Ritter's wife, and future "Big Bang Theory" alum Kaley Cuoco starred as Bridget, who you might have forgotten was originally part of the show's title. When it first aired, the series had a longer name — "8 Simple Rules ... for Dating My Teenage Daughter." In its first season, the show ranked fairly well in the ratings and seemed poised to become a hit, so in its second year, the title was simplified to make it a little less clunky.

Tragically, though, Ritter's sudden death in 2003 forced a total overhaul, and Season 3 saw the show retooled to focus on his character's father and brother. Without Ritter, however, it just couldn't stay afloat, and "8 Simple Rules" was canceled after its third season.

For a show that only ran for two seasons and just 26 episodes, you might be surprised to learn that "Don't Trust the B—- in Apartment 23" actually went through multiple title changes. The series stars Krysten Ritter as Chloe, a wild, out-of-control New Yorker who makes it her mission to get her roommates to hate her and move out. But when she meets June (Dreama Walker), she finds herself with a friend that just won't leave. The show also bizarrely starred "Dawson's Creek" actor James Van Der Beek as himself. But when it was first announced, it ruffled feathers for its controversial title: "Don't Trust the B*tch in Apartment 23." With no asterisks.

During production, though, the network had a change of heart about the profanity in its title and decided to swap it out. Soon, the show began being promoted for its upcoming release as "Apartment 23." But then they had yet another shift, deciding to go back to the original name, but to black out the bad word, ultimately calling the series what we know it as today: "Don't Trust the B—- in Apartment 23." 

If you don't remember "The Ted Knight Show," we wouldn't be surprised. That's because, for the majority of its run, the show went by a totally different name, beginning its time on the air as "Too Close for Comfort." Under that name, the show ran for six seasons, beginning in 1980, starring Ted Knight as surly, cantankerous Henry Rush, the artist and creator of a popular newspaper comic strip who lives in San Francisco with his wife and two adult daughters who live in the basement apartment. The heart of the series is Rush's conflict with his daughters, whose more liberal '80s attitudes clash with his traditional, conservative principles.

That was the premise for the first five years, anyway, as in its sixth it made a number of changes, not the least of which was the title. Now known as "The Ted Knight Show," it relocated Rush to a new city, where he became an editor at a newspaper, and his two daughters were written out of the show. Sadly, the show's star Ted Knight died after the conclusion of the sixth season, and the show was canceled as a result. 

No child of the '80s and '90s can forget "Saved by the Bell," possibly the most oddly celebrated teen show ever produced. 'Oddly' because it actually wasn't that stylish or slick, nor really very good. Instead, it was a kitschy, corny, goofball comedy for the whole family that was meme-worthy long before such a concept existed. It centered on hip high schooler Zack Morris, his jock best friend A.C. Slater, nerdy misfit Screech, trendy Lisa Turtle, straight-A student Jessie Spano, and cheerleader Kelly Kapowski.

When the show got its start in 1989, though, it was something very different and wasn't nearly as appealing to teens as it later became. Some members of that cast weren't present, and the focus of the show wasn't even the kids themselves, but their teacher, Miss Bliss, played by former child star Hayley Mills. And the original title of the show reflected that different focus, "Good Morning, Miss Bliss," which was how it was known for its entire first season. In fact, Slater, Spano, and Kapowski weren't part of the series yet, and there were others who were there in their place, including Heather Hopper as Nikki Coleman.

After 14 episodes, the students became the center of the stories. Miss Bliss was written out of her own show, and it was renamed "Saved by the Bell," which is how it ran for another four years.