8 TV Shows That Made Dramatic Changes From Their Pilot Episodes
4. The Munsters: It Was In Full Colour
Addams Family rival The Munsters was filmed in black and white to cut costs and give it the same look and feel as the horror B-movies it lampooned so effectively, but its pilot episode, My Fair Munster, was actually in full colour.
That wasn't the only change the network ordered after watching the sampler. Grandpa Munster was deemed too somber, and was reimagined in a more comical form when the creators returned to the drawing board. Originally envisioned as a spoilt brat, Eddie Monster didn't go down too well either, so the role was completely recast and handed to Butch Patrick when the show was picked up.
Meanwhile, Yvonne De Carlo's Lily Munster is absent from the pilot. Her character was created as a replacement for Phoebe Munster, who was played by Joan Marshall.
Although CBS ordered extensive changes to the pilot episode, its plot and title were salved and used for episode two of the show's first season.