The New Odd Couple

In the same year that a female "Odd Couple" appeared on Broadway, ABC got the bright idea to bring an African American "Odd Couple" to the tv screen. "The New Odd Couple" had a very nice updated version of the theme song, but after the credits ended, the show went downhill. The pilot episode was practically a word for word remake of the original series episode in which Felix inadvertently tells the IRS about Oscar's delinquent tax returns. While they updated small details such as Felix getting tickets to "Annie", they kept whole stretches of dialog the same. This lead to inescapable comparisons between the old and new versions. The show would eventually produce three original scripts, but it was too little, too late.