I'm thinking this was a low point for Michael Learned to leave the series, though it had been going downhill (with a select few episodes as exceptions) since Richard Thomas left, then Grandma was incapacitated and effectively written out of the series soon after her "comeback". And Grandpa died, the departure of Will Geer in particular leaving a huge hole impossible to fill when deeper dramatics were required for more serious storylines.
In this episode, "The Waiting", imagine the shock when John & Olivia have hoped and waited all this time to be reunited with John-Boy.just to find a total stranger lying in the bed where their beloved son is supposed to be. Still, they carried it off well, without a glitch. Then the penny dropped with me and I realised the producers had resorted to that cheapo "out" of hiring a new actor. In this case, a John-Boy who looks nothing like the old one facially and who seems to have grown about six inches. At least in the daytime soaps they try to cover up as well as possible.
In this episode, "The Waiting", imagine the shock when John & Olivia have hoped and waited all this time to be reunited with John-Boy.just to find a total stranger lying in the bed where their beloved son is supposed to be. Still, they carried it off well, without a glitch. Then the penny dropped with me and I realised the producers had resorted to that cheapo "out" of hiring a new actor. In this case, a John-Boy who looks nothing like the old one facially and who seems to have grown about six inches. At least in the daytime soaps they try to cover up as well as possible.