Season one and two’s premise of B Positive changed due to a decision taken by the show’s creators, in order to ensure the longevity of the sitcom.
Not many shows change their premise from season to season, in fear of losing their established fan base. What’s even more unheard of, is changing the premise of your show just after the first season has aired and proved to be a hit with fans.
However, one series that has taken this risk is CBS’ 2020 launched sitcom, B Positive.
Ahead of the beginning of its second season, the sitcom had an entire overhaul in terms of the premise and casting, as it promoted recurring supporting characters to series regulars and introduced new characters during the second season.
What was the premise of the first season of B Positive?
When B Positive premiered in 2020, it was set on the premise of, “Newly divorced dad Drew faces finding a kidney donor and is at the end of his rope and his hope when he runs into Gina, a rough-around-the edges woman from his past who volunteers her own”, according to IMDb.
The title role of Drew Dunbar is played by Thomas Middleditch, while the character of Gina Dabrowski, is played by Annaleigh Ashford.
Why did B Positive change?
Reports confirmed the change in the premise of CBS’ B Positive ahead of the beginning of the second season, which began airing in October 2021.
The change was based on ensuring the longevity of B Positive, as the initial premise best suited the first season as Drew got his kidney.
In September 2021, executive producer of the sitcom and creator of Two and a Half Men, Chuck Lorre, confirmed the new premise by stating, “Having donated a kidney and saved a man’s life, Gina has learned that happiness is in the giving, not the getting.”
Lorre went on to add, “She puts this principle to work by trying to improve the lives of the elderly residents of Valley Hills, the assisted living facility where she’s been working. In the meantime, Drew is struggling with a strange new feeling. Post-surgery, he’s convinced he’s in love with Gina. It’s complicated.”
Who returned in season 2 of B Positive?
The biggest change within the premise of the story was that it focussed on Gina instead of Drew as the central character. Therefore, the focus was building an ensemble cast which is from the Valley Hills facility.
As a result, recurring guest appearances from the first season were promoted to series regulars, including Gina’s mother figure, Norma, played by Linda Lavin. Drew’s dialysis companion, Jerry, played by David Anthony Higgins, and Drew’s former dialysis nurse, Gideon, played by Darryl Stephens.
Additional returning cast members include Kether Donohue, Sara Rue, Izzy G. and Terrence Terrell.
Who are the new B Positive cast members?
Considering that B Positive shifted its focus to Gina and the elders of Valley Hills, it made sense that executive producer, Chuck Lorre, looked to expand the world of Valley Hills by revealing more of the residents.
Therefore, five of the six new cast members play residents of Valley Hills, including actors Héctor Elizondo, Jane Seymour, Ben Vereen, Celia Weston and Jim Beaver.
The last new cast member is actress Anna Maria Horsford, who will appear as a recurring special guest playing the facility’s administrator.
How have fans reacted to B Positive’s changes?
When Chuck Lorre was asked about how fans should receive the changes, he stated, “It’s going to require more than three episodes to really dig into all of these relationships and characters. With the invention of an entire new ensemble surrounding Annaleigh’s character in the assisted living facility, that had to be the focus of Episode 3 and the next several episodes, to give the audience a chance to meet and hopefully care for these people.”
Fortunately, his prediction was on the nose, as the top rated episode from the 31 episodes to date is season two, episode three, with a total score of 8.6 out of 10 on IMDb.
Conclusion
Attempting to change the direction of an already established premise for any television is a risky business, which could either prove to be a beneficial choice as ratings go up, or a regrettable decision as ratings might slump to new lows.
However, if you are Chuck Lorre, it may not be a thing of luck anymore. Lorre’s first-hand experience in changing a premise of an established sitcom was with his hit sitcom, Two and a Half Men, following the contentious dismissal of Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper.
He has seemingly done it again with 2020’s B Positive, ahead of its second season to give the sitcom more scope to grow.