Why are people so hard on Coy and Vance?

[LuvJessInDaisyDukes]

John and Tom chose to walk off the set for more memorabilia residuals which they admitted later was a mistake. The producers had two choices, either keep the show going and hope the ratings didn't fall too far and have the show cancelled or just simply shut the production down which would have almost guaranteed no more Dukes.

Thanks goodness Coy and Vance kept the show going for another season!

[dukesran1]

because they acted to much like Bo and Luke but that wasn't Byron Cherry or Chip Mayor's fuilt they where told by the network to act like John and Tom's Bo and Luke they where even made to watch eps of them so they would know how to act there way.

[Brian Coltrane]

To take the opposite position, we woulda been better off, had WB reconciled with Tom and John promptly. Rather than replacing them with bumpkin wanna-be's.

In retrospect, I suppose both sides could have handled it better.

Brian

[essyjane]

I think that was a major problem.

Someone told me once that they took scripts made for Bo/Luke and just inserted Coy/Vance where ever they needed to.

When I saw the first episode with Coy and Vance on it, I had mixed emotions. First it was like, "Okay, who are you?"

I liked the first episode because they seemed different--somewhat fresh.

However, it seemed as if they were trying too hard to be like Bo and Luke. Personally, I know it wasn't their fault but still I was like, "What is this monsterosity?"

I would have liked newer personalities. Maybe quirts that Bo and Luke didn't have. Maybe having to relearn the ropes...anything.

Vance was too robotic though on screen. Coy just seemed to be a copycat.

Sure, still watched the show but it wasn't the same. I was thrilled when Bo and Luke came walking back through that door.

I think Brian you are very correct in this situation

[1hellraiser]

We all know, why John and Tom left. WB, had no other reason, and settling the tab, wasnt an option. I feel sorry for Byron, and Christopher. First they were given pretty much bad scripts, then they had to be clones for John and Tom. They didn't know but they killed their careers before they even started. If Wb had wanted new people, then they should of, given them there own personality. This basically all falls on WB, and not so much on John and Tom, because it was their likeness, on the never ending stream of toys. Why shouldn't they get a deeper cut. It may of contributed to the demise of the show, but they wouldnt of lasted past 10 seasons anyway, unless a total redo of the show, and better scripts, not being so cheesy, with the stunts, (toy general lee's doing a jump).

[The Voice Man of Hazzard]

I agree with whoever said both sides were wrong. All in all, I blame it on bad communication between Tom and John and WB. All John and Tom wanted was to know where their royalties on the merchandise were. WB had accounting problems that were drastically overlooked and they treated Tom and John like crap over the issue.

I sympathize with Byron and Chris and they wound up in a degrading position. I compare Coy and Vance having to be Bo and Luke clones very similar to when Adam West and Burt Ward reprised their famous roles in two very horrible NBC specials called Legends of the SuperHeroes. Both of these were career killers. It makes you wonder how these guys can show their faces in public afterwards.

I must say though that Christopher Mayer has resurfaced in many movies and shows during the 90's. I've seen him on things like Silk Stalkings,Batwatch, Weird Science, and Jennifer Tilly's lover in Liar Liar with Jim Carrey. Like Tom Wopat said "Chris has talent, but that other guy Byron was like a fish out of water." I haven't seen Byron Cherry on anything at all.

I heard that when John and Tom returned, John was okay, but Tom treated Byron and Chris like crap and even to this day, Tom Wopat crudely refers to them as the Clones. Sounds like something out of

Star Wars. I met a guy once who was a friend of John's and I learned that the one thing you NEVER EVER discuss with Tom Wopat is Coy and Vance. He is still very bitter over that.

In closing, I can't help but wonder how a season five boxset would sell since everybody hates Coy and Vance. I can imagine the only reason people would buy it is to see the last four episodes unless they are die hard completionists like myself.

Cheers.

Will Rodgers

The Voice Man

[dukesran1]

I saw Byron on a Heat of the Night Ep i actuilly have it on tape he did a good job

here is what Byron Cherry has done

Tv

an ep of Murder She Wrote

an ep of In the Heat of the night

an ep of Vietnam War Story's

Movies

The Fix

Blood Salvage

[essyjane]

You know, I wouldn't be too hard on those boys.

I think Chris didn't know where to go with his character either. I think it would be hard to be the replacement.

Byron did an okay job. But you know, it is true, don't clone someone.

[Julieduke]

Why didn't they do like they do today a star wants to leave, he or she leaves but if he or she wants to come back tell them no and get rid of the character.

[essyjane]

I can't imagine that. I can't imagine them telling Bo and Luke to get killed and become replaced.

[GADuke01]

Growing up, I never really cared much for the Coy and Vance characters, but I have grown to like the characters somewhat as I've gotten a little older. The "Coy and Vance" episodes weren't as bad as a lot of people think. The stunts throughout those episodes were nothing short of phenominal. Then again, they felt that the stunts had to be something extra special to aid in helping people forget about John and Tom not being part of the show.

Look at it like this. Both, Cherry and Mayer were given the opportunity of a lifetime. Heck, anybody would have jumped at that opportunity. However, they weren't given much to work with in the character department. They were pretty much puppets for Warner Bros. However, both guys did what they were told, but there was just no way of making it work. I remember James Best saying that they should have at least had Cherry and Mayer dress differently than the characters they were replacing. Best felt that having the "new" Dukes dress differently might have given both characters a little more credibility.

Of the two, in my opinion, Byron Cherry was the most convincing as being down-home good 'ol country boy. John Schneider even recommended Byron for the job. Christopher Mayer on the other hand, looked as if he had just walked off of some soap opera or possibly the set of "Urban Cowboy". He just didn't look comfortable. I agree that they really should have given both characters there own identity.

GADuke01

[DukesFan]

I love the Coy and Vance episodes. I am eagerly looking forward to the release of Season 5 to see these episodes unedited...something I haven't seen since they originally aired!

Sure, Coy and Vance could not and will never replace Bo and Luke, and yes, some scenes involving Coy and Vance were awkward, but the storylines were good and Boss and Rosco were absolutely hillarious while Bo and Luke were gone....even more than usual. Booke and Best definitely stepped it up a notch to make up for the situation.

Plus, the Coy and Vance era allowed us to see Enos and Cletus together as deputies at the same time, and also allowed for other characters to get a little more air time than usual.

I was glad to see John and Tom return, but still have great memories of the Coy and Vance era. We should thank Byron Cherry and Christopher Mayer for keeping the show going, and for doing the best they could.

My vote is that Byron (Coy) was the better of the two replacements...much more down-home and believeable than Vance. I wish Coy had made guest appearances after Bo and Luke returned.

Bring on Season 5 to DVD!

[GADuke01]

A lot of people aren't aware of this, but Sorrell Booke and James Best also had a dispute and threatened to leave the show right around the same time that John Schneider and Tom Wopat walked out. Realizing just how valuable Sorrell and James were, they were quickly brought back. If those two, or even one of those guys had left at that time, The Dukes of Hazzard would have been over and done with.

GADuke01

[lost_sheep3]

I'm not a fan of Coy or Vance, and I think it was unfair of WB to ask them to clone Bo and Luke, but I am grateful that WB did not simply cancel the show when John and Tom did not return to shoot Season 5.

Okay, so season's six and seven were not the best - they were still the Dukes of Hazzard, and I will buy each of the season's that WB releases - even 5.

LS3

[DukesFan]

I think some of the best episodes of the series aired in Seasons 6 and 7!

Lulu's Gone Away

Too Many Roscoes

Enos's Last Chance

Brotherly Love

Boar's Nest Bears

Boss Behind Bars

Twin Trouble

Dead and Alive

Play It Again, Luke

Undercover Dukes

........and well, just every episode from Season 6! I believe this was one of their BEST seasons.

As for season 7, what about:

Happy Birthday, General Lee

Welcome, Waylon Jennings

Cool Hands, Bo and Luke

Go West, Young Dukes

Sky Bandits Over Hazzard

Enos and Daisy's Wedding

I'll buy (eagerly) Seasons 5-7. I'm a big fan of Season 5, as well.

[DixieDavenport]

Bo and Luke and the show was far to popular to either kill off the guys or cancel the show. After all WB was making a killing which is why they walked off to begin with.

As for Coy and Vance. I think they would have been accepted and opinions been different had they came on the show under different circumstances. Had they been there with Bo and Luke as extra cousins it would have worked. But with Tom and John walking out WB had to do something. I think it was bad judgement on WB part to have Coy and Vance act like Bo and Luke. One very positive thing about Vance -- I loved his eyes!

DixieDavenport

[Eddiemunster]

I personally think that it's not fair to degrade Christopher Mayer and Byron Cherry for their roles in the Dukes. Hey, there was a dispute between WB and Tom & John, the show had to go on, and Chris & Byron needed an acting job to pay their bills. Sure, they weren't as good as Bo & Luke, but they got the show through another season while things worked out with WB and Bo & Luke. I think that's the idea that people miss. They don't realize what they did for the show, so us fans can still have something to watch. Byron and Chris kept the boat afloat while they were getting mocked out for being "Clones." If Tom Wopat is still holding something against Byron and Chris, then obviously he missed the point. If it wasn't for these clones, Tom and John wouldn't have seen a job for season six and seven, and we also wouldn't have seen them. Give the clones a break.

[essyjane]

They're not bad actors by far but they are good people.

[Eddiemunster]

Yes, I'm sure they are good people. I'm sure they knew they were going to get some flack for being "clones", but they dove right into the roles. They stuck with it for a whole year (season). That's what made them good people. They knew what had to be done, and did their best at it.

[Dale The Bold]

I don't think the problem was that they were too much like Bo and Luke, I think the problem was that they were too different from Bo and Luke. The audience couldn't accept a pair of guys driving the General Lee who weren't much like the originals.

Now that 20-some odd years have passed, a new generation will be able to handle a drastic change in the "Duke boys," but you can see the same resentment among fans now as there was when the Coy and Vance era started.

[Scottd]

I was really pissed off when Bo and Luke got replaced, probably right at the shows peak too (here in the UK at least)... but just as I'd really gotten to like Coy and Vance Bo and Luke came back. I was glad of course but it was a shame it happened in the first place. WB should of paid up!

[leandar]

I love the Coy and Vance episodes. I am eagerly looking forward to the release of Season 5 to see these episodes unedited...something I haven't seen since they originally aired!

I don't know if I love them or not, but I do like a fair number of them. I still say that the episode where Jesse was blinded and kidnapped by the bank robbers is one of the best episodes of Dukes period and if I remember right, that was the last full Coy and Vance episode.

Plus, the Coy and Vance era allowed us to see Enos and Cletus together as deputies at the same time, and also allowed for other characters to get a little more air time than usual.

I loved how they brought Enos back, the state police giving Boss the choice of either rehiring him as a Hazzard deputy or they were putting him in as a state patrolman and he would have been out of Boss's authority and influence so Boss rehired him.

I was glad to see John and Tom return, but still have great memories of the Coy and Vance era. We should thank Byron Cherry and Christopher Mayer for keeping the show going, and for doing the best they could.

I agree. The show could have ended, but the show kept going and I think it did allright. Cherry and Meyer did what they could with what they were given and if anyone should be blamed, it should be Warners and the producers for insisting on clones. I think John said it best, this was an opportunity to see if Paul Picard's theory that the General Lee was the real star of the show instead of Bo and Luke and obviously it wasn't.

Bring on Season 5 to DVD!

Bring on all of the rest of the show to DVD and soon!! Including Season 5!!!!

[Eddiemunster]

I still enjoy watching the Dukes, no matter if it's Bo& Luke, or Coy & Vance. Heck, I even enjoy watching ol' Sherriff Brady Bird!!!

It doesn't really matter with me, it's still DOH to me.

[auster]

Welllll, I'm likely one of the few people who will not be purchasing DoH's fifth season when it's released on DVD. I don't like Coy and Vance (I have nothing against the actors, just the characters) and I'm not gonna spend my hard-earned cash on a season starring two characters I don't like.

The problem was that Coy and Vance weren't original, unique characters; instead, they were, as has been mentioned before, clones. Rip-offs. WB made a bad decision in not making them sufficiently different from Bo and Luke. A similar thing happened with the sci-fi series Stargate SG-1, where in its sixth season, a popular character was replaced by a character incredibly similar to him. That's just not the way to win the viewers' hearts.

Had they done it differently, had they made Coy and Vance interesting characters with unique personalities, I might've warmed up to them. As it stands now, I never did, and I never will.

[auster]

Welllll, I'm likely one of the few people who will not be purchasing DoH's fifth season when it's released on DVD. I don't like Coy and Vance (I have nothing against the actors, just the characters) and I'm not gonna spend my hard-earned cash on a season starring two characters I don't like.

The problem was that Coy and Vance weren't original, unique characters; instead, they were, as has been mentioned before, clones. Rip-offs. WB made a bad decision in not making them sufficiently different from Bo and Luke. A similar thing happened with the sci-fi series Stargate SG-1, where in its sixth season, a popular character was replaced by a character incredibly similar to him. That's just not the way to win the viewers' hearts.

Had they done it differently, had they made Coy and Vance interesting characters with unique personalities, I might've warmed up to them. As it stands now, I never did, and I never will.