The change of the title to "Webster" caused a major rift between Alex Karras, his wife Susan Clark, and ABC. The shows original focus was on an ensemble cast, but quickly Emmanuel Lewis' character became the primary and sole focus.
Paramount Television agreed that the show would continue in first-run syndication if it was canceled by ABC before it passed 100 shows; when ABC dropped the show in 1987, it had exactly that number of shows. Similar contractual agreements were made by Paramount for Cheers (1982) and Family Ties (1982).