Show Killers

A few weeks ago, I was out with some friends, attending the free screening of the upcoming movie “Easy A”. While waiting in line, we talked about different television-related subjects, which is actually a typical topic when I’m out with friends.

One of those topics was “show killers”. Except this wasn’t an examination of actors who play murderers or the like; or even actors who seem to be cursed with getting on a show only to have it pulled from the TV landscape over and over again.

This was actually a discussion about actors who starred on a successful or popular TV series who decided they were “too big” or “too good” for the show (or whatever other reason was involved at the time) and they chose to leave the show, thinking it would lead to greener pastures for them or was simply the best choice for them at the time.  But, in doing so they didn’t necessarily pave a golden path to super stardom for themselves (although some did) and their once great television show was left, shall we say, crippled because of their absence. This absence may have been felt by the entire audience of the show or just a certain faction of fans; but it was felt nonetheless and it didn’t always have a good effect on the show.

Among some of the shows that my friends and I talked about included the following (which appear in no particular order):

Northern Exposure

Northern Exposure – Rob Morrow played fish-out-of-water Jewish doctor Joel Fleischman in the CBS series Northern Exposure that aired from 1990 to 1995. Due to contract related issues, Morrow was missing from some of the final seasons of the show, being temporarily replaced by Anthony Edwards and Paul Provenza. While the absence of Fleischman was obvious during those final seasons, the show didn’t necessarily suffer in terms of ratings, but the series was never really the same because of his absence.

The X-Files

The X-Files – After 7 seasons on the popular FOX series The X-Files, David Duchonvy left the show that made him a household name with his alter ego – Fox Mulder – being abducted by aliens. He was replaced by Robert Patrick, who did his best as John Doggett to fill Mulder’s shoes and be partner to Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). Duchovny did recur on the final two seasons of the show, but the change was prominently felt by the show’s core audience.

Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast – When Linda Hamilton decided to leave the CBS series Beauty and the Beast at the start of its third (and what became the show’s final) season, actress Jo Anderson came on as her replacement. The storyline for that final season was that Catherine Chandler (Hamilton) was killed after giving birth to the child of her tunnel-dwelling love – Vincent (Ron Perlman) – and Diana Bennett (Anderson) was brought in as a criminal profiler to find out the truth behind her death. Catherine’s death coupled with the darker tone of the third season drove fans away, prompting low ratings and an eventual cancellation of the show.

Grey's Anatomy

Grey’s Anatomy – The series Grey’s Anatomy has been a hit for ABC since it debuted as a mid-season replacement in 2005. And while the show is now entering its seventh season this fall, the departures of George O’Malley (T. R. Knight) at the end of Season 5 and Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) during last season, while not fully debilitating the series, have driven many fans away from this series. Unlike the shows mentioned above, no specific actors were brought on to replace either George or Izzie, but the addition of the Mercy West staff could be seen as the show’s attempt to fill the void.

That 70's Show

That 70’s Show – It wasn’t until the show’s final season when Eric Forman (Topher Grace) was no longer around in the popular FOX comedy That 70’s Show, but his absence was still felt by the viewers and his character was mentioned in every episode of that final season. It was also at this time that Michael Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) had a diminished role in the series; but wasn’t completely absent from the last season. A replacement, of sorts, Randy Pearson (Josh Meyers) was brought in during that final season, but the series was not the same without these two bold characters.

Chicago Hope

Chicago Hope – The CBS medical drama Chicago Hope may have aired on the network from 1994 through 2000; but in the second season of the series lead actor Mandy Patinkin decided to leave the show, starting a slow descent into lower ratings for the series. Other actors joined and left show over its 6 season run, but it never attained the success of its initial start after Patinkin’s departure.

We, as viewers, can speculate that the above shows faltered after the loss of these pivotal characters because after watching some of them for so long (The X-Files, That 70’s Show, Grey’s Anatomy and Northern Exposure) the loss of these leads rocked the foundation of the shows. Or, while still getting somewhat established (Chicago Hope and Beauty and the Beast), the loss of these characters hurt the chemistry and/or the overall flow of the crucial storylines.

There are, obviously, many other shows that fell short of their ambitions due to the departure of a particular actor or actress. Is there a specific show that you think should be included in this list? Please share your thoughts.

Sara Bareilles (c) Autumn de Wilde

Musician Spotlight: Sara Bareilles is a singer-songwriter and pianist who was born and raised in Eureka, California. She achieved mainstream success in 2007 with her hit single “Love Song” from her major-label debut album called “Little Voices”. That album went on to be the most downloaded album at iTunes during its first week of release. It also debuted at number 45 on the Billboard charts and peaked at number 7. This album garnered her two Grammy nominations in the categories of Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “Love Song” and Song of the Year for “Love Song” in 2008. Her latest album “Kaleidoscope Heart” was released this month and the first single from that album is “King of Anything.” She is touring over the next couple of months and then will be embarking on a US and European tour with Maroon 5 throughout the fall of this year leading into early 2011. You can learn more about Sara Bareilles at her website.