Random TV Shows That Tried To Keep Going After Major Characters Took Off (15 items)

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  (#1) That '70s Show

  • Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Laura Prepon, Wilmer Valderrama, Josh Meyers, Kurtwood Smith, Debra Jo Rupp, Don Stark, Tommy Chong

  That '70s Show ran on Fox for eight seasons, focusing on the lives of a group of high school friends in the 1970s. The cast was impressive, featuring Topher Grace, Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Laura Prepon, and more. The show started out covering important social topics of the 1970s, including the recession, changing sexual attitudes, and underage drinking and drug abuse. Ultimately, the showrunners moved the narrative more towards the dynamics of the group itself and away from the time period in which it was set.

  Grace, the face of That '70s Show, left after Season 7 to pursue a film career; rumors suggest he didn't get along with his castmates either. Kutcher scaled back his involvement around the same time. The show was completely reworked around the remaining cast members, but only survived one more season before Fox decided it was time to pull the plug.
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  (#2) Scrubs

  • Zach Braff, Donald Faison, John C. McGinley, Ken Jenkins, Sarah Chalke, Judy Reyes, Neil Flynn

  Scrubs had two lives; the surrealistic medical dramedy ran on NBC from 2001-2008, and then from 2009-2010 on ABC. The show's cast was anchored by Dr. John Dorian (Zach Braff), alongside Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke), Christopher Turk (Donald Faison), and Perry Cox (John C. McGinley). The WGA writer's strike in 2007 derailed the seventh season of Scrubs, and ABC ended up buying the show and airing it for Seasons 8 and 9.

  Braff and Chalke left as series regulars in Season 8, leaving behind just Faison and McGinley from the original cast. The new additions of characters played by the likes of Eliza Coupe and Dave Franco weren't well-received, and the show just felt different. Creator Bill Lawrence went so far as to ask ABC to rename the series Scrubs Med, since the show didn't resemble the original much at all. It died a quiet death at the end of Season 9.
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  (#3) Laverne & Shirley

  • Penny Marshall, Cindy Williams, Eddie Mekka, Phil Foster, David L. Lander, Michael McKean, Betty Garrett, Carole Ita White, Ed Marinaro, Leslie Easterbrook

  The Happy Days spin-off Laverne & Shirley is a slapstick sitcom from the '70s and '80s that starred Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams as the titular characters. The dynamic duo lived in Milwaukee and worked at Schotz Brewery as beer bottle cappers, while fending off advances from their upstairs neighbors Lenny (Michael McKean) and Squiggy (David Lander). 

  Believe it or not, Shirley left Laverne & Shirley during the last season of the show because of a dispute with the studio regarding time off for her pregnancy. After Williams left the show, she sued Paramount for $20 million. The suit was settled out of court. The show finished Season 8 without Williams, but ABC shut it down for good soon after.
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  (#4) The X-Files

  • Gillian Anderson, David Duchovny, Mitch Pileggi, Robert Patrick, Annabeth Gish, James Pickens, William B. Davis, Jerry Hardin, Steven Williams, Nicholas Lea, John Neville, Brian Thompson, Laurie Holden, Chris Owens, Mimi Rogers, Tom Braidwood, Dean Haglund, Bruce Harwood

  The X-Files was a sci-fi drama about FBI agents investigating the supernatural that originally ran on Fox for nine seasons in the '90s and early 2000s. Viewers tuned in partly for the chemistry between believer Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and skeptic Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). Their relationship was developed slowly over the course of the series, from grudging partnership to close friendship to full-blown romance.

  That's why it was a pretty big blow to the show when Mulder was abducted by aliens at the end of the seventh season. Worse yet, it all happened because of a money dispute between Duchovny and 20th Century Fox. The showrunners created a new character named John Doggett (Robert Patrick) to fill the void, but the magic was gone. The show mercifully ended shortly after Mulder said goodbye. When The X-Files came back in 2016, though, Duchovny was back on board.
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  (#5) Two and a Half Men

  • Jon Cryer, Charlie Sheen, Ashton Kutcher, Conchata Ferrell, Angus T. Jones, Holland Taylor, Marin Hinkle, Melanie Lynskey

  Two and a Half Men ran for an incredible 12 seasons on CBS. It followed single dad Alan (Jon Cryer) and his boozehound bachelor brother Charlie (Charlie Sheen), along with Alan's son Jake (Angus T. Jones). The show was very successful, thanks in large part to the odd-couple comedy of Alan and Charlie – until Sheen decided to go on an insane rant about his boss Chuck Lorre.

  That was the end of the fictional Charlie. The writers unceremoniously killed off his character (his body exploded like a balloon full of meat), and the show added Ashton Kutcher as Internet tycoon Walden Schmidt to fill the void. Two and a Half Men continued on for another three seasons. When the series finally wrapped, a body double was brought on to replace Sheen, and a piano was dropped on his head.
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  (#6) The Office

  • Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, Ed Helms, Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Kate Flannery, Angela Kinsey, Oscar Nunez, Phyllis Smith, Paul Lieberstein, Creed Bratton, Craig Robinson, Ellie Kemper, Catherine Tate, Clark Duke, Jake Lacy, B.J. Novak, Mindy Kaling, Zach Woods, James Spader, Melora Hardin

  The American version of The Office was a huge hit for NBC. Over nine seasons, the mockumentary-style show followed the daily life of the employees of the Dunder Mifflin paper company. It was a true ensemble, but the heart of the sitcom was definitely Regional Manager Michael Scott (Steve Carell).

  Carell left The Office after Season 7, and it nearly killed the show. They gave Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) the manager's job, but immediately lost track of what made him unique. New characters were non-starters, and the writing devolved into zany gags and absurd caricatures. By the time The Office limped to its finale, even diehard fans were glad to see it go.
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  (#7) The Vampire Diaries

  • Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder, Nina Dobrev, Katerina Graham, Candice King, Zach Roerig, Matthew Davis, Michael Malarkey, Steven R McQueen, Michael Trevino, Joseph Morgan, Sara Canning, Kayla Ewell

  When Nina Dobrev announced her departure from The Vampire Diaries after the sixth season, writers likely realized the problems this situation posed. How do you continue a show where one of the lead actors plays not one, not two, but three different yet instrumental characters? The answer, based on the show's eventual trajectory, looks like a "no." The Vampire Diaries only managed to eke out two more seasons before reaching its demise, returned to a coffin it would never rise from.

  Given the show fell into the supernatural thriller genre, The Vampire Diaries had a number of chances to possibly spin this departure in a way that suited their needs. But instead of giving people what they want (immortal, unapologetic bloodsuckers) the writers instead give Elena the cure to vampirism, thereby ruining the morbid allure that even Stephanie Meyer was keen enough to keep in her fan fiction novels. This results in two more seasons of confusing and weak plot threads, eventually concluding with Damon and Elena living and dying as regular humans. Bor-ring!
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  (#8) Happy Days

  • Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Tom Bosley, Marion Ross, Anson Williams, Don Most, Erin Moran

  Happy Days, the 1970s comedy set in the 1950s, ran for 11 seasons on ABC. It followed the adventure of Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard) and best friend Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli (Henry Winkler). The duo and their friends hung out al Al's Diner, hatching wholesome schemes and getting into mischief. The show was originally centered around Richie, but Fonzie slowly took over the leading role and Winkler ultimately got top billing alongside Howard in the opening credits. 

  Howard left the show after Season 7 to pursue his interest in directing, and that ended up being a pretty good call. The show added a few new significant characters along the way like Chachi (Scott Baio) and Roger Phillips (Ted McGinley), and ran for another 4 seasons. The tone of the humor significantly changed and storylines went way off the rails after Howard left (Mork, anyone?), but people continued to watch the show.
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  (#9) Three's Company

  • John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, Suzanne Somers, Richard Kline, Don Knotts, Priscilla Barnes, Norman Fell, Jenilee Harrison, Audra Lindley, Ann Wedgeworth

  From 1976-1984, Three's Company delighted ABC viewers with the farcical adventures of Jack (John Ritter), Janet (Joyce DeWitt), and Chrissy (Suzanne Somers). The three characters live together in an apartment, and hijinx naturally ensue.

  Somers quickly became a fan favorite and international sex symbol shortly after Three's Company premiered. When contract negotiations for the fifth season stalled – Somers asked to be paid the same as Ritter, $150,000 per episode, up from her paltry $30,000 – she went on strike. Then she was fired. Somers's career took a hit before she reinvented herself as an entrepreneur. The rotating Chrissy replacements on Three's Company didn't work out so well either, and the show wrapped a few seasons later.
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  (#10) The Hogan Family

  • Jason Bateman, Jeremy Licht, Luis Daniel Ponce

  NBC debuted a new family comedy, Valerie, in 1986. The show starred Valerie Harper as, naturally, Valerie. Valerie had a pilot husband, Michael (Josh Taylor), who wasn't around too much while she was trying to corral her three boys David (Jason Bateman), Mark (Jeremy Licht), and Willie (Danny Ponce). Harper had enough influence with the studio, that she and husband/producer Tony Cacciotti were able to get more creative control regarding realistic humor and storylines, and the show saw their audience slowly grow. 

  Harper got into a salary dispute with the network, which ultimately got her fired from the show at the end of Season 2; the writers killed her character off. The show then became Valerie's Family, and the network added Sandy Duncan as Michael's sister. The humor changed from realistic to slapstick almost overnight, and the show was rebranded again as The Hogan Family. It ran for two more seasons on NBC, and then wrapped a final season on CBS.
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  (#11) A Different World

  • Lisa Bonet, Kadeem Hardison, Jasmine Guy, Dawnn Lewis, Darryl M. Bell, Sinbad, Charnele Brown, Cree Summer

  A Different World was a Cosby Show spin-off that ran for six seasons on NBC. The show was set on the campus of Hillman College, a fictional historically Black college in Virginia. The show followed the adventures of Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet, reprising her role from The Cosby Show), her roommate Maggie (Marisa Tomei), the snobby Whitley (Jasmine Guy), and Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison). The show addressed more challenging topics than The Cosby Show, including racial inequality and the AIDS epidemic, and was lauded by critics for doing so.

  But then Bonet and husband Lenny Kravitz told the network they were having a baby, and Bill Cosby decided Denise Huxtable should be written off the show because she would never be an unwed mother. A Different World continued on for another five seasons, with the storyline shifted to focus on Whitley and Dwayne Wayne's romance.
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  (#12) The West Wing

  • Martin Sheen, Stockard Channing, John Spencer, Bradley Whitford, Allison Janney, Richard Schiff, Dulé Hill, Janel Moloney, Joshua Malina, Rob Lowe, Mary McCormack, Alan Alda, Lily Tomlin, Mary-Louise Parker, Moira Kelly, Janeane Garofalo, Teri Polo, Kristin Chenoweth

  The West Wing, NBC's legendary political drama, turned creator Aaron Sorkin into a household name, and convinced most of America that Martin Sheen could run the country better than whomever was in office at the time. Originally, the show was pitched with Deputy Communications Director Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) as the central character, writing powerful speeches while advising the President on the best ways to drag the country to the left. But the show quickly shifted focus to President Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen), Chief of Staff Leo McGarry (John Spencer), policy wunderkind Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford), and curmudgeonly do-gooder Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff).

  Lowe's role was diminished over the years, and, ultimately he left after everyone else got a pay raise following Season 4. But, the show didn't lose a step; thanks to the addition of new characters and continued strong performances, it continued on for another three seasons.
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  (#13) ER

  • Anthony Edwards, George Clooney, Julianna Margulies, Sherry Stringfield, Noah Wyle, Eriq La Salle, Laura Innes, Maura Tierney, Parminder Nagra, Linda Cardellini, Gloria Reuben, John Stamos, Goran Visnjic, Alex Kingston, Maria Bello, Angela Bassett, Mekhi Phifer, David Lyons, Scott Grimes, Kellie Martin, Sally Field, Paul McCrane, Ming-Na Wen, Michael Michele, Erik Palladino

  ER was a groundbreaking drama that ran for an impressive 15 seasons on NBC; it's the longest-running primetime medical drama in TV history. Critics and audiences alike loved the cast, characters, and minute-to-minute emergency thrill ride ER offered in spades. George Clooney became the heartthrob star of a fantastic ensemble cast as the dreamy Dr. Doug Ross.

  Clooney left the show in 1999 to pursue a film career, and the world wasn't sure he made the right decision at that time. He did pretty well, of course, but so did ER, which continued on for another decade. Cast members came and went, but the showrunners always found a way to bring in new talent and keep the storylines fresh.
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  (#14) NYPD Blue

  • Dennis Franz, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Gordon Clapp, Bill Brochtrup, Henry Simmons, Jacqueline Obradors, Currie Graham, Bonnie Somerville, David Caruso, Amy Brenneman, Vincent Guastaferro, Sharon Lawrence, James McDaniel, Gail O'Grady, Nicholas Turturro, Jimmy Smits, Kim Delaney, Ricky Schroder, Andrea Thompson

  NYPD Blue was a groundbreaking cop drama that ran for 12 seasons on ABC. The show was known for its gritty realism and willingness to push the boundaries of broadcast TV both in tone and execution. The abundance of nudity and cursing brought in viewers, but the real draw was a brilliant cast and even better writing. The show originally focused on the life of Det. John Kelly (David Caruso), with the rest of the talented cast only stepping into the limelight once the reportedly rude actor left the show after Season 2.

  While Caruso promised that "NYPD Blue will not be successful when I leave," it found a way to stay on the air for another 10 seasons. The addition of unexpected talents like Jimmy Smits, Ricky Schroder, and even Mark-Paul Gosselaar kept the series feeling fresh, and many believe some of the very best episodes of this legendary show happened post-Caruso.
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  (#15) Cheers

  • Ted Danson, Rhea Perlman, George Wendt, Shelley Long, Kirstie Alley, Kelsey Grammer, Woody Harrelson, John Ratzenberger, Nicholas Colasanto, Bebe Neuwirth, Al Rosen

  Cheers, the game-changing NBC comedy set in a bar in Boston, had a deep bench of talent. There was Sam Malone (Ted Danson), Coach (Nicholas Colasanto), Carla Tortelli (Rhea Perlman), Norm Peterson (George Wendt), and Cliff Clavin (John Ratzenberger). Much of the show's charm came from the will they/won't they between Sam and Diane Chambers (Shelley Long), the prim and proper waitress.

  Long left Cheers to pursue a film career at the end of the fifth season. While her career floundered, the bar kept its doors open for another six seasons, and added some significant characters like Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer), who would go onto enjoy his own spin-off. While the show was arguably best during the Diane years, it continued to win awards long after she left.

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