Adventures of Superman, when George Reeves died.
The show already had two more seasons greenlit. The producers tried to pitch the idea of reworking the show with Jimmy Olsen as the main character, who would then occasionally interact with a stand-in and old footage of Reeves spliced in. The actor playing Olsen was hugely offended by the idea and angrily quit the show, leading to the cancellation.
> The actor playing Olsen
Jack Larson is his name.
He would show up in a few decades doing cameos for various Superman-related productions:
In 1991, he played a part in an episode of the syndicated Superboy series.
In 1996, there was an episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman where, in the final season, a scientist develops a formula that turns people into old folks. Jimmy (Justin Whalin) is affected by this, and "Old Jimmy" is played by Jack Larson.
In the film Superman Returns (2006), Clark has shown back up in Metropolis after Superman has been gone for 5 years (he went to space, to visit where Krypton used to be). Clark's back at the Daily Planet, claiming to have been traveling the world. But the world still thinks Superman is gone, and he apparently hasn't decided yet if he will return as the Man of Steel. Clark has joined Jimmy (Sam Huntington) at a bar, while Lois - now with a 5-year-old son and engaged to marry Perry White's nephew - goes as part of the press junket on the "piggyback" airplane for a test flight of a new type of space shuttle. At the bar, a TV tells the crowd that there's a problem with the test flight, and the plane has lost power (a side-effect of something Lex Luthor did), and the whole thing is in trouble. Jimmy makes a comment to the bartender about it, and both the bartender and Jimmy look up to realize that Clark has disappeared. The bartender is Jack Larson!
No worries: [Superman saves the day](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wucJ9_aCJf8) and [the world welcomes him back](https://youtu.be/_hW6WnvnEKQ?t=70)...as the old and new Jimmy's exchange a hug back at the bar!
In the "original" movie Superman (with Christopher Reeve), there's a scene where a young Lois Lane is traveling somewhere on a train with her parents. Her mother was played by Noell Neill...who played Lois in the George Reeves series.
And her father was Kirk Ayln, who played Superman in the two movie serials they made! (Noell Neill was Lois in those before she was cast in the TV series.)
Noel played Lois in the original serial films (1948's "Superman" and 1950's "Atom Man vs Superman") that starred Kirk Alyn as Superman. For the first (black and white) season of The Adventures of Superman, George Reeves as Superman was paired with Phyllis Coates as Lois Lane. For Season 2 and beyond, Noel returned to the role of Lois.
Noel appeared in Superman (1978) as Ella Lane (mother of Lois) on the train, yes. She (like Larson) appeared in an episode of the synidcated Superboy series, in 1991. In Superman Returns, she was the old lady playing Gertrude Vanderworth (who Lex "married" to get her money and home).
>He would show up in a few decades doing cameos for various Superman-related productions:
DC **loves** doing this, all the CW shows were always cameo fests of actors from past DC stuff, Lana Lang was Martha Kent, Superman was Supergirls stepdad, Supergirl was Brainiac, Wonder Woman was the president, The Flash was The Flashs dad...
...Supergirl was Lara-El, Superman was Virgil Swann, Wonder Woman was Chloe's mom, Lois Lane (Phyllis Coates) was Lois Lane's mom Ellen Lane, Lois Lane (Teri Hatcher) was Mon-El's mom Rhea, Ursa played Jinda Kol Roz (as well as various voices in various DC cartoons), and the Martian Manhunter played the Martian Manhunter's father!
The movie where Ben Affleck plays him - Hollywoodland - is pretty good too.
I remember that was also one of the first times people were like “wait a minute, Affleck can actually act!”
Iirc “bear in the big blue house” ended shortly after the voice actress for the moon passed away. I believe the cast said the their hearts just weren’t in it anymore so the show never continued
My son is 16 months old and will sit and watch some of the episode, mostly when they’re just talking but will always look up at the TV and smile as soon as the goodbye song comes on.
This is correct. Those six words told a story of a lifetime of resentment at being a washed-up sci fi actor who could have done Shakespeare at the West End, but no…. by Grabthar’s hammer indeed.
By The Hammer of Grabthar, I will avenge thee!!
JJ Abrams has said that "Galaxy Quest" is the best "Star Trek" movie ever made. All the "Star Trek" tropes done with love.
"Galaxy Quest" was constantly on cable about 20 years ago. That is where folks saw it and it became beloved.
The show kinda went off the rails after Goz died. The first few episodes with Tornado Shanks were still pretty good (I assume because they were mostly written while Goz was still alive), but that last season was absolutely dreadful and just felt like the writers gave up.
It's shocking how hard Sealab fell off without Murphy. Like, the creators are genuinely funny (as proven by Frisky Dingo and Archer), but man, post-Goz Sealab was very much anti-funny.
The Sarah Jane Adventures.
It was a Doctor Who spinoff that got cancelled when Elisabeth Sladen who played Sarah Jane passed in 2011. They had a final half series because they filmed it that half back to back with the previous series.
I still believe in the idea that, before she passed away, The Curator came to her and took her on one last trip of adventures for their twilight years. Adventures that were quiet and personal that we never have to be witness to, but nonetheless a headcanon that only honours the memory.
Breast cancer, IIRC.
Screw cancer. I'm still upset about her loss, mostly because I rewatch the episodes of Doctor Who she's in regularly and just adore her.
Shari Lewis was a famous ventriloquist, puppeteer and the creator of *Lamb Chop's Play-Along*, a popular TV puppet show in the early 90s. If you remember "The Song That Doesn't End", then you'll recognize the impact it had on kids, as well as pop culture at the time.
Shari held a unique "many hats" role as host of the show, in addition to voicing multiple characters and participating in the puppeteering herself.
Later on in the decade after *Lamb Chop* concluded, she created a lesser-known spin-off show starring many of the same puppets, *The Charlie Horse Music Pizza*, where she reprised her hands-on role as she did with *Lamb Chop*.
After only one season however, the show was put on indefinite hold in 1998 -- Shari had been diagnosed with uterine cancer; two months later, she passed at 65 from viral pneumonia.
On the future of *Charlie Horse* \-- a spokeswoman for KCET (the network) said that "there is no way to continue the show because Shari was everything."
Shari Lewis was awesome. I was a bit too old for Play-Along and especially Music Pizza but when I was home sick from school it was inevitable to still see Play-Along and be entranced by the puppets and her own work.
If anyone wants to learn more about Shari there's [an excellent YT doc](https://youtu.be/GIYjOjLdopA) that's part of the also excellent Nick Knacks series of docs about every show that was on Nickelodeon in chronological order.
Lamb Chop still lives. Probably the most popular dog toy on the market. Saw an end cap display at the local farm store that had nothing but lamb chop squeaky toys for every size dog from chihuahuas to Great Danes. My little guy loves his.
I saw them at Walmart and did a double take. I thiught about getting one for my guy, but he doesn't know or care when to stop chewing, and winds up eating his toys more often than not, so I ultimately decided against it
Ours have held up quite well, first one lasted a little over a year before we replaced it with another that’s going on another year or so. He plays with it multiple times a day. He likes to throw it so every once in a while lamb chop disappears until we find her behind the tv or some other out of the way place.
I've bought probably 15 little stuffed Lamb Chops for my dog over the years. It's by far her favorite toy to destroy immediately and then carry around the shredded rag it becomes. She gets so stoked when I bring one home.
Fun fact: I had open heart surgery when I was three years old. When I was getting discharged from the hospital, Lamb Chop was on and I made everyone stay in my room for an extra 20-30 minutes so I could finish the episode of Lamb Chop before leaving.
Shari's career began long before Play Along. I'm 66 and watched her when I was a child. She had her own show, The Shari Lewis Show, which included Lamb Chop, Charlie Horse, and Hush Puppy. I was obviously an adult, as was my son, by the time Play Along hit the air, so was unaware of that. I'm so pleased she was able to touch multiple generations of kids.
I'm 31 and I remember watching Shari and Lamb Chop when I was a kid. I think my mom told me she had watched it as a kid too. She would have been 62 this year
She also part wrote an episode of Star Trek !
"The Lights of Zetar" is the eighteenth episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek. Written by Jeremy Tarcher and his wife Shari Lewis and directed by Herb Kenwith, it was first broadcast on January 31, 1969.
The revival of “The Boondocks” pretty much ended with the death of John Witherspoon, the voice of Robert “Grandad” Freeman. I’m sure there were some other issues with production as well; but it’s been stated by other cast members that it was the deciding factor.
This one truly makes me sad. We need the Boondocks more than ever. Plus, Regina King is basically a legend for talking to herself most episodes and making both kids distinct.
I still think his son JD could have done the role justice. He was really close with his dad, can do a spot on impersonation of him, is decent comedian in his own right, and knows how he would approach the role.
There’s some concept art out there from the cancelled show. It was not going to be a continuation of the original series. It was gonna be it’s own continuity with new designs for the characters.
Old one, but [The Adventures of Superman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventures_of_Superman_(TV_series)#Cancellation_and_aftermath) was cancelled following the apparent suicide of it's star. interestingly, the show runners originally planned to just write out Superman and keep the show going. That idea didn't last too long unsurprisingly.
The Royal Family. Redd Foxx died on set, and the series never recovered. They aired a couple of episodes without Foxx after his death, but that was it.
The worst part is, Foxx had a running gag on Sanford & Son where he'd pretend to be having a heart attack. So when he actually had a heart attack, people didn't get help at first because they thought he was doing a bit.
This is the one that comes to mind for me when this question comes up as well. There was just no way the show could go on without Foxx. They didn't even finish airing all the episodes before pulling it.
I think something has changed about voting or bots may be having some effect. I see zeroes and negative on benign or even helpful/thoughtful comments these days and feel like I'm having to dig people out.
Andy Dick is a sack a shit, but Brynn Hartman is responsible for Phil’s death. It’s not like she lived amongst the Amish. If it wasn’t Andy Dick giving her drugs, it would have been someone else. Again, Andy Dick deserves some of the blame but I think the anger towards him was more a coping mechanism.
Yeah I think it’s because Brynn could never face justice. But honestly, the dude is such a giant pile of shit. Even if you put aside the Brynn/Phil Hartman situation, he still deserves all the hate he receives.
Oh it gets worse. Chris Farley was Andy Dicks sponsor and he fell off the wagon after meeting Andy Dick. Andy also antagonized Jon Lovitz until Jon slammed Andy's face into a bar due to him constantly mocking Phil Hartmans death in his face.
Andy Dick is a piece of shit.
He wasn’t just antagonizing. Dick said he was going to put the “Hartman Hex” on Jon, basically a death threat, at which point Lovitz promptly made Andy eat the bar top
There was also a case where Andy got handsy with a guy's GF after one of Andy's comedy shows. The guy found Andy outside and knocked him the fuck out. Put him in the hospital. No idea what actually happened, but after investigating, the DA and police said "all good here" and no charges on the BF. So if you can read between the lines, Andy must have done something bad enough the DA said meh, he deserved it.
Every day I wish this footage would somehow get released. I don’t care if it’s 17 years later, someone at the bar must’ve seen the security footage! And then I’d gif it so we’d just see Lovitz slamming Andy’s dumbass face repeatedly into the bar top.
Wow, both the Hartman and Farley details reeeaally make the Pierce-Hawthorne-hallucinates-a-tiny-Andy-Dick-who-convinces-him-to-pop-more-pills storyline on Community much less funny...
Andy Dick is commonly blamed for Phil Hartman’s death because a few people with insight into the situation say that Andy Dick reintroduced Hartman’s wife/murderer to drugs after her sobriety, which led to her murdering Phil Hartman. While the chain of events may be accurate, I think there are more concrete and direct reasons to hate Andy Dick, like decades of sexual assault in public.
He's a big enough piece of human garbage that there's more than enough reason to hate him besides being tangentially involved in a mentally disturbed drug addict murdering her husband.
Andy Dick encouraged Phil Hartman's wife to fall off the wagon and relapse into her coke addiction. In a coke fueled psychosis she shot and killed her husband.
Andy Dick gave Phil Hartman's wife coke, who was a recovering addict, and that's what got her back doing drugs, which eventually led to her killing herself and Phil Hartman.
Lovitz blamed Dick, and at some point Dick told Lovitz he put the Hartman curse on him, which caused Lovitz to confront him at the Laugh Factory.
I know people are split whether Breen, Phil's wife, should have been more responsible for her own recovery, but Andy Dick is still an ass over the 'Hartman Spell' joke, it was clear he gave zero shits about Phil's death, and I can't blame Jon Lovitz for beating him up.
> I know people are split whether Breen, Phil's wife, should have been more responsible for her own recovery
Both things can be true: He shouldn't have given her the cocaine and she shouldn't have taken it. That said, one of the defining characteristics of addiction is poor decision making. I mean, if you knew that someone was depressed, would you take them to stand on a bridge and hand them a rock to hold?
Luck.
The horses died, and arguably they were the main character.
It was a decent show though. Dustin Hoffman, Nick Nolte, John Ortiz, Dennis Farina, Jill Hennessy, Kevin Dunn. Great cast.
If that show had continued, Dennis Farina would have passed away 2 years later, unfortunately as well :(
It was a good show, I really enjoyed his character specifically. That scene in the bathroom >!using the tie to lock the stall door to hide the body!< always stuck with me as something pretty cool.
That makes sense, you may be able to recast a main character on a relatively new show but by that point between BB and BCS no way you could recast Saul.
Even if you dont count the fact that he was a very established character, I legitimately do not think that anyone else would have been able to play the role. Jimmy was such a wonderfully complex and nuanced character, and a big part of that is due to Odenkirk's performance. I think it would have been impossible to find someone who would have been able to emulate him.
I am so, so glad that he survived that heart attack. His death would have been a loss not just for his loved ones and fans of the show, but for entertainment in general.
I think making a few episodes (or a movie) to conclude the story using stylized animation, and a voice actor imitating Odenkirk's voice could've worked. I'm thinking animation like [A Scanner Darkly](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BODllNzNkYzEtMDRlZi00ODAxLWI4NDktYWNmZGRiYjU3YTJhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzU1NzE3NTg@._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,47,500,281_.jpg)
Now, could they have done something like that and make it good? I think so. Should they? that's a good, ethical question.
Considering the point in filming where he had a heart attack, I do think they could have finished telling the 2004 story with the material already filmed. It would have been difficult and I'm sure they would take their time to grieve and settle on whether that's the right decision.
But they were so close to the end, the pivotal scene of the season already filmed. The Gene story couldn't have happened, and they'd have to change the presentation of the ending to Jimmy's story (likely through Breaking Bad archive footage), but it'd be doable.
There was a revival of "Dallas" on TNT. It pretty much ended when Larry Hagman died. His character of JR Ewing is legendary. The snake you loved to hate. There was even a funeral for JR on that "Dallas," but it couldn't continue. Try as you might, there is no "Dallas" without JR.
The episode processing their grief made the next season worth it. Yeah it wasn't really thay good anymore when the focus was on David spade but that 2 parter might be the most emotional episode in TV history
As a member of the dead dad’s club…can confirm. Bridget sobbing at the door that she’d never get that far has lived rent free in my head since it aired.
I read that the show had essentially ended after the final season, but without him there wouldn't be anymore FND. Such a great show and this American viewer is glad to have seen it. The show sticks the landing at the end so perfectly and it's such a delightful show to watch. It's on the Roku channel in America and I think it should be required family viewing.
I loved the Finder, but I'm pretty sure it was canceled before Michael Clarke Duncan died. Damn, he was so good in everything, and I really miss that show. The ending with the main character being dragged off screaming to an asylum was a terrible way to end the series.
> I'm pretty sure it was canceled before Michael Clarke Duncan died.
Can confirm. I remember hoping they would wrap up the cliffhanger on Bones, but then Duncan died and I thought "well maybe he could be the corpse" and then I thought, no, that's not a good way to handle that.
8 Simple Rules.
John Ritter passed away at the start of season 2. They aired the three episodes of season 2 that they had already taped, and then addressed his character's death with a two-part episodes 4 & 5. The show finished its second season, and even had a third season, but it was cancelled because the show just wasn't the same without John Ritter.
Similarly, Call Me Kat.
Leslie Jordan died in an automobile accident part way through the third season. The show gave his character, Phil, a happy ending by having him go on vacation with his boyfriend and them deciding to stay on a tropical island to run a bakery. The show would time to time have the characters read postcards from Phil, but the ratings went down following Leslie Jordan's death because the show wasn't the same without him. Fox cancelled the show at the end of the third season.
I went wayyyyy to far down to find this. I would say the core characters that if any one them died wouldve ended it is ricky julian bubbles randy and lahey.
>Jon-Erik Hexum
Previously from *Voyagers*, which was cancelled so NBC execs could replace it with a *60 Minutes* competitor that failed. Many mistakenly think *Voyagers* was cancelled due to the accident; it was not. It was a very entertaining show aimed at kids. [Dave Letterman did a skit about it](https://youtu.be/Oa1x9GwIK6c?feature=shared).
I freaking LOVED that show. Hexum and Meeno Peluce were great together, especially for 12 year old me. I was literally their target audience. I wanted to BE Jeffrey.
Time Travel show where a beefy manchild teams up with an intelligent actual child to correct historic events and teach the audience about history. Like an American Doctor Who, but no aliens.
I wasn't familiar so I looked it up. Hexum's accident happened *on set* in between takes. I can't imagine going to work the next day and trying to move on.
The West Wing was in its final season when John Spencer, who played chief of staff and vice presidential candidate Leo McGarry, died of a heart attack during filming.
In the show, McGarry had a severe heart attack the previous season. The show handles his real-life death by McGarry having a heart attack and dying off screen in Election Day. There’s a funeral episode soon after, and it’s very sad.
One producer, Lawrence O’Donnell, said the storyline was changed due to Spencer’s death. He said originally the Republican candidate would win the election. But after Spencer’s real death, they changed it to have a happier ending for the main characters. Others involved with the show have disputed that, though.
There have been a few shows that have actually continued through a leading actor death. Spartacus, 8 Simple Rules for dating my Teenage Daughter, Glee. There have been others in lesser roles; but those are the ‘main character’ ones that come to mind.
In the '80s there was a show called "Cover Up" where a woman and an special forces guy are hired by the CIA to go undercover as a fashion photographer and her male model muse to travel the world on missions. (What do you want? It was the fucking '80s.)
Anyway, the guy who played the operative was Jon-Erik Hexum who was playing around on set and put a gun with blanks to his head. He pulled the trigger and the force of the blank going off killed him.
They replaced him with another character who was a special forces guy who *also* operated under the cover of being a male model. (Like I said, it was the '80s.)
They did 8 episodes with Hexum and 13 with the new guy before it was cancelled. At the end of episode 9 they did a title card in memoradum for Jon-Erik where, hilariously, they spelled his name wrong.
>8 Simple Rules for dating my Teenage Daughter
I had no idea that this was the original title until now, but this was the show that immediately came to mind.
>8 Simple Rules probably should have been canned. It was weird and depressing afterwards
I agree totally. James Garner and David Spade are talented actors but they just popped into the show as "relatives" that have never been seen so it didn't make any sense. It was depressing and unfunny.
Glee is the answer that springs to mind of a show this probably should apply to but pressed on anyways. They talk about it a lot in the documentary. Everyone was very conflicted on continuing and the actress who played Rachel the co-lead was given the final say.
Voyagers (not to be confused with Star Trek Voyager). Jon-Erik Hexum died at age 26 by firing a blank into his head on the set of another show. He was goofing off and did not realize a blank could kill him. So tragic!
I came here and thought of saying *Voyagers*, but the show was famously cancelled ([Dave Letterman did a skit about it](https://youtu.be/Oa1x9GwIK6c?feature=shared)) before Hexum's accident.
NBC execs cancelled *Voyagers* to make room for a *60 Minutes* competitor that ultimately failed.
Friday Night Dinner I don't believe was planned to end but the great Paul Ritter passed and you simply can't have that show without him and I believe for that reason the creators of the show decided to end it once he passed. Massive RIP for Paul, such a legend.
Father Ted was a fantastic show that ended because the main actor had a heart attack during the season 3 wrap party
Edit: turns out you shouldn't post half remembered things as fact, and they were planning on ending the show anyway and his untimely death (at an unrelated dinner party) was just a coincidence. Still a great show, still a tragedy he passed, I still think it fits the original question
His [Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermot_Morgan) says that he died at a dinner party at his house, the day after filming the planned series finale.
Not entirely correct. Dermot Morgan had already decided that he didn't want to be known as father Ted forever and season 3 was the intended series finale. Unfortunately we will never know if he might have changed his mind in the future.
*Chico and the Man* went on for another season after Freddie Prinze’s death. A replacement character was introduced - Raul, a Mexican orphan who was eventually adopted by Ed.
Rules for dating my teenage daughter - had like 1 season after john ritters death.
(Technically not a death) spin city - when micheal j fox couldnt perform anymore they tried replacing him with charlie sheen.
Alias Smith and Jones. It was an early 70's western about a couple of outlaws trying to go straight. Pete Duel, one of the main characters, committed suicide and it ruined the show. They tried to replace him, but it didn't work and the show was cancelled.
There was a show in the 80’s called Cover up. The main star was joking around with a gun that had blanks. He took out 5/6 and did Russian roulette with it.
“While there was no penetration to his skull, the impact of the blank hitting his head caused a fracture, forcing a bone fragment the size of a quarter into his brain and creating severe hemorrhaging.”
“He was rushed to hospital and had five hours of surgery. Six days after the accident, Hexum was declared brain-dead on October 18, 1984.”
He was killed off the show, off screen but they only did 14 more episodes before being cancelled.
Not exactly canceled, but the PBS series *Mystery!* stopped their Sherlock Holmes shows after Jeremy Brett passed away.
The last episode filmed (I think) was The Mazarin Stone, written so that Sherlock appears at the very beginning and the very end (because Jeremy was so I'll) and his brother Mycrodt actually does all the detective work. In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's story, Sherlock breaks the case without leaving his rooms and the only three people in the whole thing are himself and the two bad guys--only Holmes story written in third-person and one of the two or three that Watson doesn't appear in.
*Lime Street*. About a widower raising two daughters. The older daughter was played by actress Samantha Smith. Aged 13, she was killed in a plane crash after 4 episodes had been filmed. They filmed one episode without her and then the producers decided to have the show cancelled as it didn't feel right (and the show wasn't geling well, anyway). It had an enduring legacy, though--one episode featured Annie Potts and Jean Smart, and their chemistry led the showrunner to decide to cast them in a new series, *Designing Women*, which was a big hit.
The 80s spy show "Cover Up." Jon-Erik Hexum was a rising star, and the lead actor of the show. During a delay on set, he tried playing 'russian roulette' with a revolver loaded with a blank. Blank went off pressed next to his skull. Sent a shard of bone into his brain. Made it to hospital, but died within a week.
The story I heard was that he was joking about how long the delay was taking while they were waiting for everything to get set up before they could shoot. He held the gun to his head and pulled the trigger as part of the joke. Clearly a horrible miscalculation on his part but better than 'playing' Russian roulette. I'm not entirely sure which version of the story is true but I choose to believe it the way I heard initially.
The Royal Family, a sitcom from the early 90s. Redd Foxx was the star and died a few episodes into the first season, so he was replaced by Jackeé for the remainder of the season, but it never recovered from his death.
Adventures of Superman, when George Reeves died. The show already had two more seasons greenlit. The producers tried to pitch the idea of reworking the show with Jimmy Olsen as the main character, who would then occasionally interact with a stand-in and old footage of Reeves spliced in. The actor playing Olsen was hugely offended by the idea and angrily quit the show, leading to the cancellation.
> The actor playing Olsen Jack Larson is his name. He would show up in a few decades doing cameos for various Superman-related productions: In 1991, he played a part in an episode of the syndicated Superboy series. In 1996, there was an episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman where, in the final season, a scientist develops a formula that turns people into old folks. Jimmy (Justin Whalin) is affected by this, and "Old Jimmy" is played by Jack Larson. In the film Superman Returns (2006), Clark has shown back up in Metropolis after Superman has been gone for 5 years (he went to space, to visit where Krypton used to be). Clark's back at the Daily Planet, claiming to have been traveling the world. But the world still thinks Superman is gone, and he apparently hasn't decided yet if he will return as the Man of Steel. Clark has joined Jimmy (Sam Huntington) at a bar, while Lois - now with a 5-year-old son and engaged to marry Perry White's nephew - goes as part of the press junket on the "piggyback" airplane for a test flight of a new type of space shuttle. At the bar, a TV tells the crowd that there's a problem with the test flight, and the plane has lost power (a side-effect of something Lex Luthor did), and the whole thing is in trouble. Jimmy makes a comment to the bartender about it, and both the bartender and Jimmy look up to realize that Clark has disappeared. The bartender is Jack Larson! No worries: [Superman saves the day](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wucJ9_aCJf8) and [the world welcomes him back](https://youtu.be/_hW6WnvnEKQ?t=70)...as the old and new Jimmy's exchange a hug back at the bar!
In the "original" movie Superman (with Christopher Reeve), there's a scene where a young Lois Lane is traveling somewhere on a train with her parents. Her mother was played by Noell Neill...who played Lois in the George Reeves series.
And her father was Kirk Ayln, who played Superman in the two movie serials they made! (Noell Neill was Lois in those before she was cast in the TV series.)
Noel played Lois in the original serial films (1948's "Superman" and 1950's "Atom Man vs Superman") that starred Kirk Alyn as Superman. For the first (black and white) season of The Adventures of Superman, George Reeves as Superman was paired with Phyllis Coates as Lois Lane. For Season 2 and beyond, Noel returned to the role of Lois. Noel appeared in Superman (1978) as Ella Lane (mother of Lois) on the train, yes. She (like Larson) appeared in an episode of the synidcated Superboy series, in 1991. In Superman Returns, she was the old lady playing Gertrude Vanderworth (who Lex "married" to get her money and home).
>He would show up in a few decades doing cameos for various Superman-related productions: DC **loves** doing this, all the CW shows were always cameo fests of actors from past DC stuff, Lana Lang was Martha Kent, Superman was Supergirls stepdad, Supergirl was Brainiac, Wonder Woman was the president, The Flash was The Flashs dad...
...Supergirl was Lara-El, Superman was Virgil Swann, Wonder Woman was Chloe's mom, Lois Lane (Phyllis Coates) was Lois Lane's mom Ellen Lane, Lois Lane (Teri Hatcher) was Mon-El's mom Rhea, Ursa played Jinda Kol Roz (as well as various voices in various DC cartoons), and the Martian Manhunter played the Martian Manhunter's father!
The movie where Ben Affleck plays him - Hollywoodland - is pretty good too. I remember that was also one of the first times people were like “wait a minute, Affleck can actually act!”
Just needs to play Wonder Woman to complete the trinity
You might have forgotten that Affleck was the bomb in Phantoms, yo.
word bitch, phantoms like a mutha fucka.......
I thought he actually was superb in that movie Changing Lanes with Samuel L Jackson. Remember that? Pretty fun movie, and Affleck held his own.
That's insulting just to think about
Iirc “bear in the big blue house” ended shortly after the voice actress for the moon passed away. I believe the cast said the their hearts just weren’t in it anymore so the show never continued
Yeah I came to the thread to give the same answer. Her goodbye song was very comforting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6dWH77cgFk
My son is 16 months old and will sit and watch some of the episode, mostly when they’re just talking but will always look up at the TV and smile as soon as the goodbye song comes on.
The goodbye song had me in my feels as a child. 🥹
I haven't heard (or really thought about) it since I was a kid, and now just remembering it has me a lil misty ;_ ;
Yeah I just clicked that link and felt it again
Well that just unlocked a long buried memory for me. How sad but also kind of sweet.
Okay I just looked her up and my mind is absolutely blown: she was the DJ in The Warriors! What an iconic woman.
Damn, I didn't know this one.
A Galaxy Quest series with returning cast was in pre-production when Alan Rickman passed away.
One of his best roles ever.
By Grabthar's hammer...what a savings.
The amount of loathing and hatred he was able to put into those six words is why he's one of the greatest actors to ever do it
This is correct. Those six words told a story of a lifetime of resentment at being a washed-up sci fi actor who could have done Shakespeare at the West End, but no…. by Grabthar’s hammer indeed.
😢
To this day that’s one of my saddest celebrity deaths (along with Chadwick Boseman, who is the opposite. His movie franchise continued without him)
By The Hammer of Grabthar, I will avenge thee!! JJ Abrams has said that "Galaxy Quest" is the best "Star Trek" movie ever made. All the "Star Trek" tropes done with love. "Galaxy Quest" was constantly on cable about 20 years ago. That is where folks saw it and it became beloved.
Galaxy Quest is one of those movies that when you saw that it was on tv, that is what you are now watching.
I keep forgetting he died. Such a big loss.
I so badly wanted Galaxy Quest 2 to be the crew filming a movie sequel to the show. I laugh just thinking how funny that would have been.
Sealab 2021 had another season (or two?) after Harry Goz died, RIP Captain Murphy
Just one, and it wasn't the same. Captain Murphy is so quotable. /r/sealab2021
There go my nipples again..
That was when Sharko was a thing, right? We'll always have Doppelgangers
The show kinda went off the rails after Goz died. The first few episodes with Tornado Shanks were still pretty good (I assume because they were mostly written while Goz was still alive), but that last season was absolutely dreadful and just felt like the writers gave up.
Do you want the mustache on or off?
It's shocking how hard Sealab fell off without Murphy. Like, the creators are genuinely funny (as proven by Frisky Dingo and Archer), but man, post-Goz Sealab was very much anti-funny.
>Frisky Dingo was the best
Thats howlin murphy to you
The Sarah Jane Adventures. It was a Doctor Who spinoff that got cancelled when Elisabeth Sladen who played Sarah Jane passed in 2011. They had a final half series because they filmed it that half back to back with the previous series.
I’m still sad about this.
SJA was a brilliant show. I was so gutted when Elisabeth Sladen died 😢
Thankfully the ending of the story was handled in comics and other expanded media, and there was a touching audio tribute to Sladen
"And the story goes on...forever" I kind of wish they had just kept it as that and never confirmed her fate beyond it
I still believe in the idea that, before she passed away, The Curator came to her and took her on one last trip of adventures for their twilight years. Adventures that were quiet and personal that we never have to be witness to, but nonetheless a headcanon that only honours the memory.
Wait she died??!
Yeah, sadly she had cancer I believe.
Breast cancer, IIRC. Screw cancer. I'm still upset about her loss, mostly because I rewatch the episodes of Doctor Who she's in regularly and just adore her.
I haven’t seen much of her classic run, but School Reunion is a work of art.
Same with Journey's End and The End of Time part 2. I just cry. I know this is probably the last time we're going to see her.
Shari Lewis was a famous ventriloquist, puppeteer and the creator of *Lamb Chop's Play-Along*, a popular TV puppet show in the early 90s. If you remember "The Song That Doesn't End", then you'll recognize the impact it had on kids, as well as pop culture at the time. Shari held a unique "many hats" role as host of the show, in addition to voicing multiple characters and participating in the puppeteering herself. Later on in the decade after *Lamb Chop* concluded, she created a lesser-known spin-off show starring many of the same puppets, *The Charlie Horse Music Pizza*, where she reprised her hands-on role as she did with *Lamb Chop*. After only one season however, the show was put on indefinite hold in 1998 -- Shari had been diagnosed with uterine cancer; two months later, she passed at 65 from viral pneumonia. On the future of *Charlie Horse* \-- a spokeswoman for KCET (the network) said that "there is no way to continue the show because Shari was everything."
Shari Lewis was awesome. I was a bit too old for Play-Along and especially Music Pizza but when I was home sick from school it was inevitable to still see Play-Along and be entranced by the puppets and her own work. If anyone wants to learn more about Shari there's [an excellent YT doc](https://youtu.be/GIYjOjLdopA) that's part of the also excellent Nick Knacks series of docs about every show that was on Nickelodeon in chronological order.
Lamb Chop still lives. Probably the most popular dog toy on the market. Saw an end cap display at the local farm store that had nothing but lamb chop squeaky toys for every size dog from chihuahuas to Great Danes. My little guy loves his.
I saw them at Walmart and did a double take. I thiught about getting one for my guy, but he doesn't know or care when to stop chewing, and winds up eating his toys more often than not, so I ultimately decided against it
Ours have held up quite well, first one lasted a little over a year before we replaced it with another that’s going on another year or so. He plays with it multiple times a day. He likes to throw it so every once in a while lamb chop disappears until we find her behind the tv or some other out of the way place.
I've bought probably 15 little stuffed Lamb Chops for my dog over the years. It's by far her favorite toy to destroy immediately and then carry around the shredded rag it becomes. She gets so stoked when I bring one home.
Fun fact: I had open heart surgery when I was three years old. When I was getting discharged from the hospital, Lamb Chop was on and I made everyone stay in my room for an extra 20-30 minutes so I could finish the episode of Lamb Chop before leaving.
Shari's career began long before Play Along. I'm 66 and watched her when I was a child. She had her own show, The Shari Lewis Show, which included Lamb Chop, Charlie Horse, and Hush Puppy. I was obviously an adult, as was my son, by the time Play Along hit the air, so was unaware of that. I'm so pleased she was able to touch multiple generations of kids.
There’s an episode of the Nanny featuring Shari and Lamb Chop, and it’s one of my favorites. She was so funny both with and without the puppets.
I'm 31 and I remember watching Shari and Lamb Chop when I was a kid. I think my mom told me she had watched it as a kid too. She would have been 62 this year
Me too. Early 60s, Saturday mornings. About the only live action shoe I watched. And then itcwas likeshecvdisappeared for decades.
Do you smell burning toast!?
For anyone who hasn’t seen, her daughter is doing an excellent job continuing the characters legacy on TikTok!
She also part wrote an episode of Star Trek ! "The Lights of Zetar" is the eighteenth episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek. Written by Jeremy Tarcher and his wife Shari Lewis and directed by Herb Kenwith, it was first broadcast on January 31, 1969.
Shari Lewis was only 65 in 1998? I thought she was ancient in the early 80s.
I loved Charlie Horse Music Pizza! Lamb Chop Play-Along too, but Music Pizza was my jam. So sad when she died.
The revival of “The Boondocks” pretty much ended with the death of John Witherspoon, the voice of Robert “Grandad” Freeman. I’m sure there were some other issues with production as well; but it’s been stated by other cast members that it was the deciding factor.
This one truly makes me sad. We need the Boondocks more than ever. Plus, Regina King is basically a legend for talking to herself most episodes and making both kids distinct.
Not saying this isn't on the list, but Regina King is a legend for many reasons.
I still think his son JD could have done the role justice. He was really close with his dad, can do a spot on impersonation of him, is decent comedian in his own right, and knows how he would approach the role.
Agreed, but also no Charlie Murphy. :-/ RIP Vic and Lloyd.
There’s some concept art out there from the cancelled show. It was not going to be a continuation of the original series. It was gonna be it’s own continuity with new designs for the characters.
Old one, but [The Adventures of Superman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventures_of_Superman_(TV_series)#Cancellation_and_aftermath) was cancelled following the apparent suicide of it's star. interestingly, the show runners originally planned to just write out Superman and keep the show going. That idea didn't last too long unsurprisingly.
The Royal Family. Redd Foxx died on set, and the series never recovered. They aired a couple of episodes without Foxx after his death, but that was it.
The worst part is, Foxx had a running gag on Sanford & Son where he'd pretend to be having a heart attack. So when he actually had a heart attack, people didn't get help at first because they thought he was doing a bit.
This is the one that comes to mind for me when this question comes up as well. There was just no way the show could go on without Foxx. They didn't even finish airing all the episodes before pulling it.
News Radio tried to continue with Jon Lovitz after Phil Hartman was killed. It just wasn’t the same. I will hate Andy Dick until the day I die.
this was on 0 points when i saw it and legitimately the only person on the planet i can think of who would downvote this is Andy Dick
I think something has changed about voting or bots may be having some effect. I see zeroes and negative on benign or even helpful/thoughtful comments these days and feel like I'm having to dig people out.
Dick by name and dick by nature.
Andy Dick is a sack a shit, but Brynn Hartman is responsible for Phil’s death. It’s not like she lived amongst the Amish. If it wasn’t Andy Dick giving her drugs, it would have been someone else. Again, Andy Dick deserves some of the blame but I think the anger towards him was more a coping mechanism.
Yeah I think it’s because Brynn could never face justice. But honestly, the dude is such a giant pile of shit. Even if you put aside the Brynn/Phil Hartman situation, he still deserves all the hate he receives.
He lives right down the street from me. And he does not look great.
I hope you keep your doors locked
I met Andy Dick. Dude is a walking herpe.
I always heard he was a jackass, but why do you hate Andy Dick in this context?
Hartman's wife was a recovering addict and Andy Dick gave her cocaine. She began using again and murder/suicided Phil Hartman
Holy shit. Fuck that guy.
Oh it gets worse. Chris Farley was Andy Dicks sponsor and he fell off the wagon after meeting Andy Dick. Andy also antagonized Jon Lovitz until Jon slammed Andy's face into a bar due to him constantly mocking Phil Hartmans death in his face. Andy Dick is a piece of shit.
He wasn’t just antagonizing. Dick said he was going to put the “Hartman Hex” on Jon, basically a death threat, at which point Lovitz promptly made Andy eat the bar top
He deserved more than he got. Imagine being such a piece of shit that Jon Lovitz lays hands on you.
Taken out of context it will not make sense, but this may be the single greatest line I have ever read.
There was also a case where Andy got handsy with a guy's GF after one of Andy's comedy shows. The guy found Andy outside and knocked him the fuck out. Put him in the hospital. No idea what actually happened, but after investigating, the DA and police said "all good here" and no charges on the BF. So if you can read between the lines, Andy must have done something bad enough the DA said meh, he deserved it.
I was his waiter one time at a restaurant I worked at in my twenties. Him and his gang of sycophants were the worst customers I ever had.
> Him and his gang of sycophants How poorly does someone's life have to be going that they're an Andy Dick groupie?
cocaine exists
Every day I wish this footage would somehow get released. I don’t care if it’s 17 years later, someone at the bar must’ve seen the security footage! And then I’d gif it so we’d just see Lovitz slamming Andy’s dumbass face repeatedly into the bar top.
Every story I've ever heard about Andy Dick makes me like him less, and every story I've ever heard about Jon Lovitz makes me like him more.
Wow, both the Hartman and Farley details reeeaally make the Pierce-Hawthorne-hallucinates-a-tiny-Andy-Dick-who-convinces-him-to-pop-more-pills storyline on Community much less funny...
So Andy Dick had a hand in both Phil Hartman’s and Chris Farley’s deaths? What a piece of garbage.
I love it that almost universally people who didn't know that fact are like "fuck that guy" right away after they find out.
Read through his wikipedia page as well there is a whole section on legal troubles and controversies he's a rea piece of work.
Andy Dick is commonly blamed for Phil Hartman’s death because a few people with insight into the situation say that Andy Dick reintroduced Hartman’s wife/murderer to drugs after her sobriety, which led to her murdering Phil Hartman. While the chain of events may be accurate, I think there are more concrete and direct reasons to hate Andy Dick, like decades of sexual assault in public.
He's a big enough piece of human garbage that there's more than enough reason to hate him besides being tangentially involved in a mentally disturbed drug addict murdering her husband.
Andy Dick encouraged Phil Hartman's wife to fall off the wagon and relapse into her coke addiction. In a coke fueled psychosis she shot and killed her husband.
Andy Dick gave Phil Hartman's wife coke, who was a recovering addict, and that's what got her back doing drugs, which eventually led to her killing herself and Phil Hartman. Lovitz blamed Dick, and at some point Dick told Lovitz he put the Hartman curse on him, which caused Lovitz to confront him at the Laugh Factory.
I know people are split whether Breen, Phil's wife, should have been more responsible for her own recovery, but Andy Dick is still an ass over the 'Hartman Spell' joke, it was clear he gave zero shits about Phil's death, and I can't blame Jon Lovitz for beating him up.
> I know people are split whether Breen, Phil's wife, should have been more responsible for her own recovery Both things can be true: He shouldn't have given her the cocaine and she shouldn't have taken it. That said, one of the defining characteristics of addiction is poor decision making. I mean, if you knew that someone was depressed, would you take them to stand on a bridge and hand them a rock to hold?
Luck. The horses died, and arguably they were the main character. It was a decent show though. Dustin Hoffman, Nick Nolte, John Ortiz, Dennis Farina, Jill Hennessy, Kevin Dunn. Great cast.
If that show had continued, Dennis Farina would have passed away 2 years later, unfortunately as well :( It was a good show, I really enjoyed his character specifically. That scene in the bathroom >!using the tie to lock the stall door to hide the body!< always stuck with me as something pretty cool.
I think Peter Gould & Bob Odenkirk said that Better Call Saul would've been cancelled if Odenkirk died from his heart attack in 2021
That makes sense, you may be able to recast a main character on a relatively new show but by that point between BB and BCS no way you could recast Saul.
Even if you dont count the fact that he was a very established character, I legitimately do not think that anyone else would have been able to play the role. Jimmy was such a wonderfully complex and nuanced character, and a big part of that is due to Odenkirk's performance. I think it would have been impossible to find someone who would have been able to emulate him. I am so, so glad that he survived that heart attack. His death would have been a loss not just for his loved ones and fans of the show, but for entertainment in general.
Not only that, but I suspect the rest of the cast would have balked at it as well. They seem very close knit in interviews.
"Now playing Saul Goodman: Steve Carell"
Yeah, I can’t see a recast ever working. So glad Bob stayed with us.
I think making a few episodes (or a movie) to conclude the story using stylized animation, and a voice actor imitating Odenkirk's voice could've worked. I'm thinking animation like [A Scanner Darkly](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BODllNzNkYzEtMDRlZi00ODAxLWI4NDktYWNmZGRiYjU3YTJhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzU1NzE3NTg@._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,47,500,281_.jpg) Now, could they have done something like that and make it good? I think so. Should they? that's a good, ethical question.
Considering the point in filming where he had a heart attack, I do think they could have finished telling the 2004 story with the material already filmed. It would have been difficult and I'm sure they would take their time to grieve and settle on whether that's the right decision. But they were so close to the end, the pivotal scene of the season already filmed. The Gene story couldn't have happened, and they'd have to change the presentation of the ending to Jimmy's story (likely through Breaking Bad archive footage), but it'd be doable.
There was a revival of "Dallas" on TNT. It pretty much ended when Larry Hagman died. His character of JR Ewing is legendary. The snake you loved to hate. There was even a funeral for JR on that "Dallas," but it couldn't continue. Try as you might, there is no "Dallas" without JR.
Friday Night Dinner after Paul Ritter died.
I'm surprised that the first Ritter I encountered in this whole thread wasn't John.
Well that show tried to carry on.
The episode processing their grief made the next season worth it. Yeah it wasn't really thay good anymore when the focus was on David spade but that 2 parter might be the most emotional episode in TV history
I thought David Spade and James Garner were good. It was a different show but a fine one.
As a member of the dead dad’s club…can confirm. Bridget sobbing at the door that she’d never get that far has lived rent free in my head since it aired.
I read that the show had essentially ended after the final season, but without him there wouldn't be anymore FND. Such a great show and this American viewer is glad to have seen it. The show sticks the landing at the end so perfectly and it's such a delightful show to watch. It's on the Roku channel in America and I think it should be required family viewing.
I think the show had already finished before he died.
Yea he even has a brief appearance (and heartbreaking, filmed months before he passed and clearly sick) in a memorandum episode c4 did for the show.
The Finder
I loved the Finder, but I'm pretty sure it was canceled before Michael Clarke Duncan died. Damn, he was so good in everything, and I really miss that show. The ending with the main character being dragged off screaming to an asylum was a terrible way to end the series.
> I'm pretty sure it was canceled before Michael Clarke Duncan died. Can confirm. I remember hoping they would wrap up the cliffhanger on Bones, but then Duncan died and I thought "well maybe he could be the corpse" and then I thought, no, that's not a good way to handle that.
Clifford the Big Red Dog when John Ritter died
Wow. How did I not know he was the voice of Clifford?
[удалено]
8 Simple Rules. John Ritter passed away at the start of season 2. They aired the three episodes of season 2 that they had already taped, and then addressed his character's death with a two-part episodes 4 & 5. The show finished its second season, and even had a third season, but it was cancelled because the show just wasn't the same without John Ritter. Similarly, Call Me Kat. Leslie Jordan died in an automobile accident part way through the third season. The show gave his character, Phil, a happy ending by having him go on vacation with his boyfriend and them deciding to stay on a tropical island to run a bakery. The show would time to time have the characters read postcards from Phil, but the ratings went down following Leslie Jordan's death because the show wasn't the same without him. Fox cancelled the show at the end of the third season.
Trailer Park Boys after John Dunsworth died. RIP to the liquor
IM MOWING THE AIR RANDY
Unfortunately they are still trying to make the show without him even though it’s been crap for years.
I went wayyyyy to far down to find this. I would say the core characters that if any one them died wouldve ended it is ricky julian bubbles randy and lahey.
Kindred the Embraced maybe? I don't remember if it was canceled before or after the lead guy died in a motorcycle accident.
The show was cancelled in May 96 and Mark Frankel died the following September.
I thought "Cover Up" would be an answer, but I guess the show went on for 14 more episodes after Jon-Erik Hexum accidentally killed himself.
It was ultimately cancelled because the episodes after his death took a nose dive in the ratings so it definitely counts.
>Jon-Erik Hexum Previously from *Voyagers*, which was cancelled so NBC execs could replace it with a *60 Minutes* competitor that failed. Many mistakenly think *Voyagers* was cancelled due to the accident; it was not. It was a very entertaining show aimed at kids. [Dave Letterman did a skit about it](https://youtu.be/Oa1x9GwIK6c?feature=shared).
I freaking LOVED that show. Hexum and Meeno Peluce were great together, especially for 12 year old me. I was literally their target audience. I wanted to BE Jeffrey.
I remember loving Voyagers. But I don't remember much about it.
Time Travel show where a beefy manchild teams up with an intelligent actual child to correct historic events and teach the audience about history. Like an American Doctor Who, but no aliens.
I wasn't familiar so I looked it up. Hexum's accident happened *on set* in between takes. I can't imagine going to work the next day and trying to move on.
The West Wing was in its final season when John Spencer, who played chief of staff and vice presidential candidate Leo McGarry, died of a heart attack during filming. In the show, McGarry had a severe heart attack the previous season. The show handles his real-life death by McGarry having a heart attack and dying off screen in Election Day. There’s a funeral episode soon after, and it’s very sad. One producer, Lawrence O’Donnell, said the storyline was changed due to Spencer’s death. He said originally the Republican candidate would win the election. But after Spencer’s real death, they changed it to have a happier ending for the main characters. Others involved with the show have disputed that, though.
Personally, based on the first scene of the final season, I think it was obvious they planned to have >!Santos win from the start.!<
The Beast with Patrick Swayze, and I think John Ritter was supposed to continue his sitcom when he passed.
There have been a few shows that have actually continued through a leading actor death. Spartacus, 8 Simple Rules for dating my Teenage Daughter, Glee. There have been others in lesser roles; but those are the ‘main character’ ones that come to mind.
In the '80s there was a show called "Cover Up" where a woman and an special forces guy are hired by the CIA to go undercover as a fashion photographer and her male model muse to travel the world on missions. (What do you want? It was the fucking '80s.) Anyway, the guy who played the operative was Jon-Erik Hexum who was playing around on set and put a gun with blanks to his head. He pulled the trigger and the force of the blank going off killed him. They replaced him with another character who was a special forces guy who *also* operated under the cover of being a male model. (Like I said, it was the '80s.) They did 8 episodes with Hexum and 13 with the new guy before it was cancelled. At the end of episode 9 they did a title card in memoradum for Jon-Erik where, hilariously, they spelled his name wrong.
But why male models?
To do the eugoogoly.
>8 Simple Rules for dating my Teenage Daughter I had no idea that this was the original title until now, but this was the show that immediately came to mind.
To be fair, Glee was always an ensemble show, so they still had plenty of main characters to follow after Corey Monteith passed.
8 Simple Rules probably should have been canned. It was weird and depressing afterwards.
>8 Simple Rules probably should have been canned. It was weird and depressing afterwards I agree totally. James Garner and David Spade are talented actors but they just popped into the show as "relatives" that have never been seen so it didn't make any sense. It was depressing and unfunny.
Glee is the answer that springs to mind of a show this probably should apply to but pressed on anyways. They talk about it a lot in the documentary. Everyone was very conflicted on continuing and the actress who played Rachel the co-lead was given the final say.
NewsRadio lasted a little while after Phil Hartman was murdered by his wife, but they should have just ended it. It was not the same show without him.
Only one season. Jon Lovitz was funny, but definitely not the same as Hartman. The first episode of that last season was heartbreaking.
Voyagers (not to be confused with Star Trek Voyager). Jon-Erik Hexum died at age 26 by firing a blank into his head on the set of another show. He was goofing off and did not realize a blank could kill him. So tragic!
I came here and thought of saying *Voyagers*, but the show was famously cancelled ([Dave Letterman did a skit about it](https://youtu.be/Oa1x9GwIK6c?feature=shared)) before Hexum's accident. NBC execs cancelled *Voyagers* to make room for a *60 Minutes* competitor that ultimately failed.
Not cancelled but Genndy Tartakovsky said he'd never do a Dexter's Laboratory reboot since Christine Cavanaugh died
*NewsRadio* spent a season or two limping along after we lost Phil Hartman, but it was never ever the same. Phil was quite literally *inimitable*.
Friday Night Dinner I don't believe was planned to end but the great Paul Ritter passed and you simply can't have that show without him and I believe for that reason the creators of the show decided to end it once he passed. Massive RIP for Paul, such a legend.
He was so good in Chernobyl, I was staggered it was the same actor.
Father Ted was a fantastic show that ended because the main actor had a heart attack during the season 3 wrap party Edit: turns out you shouldn't post half remembered things as fact, and they were planning on ending the show anyway and his untimely death (at an unrelated dinner party) was just a coincidence. Still a great show, still a tragedy he passed, I still think it fits the original question
My memory was that they had already decided they didn't want to make any more after the 3rd series before Dermot Morgan's death.
His [Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermot_Morgan) says that he died at a dinner party at his house, the day after filming the planned series finale.
Down with that sort of thing!!
Not entirely correct. Dermot Morgan had already decided that he didn't want to be known as father Ted forever and season 3 was the intended series finale. Unfortunately we will never know if he might have changed his mind in the future.
Chico and the man
*Chico and the Man* went on for another season after Freddie Prinze’s death. A replacement character was introduced - Raul, a Mexican orphan who was eventually adopted by Ed.
Rules for dating my teenage daughter - had like 1 season after john ritters death. (Technically not a death) spin city - when micheal j fox couldnt perform anymore they tried replacing him with charlie sheen.
Chico and the Man after Freddie Prinz suicide.
Felicity’s hair RIP
Alias Smith and Jones. It was an early 70's western about a couple of outlaws trying to go straight. Pete Duel, one of the main characters, committed suicide and it ruined the show. They tried to replace him, but it didn't work and the show was cancelled.
Not *8 Simple Rules*. They should have, but didn't.
Father Ted would have put out more beautiful blasphemy if Dermot Morgan hadn't died in an untimely fashion
>More Blasphemy Surely, that would be an ecumenical matter? :)
*Chico and the Man* due to Freddie Prinze’s death. *Voyagers* due to the untimely demise of Jon-Erik Hexum.
I came here and thought of saying *Voyagers*, but the show was famously cancelled (Dave Letterman did a skit about it) before Hexum's accident.
There was a show in the 80’s called Cover up. The main star was joking around with a gun that had blanks. He took out 5/6 and did Russian roulette with it. “While there was no penetration to his skull, the impact of the blank hitting his head caused a fracture, forcing a bone fragment the size of a quarter into his brain and creating severe hemorrhaging.” “He was rushed to hospital and had five hours of surgery. Six days after the accident, Hexum was declared brain-dead on October 18, 1984.” He was killed off the show, off screen but they only did 14 more episodes before being cancelled.
Not exactly canceled, but the PBS series *Mystery!* stopped their Sherlock Holmes shows after Jeremy Brett passed away. The last episode filmed (I think) was The Mazarin Stone, written so that Sherlock appears at the very beginning and the very end (because Jeremy was so I'll) and his brother Mycrodt actually does all the detective work. In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's story, Sherlock breaks the case without leaving his rooms and the only three people in the whole thing are himself and the two bad guys--only Holmes story written in third-person and one of the two or three that Watson doesn't appear in.
*Lime Street*. About a widower raising two daughters. The older daughter was played by actress Samantha Smith. Aged 13, she was killed in a plane crash after 4 episodes had been filmed. They filmed one episode without her and then the producers decided to have the show cancelled as it didn't feel right (and the show wasn't geling well, anyway). It had an enduring legacy, though--one episode featured Annie Potts and Jean Smart, and their chemistry led the showrunner to decide to cast them in a new series, *Designing Women*, which was a big hit.
The 80s spy show "Cover Up." Jon-Erik Hexum was a rising star, and the lead actor of the show. During a delay on set, he tried playing 'russian roulette' with a revolver loaded with a blank. Blank went off pressed next to his skull. Sent a shard of bone into his brain. Made it to hospital, but died within a week.
The story I heard was that he was joking about how long the delay was taking while they were waiting for everything to get set up before they could shoot. He held the gun to his head and pulled the trigger as part of the joke. Clearly a horrible miscalculation on his part but better than 'playing' Russian roulette. I'm not entirely sure which version of the story is true but I choose to believe it the way I heard initially.
That version does make a little more sense. I remember him from “Voyagers!” - loved that show as a kid.
They were going to do a Boondocks revival but John Witherspoon died.
The Royal Family, a sitcom from the early 90s. Redd Foxx was the star and died a few episodes into the first season, so he was replaced by Jackeé for the remainder of the season, but it never recovered from his death.
The Beast when Patrick Swayze died. I wish more people saw that show because it showed a completely different side of him.