How many movies or TV shows have there been where everybody BUT the star became (or already was) a star? I would like to lean towards naming people who slipped into more b-movie roles or obscurity.

The Legend Of The Lone Ranger - Klinton Spilsbury

Confusing question. Are you talking about shows where the main star was obscure, while the others were well known, or a show where the main star didn't reach the stardom that producers hoped they would achieve, compared to the supporting cast members who outshined them?

I agree with Impressions, this is a confusing question. I would be interested if TMC had any examples. I couldn't think of any that match the exact criteria (everybody) but the star became a star. I had a couple of partial responses:

Paul Sands In Friends and Lovers

Penny Marshall and Steve Landesberg and Michael Pataki became bigger stars than Sands.

The Lords of Flatbush

This is debatable, I will grant that, but if you consider Peter King the lead in the film, then this may qualify. Sylvester Stallone (pre-Rocky), Henry Winkler, Susan Blakely and Ray Sharkey (minor role).

Confusing question. Are you talking about shows where the main star was obscure, while the others were well known, or a show where the main star didn't reach the stardom that producers hoped they would achieve, compared to the supporting cast members who outshined them?

I interpreted it as the latter, but years later (including even after the end of the show).

It's hard for me to find examples where it's all vs one, but a few that come to mind:

Desperate Housewives:
Teri Hatcher - more the star when show first started
Marcia Cross, Felicity Huffman and Eva Longoria probably less known.

Years after the show ended:
Eva Longoria is bigger star (looks and younger age helped her) and Felicity Huffman is probably viewed as a better talent in the group.

Saved by the Bell:
Mark Paul Gosselaar vs. Mario Lopez. I'd say now Mario Lopez is a more a bigger star. We probably would have thought Mark to become bigger when the show ended.

Mad About You:
This one is interesting. Helen Hunt shot over Paul Reiser in the early 2000s, but now, it's probably equal. (I wonder why the Mad About You reboot idea was cancelled).

I don't think the OP was confusing at all. I think s/he meant any show that was meant to be a star vehicle for the lead actor but it was the supporting characters who wound up breaking out as major stars instead, either on the show or maybe later.

As for answering it, this is one of those questions where I'm sure there's a definitive answer but all I can do is draw a blank. I keep trying to remember any time a "flash in the pan" was given his or her own show and the supporting cast happened to have actors who later became major stars. Or maybe a spinoff show given to an actor who became hugely popular because of a breakout character, but the show crashed and burned and the supporting actors wound up breaking out in their own right later. But I can't think of a specific example.

Years after the show ended:
Eva Longoria is bigger star (looks and younger age helped her) and Felicity Huffman is probably viewed as a better talent in the group.
Felicity Huffman is highly overrated. I couldn't stand her as Julia on Frasier. While I don't watch Desperate Housewives any more, when I was a fan her character was easily my least favorite of the main four housewives, probably because of the acting.

I don't think the OP was confusing at all. I think s/he meant any show that was meant to be a star vehicle for the lead actor but it was the supporting characters who wound up breaking out as major stars instead, either on the show or maybe later.


You took the words right out of my mouth. I actually understood it right off the bat. As for examples, one I can think of is the short lived Day By Day on NBC. Despite Douglas Sheehan and Linda Kelsey being placed as the show's leads, due to both succeeding on prior shows, with Sheehan being well known as Ben Gibson on Knots Landing and Kelsey being well known as Billie Newman on Lou Grant, it was co-stars Christopher Daniel Barnes, Courtney Thorne-Smith, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus who became the most well known as stars, with all three actors succeeding as stars or co-stars in various other movies and TV shows: Barnes as Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid, Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, and Greg Brady in The Brady Bunch Movie and A Very Brady Sequel; Thorne-Smith as Alison Parker on Melrose Place, Georgia Thomas on Ally McBeal, and Cheryl on According to Jim; and Louis-Dreyfus as Elaine Benes on Seinfeld, Christine Campbell on The New Adventures of Old Christine, and Selina Meyer on Veep.

Felicity Huffman is highly overrated. I couldn't stand her as Julia on Frasier. While I don't watch Desperate Housewives any more, when I was a fan her character was easily my least favorite of the main four housewives, probably because of the acting.

But the whole point of Julia on Frasier was that she was supposed to be unlikable. Frasier was just making nice with her because he was physically attracted to her and then he finally wised up and realized she was a hateful and arrogant woman and was never going to change so he broke it off with her. I've seen Felicity Huffman in a few other things I've liked her in but generally I haven't watched a lot of her stuff not because I don't think she's a good actress but because I just didn't like or wasn't interested in a particular show she was in.

Ed.

Michelle Rodriguez was fired from Lost before she was a star, but I think she has been more steady on film, and is probably more recognized because of Fast and Furious movies and other movies, than any of the other and original Lost cast members. Although, It is nice to see Evangeline Lilly in film too, and cast with Paul Rudd in the Ant Man movies.

Felicity Huffman is highly overrated. I couldn't stand her as Julia on Frasier. While I don't watch Desperate Housewives any more, when I was a fan her character was easily my least favorite of the main four housewives, probably because of the acting.

But, she was nominated for an Oscar unlike Teri Hatcher or Marcia Cross. I think that bumps up an actor in profile typically. I didn't watch Frasier, but I watched Transamerica and thought she performed well.

There is also Hilary Swank who was added to the cast Beverly Hills, 90210 but was fired. She found great success in movies afterwards.

Although she was added in Season 8 of that series, when the show became more of a soap, and her role was more an accessory to Steve's storyline, so she wasn't really given a chance to shine.

I think it was different than Michelle Rodriguez, who was added in Season 2 of Lost and had potential there, but was fired. Michelle Rodriguez was fired just after a DUI incident, but found success elsewhere without much credit from Lost. Producers claim the death of Ana Lucia (at that time I assume) was already planned though.

Well, there goes their careers, for two television show stars. Included is Felicity Huffman who I brought up from Desperate Housewives, and Lori Loughlin.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/feds-uncover-massive-college-entrance-exam-cheating-plot-n982136

"Hollywood actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman are among at least 40 people charged in a $25 million college entrance exam cheating scheme, according to court documents unsealed Tuesday."

I suppose Aunt Becky will be written out of Fuller House.

There is also Hilary Swank who was added to the cast Beverly Hills, 90210 but was fired. She found great success in movies afterwards.

Although she was added in Season 8 of that series, when the show became more of a soap, and her role was more an accessory to Steve's storyline, so she wasn't really given a chance to shine.

I think it was different than Michelle Rodriguez, who was added in Season 2 of Lost and had potential there, but was fired. Michelle Rodriguez was fired just after a DUI incident, but found success elsewhere without much credit from Lost. Producers claim the death of Ana Lucia (at that time I assume) was already planned though.

I've got a wait and see attitude about it. I don't think we know the whole story yet.

Ed.

I've got a wait and see attitude about it. I don't think we know the whole story yet.

Ed.

Not sure if you were talking about Hilary Swank or Michelle Rodriguez, but

Hilary Swank had interviews and mentioned her 90210 firing in at least one of them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rqz0weszTM

I don't know her character that well on 90210, but I think it was more like Andrea than the other ladies. She was cast as a single mom.

The 90210 producers added other female actresses - Kathleen Robertson, Lindsay Price and Vanessa Marcil towards the end of the series, and they were cast into sexy/devious characters. According to the 90210 wiki, Janet (Lindsay Price) ended up married to Steve.

Anyways, Hilary Swank had better fortune being fired than staying there.

A couple of examples that I can think of are The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Taxi.

Mary would become a star on her own show despite the fact that she was great on The Dick Van Dyke Show but there were still doubts when it began about whether, like the theme says, she would make it on her own. Betty White had been around TV a long time but this would be her big break and from then on she has never looked back. The rest of the cast were all veteran character actors who had played small parts as guest stars on other series but were still unknowns. Their careers also took off after the show ended.

The same thing happened with Taxi. Judd Hirsch was the star but the supporting cast completely overshadowed him and then they all went on to bigger and better things on TV and movies after the series ended

Well, there goes their careers, for two television show stars. Included is Felicity Huffman who I brought up from Desperate Housewives, and Lori Loughlin.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/feds-uncover-massive-college-entrance-exam-cheating-plot-n982136

"Hollywood actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman are among at least 40 people charged in a $25 million college entrance exam cheating scheme, according to court documents unsealed Tuesday."

I suppose Aunt Becky will be written out of Fuller House.

Since Fuller House is already pretty much concluding its run, I sincerely doubt it.

Friends was an ensemble cast and all of them were considered the "leads" of the show, which is rare but Jennifer Aniston became the breakout star of the series. She has been in more movies than anyone else in the cast and the most popular.