Depending on the show. One show comes to mind when the lead actress died after a few episodes was Eight Is Enough. When Diana Hyland, who played the original mom, died the show went on and brought in a stepmother played by Betty Buckley. The show did well and Betty Buckley was a wonderful addition to a show that was immediately hit with tragedy.

Valerie/Valerie's Family/The Hogan Family did well after the star, Valerie Harper, was no longer on the show. Sandy Duncan came in and did a great job as the star and a totally different role. I still preferred Valerie Harper though but the show was still enjoyable.

The shows that should have gone off when the star or one of the leads died or quit the show:
Facts of Life after Charlotte Rae quit. The show was never the same after she left. The chemistry between Cloris Leachman (a great actress by the way but she did not fit in a show like that) and the girls, who were adults, did not gell.

Gimme A Break after Dolph Sweet passed away. That was too far fetched with Nell and the girls. It was not same. Then having Nell moved to New York rubbed more salt to the wound that the show suffered when losing their lead actor. Watching the performances of the first season without Dolph Sweet you can tell the cast was grieving.

Petticoat Junction definitely should have gone off. When Bea Benaderet passed away and the show continue on by way of bringing in June Lockhart as a doctor. The chemistry was not there and the cast was grieving over their loss of a beloved star. The original concept of the show was a widowed mom and her three daughters running a hotel with a lazy uncle who was helping out. Making Uncle Joe the lead actor and in charge of the hotel was not a good move. Uncle Joe was more of a supporting character. On top of that the show ran its course.

Cheers after Shelley Long left the show to do lame movies. She was Diane Chambers and it fit her well. The chemistry was never quite the same given that the show ran six more years. Between Ted Danson and Shelley Long the dialogue between them was clever and intelligent. With Kirstie Alley the cleverness of the dialogue was gone and it turn into one sexual inuendo after another.

Even though she was the lead but the anchor of the show. One Day At A Time should have consider pulling the plug after MacKenzie Phillips was fired the first time. The show was not as good as the first four and a half seasons with MacKenzie. Glenn Scarpelli did not work nor Ron Rifkin. The first season and a half without Mackenzie the cast seemed somewhat loss without her. Her character Julie made the show move especially when the storylines featured her. After that some of the storylines were not interesting and trite especially when Ron Rifkin was on there. It just lost track.

All In the Family. It was bad enough when Mike and Gloria moved out the show lost some of its edge. Having those four characters in the same house played off each other very well. Given that Mike and Gloria were not the leads but they were the backbone of Archie and Edith. The debates between Mike and Archie were some of the funniest material was put off and Gloria getting Edith more liberated was quite funny. Having two couples with different value systems gave way to very good comedy. After they had moved the plug should have been pulled. Bringing in a little girl did not give the same comedic edge as those original four gave us, especially the first five seasons.

Good Times definitely after John Amos was written off the show. He was the backbone of the show and him not being on there left a huge hole there. Adding insult to injury having Esther Rolle gone for a year put the show in a deeper hole. The show was about a family trying to survive in low income housing and making it on their own with little means. Norman Lear did total injustice to the show by writing John Amos off and a year later taking Esther Rolle off, who was the voice of reason and logic for us.

Chico and the Man continued on even when the man who played Chico "Freddie Prinze" passed away. They should've never continued that show. They should've respected him. Instead they brought on a young boy to play the role. Disgusting!!! :mad:

Originally posted by JennyLee22
Chico and the Man continued on even when the man who played Chico "Freddie Prinze" passed away. They should've never continued that show. They should've respected him. Instead they brought on a young boy to play the role. Disgusting!!! :mad:

I know exactly what you mean. How could they continue Chico and the Man, without Freddie Prinze? It is just too sad to watch the episodes after he died...knowing he was dead and that they just went on without him.:(

1. Good Times- James Amos leaving the show definitely hurt it, but when Esther Rolle left, it killed it!

2. Welcome Back Kotter- When Travolta left, they should have just ended it.

Ensemble shows like "Cheers" can survive a cast member leaving although I woudn't say that if Ted Danson left.
Another one is "Law And Order." there are no original actors or actresses still on the show from when it premiered, yet it is still going strong. Go figure.
"E.R." has survived multiple cast changes, but I think Anthony Edward's departure will be the last straw for the show.

Bottom line, if your character name is in the title like "Chico And The Man" your departure from the show will not go unnoticed...

For Stars like Bob Barker from the Price is Right and Mr. Rogers, I heard they were leaving their shows in a year or two, I'm not sure the public would agree but they've been on for years and had enough expirience, and it was time to call it for quits.
But for other shows like Three's Company I think replacing Suzanne Somers was getting out of hand, sure the show was still great but didn't have the right ingrediants. Another Show like Happy days they should have ended the show after almost the whole gang left, hey Fonzie was still good though! And then there is Rhoda leaving Mary Tyler Moore, you'd think they would never leave each other since they were such good friends. As for the Facts of Life, they should have not have replaced Mrs. G the show should have ended right there, because they didn't have a very good chance at a good series ending. Diane Chambers should have not left because her roll in Cheers was so good, I don't see why the writers had to edit her out of the show. The Cosby Show was another one. When Denise left and Theo was heading for college, the strings were getting pretty streched and leaving Denise's Daugter Oliva at the house, to go to Africa I think, was a bad turn, and the Lovable Rudy wasn't cute anymore.
Well, there you have it, characters that can change the show, by just leaving, can make such a scratch to the show, so the next time a character is headed for the hills, thats the time to worry.
And typing this for the third time really makes left with little hope that this could happen again and it will.

I think if a main character leaves that added a lot of chemistry to the show, then the show shouldn't go on. If the character didn't have as much chemistry in the show, then it should go on.

I think in general its a bad idea. Sure, some shows do make it, but others are just complete bombs. Case in point is Family Matters, sure the show was already on the slide, but after they replaced the mother it lost one of the best characters on the show. A network can try and may get lucky (eight is enough) but it would be a huge risk and you would really want to keep a show on the air. Personally I dont think it is worth it.

I agree that it generally is a bad idea.. some shows are lucky to keep their ratings, but others are not... Like in Family Matters, that was so stupid to put in a replacement Harriet after she quit the show... she was the mother for all those years, it's not like the viewers didn't notice this totally different actress that didn't look/act like her a bit put in her place! That was a really stupid move, but it probably didn't matter anyways, Family Matters wasn't even good by that point anyways.

Harriette #2 on Family Matters only lasted about 6 episodes. Jo-Marie Payton played this role for 10 years and they expected us to believe this other woman is Harriette. Family Matters should have ended when ABC cancelled it.

As for shows continuing on without the original lead characters, I think it depends. If a show has been on for a season or two and is well-written, then it stands a good chance of being able to survive. But the longer the show has been on, the less likely it is that the show will be able survive a transition like that.

It is usually risky but sometimes it works, like when Denise left A Different World it still went on (even though the 1st season was my fav

I agree that the further along in a series the harder it is to replace a character. But Family Matters wasnt even close. Harriette #2 wasnt even close completly differenct character with a completly different personality. If a series was going to replace and actress, at least find one who could play the role.

I say that when a show loses it's original star, they should cancel it. A good example is Chico and the Man. The fourth season was pointless and not even anywhere close to funny like the preceding seasons with Freddie Prinze.

"Cheers after Shelley Long left the show to do lame movies. She was Diane Chambers and it fit her well. The chemistry was never quite the same given that the show ran six more years. Between Ted Danson and Shelley Long the dialogue between them was clever and intelligent. With Kirstie Alley the cleverness of the dialogue was gone and it turn into one sexual inuendo after another."

I think it was good in some ways that Shelley left...if it was about Sam and Diane for 11 years it would get stale but maybe it might have been better if Sam and Diane got married and it ended so a lot more fans would be happy.

I say with Cheers it was at least was up for argument if it was better or not. When it comes to character replacement Cheers probably did one of the better jobs. That was another mistake Family Matters made, they did a different actor same character bit, unlike most of those shows....they could have at least made up some reason why the original harriette wasnt there, like she was visiting a relative (sound familiar) and that was her long-lost sister or something.

I'll agree that a show should never have an actor replace another actor playing the same character (Like Darrin on Bewitched, The mom on Fresh Prince of Belaire etc.)

However, if it is an ensemble cast, I don't see a reason why a show can't continue. Unless of course one of them becomes a big star on the show. For example, John Travolta.

I know this show had an ensemble cast, but when Phil Hartman died while working on News Radio, they should have cancelled the show. I didn't like John Lovitz as a replacement.

Originally posted by briandamage
I know this show had an ensemble cast, but when Phil Hartman died while working on News Radio, they should have cancelled the show. I didn't like John Lovitz as a replacement.

I haven't seen John Lovitz in NewsRadio yet because I'm just watching it on A&E in syndication but Bill is one of my favorite characters..and its hard to imagine how the show could go on without him.