To get it out of the way, the most obvious or biggest go-to answers appear to be David Caruso leaving NYPD Blue, Shelley Long leaving Cheers, and McLean Stevenson leaving MASH.

With that being said, who else left to be bigger but ended up flopping hard?

Don Knotts

David Caruso did not flop, CSI: Miami lasted a whole decade and was really dominant for awhile.

Farrah Fawcett left Charlie's Angels after the first season. I don't think she actually failed, but never had quite the same success she had before. David Doyle (John Bosley) actually begged her to stay on the show!

Didn't most? The better question is, who left a winning show and became even a bigger star!!!

David Caruso did not flop, CSI: Miami lasted a whole decade and was really dominant for awhile.

He originally left TV for film and the lead roles he had at the time were duds.

He went back to TV after his movie career tanked.

Didn't most? The better question is, who left a winning show and became even a bigger star!!!

Probably Ariana Grande who left "Sam & Cat" for a successful music career.

David Caruso did not flop, CSI: Miami lasted a whole decade and was really dominant for awhile.

I think they were talking about his complete failure of a movie career. And I think David Caruso sucks as an actor anyways, I really don't understand why anybody thinks he's so great. I've watched some episodes of CSI: Miami and I can't stand him on the show at all. He's the reason why I avoid it as much as possible! :mad:

Ed.

Pat Morita left Happy Days after 1 season to star in his own show. It was cancelled quickly and he drifted for 10 years until he was cast in the Karate Kid.

Rob Morrow left 'Northern Exposure' for roughly half a year before the show ending with the one of most dragged out exit arcs imaginable.

And ALL it resulted him has been to been a steadily employed actor but nothing more.

Suzanne Somers - Three's Company

Jeff Conaway - Taxi

Abe Vigoda - Barney Miller

Suzanne Somers, McLean Stevenson, and Shelley Long came to my mind, too.

Anna Faris might fit into this category, too; guess it will take a few years to see. But she left her popular TV show to "pursue other projects" in 2020, and so far, the only thing that's been released is some voiceover work.

To get it out of the way, the most obvious or biggest go-to answers appear to be David Caruso leaving NYPD Blue, Shelley Long leaving Cheers, and McLean Stevenson leaving MASH.

With that being said, who else left to be bigger but ended up flopping hard?

How about Pernell Roberts? Eventually he found success 14 years after leaving Bonanza. But considering his flaming exit from Bonanza, he flopped around like a fish for quite a while before finding redemption.

How about Jack Paar? He's gotta be one of the biggest examples of "I've got so much more inside me" who never seemed able to find it once it mattered.

While Suzanne Somers had some flops, she found success as the female lead of Step by Step. It lasted 7 seasons and 160 episodes, which was longer than her time on Three's Company.

Jeff Conaway - TaxiThat does not surprise me. While I liked Jeff on Grease, he was dull on Taxi. Big draws of that show were Andy Kaufman, Marilu Henner, Danny DeVito, and Judd Hirsch.

While Suzanne Somers had some flops, she found success as the female lead of Step by Step. It lasted 7 seasons and 160 episodes, which was longer than her time on Three's Company.

She definitely recovered, as SBS was a major hit, but it took her a decade to do so.

Farrah Fawcett left her Charlie's Angels contract to make the theatrical films Somebody Killed Her Husband, Sunburn, and Saturn 3 -- all were flops. It took her dramatic role in TV movie The Burning Bed to turn things around.

Here's one I forgot: Melissa Sue Anderson; she was Emmy-nominated on Little House, but left the series to pursue other roles. She ended up doing a few guest spots on The Love Boat and Public Service Announcements for fastening your seat belt (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0270867/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_29). Many of her remaining roles were uncredited, unnamed characters like "patient #1", "guest #2", and "dead body under the sheet #4".

Wasn't Suzanne fired? She wanted a raise. She didn't want to leave the show I don't think.

Farrah Fawcett left her Charlie's Angels contract to make the theatrical films Somebody Killed Her Husband, Sunburn, and Saturn 3 -- all were flops. It took her dramatic role in TV movie The Burning Bed to turn things around.

She was also very good in another TV movie called Small Sacrifices.

How about Pernell Roberts? Eventually he found success 14 years after leaving Bonanza. But considering his flaming exit from Bonanza, he flopped around like a fish for quite a while before finding redemption.

I was thinking about him, but he did eventually find success many years later.

I was also thinking about Tim Considine, but he may have wanted to pursue interests other than acting after he left My Three Son.

Wayne Rogers, Maclane Stevenson, Gary Burghoff, Larry Linville of MASH.

Suzanne Somers left or was fired from Three's Company over salary. It was not to become a bigger star via other opportunities.

There were a number of rising star type actors like Katherine Heigl of Grey's Anatomy, Mischa Barton of The OC that left their series rather early. They claim they left because of personal reasons now, but they were penchant to pursue other opportunities but it didn't really work out.

On Parks and Recreation, Paul Schneider left the series after the first two seasons because of creative differences. It is unknown if he was pursuing to be a much bigger star, but I'm not sure if he had anything better lined up. Maybe he just wanted to be a dramatic actor, and he found the show or his character to be too marginal. He likely didn't leave on good terms or left too early that he disappointed the cast (Amy Poehler) or someone there. He wasn't invited back to the series since he left or reunited with the cast in a reunion special.

How about Pernell Roberts? Eventually he found success 14 years after leaving Bonanza. But considering his flaming exit from Bonanza, he flopped around like a fish for quite a while before finding redemption.

What did Pernell Roberts really want when he left Bonanza? It's my understanding that he left because he didn't think the show was very good.

Pernell Roberts probably came to accept that he would have to compromise and settle for a role that didn't necessarily always meet his "standards" in order to have a steady income as an actor, once he reached a certain age.

Suzanne Somers left or was fired from Three's Company over salary. It was not to become a bigger star via other opportunities.

There were a number of rising star type actors like Katherine Heigl of Grey's Anatomy, Mischa Barton of The OC that left their series rather early. They claim they left because of personal reasons now, but they were penchant to pursue other opportunities but it didn't really work out.

On Parks and Recreation, Paul Schneider left the series after the first two seasons because of creative differences. It is unknown if he was pursuing to be a much bigger star, but I'm not sure if he had anything better lined up. Maybe he just wanted to be a dramatic actor, and he found the show or his character to be too marginal. He likely didn't leave on good terms or left too early that he disappointed the cast (Amy Poehler) or someone there. He wasn't invited back to the series since he left or reunited with the cast in a reunion special.

I always assumed that Suzanne Somers was fired from Three's Company (or technically, the producers didn't renew her contract) instead of leaving on her own volition. That's why I didn't name her in my initial post.

After years of starring on "The Walking Dead", Lauren Cohan left to co-star with Scott Foley on ABC's "Whiskey Cavalier" in 2019.

She returned to TWD after "Whiskey" tanked and now she's set to co-star in her own TWD spin-off.

How about Scott Baio and Erin Moran leaving Happy Days?

How about Scott Baio and Erin Moran leaving Happy Days?

Didn't they just go right back after JLC crashed and burned?

Not an actor, but Josh Elliott job hopped from ABC Good Morning America to NBC Today to CBS in a very short time last decade. Some of it was higher pay/to become a bigger star. At least he figured he had a chance to replace Matt Laurer.

He is now nowhere to be seen I think.

David Caruso did not flop, CSI: Miami lasted a whole decade and was really dominant for awhile.


Well, that was many decades after he left NYPD BLUE. For about a decade after leaving NYPD BLUE, Caruso didn't work and his film career that he left Blue for flopped immediately.

Here are a two that come to mind:

-Delta Burke: Technically Burke was actually fired from "Desinging Women", the show that made her a star, earned her Two Emmy Nominations and critical acclaim. Sadly, following her very public and tense exit from the show her career basically took a nosedive. She had a sitcom called "Delta" on ABC that last a hot minute, and then starred in a string of failed sitcoms in the decade that followed. None last long, and then she starred in a slew of TV movies before fading out of public life.

--Shannen Doherty: First she was fired from "Beverly Hills, 90210" and then she was fired from (or quit, we don't really know) from "Charmed", and in both cases while her career didn't end; it didn't exactly get elevated either. She never reached the next level of her career- sad because she showed a lot of potential as an actress.

Well, that was many decades after he left NYPD BLUE.A full decade hadn't even passed, CSI: Miami premiered in 2002.

I remember Suzanne Somers on Three Company, she didn't leave the show, she got fired for asked for more money, she thought she was the lead of the show but she wasn't, it's was John Ritters.

David Caruso, I remember him, he's stay with NYPD Blue after 2 years he leave and then he has his own show and that didn't last long. When he stars on CSI: Miami, CBS threated him if he leave again after 2 years, he will be blacklisted. He stay with the show 'till the end after the show is done. I haven't seen him any shows.

- Rege Jean Page: He left his Netflix series Bridgerton after the first season and there was 15 minutes of hype around this guy as the next big thing. He should’ve remained on the show instead of believing in his hype. Where are the leading roles he thought the 15 minutes of hype would bring him? Last I saw this guy was in a car commercial. He fumbled his bag.