What TV shows crashed and burned after producers and/or networks gave in to their lead actors or actresses demands for change?

Castle. Because Nathan Fillion was such a swine to Stana Katic refusing to shoot scenes with her, their characters' marriage was ruined in the last two seasons.

Grace Under Fire (1993-98). The show's star Brett Butler rather famously became a tyrant on the set, making unreasonable demands and exhibiting erratic behavior. The child actor who played her eldest son on the series allegedly left the show due to Butler. She later attributed this behavior to an addiction to painkillers. She sought treatment for her addiction, but relapsed, at which point the network fired Butler, subsequently cancelling the series.

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71KRZ-BB2PL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg

When Suzanne Somers tried to get a substantial raise, she was limited to phone in segments at the end of the show and was eventually fired. She was replaced by Jenilee Harrison and Priscilla Barnes.

What about Charlie Sheen from Two and a Half Men?

Probably the most obvious example (https://www.reddit.com/r/RedLetterMedia/comments/1com8uo/moviesshows_that_were_ruined_or_hurt_by_an_actors/) that comes to my mind is Kirk Cameron (https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/archive/index.php/t-13812.html) and all of the things that he allegedly did behind the scenes of Growing Pains after he became a born again Christian sometime around that show's fifth season. TV Tropes has a page on this type of thing (https://sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=316663#google_vignette) (i.e. TV shows that were ruined (https://www.quora.com/What-TV-shows-are-ruined-for-you-because-the-actors-turned-bad-in-real-life-What-shows-do-you-think-are-safe-for-the-coming-decade) due in large part to the stars' egos (https://www.watchmojo.com/articles/10-times-massive-egos-ruined-productions) or demands) called "Wag the Director" (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WagTheDirector).

This may not count since she retired. Yet The Burns and Allen Show ended when Gracie retired. George tried to carry on as The George Burns Show with all of the cast moving into that show. That only lasted for a season.

When Suzanne Somers tried to get a substantial raise, she was limited to phone in segments at the end of the show and was eventually fired. She was replaced by Jenilee Harrison and Priscilla Barnes.

Yet the show continued for 3 seasons after she left.

If you count talk shows then probably "Ellen DeGeneres Show" would probably count due to her alleged behavior with others involved with the show.

Probably the most obvious example (https://www.reddit.com/r/RedLetterMedia/comments/1com8uo/moviesshows_that_were_ruined_or_hurt_by_an_actors/) that comes to my mind is Kirk Cameron (https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/archive/index.php/t-13812.html) and all of the things that he allegedly did behind the scenes of Growing Pains after he became a born again Christian sometime around that show's fifth season. TV Tropes has a page on this type of thing (https://sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=316663#google_vignette) (i.e. TV shows that were ruined (https://www.quora.com/What-TV-shows-are-ruined-for-you-because-the-actors-turned-bad-in-real-life-What-shows-do-you-think-are-safe-for-the-coming-decade) due in large part to the stars' egos (https://www.watchmojo.com/articles/10-times-massive-egos-ruined-productions) or demands)
called "Wag the Director" (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WagTheDirector).

That show was already in the toilet from the word go and first ill advised fat cow joke at the daughter's expense. Please take your propaganda somewhere else. If he had decided to convert over to the Muslim faith, would you still be on here carrying on about
his choice of religion ruining the show?

That show was already in the toilet from the word go and first ill advised fat cow joke at the daughter's expense. Please take your propaganda somewhere else. If he had decided to convert over to the Muslim faith, would you still be on here carrying on about
his choice of religion ruining the show?

I don't think that religion was the issue. It was how Cameron dealt with others on the show who didn't think like him. That's a normal behavior for many Evangelical Christians. True the Fat shamming and jokes didn't help. But Cameron was the problem once he "saw the light"

That show was already in the toilet from the word go and first ill advised fat cow joke at the daughter's expense. Please take your propaganda somewhere else. If he had decided to convert over to the Muslim faith, would you still be on here carrying on about
his choice of religion ruining the show?

It has long been documented that Kirk Cameron (https://www.reddit.com/r/television/comments/10u65q5/did_kirk_cameron_ruin_growing_pains/) became extremely uncooperative following his religious awakening. He would object to any storylines if it even remotely went against his new found strict sensibilities and morals. Basically, he didn't get along with anybody (https://www.thethings.com/kirk-camerons-feud-with-the-cast-of-growing-pains-decades-after-the-hit-shows-cancelation/) who didn't share or adhere to his lifestyle.

Plus, he used his clout (https://www.reddit.com/r/sitcoms/comments/1ev3sf8/growing_pains/) to remove anybody that he saw fit if they did something to personally offend his morals like Julie McCullough (https://theveryspecialblog.com/2014/12/21/growing-pains-its-not-easy-being-green/), who played his on-screen love interest due to the fact that she had previously posed nude for Playboy magazine. Kirk also allegedly got Matthew Perry fired from the show (https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/225-television-broadcast-tv/74556406) because he saw him among other things, as an "agent of Satan".

He for all intents and purposes, tried to anoint himself as the defacto showrunner.

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WagTheDirector

Growing Pains (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/GrowingPains) suffered badly from this after Kirk Cameron became a born-again Christian. Cameron began demanding final say over any and all scripts, demanded that his on-camera love-interest/co-star Julie McCullough be fired simply for appearing in Playboy, and threw tantrums whenever anything remotely sexual happened (be it something harmlessly non-verbal like his character having the keys to his girlfriend's apartment, which Kirk believed would imply that the two were fornicating, or even a fake-out scene where Kirk is shown in bed with another woman, as part of a play he was doing). In 1991, the executive producers had finally had enough of Cameron, and quit the show, which was quietly cancelled a year later.

It has long been documented that Kirk Cameron (https://www.reddit.com/r/television/comments/10u65q5/did_kirk_cameron_ruin_growing_pains/) became extremely uncooperative following his religious awakening. He would object to any storylines if it even remotely went against his new found strict sensibilities and morals. Basically, he didn't get along with anybody (https://www.thethings.com/kirk-camerons-feud-with-the-cast-of-growing-pains-decades-after-the-hit-shows-cancelation/) who didn't share or adhere to his lifestyle.

Plus, he used his clout (https://www.reddit.com/r/sitcoms/comments/1ev3sf8/growing_pains/) to remove anybody that he saw fit if they did something to personally offend his morals like Julie McCullough (https://theveryspecialblog.com/2014/12/21/growing-pains-its-not-easy-being-green/), who played his on-screen love interest due to the fact that she had previously posed nude for Playboy magazine. Kirk also allegedly got Matthew Perry fired from the show (https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/225-television-broadcast-tv/74556406) because he saw him among other things, as an "agent of Satan".

He for all intents and purposes, tried to anoint himself as the defacto showrunner.

Very accurate points. He was just 17 when he got God. Too young for anyone to experience something new and life changing. He was too immature to handle that and behaved as he did to prove his new found faith. Interested enough he acted as many Evangelical Christians do by denouncing anyone or anything that didn't look, behaved or believed as he did. Yet there are some who truly follow the faith by engaging with and including anyone regardless of being different. Those Christians thrive rather than wallow in their faith.

If you count talk shows then probably "Ellen DeGeneres Show" would probably count due to her alleged behavior with others involved with the show.

Her coming out sealed the death of her sitcom in the bookstore, too.

Her coming out sealed the death of her sitcom in the bookstore, too.

That was one of those "Ahead of its time" situations. People in general were not ready for that being built into the shows storyline.

I addressed this in a previous thread (https://sitcomsonline.com/boards/showpost.php?p=4853556&postcount=40) about 12 years ago, but Andromeda (https://www.reddit.com/r/Andromeda/comments/2zis88/why_did_the_quality_of_the_show_deteriorate_so/) when (https://moviechat.org/tt0213327/Andromeda/58c7b40af9fcca09a0d443e0/Kevin-Sorbo-ruined-this-show) Kevin Sorbo (https://www.reddit.com/r/Andromeda/comments/10evzgr/this_show_had_so_much_potential_and_kevin_sorbo/) started to more directly (https://www.reddit.com/r/Andromeda/comments/gcif9h/wolfes_exit_was_sorbo_responsible/) influence (https://www.reddit.com/r/ForgottenTV/comments/1b7d3jg/comment/kti6ta8/) the show's (https://web.archive.org/web/20160415124652/http://www.agonybooth.com/tv/Gene_Roddenberrys_Andromeda_Series_Review.aspx) direction (https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/andromeda-any-good.294500/post-12495674) and gaining more creative control (https://www.reddit.com/r/scifi/comments/13mf46r/is_andromeda_worth_seeing_past_season_2/).

They did not give in to his demands but Willard Scott was supposed to host the 1991 revival of The $100,000 Pyramid[I] but Sande Stewart stated in his national archives of game show history interview that Willard made many demands like a diva thus leading him to be replaced by John Davidson.

NBC pulled the short-lived sitcom Spencer in mid-Ianuary 1985. They were going to order more episodes but star Chad Lowe’s demands prompted them to pull it. Thus, retooling the show and firing Chad Lowe.