How TV Shows Have Handled Actor's Real Life Deaths During Their Show

[icecream]

This list from TVLine has 40+ examples. Some others they left out were Bewitched dueling strategies. After Marion Lorne died Aunt Clara was never mentioned again. But after Alice Pearce died she was recast with Sandra Gould as Gladys Kravitz. On a current show, Tricki-Woo's owner on All Creature Great and Small was recast in season 2 after the original actress died.

https://tvline.com/lists/how-tv-show...jeanne-cooper/

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Which shows handled the death of one of its actors well, and did a good job at writing off the character, whether sending them away or killing the character off? And which shows did a terrible job at handling the situation?

[MikeLutton]

i dont like when they don't mention how the charactor died

[Merry24]

On Dennis the Menace when Joesph Kearns passed (George Wilson). They said he went back east. Dennis said he’s going to miss good old Mr.Wilson. In the first few episodes they referred to Mr.Wilson a few more times but in reality the actor passed away and his character moved away.


On the middle when Francis Bay (aunt Ginny) passed the Character and actress both passed away.Although the actress passed a different reason than her character did.

[stevea]

On Dennis the Menace I imagine panic set in on the staff when Joseph Kearns died at a relatively young age. If they had had more time they might have had a dealing with death and grief story arc. A sensitive subject with a show that probably had a lot of kids in the TV audience.

Meanwhile they had a contracted number of episodes and a shooting schedule that was probably in some jeopardy. So they re-worked a couple of scripts and wrote a few more new ones to fill out season 3. They did the best they could under the circumstances.

[icecream]

Eight is Enough did not handle Diana Hyland's death well. After not appearing any more in season 1, she was hardly mentioned at all except that she had made their lunch once. I had thought with the earthquake mentioned in the season finale that would have been a way to kill Joan Sr. off, but still nothing. They should have had more of a tribute for her there and less of the obnoxious footballer dentist.

[Yong Fang]

I am interested for example if the kid who plays Sheldon in "Young Sheldon" gets killed in an auto accident, how much insurance is placed on him. Or historically, if Andy Griffith in 1963 was killed in the same way. How much is the production insured so they get paid if this happens.

Or John Ritter on his show in real life. His show was a hit and then he drops dead. How much was the production insured, because the insurance is there in case the star dies and the show stops.

[principehomura]

I think that the show that handled this thing better was cheers with Coach.

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10 TV Stars Who Tragically Died While Their Show Was Still on the Air.

In this video, we pay tribute to the unforgettable legacy left behind by these talented individuals, whose lives were cut short too soon.

[24/7 reruns]

Originally Posted by stevea

On Dennis the Menace I imagine panic set in on the staff when Joseph Kearns died at a relatively young age. If they had had more time they might have had a dealing with death and grief story arc. A sensitive subject with a show that probably had a lot of kids in the TV audience.

Meanwhile they had a contracted number of episodes and a shooting schedule that was probably in some jeopardy. So they re-worked a couple of scripts and wrote a few more new ones to fill out season 3. They did the best they could under the circumstances.

What was interesting about this is that apparently right around his death the episode titled "Where there's a Will" aired. That episode focused on Mr. Wilson's Will.

He was 55 when he died after a crash diet where he lost a lot of weight.

It was something seeing other characters essentially running Mr. Wilson's part to cover episodes until Gale Gordon was added. Then for some reason Mrs. Wilson couldn't stay in her own home with her brother-in-law. So she left and John Wilson's wife enters.

On a slightly different topic. I wonder why both Gloria Henry and Sylvia Field miss a number of episodes. At least Gloria character Alice does phone calls with Henry and Dennis.

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It Was a Thing on TV: Episode 444--What happens when a star dies?

After covering the passing of a character in episode 443, we look at the more tragic side of what happens when someone on a show passes away in real life. This episode gets into some potentially disturbing topics. Listener discretion is advised.

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Sometimes, TV characters are written off in tragic ways due to real-life circumstances. Join us as we look at times when TV shows had to write off characters because the actor passed away. From Angela in Family Guy (Carrie Fisher) to Fred Andrews in Riverdale (Luke Perry), we're exploring the stories behind these on-screen farewells and the impact they had on the shows and their fans. These departures remind us of the human element behind our favorite characters and the talented actors who brought them to life. The series make sure that the characters are able to rest easy and the actors are remembered.

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Chapters:

• 00:00 - Intro
• 00:36 - John Ritter (8 Simple Rules)
• 03:40 - Freddie Prinze (Chico and the Man)
• 07:10 - Dolph Sweet (Gimme a Break!)
• 10:22 - Jack Soo (Barney Miller)
• 13:39 - Nicholas Colasanto (Cheers)
• 16:46 - Redd Foxx (The Royal Family)
• 19:07 - Ted Knight (Too Close for Comfort / The Ted Knight Show)
• 21:35 - Phil Hartman (NewsRadio)
• 24:17 - Kevin Peter Hall (Harry and the Hendersons)
• 26:24 - Werner Stocker (Highlander: The Series)