Why did Loni Anderson’s career go downhill

[TMC]

She seems nice enough. You’d think she’d get some parts in something given so many networks and streaming platforms. Not a starring role but a co-starring one. What happened? Does she not need to work? She has a resume. Did she tick people off?

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.p...hatDidntHoldUp

Loni Anderson nabbed her Star-Making Role in 1978 as the savvy receptionist Jennifer Marlowe in the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati. Anderson remained onboard the series for its entire duration and was nominated twice for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. However, her career after it concluded went nowhere as the bulk of her post-WKRP TV appearances were recurring or guest spots. Her attempt at becoming a movie star failed when Stroker Ace, which she starred in opposite Burt Reynolds (whom she was briefly married to after this film was made), bombed badly with critics and audiences alike in 1983, with Anderson getting nominated for a Worst Actress Golden Raspberry Award. She too has only worked intermittently since the '90s.

[king of comedy]

It's a shame she never made it big outside the show. I hope she finds the right people who give her good roles.

[BestTVever]

I like her but never found her to be a good actress. She really played up the blonde bombshell role which really typecast her. Even her stint on Threes Company was a sexy vixen. I know she was a smart sexy vixen on WKRP but with her wig and showing off your breasts only goes so far.

[Duster76]

She doesn't belong on this list! You could argue Tim Reid had a more successful career, Howard Hesseman who else on WKRP did as well as she did. WKRP went off in 82, she was back starring in another series by 1984 (Partners in Crime), the show was not a hit which led to its cancellation after 13 episodes. She starred in another series in 1986, again on NBC, Easy Street which ran for 22 episodes. She was given a featured role in the last season of Nurses (1993-94) appearing in 22 episodes. She starred in another series in the 2003-2004 season, The Mullets part of the UPN line-up appearing in 11 episodes. She appeared in 8 episodes of So Notorious a VH 1 show in 2006. She appeared in a lot of TV movies (including one last year), TV series, she got plenty of work over the years. She had a long career, steady work, in the 12 years following WKRP she starred in three different series, let's get this straight, she wasn't the star of WKRP and she didn't play the breakout character in the series, Hesseman did. As they say, she outkicked the coverage.

[biffbronson]

Her marriage to Burt Reynolds lasted more than 5 years, so I'm not certain "briefly" is a very accurate description when you consider how many Hollywood marriages are dissolved within a year or two (including Loni's first marriage).