Why did they Fire Terry Farrell? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Tiger32 · 10-05-2006, 02:45 AM

I often wonder why the show producers abrubtly fired Terry Farrell. They did not even allow her to finish out the season. I think that was rather cold, and I wonder why Ted Danson did not stand up for her.

el-raro · 10-05-2006, 07:44 PM

I didn't even know she was fired. The final season never aired in Denmark.

Scoobiedoo30 · 10-05-2006, 08:00 PM

I through that Terry Farrell Left Becker

Janice · 12-16-2006, 03:19 AM

I've read that she tried to lead a cast strike which did not sit well with the suits in charge.

Tiger32 · 12-20-2006, 12:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janice

I've read that she tried to lead a cast strike which did not sit well with the suits in charge.

Yes, Janice you are correct, but the strike she led was at the beginning of season 4, and they did not fire her until near the end of season 4. I guess they were just waiting for a suitable replacement. Ted Danson who was also a producer for the show could have stepped in to save her. So I guess he apparently wanted her out too, or he chose to remain neutral on the whole matter.

Perhaps one day we will learn more about what happened.

It is really strange, that Terry Farrell still does not know why she was fired. But I guess that is show business, you are here one day and out the next.

Tiger32 · 01-10-2007, 10:10 PM

I found the following article on the web, it kind of paints a different picture on Terry Farrell's firing:

If you're a co-star of a sitcom, kissing the title character can prove fatal to your series health.
That's the lesson learned by Terry Farrell, fired from her "Becker" role just after the Monday-night CBS comedy's season finale aired last month. Her character, diner owner Reggie, finally kissed cranky doctor Becker (Ted Danson) after he showed interest in a lively neighbor (Nancy Travis). It was left a cliffhanger at the time, but Farrell knows the outcome -- for her, anyway -- since she won't even be returning to wrap up that story line.

The firing came "completely" as a surprise, Farrell says. "I've been trying to adjust to the shock of it, quite honestly. It's hard not to take it a little personally, for someone to say, 'You did a great job, but we don't need you anymore.' Especially with the last three stories (when Reggie's feelings for Becker intensified), you could only think, 'This has to be a really bad joke. After 94 episodes, I don't understand.'"

Farrell adds, "I was originally told that the very last scene of the very last episode of 'Becker' would be Becker and Reggie going on their first date, but that was a long time ago. I learned from doing earlier series that so many things are beyond your control, you shouldn't waste time thinking or worrying about them. All you can do is to do your best job and hope people like it."
The notion of pairing Becker and Reggie romantically went through many fits and starts. "The first time I met with Ted," Farrell recalls, "[the producers'] biggest concern was the chemistry. If you watch the pilot, you'll see that they wanted to play a romantic tension between the characters. Then they got concerned that it would be compared to Sam and Diane on 'Cheers,' so they backed way off. Every once in a while, you'd have an episode where you weren't quite sure what something that happened between Becker and Reggie meant."

Farrell claims her dismissal from "Becker" is unrelated to her not showing up -- along with the other supporting players -- when work on the series' fourth season began last summer over a contract dispute. "Thankfully, it had nothing to do with any of that."

Right now, the actress' life does have a couple of silver linings. The former model and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" veteran has just gotten engaged to actor Brian Baker (currently featured in Sprint PCS commercials), and she stars as a high-school basketball coach in the July 15 Lifetime movie "Crossing the Line."

Farrell considers her time on "Becker" a growth experience that she hopes will pay off in future acting opportunities: "I was fortunate to have a group of writer-producers, including Dave Hackel and Andy Ackerman, who really let you feel you had permission to fail if you tried things. If something didn't work, it was no big deal. It was a team effort, and I got better and better at having confi

Scoobiedoo30 · 02-03-2007, 05:24 PM

Thanks for the article

10-05-2006, 02:45 AM	#1
Tiger32 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jan 14, 2002 Posts: 624	Why did they Fire Terry Farrell? I often wonder why the show producers abrubtly fired Terry Farrell. They did not even allow her to finish out the season. I think that was rather cold, and I wonder why Ted Danson did not stand up for her.

10-05-2006, 07:44 PM	#2
el-raro Newbie? Occasional Poster Join Date: Oct 08, 2005 Location: Lanford, Illinois Posts: 14	I didn't even know she was fired. The final season never aired in Denmark.
	__________________ Ever joked about having "math dyslexia"? dyscalculiaforum.com

10-05-2006, 08:00 PM	#3
Scoobiedoo30 Member Forum Superstar Join Date: Jun 27, 2002 Location: KENNER, LOUISIANA Posts: 27,654	Why did they fire Terry Farrell *I through that Terry Farrell Left Becker*
	__________________ Who Dat

12-16-2006, 03:19 AM	#4
Janice Retired Admin - Hollywood Swingin' Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 03, 2001 Location: Beantown Posts: 36,389	I've read that she tried to lead a cast strike which did not sit well with the suits in charge.

01-10-2007, 10:10 PM	#6
Tiger32 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jan 14, 2002 Posts: 624	I found the following article on the web, it kind of paints a different picture on Terry Farrell's firing: If you're a co-star of a sitcom, kissing the title character can prove fatal to your series health. That's the lesson learned by Terry Farrell, fired from her "Becker" role just after the Monday-night CBS comedy's season finale aired last month. Her character, diner owner Reggie, finally kissed cranky doctor Becker (Ted Danson) after he showed interest in a lively neighbor (Nancy Travis). It was left a cliffhanger at the time, but Farrell knows the outcome -- for her, anyway -- since she won't even be returning to wrap up that story line. The firing came "completely" as a surprise, Farrell says. "I've been trying to adjust to the shock of it, quite honestly. It's hard not to take it a little personally, for someone to say, 'You did a great job, but we don't need you anymore.' Especially with the last three stories (when Reggie's feelings for Becker intensified), you could only think, 'This has to be a really bad joke. After 94 episodes, I don't understand.'" Farrell adds, "I was originally told that the very last scene of the very last episode of 'Becker' would be Becker and Reggie going on their first date, but that was a long time ago. I learned from doing earlier series that so many things are beyond your control, you shouldn't waste time thinking or worrying about them. All you can do is to do your best job and hope people like it." The notion of pairing Becker and Reggie romantically went through many fits and starts. "The first time I met with Ted," Farrell recalls, "[the producers'] biggest concern was the chemistry. If you watch the pilot, you'll see that they wanted to play a romantic tension between the characters. Then they got concerned that it would be compared to Sam and Diane on 'Cheers,' so they backed way off. Every once in a while, you'd have an episode where you weren't quite sure what something that happened between Becker and Reggie meant." Farrell claims her dismissal from "Becker" is unrelated to her not showing up -- along with the other supporting players -- when work on the series' fourth season began last summer over a contract dispute. "Thankfully, it had nothing to do with any of that." Right now, the actress' life does have a couple of silver linings. The former model and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" veteran has just gotten engaged to actor Brian Baker (currently featured in Sprint PCS commercials), and she stars as a high-school basketball coach in the July 15 Lifetime movie "Crossing the Line." Farrell considers her time on "Becker" a growth experience that she hopes will pay off in future acting opportunities: "I was fortunate to have a group of writer-producers, including Dave Hackel and Andy Ackerman, who really let you feel you had permission to fail if you tried things. If something didn't work, it was no big deal. It was a team effort, and I got better and better at having confi

02-03-2007, 05:24 PM	#7
Scoobiedoo30 Member Forum Superstar Join Date: Jun 27, 2002 Location: KENNER, LOUISIANA Posts: 27,654	Thanks for the article