Was The Death Of Valerie Hogan the 1st Ever Killing Off Of A Show's TOP STAR??? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 02-12-2012, 03:41 PM

I know other characters have been killed off shows before, but was this the 1st and only time a character was killed off who was the leading star of the show?

missy's pop pop · 01-24-2014, 12:08 AM

This may be debatable, but when Jean Hagen didn't want to continue on "Make Room for Daddy" after 1956 and quit the show, Danny Thomas literally killed off Margaret Williams' character at the start of the 1956-57 season, allowing him to woo and eventually win the heart of Kathy Williams, a/k/a Marjorie Lord. The show continued and thrived after their marriage as "The Danny Thomas Show."

James28 · 01-24-2014, 01:05 AM

I also ink the death of Valerie Hogan character was a rare example of a show's title character being killed off? (Which resulted in the show's renaming from Valerie to The Hogan Family.) Any other examples of TV shows' title characters being killed off?

TV Guy · 03-24-2018, 09:45 AM

Susan Saint James was one of the title characters on McMillan & Wife. She left in a contract dispute and her character was killed off (and the show was retitled).

Diana Hyland was the female lead on “Eight is Enough”. She passed away in real life and her character was killed off.

Kathy Nolan was the female lead on “The Real McCoys”. She left in a contract dispute and her character was killed off.

Tumbleweed1980 · 06-04-2018, 03:45 PM

I found this on the MSN Entertainment page in an article about Sara Gilbert addressing the cancelling of the "Roseanne" show.

At the end of the article they included A Related Slideshow: 5 Ways “Roseanne” could continue without Roseanne Barr – Before I even started to read further about it I was thinking that reminds me of “Valerie” continuing without Valerie Harper. But I was still surprised when I got to the number 4 out of the 5 ways... and this is what I saw...

THE CONNERS

If Valerie Harper’s Valerie — a 1986 sitcom about a working mother raising three boys — could transition into The Hogan Family after losing its star to behind-the-scenes disputes, why can’t Roseanne continue in the same fashion? There are plenty of Conners to go around (the table).

02-12-2012, 03:41 PM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,108	Was The Death Of Valerie Hogan the 1st Ever Killing Off Of A Show's TOP STAR??? I know other characters have been killed off shows before, but was this the 1st and only time a character was killed off who was the leading star of the show?
	__________________ The Key to the Kingdom of Heaven: John 3:3 *Money Doesn't Buy Happiness...But I'd Rather Cry in My Private Jet*

01-24-2014, 12:08 AM	#2
missy's pop pop Hooray for "Hazel!" Frequent Poster Join Date: Nov 19, 2013 Location: St. Louis Posts: 396	The "Sweet Insanity" of Jean Hagen This may be debatable, but when Jean Hagen didn't want to continue on "Make Room for Daddy" after 1956 and quit the show, Danny Thomas literally killed off Margaret Williams' character at the start of the 1956-57 season, allowing him to woo and eventually win the heart of Kathy Williams, a/k/a Marjorie Lord. The show continued and thrived after their marriage as "The Danny Thomas Show."

01-24-2014, 01:05 AM	#3
James28 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 14, 2007 Posts: 3,967	I also ink the death of Valerie Hogan character was a rare example of a show's *title character* being killed off? (Which resulted in the show's renaming from Valerie to The Hogan Family.) Any other examples of TV shows' title characters being killed off?
	__________________ "When the run of a network TV show has ended, some go out with a bang, some with a whimper, but all are...Future Endeavored." "Stay Safe"? More like "Stay Sad". #2020Hurts

06-04-2018, 03:45 PM	#5
Tumbleweed1980 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Feb 23, 2016 Location: Anchorage, Alaska Posts: 145	In a new article... I found this on the MSN Entertainment page in an article about Sara Gilbert addressing the cancelling of the "Roseanne" show. At the end of the article they included A Related Slideshow: 5 Ways “Roseanne” could continue without Roseanne Barr – Before I even started to read further about it I was thinking that reminds me of “Valerie” continuing without Valerie Harper. But I was still surprised when I got to the number 4 out of the 5 ways... and this is what I saw... THE CONNERS If Valerie Harper’s Valerie — a 1986 sitcom about a working mother raising three boys — could transition into The Hogan Family after losing its star to behind-the-scenes disputes, why can’t Roseanne continue in the same fashion? There are plenty of Conners to go around (the table).
	Last edited by Tumbleweed1980; 06-12-2018 at 07:48 PM.

03-24-2018, 09:45 AM	#4
TV Guy Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 25, 2001 Location: Boston, MA, USA Posts: 3,419	Susan Saint James was one of the title characters on McMillan & Wife. She left in a contract dispute and her character was killed off (and the show was retitled). Diana Hyland was the female lead on “Eight is Enough”. She passed away in real life and her character was killed off. Kathy Nolan was the female lead on “The Real McCoys”. She left in a contract dispute and her character was killed off.