Pernell Robets always came across as TV was beneath him. He left Bonanza on a sour note. He bashed the series the entire time he was on it. When he did Trapper John M.D. I think he admitted he was needing the money to sign onto another series. He also did commercials during the run of TJ for various products. He hosted "FBI Untold Stories" in the 90's that ran a couple of seasons.

Randolph Mantooth was one of the stars of Emergency in the 70's but wound up doing daytime after years of spotty guest appearances.

Kristy McNichol did the short-lived series "Apples Way" (1974-75). She then did Family (1976-1980) that made her a teen idol. She was expected to be a big film star, but after personal issues with mental health, she returned to series TV in 1988 on Empty Nest. She left EN in 1992 after 4 seasons. She did return for the series finale in 1995. She has since retired from acting.

1 minute ago, SoapDope78 said:

He hosted "FBI Untold Stories" in the 90's that ran a couple of seasons.

"FBI: The Untold Stories," featuring daytime's own Kim Zimmer in one episode (as a U.S. Army staff sergeant, who hijacks a helicopter in order to get her boyfriend released from prison), was produced by Arthur Annecharico, who was the KING of low-budget, low-quality TV. ("The Munsters Today" and "What a Dummy!". Need I say more, lol?). The fact that Mr. Artistic Integrity himself, Pernell Roberts, would agree to host what was essentially a discount "Unsolved Mysteries" never stops cracking my [!@#$%^&*] up.

Edited 8 hours ago8 hr by Khan

Kim must have been in between jobs and in need of a check to do that. It is listed before "Santa Barbara" on her filmography so I'm assuming she was in need. But at least it was a one time job, Pernell Roberts was narrating the mess for all of the episodes.

48 minutes ago, Khan said:

IMO, Loni was another actor who, like Delta Burke, was wrongly vilified by the tabloids in the '90's. The press enjoyed portraying her as Burt's clawing ex, and a washed-up bimbo who was clinging desperately to the shreds of a once-promising career. As I see it now, though, Loni was really an abused wife, married to a narcissistic pillhead, who couldn't cope with the fact that he had trashed his own career through bad decisions and ego.

That's why I felt so bad for Loni when people snickered at her joining NBC's "Nurses"

She absolutely took a fall from the tabloids. I actually enjoyed Nurses when I was a kid, and Empty Nest. I don’t think Nurses is available anywhere so I have doubts that adult me would enjoy it.

Farrah was a great actress. Truthfully, the entire show Charlie’s Angels was maligned in a way that was nothing more than sexism. It was never going to be highbrow, but the three original leads had something special together. The first season and some of the second has many decent light mystery episodes that do not require any bikinis.

Back to Burt Reynolds. I remember when he started making the rounds saying Sally Field was the one that got away. And all these reporters kept asking her about it like they all thought it was so sweet, especially women. And after a few times where she said we broke up for a reason, but he was an important relationship blah blah, she stared to really shut it down by bringing up his ego, cheating, him being threatened by her career after first championing it, sexist pressure to be a good little wifey type for him at home. I really loved her for having enough of his revisionist history and shutting it down.

9 hours ago, Soaplovers said:

John Ritter did serious work in a lot of tv movies in the 90s... I think he even played a killer and he was creepy. Shame people didn't pay attention to tv movies back in the day because back in the 80s and 90s, they were an outlet for comedic actors/actresses to play more serious and darker roles (i.e. Meredith Baxter, Joanna Kerns, Judith Light, Kirstie Alley, etc).

So true. Some of those names showed me when I was younger by how they would be on tv movies or Lifetime playing against type.

1 hour ago, Forever8 said:

But I guess for every The West Wing, Dexter, and Sons of Anarchy, there was unfortunately a "Cane" (still pissed it got canceled despite getting 11 million viewers in 2007, though the writer's strike might've had an effect on its premature cancellation), The Get Down, and East New York.

RIP EAST NEW YORK.

After The Waltons Ralph Waite did "The Mississippi" which did well as tryout show following Dallas but then got dumped Tues @8 where it limped along for a season.

Were Waite and Learned both promised a show as inducement to stay with The Waltons?

I remember reading somewhere years ago that Pernell Roberts supposedly threw away fan mail. He thought it was silly that someone would waste time writing a celebrity that they only knew by watching them on TV. I don't know if that was fact or fiction.

LOL @ Kim Zimmer doing the FBI schlock in need of quick paycheck.

Lyle Waggoner was on The Carol Burnett Show 1967-1974. He then did Wonder Woman 1976-1979. After those two series he mainly did cheesy guest appearances. His big fortune came from creating a high-end ritzy trailer rental business Star Waggons. His main clients were TV & Film companies for their actors to use as dressing rooms. His sons later took over the business, and they build them in their factory.

We might have to start a thread on "Biggest Celebrity Jerks." Pernell Roberts is currently holding a commanding lead.

In regards to the whole Delta Burke and Loni Anderson 'sexism' opinion, I was around when all of that went down.

People were team Loni at the time, she and Burt mud slinging ended up costing both of them their sitcoms and their careers. So I think both got grief back in the day for the divorce, but nice try re-writing history.

Delta, on the other hand, was constantly absent and/or late.. and while I do think mental health should be looked at... when it affects not only your job, but other people's jobs.. decisions have to be made.

3 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

After The Waltons Ralph Waite did "The Mississippi" which did well as tryout show following Dallas but then got dumped Tues @8 where it limped along for a season.

Were Waite and Learned both promised a show as inducement to stay with The Waltons?

You've probably already seen this, but Michael talks about Nurse here:

I'm not trying to rewrite history. I'm only offering my perception of what I saw as the unfair treatment that Loni Anderson and Delta Burke suffered at the hands of the media during the '90s. Is my perception wrong? Maybe. But I don't believe my views warranted that kind of response. If you took offense to anything that I posted, though, I apologize, because it's clear to me anyway that I've touched a nerve with you.

35 minutes ago, Franko said:

We might have to start a thread on "Biggest Celebrity Jerks." Pernell Roberts is currently holding a commanding lead.

LOL! TBF, though, when Pernell Roberts still was on "Bonanza," he spoke out about the lack of non-stereotypical roles for minority actors on TV shows including his own, at a time when doing so amounted to career suicide.

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by Khan

@DRW50 Thanks for the clip. So much goes on BTS that we are not privily to. It would be interesting to hear from other sources about the situation.

You would think before committing to a NY shoot they would have had a better handle on things.

After a successful run following Dallas, CBS moved it to Wed @ 9 opposite Fall Guy and Facts of Life and it died and was off the air in weeks. It returned later to replace Knots Landing and did better, but I guess the whole situation had soured them on the show.

19 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

You've probably already seen this, but Michael talks about Nurse here:

I understand why Michael Learned prefers theatre to television; but, on the other hand, visual-based storytelling can be just as impactful as theatrical storytelling if done right.

On 11/22/2025 at 9:30 PM, All My Shadows said:

Michael Landon has to hold some kind of record for going 3-for-3 with hit shows over a 30-year period (1959-1989).

David Boreanaz has had a similar run, starting with Buffy (1997-1999), Angel (1999-2004), Bones (2005-2017) and SWAT (2017-2024). This year is the first time he's not had a lead role on a television series in 27 years!

Michael Landon was a jerk behind the scenes. He was insanely jealous of actors he thought was competition. He had Guy Williams canned as a possible replacement for Pernell as the Cartwright cousin. He also had a jealous hatred of Bill Bixby. Bixby was known as one of the nicest men in the business and Landon couldn't stand it. Landon who was still doing Bonanza in the early 70's was pissed that Bixby was starring as a loving Dad in " The Courtship of Eddie's Father" and getting accolades for the role. He felt he should be playing Dad roles. Bixby tried to engage him at and event and Landon snubbed him. When Bonanza was cancelled, he quickly moved into "Little House on the Prairie" as all American Dad Pa Ingles. Years later Landon never got over his hatred of Bixby. On Highway to Heaven, he wrote an episode about an ego monster actor (Played by Ned Beatty) who was the father on a sitcom to a little boy who treated the child actor like crap. It was clearly a dig at Bixby and Courtship. In reality Bixby and Brandon Cruz who played his son Eddie remained close till his death. Cruz even named his son after Bixby. When Michael Landon was diagnosed with cancer Bixby was diagnosed at the same time. Bixby stated that he wept when he learned Landon had it and when he later died.