I do think "The Lucy Mysteries" could've hit.

18 minutes ago, Vee said:

I do think "The Lucy Mysteries" could've hit.

Lucy could have a police officer grandson that lives with her and is her link to crime. And she needs a female sidekick that is dragged reluctantly into her schemes.

I can also see her as one of the recurring semi-regulars on Murder She Wrote, but her ego probably would have been too big for that.

Aaron was right to be regretful, but who can blame him? He was HUGE at the time, but getting a chance to produce for Lucy still had to be nerve-wracking, especially when you consider that she had produced her last two shows herself. Plus, Aaron guest started on ILL early in his career! His producer instincts might’ve known better, but his instincts as a Lucy admirer probably told him to just shut up and let her do what she wanted to do.

Had LWL never happened, her last big shots on TV would have been hosting the “Three’s Company” clip show (which was a big get for them and something she was glad to be a part of) and the TV movie where she played a homeless woman. That would’ve been a fine end to her career.

I'm surprised they didn't have Lucy owning an apartment building with wacky tenants like 227 or maybe Lucy owns an ad agency with wacky employees and clients or Lucy as a producer of a daytime soap with wacky actors and plot lines.

Anything was better than the dreck they had her doing on Life With Lucy.

2 minutes ago, SoapDope78 said:

or Lucy as a producer of a daytime soap with wacky actors and plot lines

That would've been a lot of fun.

I don’t think anyone has mentioned Sharon Gless yet, she had a long run on TV from ingenue to grandmother.

Switch (which I have never seen) 1975-1978

Cagney & Lacey the show plus the telefilms 82-88, 94-96

The Trials of Rosie O’Neill was short lived, 90-92, but I remember it being pretty good.

Queer As Folk 2000-2005 then Burn Notice 2007-2013. And it seems like plenty of guest roles from the 90’s on.

I'll always appreciate what Gless did with the thankless recast of Ellen Burstyn's character in the underrated, shockingly good if short-lived Exorcist TV series on Fox, which followed on from the original film. She memorably inhabited an immortal role for a short guest run.

Edited 4 hours ago4 hr by Vee

1 hour ago, titan1978 said:

I don’t think anyone has mentioned Sharon Gless yet, she had a long run on TV from ingenue to grandmother.

Switch (which I have never seen) 1975-1978

Cagney & Lacey the show plus the telefilms 82-88, 94-96

The Trials of Rosie O’Neill was short lived, 90-92, but I remember it being pretty good.

Queer As Folk 2000-2005 then Burn Notice 2007-2013. And it seems like plenty of guest roles from the 90’s on.

Sharon also had a short-lived body swap comedy by of all people Stephen Bochco.

Turnabout (TV series) - Wikipedia

You can find the first episode and a TV-movie compiling 4 of the episodes.

Edited 3 hours ago3 hr by DRW50

Sharon was one of the final group of actors that was under contract to Universal in the 70's so she turned up in guest spots in alot of their shows eg Rockford Files, Kojak etc

Following Switch 75-79

Turnabout 1979 NBC (based on a book and 1930's film) with John Schuck 7 eps

House Calls 1982 (replacing Lynn Redgrave) 15 eps

Cagney & Lacey 82-88

Trials of Rosie O'Neill 90-92

QAF 2000-05

Burn Notice 2013-2017

Tyne Daly

Cagney & Lacey 82-88

Christy94-95

Judging Amy 99-05

John Schuck

McMillan & Wife 71-77

Holmes &Yo Yo 76-77

Turnabout 79

Munsters Today syndicated 88-91

Patty Duke was an Academy Award and Emmy Award winner, but success with another series after "The Patty Duke Show" never materialized. Her first venture "Hail To The Chief" in 1985 lasted only 7 episodes. After that she did "Karen's Song" on the then brand new FOX Network, but it went nowhere. Her last try at a series was a drama called "Amazing Grace" which was only 5 episodes.

5 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

I also mentioned before doing a light comedy/mystery show with Lucy getting involved with various mysteries.

5 hours ago, Vee said:

I do think "The Lucy Mysteries" could've hit.

I think so, too. I could see a series where Lucy, as a one-time chorus girl and B-movie actress (from Jamestown, NY, Lucy's actual hometown) turned housewife and mother, has a son who followed in his late father's footsteps and joined the LAPD. He literally married the girl next door several years before; and when Lucy isn't pestering the two about giving her a grandchild, she's using her ingenuity and knack for zany disguises to help him solve cases for the department.

Lucie Arnaz could have recurred as Lucy's daughter, a single gal who's desperate to find Mr. Right, but always ends up with Mr. Really Wrong; and Gale Gordon could have guest-starred in one episode as an aging Don Juan-type who romances elderly women, then parts with their money and jewelry.

Edited 56 minutes ago56 min by Khan

5 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

And she needs a female sidekick that is dragged reluctantly into her schemes.

Of course, it would've needed to be someone who had some recognizability, yet was comfortable playing second banana to Lucy - which was easier said than done.  (Just ask Audrey Meadows, Ann Sothern, Joan Blondell and even Vivian Vance).  Ideally, though, it could've been someone like Betty Garrett (and in my version, her character has known Lucy's since they were young actresses trying to break into show business).

Oh, and I definitely would've tapped Ginger Rogers to guest star in an episode - maybe as a Sue Mengers-esque modeling agent whose client dies under mysterious circumstances.

5 hours ago, All My Shadows said:

I can also see her as one of the recurring semi-regulars on Murder She Wrote, but her ego probably would have been too big for that.

Oooh, just getting her to guest-star in an episode of MSW would've been a DREAM.  I would've had her play against type, too, as someone who is very shrewd and tough-as-nails, someone who's a total 180 from the usual "Lucy" persona.  For instance, she could've portrayed an agent or publishing house editor who's attempting to land Jessica Fletcher as a client, and whom Jessica has a conversation with in order to get to the bottom of a mystery involving another writer.

5 hours ago, SoapDope78 said:

Lucy as a producer of a daytime soap with wacky actors and plot lines.

Joan Crawford filling in for her daughter on THE SECRET STORM always sounded like a Lucy-esque scenario to me.  I'm just saying.

3 hours ago, DRW50 said:

Sharon also had a short-lived body swap comedy by of all people Stephen Bochco.

Turnabout (TV series) - Wikipedia

IIRC, "Turnabout" played a part in Sharon Gless eventually landing on "Cagney & Lacey," as C&L's co-creators, Barbara Avedon and Barbara Corday, had been story editors on "Turnabout" and wrote the part of Christine Cagney with Gless in mind.