2 minutes ago, All My Shadows said:

Pamela Hensley [...] then did "Kingston: Confidential," which was Raymond Burr's short-lived follow-up to "Ironside," before having a three-season hit with "Matt Houston." When it ended in 1985, she retired from acting.

A real shame, too, because, once you've gone as low as "Matt Houston," whose popularity still perplexes me, there's nowhere else to go but up!

25 minutes ago, soapfan770 said:

@Khan @kalbir I still cling to my idea that Lucille Ball and Gale Gordon would’ve been better doing a short arc as villains (Angela’s goofy but wicked sister in law Lucinda Channing) under Jeff Feilich’s era ons Falcon Crest in 1986 than doing Life with Lucy 🤣🤣🤣

Hahaha, that's funny.

Shirley Jones who had a Broadway and film career in the 50's and 60's starred in The Partridge Family (1970-1974). She then attempted another series in 1979 with Shirley that was cancelled after 13 episodes. After that she mainly done guest appearances and TV movies with a big feature thrown in here and there.

2 minutes ago, Khan said:

A real shame, too, because, once you've gone as low as "Matt Houston," whose popularity still perplexes me, there's nowhere else to go but up!

She did meet her rich husband producer E. Duke Vincent by doing Matt Houston so I guess it worked out for the best. Lee Horsley attempted several series before falling into obscurity. A lot of people saw him as a poor man's Tom Selleck.

Tom Selleck started acting in the late 60's and was a contract player at Universal in the 70's. He was on Y&R 1974-1975 and Bill Bell would never sign him to a contract because he felt he wasn't leading man material with his high voice. With a series of commercials, guest appearances, recurring roles, and many failed pilots, He hit it big in 1980 with Magnum P.I. He then became a superstar. The public couldn't get enough of him. Women saw him as their ideal fantasy man and men wanted to look like him growing mustaches, wearing Hawaiian shirts and short shorts. He continues to work.

Ric hard Crenna seems pretty much forgotten today but he got off to a good start with 2 hit series

Our Miss Brooks 52-55

The Real McCoys 57-63

He then tried drama with

Slattery's People 64-66 which only lasted a season

He then moved into movies and later Tv movies before returning to a series

All's Fair 76-77 with Bernadette Peters

Then TV movies until another sitcom attempt

It Takes Two with Patty Duke 82-83

Back to movies Rambo most notably, Tv movies/mini series before his final series

Pros & Cons 91-92 a revamped version of Gabriel's Fire with James Earl Jones

He also recurred in Judging Amy in 2003.

27 minutes ago, kalbir said:

Hahaha, that's funny.

Dependent on how Jane thought about Gale and Lucy of course!

I found myself rewatching the infamous "Empty Nests" episode of The Golden Girls*, and it suddenly clicked. Susan Harris must have looked at it as a chance to at least partially avenge It Takes Two.

*Dorothy voice: "It was on YouTube, on a channel I subscribe to, and I hadn't seen it in a while, and WHO ARE YOU TO JUDGE ME?!"

3 hours ago, soapfan770 said:

@Khan @kalbir I still cling to my idea that Lucille Ball and Gale Gordon would’ve been better doing a short arc as villains (Angela’s goofy but wicked sister in law Lucinda Channing) under Jeff Feilich’s era ons Falcon Crest in 1986 than doing Life with Lucy 🤣🤣🤣

That would have worked great. Lucy had a sarcasm about her that would have worked very well going up against any of the 80s soap villains. Falcon Crest would have been the best fit.

Sharon Gless also was in a series that got canceled before it aired a single episode called Thick and Thin in 2006 about a formerly overweight/fat woman that embarks on life after dropping the weight.

I miss the days where we could fat shame people.

Of course many of these primetime stars had instant misses when their pilots weren't picked up

eg Shirley Jones had at least 2 attempts at a series before landing Partridge Family

Out of the Blue. CBS 8/12/68. 30 minutes. CBS Entertainment. Director: Sherman Marks. Producer/Writer: Sol Saks. Shirley Jones, Barry Dennen, Carl Ballantine, and Marvin Kaplan are aliens from an overpopulated planet who come to Earth to see whether or not they should move some of their people here. They befriend a physics professor (John McMartin) living in Hollywood, who helps them under- stand our often confusing world.

Dream Wife 1965

Actress Shirley Jones stars as Lisa Michaels -- a wife with a husband, a boy, and the ability to hear other people's thoughts. Whether she's trying to use it to have a better marriage, make her kid happy, and even trying to save other people's lives, she just can't quite seem to get things right. Her TV hubby was Donald May who went on to daytime as Adam on EON.

4 hours ago, Khan said:

LOL!!

But seriously. That has to be one of the WORST theme songs I've ever heard for a sitcom. Entirely too slow and wistful sounding. A rare dud from the Witt/Thomas/Harris factory. (Your show is called "It Takes Two," for God's sake, why not get, say, Andrew Gold and Melissa Manchester to do a new arrangement of that classic Motown song of the same name?)

9 hours ago, SoapDope78 said:

🤣 That theme was really long and unnecessary. Poor Patty Duke always looked middle aged. The beard suits Richard Crenna. Seeing Tony Thomas as one of the executive producers made me think why didn't his sister Marlo ever do another regular series after That Girl? I know she made guest appearances on Friends etc...and many TV movies.

I remember Marlo doing an interview in recent years where a lot of people have approached her about doing a revival off TG where the granddaughter was the focus with Marlo as Grandmother Anne would be around to offer advice etc...Marlo said "Ick! that sounds horrible". She said since she owns the rights to her series she can veto anything surrounding it. She said Ann Marie was a "That Girl" of her era (1960's/early 70's) and she should remain there.

I love Crystal Gayle, but it sounds like someone was a big fan of her work on the One from the Heart soundtrack.

Marlo's not wrong, although I'm sorry for the fans that the show never got a proper ending. Some shows just belong in their place and time, as many, many revivals prove.

Edited December 1, 2025Dec 1 by DRW50

10 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

Some shows just belong in their place and time, as many, many revivals prove.

Hopefully, the failure of the "Frasier" revival proves the point.

42 minutes ago, Soaplovers said:

Sharon Gless also was in a series that got canceled before it aired a single episode called Thick and Thin in 2006 about a formerly overweight/fat woman that embarks on life after dropping the weight.

I miss the days where we could fat shame people.

When did they ever go away? 

I see the painfully underrated Chris Parnell, who missed an SNL episode or two making that pilot (he was fired [for the second time] that same season). He'd later have one-season sitcoms Big Lake and Happy Together, was on the first season of grown-ish, and may be best known for Rick and Morty and recurring on 30 Rock. 

The show was by Paula Pell, who left the SNL staff the previous season (complete with various cast holding up "we'll miss you Paula" esque signs) and promptly returned. She would later star oncamera in AP Bio, Girls 5 Eva, and her biggest solo part, a Quibi mystery parody called Maplewood Murders. 

Sharon Gless, beyond her US work, also had a well-received recurring role on UK medical soap Casualty.

3 hours ago, soapfan770 said:

Dependent on how Jane thought about Gale and Lucy of course!

For sure.

17 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

Some shows just belong in their place and time

Exactly.

5 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

When did they ever go away? 

Amen!

Tracee Ellis Ross did "Reed Between The Lines" with Malcolm-Jamal Warner on BET when the network was first getting into scripted programming. She left after the first season and a couple of years later landed "Black-ish".

Cedric The Entertainer spent six seasons on "The Steve Harvey Show" and later did four seasons of "The Soul Man" before finding his biggest hit with "The Neighborhood". His only flop was the sketch show "Cedric The Entertainer Presents".

Christina Applegate did a few of two season series post "Married...With Children", "Jesse", "Samantha Who?" and "Up All Night" before her most nominated role on "Dead To Me".