Random TV Shows That Tried To Keep Going After Major Characters Took Off (15 items)

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  (#14) NYPD Blue

  • Dennis Franz, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Gordon Clapp, Bill Brochtrup, Henry Simmons, Jacqueline Obradors, Currie Graham, Bonnie Somerville, David Caruso, Amy Brenneman, Vincent Guastaferro, Sharon Lawrence, James McDaniel, Gail O'Grady, Nicholas Turturro, Jimmy Smits, Kim Delaney, Ricky Schroder, Andrea Thompson

  NYPD Blue was a groundbreaking cop drama that ran for 12 seasons on ABC. The show was known for its gritty realism and willingness to push the boundaries of broadcast TV both in tone and execution. The abundance of nudity and cursing brought in viewers, but the real draw was a brilliant cast and even better writing. The show originally focused on the life of Det. John Kelly (David Caruso), with the rest of the talented cast only stepping into the limelight once the reportedly rude actor left the show after Season 2.

  While Caruso promised that "NYPD Blue will not be successful when I leave," it found a way to stay on the air for another 10 seasons. The addition of unexpected talents like Jimmy Smits, Ricky Schroder, and even Mark-Paul Gosselaar kept the series feeling fresh, and many believe some of the very best episodes of this legendary show happened post-Caruso.
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  (#13) ER

  • Anthony Edwards, George Clooney, Julianna Margulies, Sherry Stringfield, Noah Wyle, Eriq La Salle, Laura Innes, Maura Tierney, Parminder Nagra, Linda Cardellini, Gloria Reuben, John Stamos, Goran Visnjic, Alex Kingston, Maria Bello, Angela Bassett, Mekhi Phifer, David Lyons, Scott Grimes, Kellie Martin, Sally Field, Paul McCrane, Ming-Na Wen, Michael Michele, Erik Palladino

  ER was a groundbreaking drama that ran for an impressive 15 seasons on NBC; it's the longest-running primetime medical drama in TV history. Critics and audiences alike loved the cast, characters, and minute-to-minute emergency thrill ride ER offered in spades. George Clooney became the heartthrob star of a fantastic ensemble cast as the dreamy Dr. Doug Ross.

  Clooney left the show in 1999 to pursue a film career, and the world wasn't sure he made the right decision at that time. He did pretty well, of course, but so did ER, which continued on for another decade. Cast members came and went, but the showrunners always found a way to bring in new talent and keep the storylines fresh.
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  (#12) The West Wing

  • Martin Sheen, Stockard Channing, John Spencer, Bradley Whitford, Allison Janney, Richard Schiff, Dulé Hill, Janel Moloney, Joshua Malina, Rob Lowe, Mary McCormack, Alan Alda, Lily Tomlin, Mary-Louise Parker, Moira Kelly, Janeane Garofalo, Teri Polo, Kristin Chenoweth

  The West Wing, NBC's legendary political drama, turned creator Aaron Sorkin into a household name, and convinced most of America that Martin Sheen could run the country better than whomever was in office at the time. Originally, the show was pitched with Deputy Communications Director Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) as the central character, writing powerful speeches while advising the President on the best ways to drag the country to the left. But the show quickly shifted focus to President Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen), Chief of Staff Leo McGarry (John Spencer), policy wunderkind Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford), and curmudgeonly do-gooder Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff).

  Lowe's role was diminished over the years, and, ultimately he left after everyone else got a pay raise following Season 4. But, the show didn't lose a step; thanks to the addition of new characters and continued strong performances, it continued on for another three seasons.
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  (#10) The Hogan Family

  • Jason Bateman, Jeremy Licht, Luis Daniel Ponce

  NBC debuted a new family comedy, Valerie, in 1986. The show starred Valerie Harper as, naturally, Valerie. Valerie had a pilot husband, Michael (Josh Taylor), who wasn't around too much while she was trying to corral her three boys David (Jason Bateman), Mark (Jeremy Licht), and Willie (Danny Ponce). Harper had enough influence with the studio, that she and husband/producer Tony Cacciotti were able to get more creative control regarding realistic humor and storylines, and the show saw their audience slowly grow. 

  Harper got into a salary dispute with the network, which ultimately got her fired from the show at the end of Season 2; the writers killed her character off. The show then became Valerie's Family, and the network added Sandy Duncan as Michael's sister. The humor changed from realistic to slapstick almost overnight, and the show was rebranded again as The Hogan Family. It ran for two more seasons on NBC, and then wrapped a final season on CBS.
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  (#1) That '70s Show

  • Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Laura Prepon, Wilmer Valderrama, Josh Meyers, Kurtwood Smith, Debra Jo Rupp, Don Stark, Tommy Chong

  That '70s Show ran on Fox for eight seasons, focusing on the lives of a group of high school friends in the 1970s. The cast was impressive, featuring Topher Grace, Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Laura Prepon, and more. The show started out covering important social topics of the 1970s, including the recession, changing sexual attitudes, and underage drinking and drug abuse. Ultimately, the showrunners moved the narrative more towards the dynamics of the group itself and away from the time period in which it was set.

  Grace, the face of That '70s Show, left after Season 7 to pursue a film career; rumors suggest he didn't get along with his castmates either. Kutcher scaled back his involvement around the same time. The show was completely reworked around the remaining cast members, but only survived one more season before Fox decided it was time to pull the plug.
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  (#2) Scrubs

  • Zach Braff, Donald Faison, John C. McGinley, Ken Jenkins, Sarah Chalke, Judy Reyes, Neil Flynn

  Scrubs had two lives; the surrealistic medical dramedy ran on NBC from 2001-2008, and then from 2009-2010 on ABC. The show's cast was anchored by Dr. John Dorian (Zach Braff), alongside Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke), Christopher Turk (Donald Faison), and Perry Cox (John C. McGinley). The WGA writer's strike in 2007 derailed the seventh season of Scrubs, and ABC ended up buying the show and airing it for Seasons 8 and 9.

  Braff and Chalke left as series regulars in Season 8, leaving behind just Faison and McGinley from the original cast. The new additions of characters played by the likes of Eliza Coupe and Dave Franco weren't well-received, and the show just felt different. Creator Bill Lawrence went so far as to ask ABC to rename the series Scrubs Med, since the show didn't resemble the original much at all. It died a quiet death at the end of Season 9.

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