# Can one cast member ruin a TV show for you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 25, 2016, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-cast-member-ruin-a-tv-show-for-you/750079 "2016-03-25T01:21:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Reluctant\_A](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@Reluctant\_A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reluctant_A)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-cast-member-ruin-a-tv-show-for-you/750079/81 "2016-03-26T15:19:03Z")
Can one cast member ruin a TV show for me? Sure. Fortunately for me, Larenz Tate sticks to movies. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-cast-member-ruin-a-tv-show-for-you/750079/82 "2016-03-26T15:58:52Z")
I watched an episode and a half of \*The Sopranos \*before giving up entirely because I hated Carmela so much. Later on I made it through a full season of _Breaking Bad_ but never went back to it because I hated everything about Skyler. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-cast-member-ruin-a-tv-show-for-you/750079/83 "2016-03-26T20:46:29Z")
> [@Catamount](#): > > I watched an episode and a half of \*The Sopranos \*before giving up entirely because I hated Carmela so much. For _The Sopranos_, the key show-ruining-character was Janice. When she was brought back as the replacement for Livia, it fell apart. Tony would have never have put up with Janice’s crap and she would have had a one way visit to the waterfall bridge. ---
**Author:** ![Tinker\_Grey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tinker_grey/32/8136_2.png) [@Tinker\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinker_Grey)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-cast-member-ruin-a-tv-show-for-you/750079/84 "2016-03-26T20:59:29Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > My girlfriend and I recently watched _Babylon 5_, which I’d never seen before. The only thing that kept me going after the first few episodes was the foreknowledge that Sinclair would be gone after the first season. I’m not one who usually notices when an actor sucks, but man, that guy was horrible. He may as well have been holding his script up in front of him on screen, the way he delivered his lines. A thousand times, this. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-cast-member-ruin-a-tv-show-for-you/750079/85 "2016-03-26T21:30:42Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > But were you a watcher when Emma Peel replace Mrs. Gail (played by the wonderful Honor Blackman)? For the record, Linda Thorsen, the actress who played Tara King, was a good, sexy actress. She just wasn’t as good or as sexy as Diana Rigg, the actress who played Emma Peel. You know who was as good and sexy as Diana Rigg at that time? I’m thinking … nobody. So it’s not fair to bang on Thorsen. Hard act to follow! ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-cast-member-ruin-a-tv-show-for-you/750079/86 "2016-03-26T21:32:22Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > [Patrick Warburton.](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0911320/) I don’t like his smug expression, I don’t like his flat delivery, and I don’t even like his phyiscally presence in a scene. > > I didn’t like him as Puddy, I didn’t watch _Rules of Engagement_ because of him even more than because of David Spade, and based on the one episode I saw, I’m not going to be watching him in _Crowded_, either. For the record, Warburton was brilliant as “The Tick.” ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2016, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-cast-member-ruin-a-tv-show-for-you/750079/87 "2016-03-27T01:09:20Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > David Schwimmer made _Friends_ unwatchable. Well he makes most things unwatchable. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2016, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-cast-member-ruin-a-tv-show-for-you/750079/88 "2016-03-27T02:11:29Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The guy who plays Daredevil’s legal partner in the TV series simply takes me out of the show. He and his part are so awe Inspiringly terrible it defies belief. This is a classic “different strokes for different folks” moment. I might have quit after an episode or two if NOT for him. He’s an odd actor, for sure, but his comedic timing and general presence are one of the things that really sold me on the show. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2016, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-cast-member-ruin-a-tv-show-for-you/750079/89 "2016-03-27T04:12:42Z")
I guess I’m lucky that Minnie Driver and Andie McDowell are in movies, where I can check the cast before I walk into the theater. There isn’t a chance they’re in an upcoming TV show where I’d channel-surf into them and have to destroy my TV… is there? ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2016, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-cast-member-ruin-a-tv-show-for-you/750079/90 "2016-03-27T04:18:33Z")
John de Lancie is a fine actor, but every time “Q” popped up on _ST:TNG_ I had to bail. Not _his_ fault. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2016, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-cast-member-ruin-a-tv-show-for-you/750079/91 "2016-03-28T01:06:58Z")
> [@digs](#): > > I guess I’m lucky that Minnie Driver and Andie McDowell are in movies, where I can check the cast before I walk into the theater. > > There isn’t a chance they’re in an upcoming TV show where I’d channel-surf into them and have to destroy my TV… is there? But what about _Groundhog Day_? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2016, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-cast-member-ruin-a-tv-show-for-you/750079/92 "2016-03-28T03:09:25Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I have a similar reaction to seeing live-action H. Jon Benjamin Yeah, he’s like a tin can. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2016, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-cast-member-ruin-a-tv-show-for-you/750079/93 "2016-03-28T06:52:45Z")
> [@Nonsuch](#): > > I stopped watching the original Law & Order because of Elizabeth Röhm. Just awful. Dianne Wiest was actually pretty bad too. I was going to say Elizabeth Röhm on Law and Order! ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2016, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-cast-member-ruin-a-tv-show-for-you/750079/94 "2016-03-28T08:42:26Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I haven’t been able to watch 30Rock yet because of how much I dislike Tracy Morgan. That. > [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I LITERALLY could not stand Rob Lowe, though. (But not enough to ruin the show for me.) I’m ok with his manic quest for goofy self-fulfillment. > [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I have a similar reaction to seeing live-action H. Jon Benjamin again - no probs with him either. I’m ok with his often bemused disposition. Hilariously looks like one of my gardening clients, who _is_ a drag. > [@DrDeth](#): > > Michael Richards. yeah - why I’ve avoided “Seinfeld” too. Actually the four of them didn’t really do a whole lot for me. Mr. Smith in “Lost in Space”. Relic in “The Beachcombers”. Star Trek’s McCoy was sometimes a bit of a wet blanket. Jeff Conaway in “Taxi”. Lisa in “The Simpsons” How about a main character example: Tony Danza in “Who’s the Boss?” I’m glad I’ve yet to see Malcolm McDowell ruin any tv show. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2016, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-cast-member-ruin-a-tv-show-for-you/750079/95 "2016-03-28T09:30:05Z")
> [@typoink](#): > > This is a classic “different strokes for different folks” moment. I might have quit after an episode or two if NOT for him. He’s an odd actor, for sure, but his comedic timing and general presence are one of the things that really sold me on the show. He played crazy very well in an episode of [Psych](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1189422/?ref_=rvi_tt). ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2016, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-cast-member-ruin-a-tv-show-for-you/750079/96 "2016-03-28T09:34:55Z")
If I could excise every Mandy scene from _The West Wing,_ I would. Thankfully, she didn’t make it past the first season. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2016, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-cast-member-ruin-a-tv-show-for-you/750079/97 "2016-03-28T10:02:13Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I have a similar reaction to seeing live-action H. Jon Benjamin I agree - he’s an extremely talented voice actor and absolutely nails the roles of Sterling Archer and Bob Belcher, but whenever I see him on screen I find myself thinking “Why did you think it would be a good idea to step in front of the camera for a live-action role?” ---
**Author:** ![BlueOhio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/439d5e/32.png) [@BlueOhio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueOhio)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2016, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-cast-member-ruin-a-tv-show-for-you/750079/98 "2016-03-28T12:24:35Z")
She didn’t _ruin_ the whole show because I ended up watching all the episodes of _The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt_, but Carol Kane irritates the hell out of me. She did in the 80’s too. ---
**Author:** ![Smitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Smitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smitty)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2016, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-cast-member-ruin-a-tv-show-for-you/750079/99 "2016-03-28T12:44:55Z")
I could not stand the character of “Jill”, the wife of “Tim ‘The Tool-Man’ Taylor” on **Home Improvement**. She was just such a whiny, self-absorbed, nagging, emasculating bitch. The episode that made me stop watching was when Tim was on location filming his TV show at a big convention and Jill kept interrupting the filming because he wasn’t paying enough attention to her. My thought was, “Are you kidding? He is doing his job, putting food on the table, supporting your lazy ass! And you can’t even wait until he is off work? I bet your sorry ass gets left at home next time.” ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2016, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-cast-member-ruin-a-tv-show-for-you/750079/100 "2016-03-28T12:48:43Z")
> [@Smitty](#): > > I could not stand the character of “Jill”, the wife of “Tim ‘The Tool-Man’ Taylor” on **Home Improvement**. She was just such a whiny, self-absorbed, nagging, emasculating bitch. > > The episode that made me stop watching was when Tim was on location filming his TV show at a big convention and Jill kept interrupting the filming because he wasn’t paying enough attention to her. My thought was, “Are you kidding? He is doing his job, putting food on the table, supporting your lazy ass! And you can’t even wait until he is off work? I bet your sorry ass gets left at home next time.” I so agree with this. I have refused to watch it since I saw an episode in which she forced him to get a vasectomy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-cast-member-ruin-a-tv-show-for-you/750079.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-cast-member-ruin-a-tv-show-for-you/750079.md?page=6)