# Have Supp. actors from a hit sitcom ever had their own hit? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 21, 2006, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-supp-actors-from-a-hit-sitcom-ever-had-their-own-hit/349313 "2006-03-21T18:08:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-supp-actors-from-a-hit-sitcom-ever-had-their-own-hit/349313/41 "2006-03-21T20:09:10Z")
Courtney Cox: From “Family Ties” to “Friends.” ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-supp-actors-from-a-hit-sitcom-ever-had-their-own-hit/349313/42 "2006-03-21T20:39:49Z")
Well, Helen Hunt went from second banana on a sitcom to Academy Award - and, stretching a teensy bit, Clint Eastwood did much the same… Has anyone mentioned Ed Asner as an MTM show alumni who did okay in his own series? mm ---
**Author:** ![priapus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@priapus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/priapus)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-supp-actors-from-a-hit-sitcom-ever-had-their-own-hit/349313/43 "2006-03-21T21:02:02Z")
Bob Denver went from Dobie Gillis to Gilligan’s Island (if you want to call it a hit show) ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-supp-actors-from-a-hit-sitcom-ever-had-their-own-hit/349313/44 "2006-03-21T21:45:30Z")
**Linda Lavin** went from a supporting role in _Barney Miller_ to the title character _Alice_. **Bob Denver** went from a supporting role in _The Many Lives of Dobie Gillis_ to the title character in _Gilligan’s Island_. **Jane Curtin** went from a supporting role on _Saturday Night Live_ to one of the title characters in _Kate & Allie_. ---
**Author:** ![Catsmeow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Catsmeow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catsmeow)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-supp-actors-from-a-hit-sitcom-ever-had-their-own-hit/349313/45 "2006-03-21T22:01:36Z")
How about Faith Ford as Corky Sherwood in Murphy Brown to Hope Shanowski in Hope & Faith. (she’s a co-lead with Kelly Ripa) ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-supp-actors-from-a-hit-sitcom-ever-had-their-own-hit/349313/46 "2006-03-21T22:23:47Z")
> [@Mynn](#): > > I wonder if Mork and Mindy counts? Mork went from Happy Days to Mork and Mindy, (guess that is a spinoff) and Mindy went to My Sister Sam until she was killed off. To stick the fork in this one _yet again_, “My Sister Sam” had been off the air for a year before Rebecca Shaeffer was murdered. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-supp-actors-from-a-hit-sitcom-ever-had-their-own-hit/349313/47 "2006-03-21T22:30:11Z")
If we count SNL, Phil Hartman went on to The Simpsons and Sports Radio. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-supp-actors-from-a-hit-sitcom-ever-had-their-own-hit/349313/48 "2006-03-21T22:38:45Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Fred Gwynne has a supporting role in **The Phil Silvers Show** (Sgt. Bilko) before his success on **The Munsters**. Gwynne co-starred with Joe E. Ross in “Car 54, Where Are You” before “Munsters”. ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-supp-actors-from-a-hit-sitcom-ever-had-their-own-hit/349313/49 "2006-03-21T22:42:09Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Ron Howard went from ‘Andy Griffith’ to ‘Happy Days’ Even better … **The Andy Griffith Show** was actually a spinoff from the old **Danny Thomas Show**. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-supp-actors-from-a-hit-sitcom-ever-had-their-own-hit/349313/50 "2006-03-21T23:13:10Z")
Bill(y) Mumy went from being a child sidekick on “Lost in Space” to being a Minbari sidekick on “Babylon 5.” ---
**Author:** ![ddgryphon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@ddgryphon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ddgryphon)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-supp-actors-from-a-hit-sitcom-ever-had-their-own-hit/349313/51 "2006-03-21T23:24:00Z")
Richard Crenna went from playing Harvey Denton in “Our Miss Brooks” To playing Luke McCoy in “The Real McCoys” He may not have been a lead though, I thought he was a co-lead with Water Brennan. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-supp-actors-from-a-hit-sitcom-ever-had-their-own-hit/349313/52 "2006-03-21T23:42:11Z")
Quoth **Liberal** : > [@](#): > > Teri Hatcher from Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman to Desperate Housewives. That surely shouldn’t count, since she was one of the title characters on _Lois and Clark_, not just supporting. She did, however, have a recurring role on _MacGuyver_ long before that (as Mac’s damsel-in-distress girlfriend Penny). It seems to me that there’s almost guaranteed to be a plethora of answers to this, though, even with all the rules. Think about it: Every show has one or more stars. Each of those stars got their start somewhere. And very few people star in their own show as their first TV gig. Ergo, most people who are or were stars of their own TV shows were probably supporting actors in other shows before that. So the question reduces to the uninteresting “List people who starred in TV shows”. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-supp-actors-from-a-hit-sitcom-ever-had-their-own-hit/349313/53 "2006-03-21T23:45:07Z")
> [@h.sapiens](#): > > Betty White went from playing Sue Ann Niven on “Mary Tyler Moore” to starring in “Golden Girls” Betty White was a TV star long before The Mary Tyler Moore Show: [Life with Elizabeth](http://imdb.com/title/tt0045407/) (1952), [The Betty White Show](http://imdb.com/title/tt0211781/) (1954), [Date with the Angels](http://imdb.com/title/tt0050009/) (1957) . . . ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-supp-actors-from-a-hit-sitcom-ever-had-their-own-hit/349313/54 "2006-03-22T01:05:53Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > Gwynne co-starred with Joe E. Ross in “Car 54, Where Are You” before “Munsters”. True, but the question was whether that show was a “success.” It’s well-regarded, but only ran two seasons. If you count that, then I’ll add Don Adams, who was a supporting character on “The Bill Dana Show” for two years before hitting it big on “Get Smart.” ---
**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 22, 2006, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-supp-actors-from-a-hit-sitcom-ever-had-their-own-hit/349313/55 "2006-03-22T02:20:07Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > If we count SNL, Phil Hartman went on to The Simpsons and Sports Radio. I do believe you mean _NewsRadio_… Corin Nemec started off as the main character in _Parker Lewis Can’t Lose_ before eventually winding up as a minor character in _Stargate: SG-1_. (Yes, I know Stargate isn’t a comedy, but all the good examples have already been mentioned…) I’ll also add another Stargate one: Richard Dean Anderson. To my mind, he’ll always be _MacGuyver_, but he was the lead character in Stargate until recently (I’ve never actually watched the show, but one of my mates is obsessed with it…) ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-supp-actors-from-a-hit-sitcom-ever-had-their-own-hit/349313/56 "2006-03-22T04:22:55Z")
Harry Anderson went from being a real grifter, to playing a grifter on _Cheers_first season, to the lead of _Night Court_ the next season. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-supp-actors-from-a-hit-sitcom-ever-had-their-own-hit/349313/57 "2006-03-22T04:34:41Z")
> [@bup](#): > > **Meredith Baxter-Berney** was on _Petticoat Junction_, then _Bridget Loves Bernie_ as a star (which was a hit show, though only lasted one season), then was supposed to be the star of _Family Ties_. Meredith McRae, not Meredith Baxter, was the blonde daughter on “Petticoat Junction.” ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-supp-actors-from-a-hit-sitcom-ever-had-their-own-hit/349313/58 "2006-03-23T13:15:37Z")
John Ritter–From Rev. Matthew Fordwick on [The Waltons](http://www.john.ritter.talktalk.net/series.htm) to Jack Tripper on “Three’s Company.” ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-supp-actors-from-a-hit-sitcom-ever-had-their-own-hit/349313/59 "2006-03-23T15:31:20Z")
After **Happy Days** , TV dad **Tom Bosley** went on to star in the at-least-moderately-successful **Father Dowling Mysteries**. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-supp-actors-from-a-hit-sitcom-ever-had-their-own-hit/349313/60 "2006-03-23T15:41:04Z")
It might actually be a more interesting exercise to list people who were the stars of popular TV shows without being: - A supporting actor on any previous show, or - A successful standup comedian (which eliminates Jerry Seinfeld, Drew Carey, Ray Romano, Brett Butler, Roseanne Barr…) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-supp-actors-from-a-hit-sitcom-ever-had-their-own-hit/349313.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-supp-actors-from-a-hit-sitcom-ever-had-their-own-hit/349313.md?page=4)