# How TV shows have dealt with death of an actor **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 14, 2013, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tv-shows-have-dealt-with-death-of-an-actor/663504 "2013-07-14T20:33:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tv-shows-have-dealt-with-death-of-an-actor/663504/61 "2013-07-15T17:13:10Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > While that’s true, the fire engine red hair of both Hottie Wendy and Logo Wendy is pretty coincidental and Hottie Wendy’s first few commercials had her wearing a striped shirt, just like Logo Wendy. Especially because Morgan Smith is not a real redhead. She died her hair when she began doing the Wendy’s commercials. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tv-shows-have-dealt-with-death-of-an-actor/663504/62 "2013-07-15T17:17:49Z")
Why are we talking about Wendy’s? Even the original Dave Thomas post was sorta off-topic being a spokesperson and not an actor in a television series. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tv-shows-have-dealt-with-death-of-an-actor/663504/63 "2013-07-15T17:28:55Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Why are we talking about Wendy’s? Even the original Dave Thomas post was sorta off-topic being a spokesperson and not an actor in a television series. Yeah, let’s get back to the real topic: how Maytag is killing off our old white guys. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tv-shows-have-dealt-with-death-of-an-actor/663504/64 "2013-07-15T17:41:00Z")
He didn’t die, but _Two and a Half Men_ is limping along as best it can without Charlie Sheen. After Sheen had a falling-out with the network, they killed off his character (he was hit by a train between seasons, after marrying his psycho neighbor), and they had Walton buy the house to keep things going. At this point, it seems to be following the pattern of _8 Simple Rules_ in that it will continue on for a while, even tho you can probably count on your fingers the number of people who still watch the show 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tv-shows-have-dealt-with-death-of-an-actor/663504/65 "2013-07-15T19:33:29Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > No, he kidnapped Harry cause Harry had started a relationship with his girlfriend, Vicky Dubcheck. The next season started with the other three Solomons tracking Harry down after he’d been sold to a circus. Thanks. I guess I didn’t remember that as well as I thought I did - but they did write out the character in a way that felt pretty awkward. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tv-shows-have-dealt-with-death-of-an-actor/663504/66 "2013-07-15T20:16:24Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > He didn’t die, but _Two and a Half Men_ is limping along as best it can without Charlie Sheen. After Sheen had a falling-out with the network, they killed off his character (he was hit by a train between seasons, after marrying his psycho neighbor), and they had Walton buy the house to keep things going. At this point, it seems to be following the pattern of _8 Simple Rules_ in that it will continue on for a while, even tho you can probably count on your fingers the number of people who still watch the show 😛 You must have a lot of fingers, [more than 13.78 Million of them anyway](http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/05/29/complete-list-of-2012-13-season-tv-show-viewership-sunday-night-football-tops-followed-by-ncis-the-big-bang-theory-ncis-los-angeles/184781/). 2.5 Men was ranked #11 overall for the 2012-2013 season - which is about as high as they’ve ever been ranked. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tv-shows-have-dealt-with-death-of-an-actor/663504/67 "2013-07-15T20:23:39Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > 8 Simple Rules (For Dating My Teenage Daughter) - when John Ritter died, his character died with him; they brought on Jim Garner and Mariette Hartley as two of the grandparents to fill in, but obviously without Ritter’s humor it wasn’t the same show. > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I didn’t know Garner and Hartley had been brought in after Ritter’s death. Someone dipped into the nostalgia well for that pairing. It wasn’t Mariette Hartley, it was Suzanne Pleshette. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tv-shows-have-dealt-with-death-of-an-actor/663504/68 "2013-07-15T21:08:14Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > The recent version of **Spartacus** had the lead actor get cancer after the first season. They made the second season a prequel so that he wouldn’t have to appear and would have time to undergo treatment, but he died shortly thereafter. They then simply replaced him with a new actor playing the same role. Didn’t really hurt the show any. It actually seems kind of fitting. “I … am Spartacus.” ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tv-shows-have-dealt-with-death-of-an-actor/663504/69 "2013-07-15T21:23:42Z")
The adorable Kellie Waymire played Crewman Cutler on Enterprise and after she unexpectedly died they did… nothing. No title card, no in-story explanation, just plain nothing. The character apparently lived on and was mentioned once in the next season but they couldn’t come up with anything on behalf of the actress. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tv-shows-have-dealt-with-death-of-an-actor/663504/70 "2013-07-15T21:52:31Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Why are we talking about Wendy’s? have you seen the redhead in their commercials? But if you insist. > [@Don\_Draper](#): > > Gladys Kravitz. > > Actress [Alice Pearce](http://www.harpiesbizarre.com/gladysreactions.htm) was actually already very sick with uterine cancer when she was cast as the nosy neighbor on "Bewitched’, but kept her illness a secret from the producers. She died midway through the second, and was awarded an emmy posthumously for best supporting actress in a comedy series. > > A new actress was temporarily brought in as a replacement character Harriet Kravitz, Abner’s sister. It’s pretty obvious that the episodes Harriet appeared in were originally supposed to have featured Pearce as Gladys, but were re-written in the eleventh hour. > > For the third season, [Sandra Gould](http://www.harpiesbizarre.com/gladysreactions2.htm), who looked, sounded or acted nothing like Pearce, took over the part. No comment was made at the difference in the two actresses. This was perhaps the most jarring case of recasting a series character up until the same show switched Darrins a few years later. _Bewitched_ had quite a few roles played by different actors. Gladys Kravitz (as you mentioned), Darrin (of course), Louise Tate (reportedly fired when her husband [a producer] also left the show), and IMDb credits no fewer than six Tabithas (but most under an alternate spelling). Also relevant to this thread is the death of Marion Lorne, who played Aunt Clara. Like Pearce, she received a posthumous Emmy for her performance on the show. The role was not re-cast directly, but did lead to the casting of Alice Ghostley as Esmeralda, a similar bumbling witch type or role. > [@Kimballkid](#): > > It wasn’t Mariette Hartley, it was Suzanne Pleshette. Hmm, that might have been an interesting pair to watch. I wonder if anyone on the show thought to suggest Hartley, for the few of us left who even remember their Polaroid commercials. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tv-shows-have-dealt-with-death-of-an-actor/663504/71 "2013-07-16T12:29:57Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Here’s [the scene on YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkMqVdElSto). It’s pretty awkward. Yeah, that’s only CG in the sense that they put the woman’s real head on someone else’s body. It’s more akin to a green screen effect than what we normally think of as CG. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tv-shows-have-dealt-with-death-of-an-actor/663504/72 "2013-07-16T15:31:09Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Yeah, let’s get back to the real topic: how Maytag is killing off our old white guys. You can’t really blame Maytag. They created a character that calls for older men to be cast in the role. If you start with older men and add the passage of time, you end up with dead people. Jesse White was 50 when he got the part. He played it until he was 71. He retired and later died at age 80. Gordon Jump took the part when he was 57 and played it until he was 71. He died a couple of months after retiring due to declining health. Hardy Rawls took the role at age 51 and played it until he was 55. He’s still alive at 60. Clay Jackson replaced Rawls at age 33 and is still alive and playing the part. So “Ole Lonely” isn’t a cursed part. None of the people who’ve been cast for it died at an early age. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tv-shows-have-dealt-with-death-of-an-actor/663504/73 "2013-07-16T15:35:27Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > None of the people who’ve been cast for it died at an early age. _Yet._ Dun dun _duuuuuuuuuuuun_. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tv-shows-have-dealt-with-death-of-an-actor/663504/74 "2013-07-16T15:40:56Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I don’t think that the commercials ever mention the hottie’s name, so it’s perhaps not right to call her “Hottie Wendy.” Mostly they just show her interacting with co-workers and as is typical in commercials, is much more enthusiastic about fast food than anyone in real life. It is off-topic, but for information’s sake: The character’s name is “Red.” ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tv-shows-have-dealt-with-death-of-an-actor/663504/75 "2013-07-16T15:52:57Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Yeah, that’s only CG in the sense that they put the woman’s real head on someone else’s body. It’s more akin to a green screen effect than what we normally think of as CG. It reminded me of those _Clutch Cargo_ cartoons, except that it wasn’t just the lips that moved. I thought it was creative the way they, in order to add some semblance of reality, had the caregiver walk past her a couple times so they could show the caregiver’s shadow passing over her. ---
**Author:** ![Oglomott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oglomott/32/3543_2.png) [@Oglomott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oglomott)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tv-shows-have-dealt-with-death-of-an-actor/663504/76 "2013-07-16T17:01:49Z")
In the 1950’s, The Three Stooges made four shorts featuring Shemp as the third stooge, after Shemp had died! They did it by remaking earlier shorts, and using a double seen only from behind for any “new” scenes that were to be included, or by having Shemp off doing something else while Moe and Larry carried the scene. > **[Fake Shemp](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_Shemp)** > > A fake Shemp is a type of body double who appears in a film to replace another actor or person, usually when the original actor has died, or is unable or unwilling to reprise their role. Their appearance is disguised using methods such as heavy make-up (or a computer-generated equivalent), filming from the back, dubbing in audio and splicing in past footage from the original actor's previous work, using a sound-alike voice actor, or using partial shots of the actor. > Coined by film director Sam R... ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tv-shows-have-dealt-with-death-of-an-actor/663504/77 "2013-07-16T18:14:16Z")
**Alias Smith and Jones** had Roger Davis take over the role of Hannibal “Smith” Heyes after Pete Duel’s suicide, which happened right after watching an episode of the show. They also had to bring in a new voice-over actor to replace… Roger Davis. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tv-shows-have-dealt-with-death-of-an-actor/663504/78 "2013-07-16T21:50:14Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > Here’s an obscure one - on Phyllis (one of the The Mary Tyler Moore Show spinoffs), when one of the minor characters died, they replaced her with someone who looked nothing like her and went on as if it was the same person (in fact, CBS refused to air any sort of on-show mention that the first actress had died). Barbara Colby, who had played a barmaid on _ **The Odd Couple** _ not long before, and a recurring hooker on _ **MTM** _. She was actually murdered in an LA parking lot: > **[Barbara Colby](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Colby)** > > Barbara Colby (July 2, 1939 – July 24, 1975) was an American actress. She appeared in episodes of numerous television series before a 1974 appearance on The Mary Tyler Moore Show led to a main cast role on the new series Phyllis; after filming three episodes, she and a colleague were murdered outside an acting class, in an unsolved shooting. > Colby started her acting career in the theater. Following a performance in Six Characters in Search of an Author in 1964, she moved to Broadway with a deb... ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tv-shows-have-dealt-with-death-of-an-actor/663504/79 "2013-07-16T22:05:19Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > _Hill Street Blues_ had the character of Phil Esterhaus die when actor Michael Conrad died. He was replaced by a new character. They got through the remainder of the third season (Conrad’s death was announced in the Thanksgiving episode, IIRC) by making Lucy Bates the new rollcall sergeant. Apparently this didn’t fly for some people (producers, network execs, audience, I don’t know), because she was replaced in that capacity by Sgt. Stan Jablonski (Robert Prosky) at the start of the fourth season. There was some degree of continuity with Coach on _ **Cheers!** _, because he and Woody had been pen-pals. When Nick Colasanto died in the middle of the third season, they explained Coach’s absence with things like having him attend a black family’s annual reunion by mistake (“They call him ‘Uncle Whitey’”). On the show, his death wasn’t dealt with until the start of the fourth season,\* when Woody showed up on the bar’s doorstep and Diane came back after the latest cliffhanger. (Coach had just “passed away.”) \*Though there was an on-screen tribute to him in February. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tv-shows-have-dealt-with-death-of-an-actor/663504/80 "2013-07-16T22:49:46Z")
When Dennis Miller’s sense of humor died, he just started appearing more on Fox. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tv-shows-have-dealt-with-death-of-an-actor/663504.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tv-shows-have-dealt-with-death-of-an-actor/663504.md?page=5)