How TV shows have dealt with death of an actor

[Justin_Bailey]

@Musicat

Then we have actors who left the show, were replaced by another actor (same on-screen name) without a word, then came back to resume their original roles. Only a few veiled references were ever made on-screen, although the opening montage did show the “transition.”

Think Becky on Rosanne.

Lacy Goransen never died though.

[Justin_Bailey]

@KneadToKnow

Another variation that interests me is how long-running ad campaigns deal with the death of the spokesperson. Wendy’s lost Dave Thomas, briefly brought in the real Wendy, but quickly switched over to the current hottie, who probably is already the “real” Wendy in some people’s heads.

Real Wendy and Hottie Wendy’s commercials run side-by-side. Hottie Wendy’s are more plentiful, but Real Wendy still stars in a new commercial every few months.

[Kent_Clark]

@Lamia

I wonder how many other shows have had to deal with the death of a relatively young star. Other than Chico and the Man, mentioned in the OP, I can’t think of any.

David Strickland on* Suddenly Susan*. His character simply didn’t show up for work one day, the cast spent the entire episode searching for him, and it ended with the police about to say what happened to him. The credits included a tribute to Strickland.

[nearwildheaven]

Haven’t read the whole thread, but I remember when Katey Sagal’s pregnancy was written into “Married With Children”, and when the baby died in utero in the 7th month:( , they said the pregnancy was just a dream, like that “Dallas” plot twist a few years earlier.

[nearwildheaven]

@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).

In the pre-TV era, Jean Harlow was making a movie when she died unexpectedly, and the movie wrapped under similar circumstances.

[fiddlesticks]

Cagney & Lacey had Sidney Clute’s detective character suddenly retire and move to New Jersey after he died mid-season. They kept him in the opening credits for the rest of the show’s run.

[bibliophage]

@Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker

William Frawley on “My Three Sons” went to Ireland to visit relatives.

Frawley was replaced, but not because he died. He retired (or was forced to retire) because of poor health and died the next year.

[YogSothoth]

@nearwildheaven

Haven’t read the whole thread, but I remember when Katey Sagal’s pregnancy was written into “Married With Children”, and when the baby died in utero in the 7th month:( , they said the pregnancy was just a dream, like that “Dallas” plot twist a few years earlier.

I knew she was pregnant in real life but didn’t know that she lost the baby.

[elfkin477]

When Lynne Thigpen died unexpectedly, The District had her character die too. There was a subplot about how her character’s young son coped with her death the final season.

[Marley23]

@MsWhatsit

After Phil Hartman died, “NewsRadio” brought on Jon Lovitz as a replacement. He did his best, and it was a good effort, but the show really just limped along after Phil was gone, and was canceled a year later.

Hartman was also appearing as a guest star on “Third Rock from the Sun” at the same time. He played a crazy guy who abducted Sally in part one of a cliffhanger at the end of the season. He died before part two was filmed, so Sally just sort of escaped offscreen and met up with the rest of the cast in the second half of the episode. And of course there’s the Simpsons, where his passing wasn’t acknowledged onscreen beyond a tribute card at the end of an episode, but his characters were retired and haven’t had speaking parts since his death.

[GrandWino]

Nancy Marchand died during the filming of The Sopranos and though they did have her character die in-story, they also did an episode with a cgi’d Marchand before killing her off. The cgi was kind of a travesty but it worked ok.

A real shame too as I think Tony’s dysfunctional relationship with his mother would have continued to be a fantastic theme throughout the rest of the series.

[Ranger_Jeff]

I guess it depends on how important to the success of the program the producers and/or network thinks the character played by the recently deceased cast member is. And if the actor dies during hiatus or during the filming season.

1. Same character, new actor. In many soap operas, right after the opening titles, they might have a voice over announcer announce “The role of Lance Hardabs is now played by Les Manly”. So, this is an executive decision and might just be a quick response as a play for more time. If that is the case, it just means they’re going to plot a dramatic death for the character.

B. Off screen family emergency. Character’s relative (who has never been referred to in the program) has a stroke or something and character has to leave town to care for him/her. It’s a quick way to account for someone’s absence until they can come up with something better and permanent.

III. The character dies. The rest of the cast is doing whatever and there’s a phone call or a knock on the door. The character was hit by a car and died. No deathbed scene. Or a plane crash off screen, like Henry Blake.

4th. After scenario B, a new character by a new actor comes in to fill in. Richie Cunningham didn’t die, but he left and Cousin Roger filled in as a lesser Richie.

I’m sure there are other ways.

[Ranger_Jeff]

@Bob Ducca

Nancy Marchand died during the filming of The Sopranos and though they did have her character die in-story, they also did an episode with a cgi’d Marchand before killing her off. The cgi was kind of a travesty but it worked ok.

Were they all CGI’d? I suspect there was much unused and cutting room floor footage of her from other episodes that they could have reused.

[Marley23]

@Ranger_Jeff

Were they all CGI’d? I suspect there was much unused and cutting room floor footage of her from other episodes that they could have reused.

It was a combination of CGI and existing footage/dialogue. It didn’t look quite right and the way I remember it, the scene didn’t really work either. But at the time I think it was the best they could do.

[Digital_is_the_new_Analog]

@Ranger_Jeff

III. The character dies. The rest of the cast is doing whatever and there’s a phone call or a knock on the door. The character was hit by a car and died. No deathbed scene. Or a plane crash off screen, like Henry Blake.

Not disagreeing at all..but in the spirit of the thread, I don’t believe the actor who played Henry Blake died. I seem to recall the MAS*H writers killed him off to prevent a spin-off with the character.
Also, props for your numbering scheme.

[Lamia]

It’s my recollection that after Colleen Dewhurst died the Road to Avonlea series used existing footage to give her character a final episode.

[Little_Nemo]

@KneadToKnow

Another variation that interests me is how long-running ad campaigns deal with the death of the spokesperson. Wendy’s lost Dave Thomas, briefly brought in the real Wendy, but quickly switched over to the current hottie, who probably is already the “real” Wendy in some people’s heads.

For the record, the real Wendy isn’t really a Wendy either. She is Dave Thomas’ real daughter but her name is Melinda - Wendy was her childhood nickname. (And hottie Wendy’s real name is Morgan Smith.)

@zoid

That’s gotta be a sweet gig, I bet she’s making some pretty impressive bank for doing a handful of commercials a year,

She’s not just a spokesman. She owns about thirty Wendy’s franchises in Ohio.

[rowrrbazzle]

George Cleveland, who played “Gramps” on the original Lassie, died while the fourth season was being filmed. Coincidentally, in addition to other changes, the network had been planning for the character to have a serious accident and leave the farm. Instead, his death was worked into the story line. The episode “Transition” dealt with his death. Lassie Web: Episode Guide, Season 4

I was 6 at the time, and I have some vague impressions of seeing the episode.

[Don_Draper]

Gladys Kravitz.

Actress Alice Pearce 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, 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.

[Little_Nemo]

@Lamia

I wonder how many other shows have had to deal with the death of a relatively young star. Other than Chico and the Man, mentioned in the OP, I can’t think of any. Monteith’s character on Glee was major enough that the show will have to provide a real explanation for his disappearance, and young enough (Monteith was 31, but his character was just 19) that a sudden death from natural causes seems implausible.

One tragic example was the Canadian series 15/Love. Two of its stars, Jaclyn Linetsky and Vadim Schneider, were driving together to a taping of the show and were killed in a car accident. Both were seventeen.