# Lead Actor with the most TV hits **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 6, 2009, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-actor-with-the-most-tv-hits/484749 "2009-02-06T21:19:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-actor-with-the-most-tv-hits/484749/21 "2009-02-07T19:12:35Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Robert Urich has been the lead in 7 series. > > Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice > S.W.A.T. > Tabitha > Vega$ > Spenser: for Hire > The Lazarus Man > The Love Boat: The Next Wave True but how many of those were hits? > [@JSexton](#): > > Neil Patrick Harris puts that to lie. I would say that NPH is not the lead character in _How I Met Your Mother_. I know the show would suck without him but he is a supporting character. ---
**Author:** ![bryanmaguire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d07c76/32.png) [@bryanmaguire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bryanmaguire)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-actor-with-the-most-tv-hits/484749/22 "2009-02-07T20:16:29Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > [David Jason](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Jason)seems like he would be a candidate. He’s been in a starring role in several big shows. > > \*Only Fools And Horses > A Touch Of Frost > The Darling Buds Of May > Count Duckula > Danger Mouse > \* > > and several of the Terry Pratchett adaptations. and not forgetting Open All Hours ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-actor-with-the-most-tv-hits/484749/23 "2009-02-07T20:16:45Z")
I counted only stints of 20 or more episodes. Not all of these are leading roles, but anyway… Mark Harmon Flamingo Road (37) St. Elsewhere Reasonable Doubts Chicago Hope Navy NCIS Robert Stack Unsolved Mysteries (as himself) The Untouchables The Name of the Game Most Wanted Strike Force James Garner: Eight Simple Rules The Rockford Files Nichols Maverick Lee Majors: The Fall Guy The Big Valley The Six Million Dollar Man Owen Marshall John Forsythe: The Powers that Be Dynasty Charlie’s Angels (voice) Bachelor Father Kate Jackson: Scarecrow and Mrs. King Charlie’s Angels The Rookies Dark Shadows Lorenzo Lamas: Falcon Crest Renegade The Immortal The Bold and the Beautiful Burt Reynolds: Riverboat Gunsmoke Out of This World Evening Shade John Laroquette Night Court The John Laroquette Show Happy Family Boston Legal John Stamos You Again? Full House Jake in Progress ER Jason Bateman Little House on the Prairie Silver Spoons Valerie Arrested Development Tony Danza Taxi Who’s the Boss? Hudson Street Family Law ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-actor-with-the-most-tv-hits/484749/24 "2009-02-07T20:31:08Z")
June Lockhart General Hospital Lassie Lost in Space Petticoat Junction ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-actor-with-the-most-tv-hits/484749/25 "2009-02-07T20:35:40Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Same with Bob Newhart. Dr. Bob Hartley and Dick Loudon are kinda sorta the same but that’s more a limitation of Newhart’s acting. Technically, didn"t Dick Loudon turn out to be merely a dream that Dr. Hartley was having? ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-actor-with-the-most-tv-hits/484749/26 "2009-02-08T09:38:35Z")
I think you have to define “lead.” If you mean starring role, you would get people like Ted Danson, Bob Newhart, and Lucille Ball. Second of all you have to define “hit.” To me that would mean a top 10 show for the year. Possibly a top 20 show for the year. Very few shows qualify for that. That would leave out Bob Newhart as the “Bob Newhart” show was never a top ten show. In terms of top ten for the year type shows, that probably leaves Lucille Ball. She had “I Love Lucy,” “Here’s Lucy,” and “The Lucy Show.” “How I Met Your Mother,” highest year end rating is 43. It was number 70 last year. I hardly consider that a “hit” show by any means. It just looks good because there are so few sitcoms left. Doogie Houser’s best year end rating made it 24. That is only a modest success, most of the years it was a lot lower Other leads mentioned aren’t really leads but main characters and there is a difference. BTW Bob Newhart had four shows, “The Bob Newhart Show,” “Newhart,” “Bob,” and another brief show from the 60s also called “The Bob Newhart Show.” I don’t know if “Matlock” was big in the ratings but Andy Griffith seems to qualify for that and “Andy Griffith Show.” Carroll O’Connor had “All In The Family,” and “In The Heat Of The Night,” but I guess you could argue “Archie Bunker’s Place” was a seperate series. ---
**Author:** ![Imasquare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Imasquare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imasquare)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-actor-with-the-most-tv-hits/484749/27 "2009-02-08T10:34:32Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > [David Jason](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Jason)seems like he would be a candidate. He’s been in a starring role in several big shows. > > \*Only Fools And Horses > A Touch Of Frost > The Darling Buds Of May > Count Duckula > Danger Mouse > \* > > and several of the Terry Pratchett adaptations. Also Open All Hours ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-actor-with-the-most-tv-hits/484749/28 "2009-02-08T18:00:41Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > [David Jason](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Jason)seems like he would be a candidate. He’s been in a starring role in several big shows. > > \*Only Fools And Horses > A Touch Of Frost > The Darling Buds Of May > Count Duckula > Danger Mouse > \* > > and several of the Terry Pratchett adaptations. If we’re including British shows, there’s always the ubiquitous Geoffrey Palmer: _As Time Goes By_ _The Savages_ _Executive Stress_ _The Fairly Secret Army_ _Butterflies_ _The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin_ _Hot Metal_ Of course, the definition of “hit” changes dramatically when considering Britcoms, since they tend not to have the longevity of American shows (to their credit, I say.) BTW, that was meant as a compliment. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-actor-with-the-most-tv-hits/484749.md?page=1)