# The Former Casts of Popular Shows: Most Successful and Least Successful **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 31, 2013, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992 "2013-07-31T15:02:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 10
**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:** [August 13, 2013, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992/181 "2013-08-13T20:59:28Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > _Bosom Buddies_: > > Peter Scolari went on to _Newhart_ and is now the dad on _Girls_. > > Holland Taylor probably comes next, she’s been in a bunch of stuff, like _The Truman Show_, with Ed Harris, from _Appolo 13_. > > Donna Dixon was in _The Twilight Zone_ and married Dan Aykroyd, who was in _Dragnet_ with Christopher Plummer. > > Wendy Jo Sperber was in the _Back to the Future_ movies, and _Bachelor Party_, with Adrian Zmed and Tawny Kitaen. > > That’s pretty much it. > [@pravnik](#): > > Come on man, you’re forgetting the most successful one of all! Telma Hopkins was a regular on _Family Matters_, _The Hughleys_, and _Half & Half_, and she’s on _Are We There Yet?_ right now! I think Tom Hanks has done okay for himself, considering he has a separate wikipedia page for his freaking [awards](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_awards_and_nominations_received_by_Tom_Hanks) ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992/182 "2013-08-13T21:21:35Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I had a crush on Gary Kroeger when I was a teenager- he was really cute. Never did anything of note after leaving SNL. (He was part of a performing trio with Brad Hall and Julia Louis Dreyfuss when he joined the cast.) Kroeger was also the announcer on GSN’s _Whammy! The All New Press Your Luck_. In terms of SNL cast members pretty much falling off the face of the earth after leaving, the one name that comes to mind is Ann Risley (she was only on in the short post-original cast season). > [@Jophiel](#): > > He was the star in [Til Death](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0759475/) which apparently had an eighty-one episode, four year run. However, the show became so bad that it got to the point where Fox had to air unaired third-season and fourth-season episodes together on Sundays from 7 to 8 - and a number of those only aired in the western half of the country as they were on Fox NFL days. “The version I heard was,” the only reason it wasn’t cancelled after three seasons was, the producers offered it to Fox at bargain basement rates solely to get enough episodes to make syndication viable. The idea for the first season wasn’t too bad - a couple married for a number of years living next door to newlyweds - but, reportedly, the younger couple were becoming more popular, and Brad Garrett didn’t want to be the second banana again, so the newlyweds were written out of the show. > [@Morbo](#): > > Wendy Jo Sperber was in the _Back to the Future_ movies, and _Bachelor Party_, with Adrian Zmed and Tawny Kitaen. Unfortunately, she received what many consider to be the ultimate “Who’s She?” distinction - when she died, she was not part of the “In Memoriam” segment at the next Emmy Awards. > [@Jophiel](#): > > **Kate & Allie** > Least: As Dr. Mary Albright once said when the “[Susan Saint James](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0756634/)” story came on Biography – “Pffttt… who cares about her?” Has Ari Meyers (Emma) been in anything since then? IIRC, she left the show to attend Yale. **Eight is Enough** Most: Ralph Macchio, who played teenager Jeremy in the last season (he was brought in as a “Cousin Oliver” as the show reached the point where Tommy had graduated from high school and Nicholas was still in elementary school). Betty Buckley, who was Grizabella in Cats on Broadway, is probably second. (Asterisk: Mark Hamill played David in the pilot movie.) Least: tough one - of those who are still alive, probably Susan Richardson, although Dianne Kay pretty much disappeared from Hollywood’s view after being in _1941_. (The only survivor of that wreck was John Williams.) **T.J. Hooker** (cue Francine and her mother from _American Dad!_: “Hooker!”) Most: William Shatner, with the Star Trek movies and now Priceline, gets the nod over Heather Locklear. Least: I was going to say Richard Herd, before finding out he was Admiral Paris on _Star Trek Voyager_, so I’ll go with Adrian Zmed. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992/183 "2013-08-14T00:59:01Z")
Looks like I’m past the editing window, so here’s another: **Fame** Most: Janet Jackson (she was on the syndicated version (not Fame L.A.; the New York show continued for a few seasons after NBC cancelled it) for one season) Least: probably Carlo Imperato (Danny) - I haven’t heard from him since the series ended (I do remember Valerie Landsburg (Doris) being in a sitcom with Jack Klugman and, IIRC, somebody from Full House after she left) What prompted me to add this: I heard a couple of hosts on an Entertainment Weekly Radio show read that Debbie Allen was going to be a guest judge on _So You Think You Can Dance?_, and one of them had never heard of her - in fact, she confused her with Debbie Reynolds. (Maybe if somebody would have mentioned that she’s Phylicia Rashad’s sister?) ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992/184 "2013-08-14T01:53:07Z")
I think “In Living Color” is the biggest recent phenom. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992/185 "2013-08-14T04:24:11Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > … after being in _1941_. (The only survivor of that wreck was John Williams.) Eh, Spielberg came out OK. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992/186 "2013-08-14T04:43:38Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > Has Ari Meyers (Emma) been in anything since then? IIRC, she left the show to attend Yale. Twenty-four somethings according to IMDB. Mostly TV movies. Susan Saint James was in only two things since her Kate & Allie days, both one-shot roles. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992/187 "2013-08-15T19:38:52Z")
…and with Lisa Robin Kelly’s death today in “rehab,” I think she’s cemented her place as the least successful cast member of _ **That 70’s Show** _. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992/188 "2013-08-15T20:07:30Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > I think Tom Hanks has done okay for himself, considering he has a separate wikipedia page for his freaking [awards](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_awards_and_nominations_received_by_Tom_Hanks) It is absolutely mind boggling to me that you could read those posts and not get the joke. That wasn’t a whoosh, it was an SR-71 buzzing you like the cropdusting scene in North By Northwest. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992.md?page=9)