# 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:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992/161 "2013-08-04T22:47:51Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > St. Elsewhere: > > Denzel Washington is the winner for most successful. Mark Harmon and David Morse have also done well and, inexplicably, Howier Mandel still has a career. > > Worst may be David Birney. Others in the show haven’t done much since but Birney went into the series with a solid career and it seems to have faded since he left it. Mr. Feeny? ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992/162 "2013-08-04T23:26:52Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis > > most Warren Beatty > most Bob Denver > > almost most Michael J. Pollard > almost most Tuesday Weld > > least hard to say many has further careers as actors Although Sheila Kuehl (Zelda “Small Girl” Gilroy) has had a very interesting non acting life, Harvard Law School, first openly gay member of the California State Legislature. She once said she could tell when one of her colleagues had just watched Dobie Gillis- they acted a little silly around her. William Schallert worked for decades as a character actor such as Patty Duke and Nils Baris on Star Trek “Trouble with Tribbles”. On the commentary track for “Cat Ballou” Dobie Gillis star Dwayne Hickman and Michael Callan “Occasional Wife” see septuagenarian actor Burt Mustin, who appeared in virtually every 1960s and early 1970s tv show as a thin, owl faced, back talking eccentric. They wonder why Mustin was always able to get work but they couldn’t ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2013, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992/163 "2013-08-05T01:27:19Z")
**Hawaii Five-O** Most: James McArthur Least: Jack Lord, surprisingly ---
**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 5, 2013, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992/164 "2013-08-05T13:43:58Z")
Roseanne: Most successful: Hard call, but I’d say Johnny Galeki for his Big Bang success. Least: Uh, Roseanne. ---
**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 5, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992/165 "2013-08-05T14:50:23Z")
Seinfeld Most successful: Julia Louis-Dryfess, unless you count Larry David as a cast member Least successful: Michael Richards. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2013, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992/166 "2013-08-05T15:24:42Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Roseanne: > > Most successful: Hard call, but I’d say Johnny Galeki for his Big Bang success. > Least: Uh, Roseanne. Yeah, I’m going to have to quibble with your least. And your most for that matter. Michael Fishman has only a handful of tiny credits to his name after Roseanne ended. Leci Goranson has around ten, but again, they’re all tiny. Glenn Quinn starred in Angel, but it was “always a temporary thing”/“written out because he was causing trouble” (depending who you believe) and then he overdosed. I’d go with Fishman for least successful, but dying might just trump it. As for most, as much as I like The Big Bang Theory, it’s Galecki’s only major role after Roseanne (unless you count getting a fish hook to the jaw in I Know What You Did Last Summer as “major”). I’d go with John Goodman for the dozens of big roles in big movies and TV he’s had since then. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992/167 "2013-08-05T18:41:27Z")
Different Strokes: Most: Todd Bridges Least: Dana Plato ---
**Author:** ![Athabasca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Athabasca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athabasca)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992/168 "2013-08-09T00:34:05Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > In fact he’s currently the [highest paid actor](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/17/highest-paid-actors-2013-robert-downey-jr_n_3610252.html)in Hollywood. > _Firefly_/_Serenity_ > > Most successful- Nathan Fillion (Castle and various movie projects) > > Least successful- Sean Maher (though he quit for a time to be a stay at home dad, which makes me assume his partner is rich) Nathan Fillion was in Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 7 before Firefly, so his success post BTVS is secure. Most of BTVS alumni did ok, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan, James Marsters, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Tony Head. Poor Nicholas Brendon has had a few bouts of drug addiction and some jail time. I don’t know what Emma Caulfield is doing, but Charisma Carpenter did a Playboy spread a while back. And Seth Green is a director now. ---
**Author:** ![Athabasca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Athabasca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athabasca)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992/169 "2013-08-09T01:01:56Z")
“Wings” Most - Tony Shalhoub, at least for Monk Tim Daly, for a good turn on The Sopranos Least - Crystal Bernard and Steven Weber Rebecca Schull had success before Wings and Thomas Haden Church has done Ok. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992/170 "2013-08-09T02:32:03Z")
Here’s an interesting one: **Leave It to Beaver** Most: We love Barbara Billingsley for\* Airplane!\* and _Muppet Babies_, but for any real definition of success you’d have to drop down to journalist Stephen Talbot (Gilbert) or director Richard Correll (Richard). Least: No one ended up worse than Stanley Farfara (Gilbert) who a) never had another credited role b) discovered alcohol in high school, hard drugs soon after that c) did time in jail, d) contracted hepatitis as a result of drug use and e) died at age 54. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992/171 "2013-08-09T03:11:30Z")
> [@Athabasca](#): > > Nathan Fillion was in Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 7 before Firefly, so his success post BTVS is secure. > > Most of BTVS alumni did ok, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan, James Marsters, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Tony Head. Poor Nicholas Brendon has had a few bouts of drug addiction and some jail time. I don’t know what Emma Caulfield is doing, but Charisma Carpenter did a Playboy spread a while back. And Seth Green is a director now. Charisma was on the spinoff_Angel_ of course, and had a good turn on “Veronica Mars” and “The Lying Game.” ---
**Author:** ![Athabasca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Athabasca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athabasca)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992/172 "2013-08-09T03:39:56Z")
“The Sopranos” Most -Edie Falco Possibly James Gandolfini but we will never know. Steve van Zandt does alright with some theatre gigs. Least - The rest of them? ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992/173 "2013-08-09T03:51:17Z")
**The Partridge Family** Most: Susan Dey ( **LA Law** beats all of David Cassidy’s increasingly desperate-looking comebacks) Least: Suzanne Crough, selling shoes somewhere. Even Jeremy Gelbwaks, the discarded original Chris, has a better career, although neither is in show business. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992/174 "2013-08-09T12:34:55Z")
> [@Athabasca](#): > > “Wings” > > Most - Tony Shalhoub, at least for Monk Shalhoub has also had a pretty respectable career as a character actor in movies. He hasn’t had many starring roles, but he’s had supporting roles in quite a few popular movies including the first two _Men in Black_ movies, the _Spy Kids_ series, and _Galaxy Quest_. I see he’s also done voice work for the _Cars_ series. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992/175 "2013-08-09T13:40:59Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > Shalhoub has also had a pretty respectable career as a character actor in movies. He hasn’t had many starring roles, but he’s had supporting roles in quite a few popular movies including the first two _Men in Black_ movies, the _Spy Kids_ series, and _Galaxy Quest_. I see he’s also done voice work for the _Cars_ series. He was also in the short-lived Neil Patrick Harris sitcom Stark Raving Mad and is going to be in the new CBS comedy We Are Men. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992/176 "2013-08-09T15:13:03Z")
> [@Athabasca](#): > > Most of BTVS alumni did ok, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan, James Marsters, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Tony Head. Poor Nicholas Brendon has had a few bouts of drug addiction and some jail time. I don’t know what Emma Caulfield is doing, but Charisma Carpenter did a Playboy spread a while back. And Seth Green is a director now. As mentioned, Charisma did a turn on _Veronica Mars_ and apparently _The Lying Game_. Emma Caulfield has apparently been working fairly steady with small parts in a variety of shows. Same for Amber Benson (Tara). Marc Blucas (Riley) is now a regular on _Necessary Roughness_ on USA. Of course Eliza Dushku (Faith) has had follow-on success, with \*Tru Calling, Dollhouse, \*and a new series _Leap Year_ that apparently is distrubuted via Hulu. (I was scared for a moment - imdb lists her as starring in a new series filming now called “Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.”, where she’s listed as “She-Hulk”. Wait, Eliza Dushku as **She-Hulk**? That makes no sense. Turns out it’s an animated show. Whew.) Juliet Landau (Drusilla) seems to mostly be doing voice work now. Even Mercedes McNab (Harmony) is working (and looks _damn_ fine in her imdb photos). ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992/177 "2013-08-09T15:46:41Z")
And David Boreanaz had the most success of all, headlining a successful spinoff for 5 years and then being one of two leads on another primetime network show that is currently in its 9th season. Good grief, that’s 17 years (!) that he’s had a starring role on network television. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992/178 "2013-08-13T17:41:03Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > I think David Boreanz with “Bones” has almost as much claim to that crown as Hannigan, though she arguably beats him by a hair. …some would say she won by a neck-flap. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992/179 "2013-08-13T19:45:58Z")
> [@Athabasca](#): > > “The Sopranos” > > Steve van Zandt does alright with some theatre gigs. Not to mention his side job playing alongside some guitar player from New Jersey. ---
**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:** [August 13, 2013, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992/180 "2013-08-13T20:47:18Z")
That Opie kid from The Andy Griffith Show did well afterwards. Unlike the barber. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-former-casts-of-popular-shows-most-successful-and-least-successful/664992.md?page=10)