TV Binge Watch (Part 1)

Thread Games
221

Shows that had a major character’s actor die in real life while the show was still going strong. (Character in parentheses)

  1. Sesame Street (Mr. Hooper)
  2. 8 Simple Rules (Paul Hennessy)
222

Shows that had a major character’s actor die in real life while the show was still going strong. (Character in parentheses)

  1. Sesame Street (Mr. Hooper)
  2. 8 Simple Rules (Paul Hennessy)
  3. Cheers (Coach)
223

Shows that had a major character’s actor die in real life while the show was still going strong. (Character in parentheses)

  1. Sesame Street (Mr. Hooper)
  2. 8 Simple Rules (Paul Hennessy)
  3. Cheers (Coach)
  4. The District (Ella Farmer)
224

Shows that had a major character’s actor die in real life while the show was still going strong. (Character in parentheses)

  1. Sesame Street (Mr. Hooper)
  2. 8 Simple Rules (Paul Hennessy)
  3. Cheers (Coach)
  4. The District (Ella Farmer)
  5. Night Court (Selma Hacker and Florence Kleiner - played by Selma Blair and Florence Halop)

I’m surprised Marsha Warfield was willing to take the role.

225

Shows that had a major character’s actor die in real life while the show was still going strong. (Character in parentheses)

  1. Sesame Street (Mr. Hooper)
  2. 8 Simple Rules (Paul Hennessy)
  3. Cheers (Coach)
  4. The District (Ella Farmer)
  5. Night Court (Selma Hacker and Florence Kleiner - played by Selma Blair and Florence Halop)
  6. Hill Street Blues (Phil Esterhaus)
226

Selma Diamond.

227

Shows that had a major character’s actor die in real life while the show was still going strong. (Character in parentheses)

  1. Sesame Street (Mr. Hooper)
  2. 8 Simple Rules (Paul Hennessy)
  3. Cheers (Coach)
  4. The District (Ella Farmer)
  5. Night Court (Selma Hacker and Florence Kleiner - played by Selma Blair and Florence Halop)
  6. Hill Street Blues (Phil Esterhaus)
  7. Chico And The Man (Chico)
228

Shows that had a major character’s actor die in real life while the show was still going strong. (Character in parentheses)

  1. Sesame Street (Mr. Hooper)
  2. 8 Simple Rules (Paul Hennessy)
  3. Cheers (Coach)
  4. The District (Ella Farmer)
  5. Night Court (Selma Hacker and Florence Kleiner - played by Selma Diamond and Florence Halop)
  6. Hill Street Blues (Phil Esterhaus)
  7. Chico And The Man (Chico)
  8. Barney Miller (Nick Yemana)
229

Shows that had a major character’s actor die in real life while the show was still going strong. (Character in parentheses)

  1. Sesame Street (Mr. Hooper)
  2. 8 Simple Rules (Paul Hennessy)
  3. Cheers (Coach)
  4. The District (Ella Farmer)
  5. Night Court (Selma Hacker and Florence Kleiner - played by Selma Diamond and Florence Halop)
  6. Hill Street Blues (Phil Esterhaus)
  7. Chico And The Man (Chico)
  8. Barney Miller (Nick Yemana)
  9. NewsRadio (Bill McNeal)
230

Shows that had a major character’s actor die in real life while the show was still going strong. (Character in parentheses)

  1. Sesame Street (Mr. Hooper)
  2. 8 Simple Rules (Paul Hennessy)
  3. Cheers (Coach)
  4. The District (Ella Farmer)
  5. Night Court (Selma Hacker and Florence Kleiner - played by Selma Diamond and Florence Halop)
  6. Hill Street Blues (Phil Esterhaus)
  7. Chico And The Man (Chico)
  8. Barney Miller (Nick Yemana)
  9. NewsRadio (Bill McNeal)
  10. The West Wing (Leo McGarry)

John Spencer died halfway through the series’ final season, so you can question whether it was “still going strong” at that point.

I’ll pass.

231

Disappointing Followups

  1. Dick Van Dyke (from the fantastic Dick Van Dyke Show, to the flaccid New Dick Van Dyke Show)
232

Disappointing Followups

  1. Dick Van Dyke (from the fantastic Dick Van Dyke Show, to the flaccid New Dick Van Dyke Show)
  2. Bradley Whitford (from The West Wing to Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip)

That pair would also count for Aaron Sorkin.

233

Disappointing Followups

  1. Dick Van Dyke (from the fantastic Dick Van Dyke Show, to the flaccid New Dick Van Dyke Show)
  2. Bradley Whitford (from The West Wing to Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip)
  3. AfterMASH (the sequel to MAS*H, featuring Klinger, Col. Potter and Father Mulcahy)
234

Disappointing Followups

  1. Dick Van Dyke (from the fantastic Dick Van Dyke Show, to the flaccid New Dick Van Dyke Show)
  2. Bradley Whitford (from The West Wing to Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip)
  3. AfterMASH (the sequel to MAS*H, featuring Klinger, Col. Potter and Father Mulcahy)
  4. Joey (The sequel/spin-off from Friends devoted to Joey Tribbiani.)
235

Disappointing Followups

  1. Dick Van Dyke (from the fantastic Dick Van Dyke Show, to the flaccid New Dick Van Dyke Show)
  2. Bradley Whitford (from The West Wing to Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip)
  3. AfterMASH (the sequel to MAS*H, featuring Klinger, Col. Potter and Father Mulcahy)
  4. Joey (The sequel/spin-off from Friends devoted to Joey Tribbiani.)
  5. WALTE*R (Gary Burghoff continues as a state-side Radar. For one episode.)
236

Disappointing Followups

  1. Dick Van Dyke (from the fantastic Dick Van Dyke Show, to the flaccid New Dick Van Dyke Show)
  2. Bradley Whitford (from The West Wing to Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip)
  3. AfterMASH (the sequel to MAS*H, featuring Klinger, Col. Potter and Father Mulcahy)
  4. Joey (The sequel/spin-off from Friends devoted to Joey Tribbiani.)
  5. WALTE*R (Gary Burghoff continues as a state-side Radar. For one episode.)
  6. David Caruso (Left NYPD Blue for a movie career that never materialized.)
237

Disappointing Followups

  1. Dick Van Dyke (from the fantastic Dick Van Dyke Show, to the flaccid New Dick Van Dyke Show)
  2. Bradley Whitford (from The West Wing to Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip)
  3. AfterMASH (the sequel to MAS*H, featuring Klinger, Col. Potter and Father Mulcahy)
  4. Joey (The sequel/spin-off from Friends devoted to Joey Tribbiani.)
  5. WALTE*R (Gary Burghoff continues as a state-side Radar. For one episode.)
  6. David Caruso (Left NYPD Blue for a movie career that never materialized.)
  7. Beverly Hills Buntz (Sitcom spun off from Hill Street Blues)
238

Disappointing Followups

  1. Dick Van Dyke (from the fantastic Dick Van Dyke Show, to the flaccid New Dick Van Dyke Show)
  2. Bradley Whitford (from The West Wing to Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip)
  3. AfterMASH (the sequel to MAS*H, featuring Klinger, Col. Potter and Father Mulcahy)
  4. Joey (The sequel/spin-off from Friends devoted to Joey Tribbiani.)
  5. WALTE*R (Gary Burghoff continues as a state-side Radar. For one episode.)
  6. David Caruso (Left NYPD Blue for a movie career that never materialized.)
  7. Beverly Hills Buntz (Sitcom spun off from Hill Street Blues)
  8. Law & Order: Los Angeles (so screwed up they fired the lead detective and had the DA replace his role)
239

Disappointing Followups

  1. Dick Van Dyke (from the fantastic Dick Van Dyke Show, to the flaccid New Dick Van Dyke Show)
  2. Bradley Whitford (from The West Wing to Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip)
  3. AfterMASH (the sequel to MAS*H, featuring Klinger, Col. Potter and Father Mulcahy)
  4. Joey (The sequel/spin-off from Friends devoted to Joey Tribbiani.)
  5. WALTE*R (Gary Burghoff continues as a state-side Radar. For one episode.)
  6. David Caruso (Left NYPD Blue for a movie career that never materialized.)
  7. Beverly Hills Buntz (Sitcom spun off from Hill Street Blues)
  8. Law & Order: Los Angeles (so screwed up they fired the lead detective and had the DA replace his role)
  9. Mary Tyler Moore (from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, to the poorly executed variety/sketch show, Mary)

Not even the combined talents of Swoosie Kurtz, David Letterman, and Michael Keaton could save this one.

240

Disappointing Followups

  1. Dick Van Dyke (from the fantastic Dick Van Dyke Show, to the flaccid New Dick Van Dyke Show)
  2. Bradley Whitford (from The West Wing to Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip)
  3. AfterMASH (the sequel to MAS*H, featuring Klinger, Col. Potter and Father Mulcahy)
  4. Joey (The sequel/spin-off from Friends devoted to Joey Tribbiani.)
  5. WALTE*R (Gary Burghoff continues as a state-side Radar. For one episode.)
  6. David Caruso (Left NYPD Blue for a movie career that never materialized.)
  7. Beverly Hills Buntz (Sitcom spun off from Hill Street Blues)
  8. Law & Order: Los Angeles (so screwed up they fired the lead detective and had the DA replace his role)
  9. Mary Tyler Moore (from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, to the poorly executed variety/sketch show, Mary)
  10. Manchester Prep (prequel series to Cruel Intentions movie, cancelled after filming just 2 episodes; later re-edited and released direct-to-video as Cruel Intentions 2)

A Hanna-Barbera production

  1. The Flintstones