Following the news that ABC will not be ordering additional episode of freshman drama Eastwick, costar Lindsay Price (pictured) has been named a suspected show killer. Though undeniably adorable, the actress has a long rap sheet of failed TV shows that also includes NBC’s Lipstick Jungle, Pepper Dennis, and Coupling.
Which other actors are on TV’s Most Wanted (and Least Lucky) List? Our top offenders:
• Jason Gedrick: Truly impressive versatility in terms of the number of networks he’s failed on. Victims include: Fox’s Class of ‘96; CBS’ Sweet Justice, EZ Streets, and Falcone; ABC’s Murder One and The Beast; and NBC’s Boomtown and Windfall.
• Paula Marshall: Though now starring on the CBS sitcom Gary Unmarried, the lovely Marshall’s victims include Fox’s Wild Oats, NBC’s Chicago Sons, ABC’s first Cupid and Snoops, and CBS’ Out of Practice. Let the record show that she also guested on the second (and last) season of ABC’s Sports Night and CBS’ Shark, and was brought on as Steven Weber’s girlfriend on NBC’s appropriately retitled Cursed.
• Eric Balfour: The star of Veritas: The Quest (ABC) and Conviction (NBC) also appeared in the pilot of CBS’ short-lived drama The Ex-List and on an episode of ABC’s one-season wonder Life on Mars. Why tempt fate?* Props to the producers of Monk for waiting until they determined it was their final season before inviting him on.
Your turn. Which actors have you noticed have a special talent for picking TV shows that die untimely deaths or have the uncanny ability of securing a guest spot on a series right when it’s about to go toe up (hello, Ted McGinley!)?
* Because occasionally, “TV Poison” (cough, Mark Feuerstein) finds its antidote.
Photo credit: Janet Mayer/PR Photos
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Prior to friends, I think both Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc were on this list.
as i recall Nathan Fillion USED to be a suspected show killer. he seems to be doing fine now! i think Lindsay and Eric will find the right shows.
I think most of the old Party of Five cast used to be there, but I can’t think of an example of it besides The 9. The Seinfeld cast definitely. Richards, Alexander and Dreyfuss all have failed sitcoms under their belts.
I don’t think New Adventures of Old Christine is considered a failure.
Watching Ellie was though. I don’t consider any of them show killers though since they’ve have successful shows at one time and haven’t become serial offenders.
Sarah Paulson. Sighhh when I heard she was the female lead in the new Cupid I knew it was doomed. I don’t get it…I like her!
ALSO. Amanda Peet…uhhh central park west? jack and jill?? studio 60 was ASKING for it with those two!!
Paula Marshall was also in the wondrefull but short lived ‘Hidden Hills’
I loved that show! So funny! I’m surprised another person has heard of it.
Jason Alexander. Post Seinfeld, he had something like 3 pilots in 3 years not make it through the fall season. A female comedian once roasted him saying “Jack-o-lanterns last longer in the fall than a Jason Alexander TV show”
Even though he’s had some flops post-Seinfeld, you can’t really consider him a “show-killer” since he was a huge part of one of the most successful sitcoms of all time. Those other shows he had were victims of lousy ideas. Jason Alexander just hasn’t been able to overcome the Seinfeld Curse.
Julianne Nicholson
Conviction, Presidio Med, The Others, Ally McBeal was cancelled the year she joined the cast, and Law & Order: CI began to FAIL when she joined the cast. I’d be interested to see how well it does when she leaves.
Lucy Liu has killed 6 shows, I understand some might give her a pass for Ally McBeal but I think we all know now that the karma of Jane Krakowski (30 Rock) and Calista Flockheart (Brothers and Sisters) kept that show alive.
- Pearl (1996)- 7 episodes 1 season
- Game Over (2004)
- Maya and Miguel (2004)
- Joey (2005)
- Cashmere Mafia (2008)
- Dirty Sexy Money (2009)
I still miss Dirty Sexy Money…
MAYA AND MIGUEL wasn’t a failed show…it’s produced episodes in four years so far. Meanwhile, Eric Balfour also sunk in HAWAII.
Lindsey Price was also on the tail-end of 90210.
She totally married Steve Sanders! I actually think her contributions to Bev Niner were better than Tiffani Amber Thiessen. WAY better than Vanessa Marcil!
Vanessa Marcil was great on 90210! She was the only reason I watched the last two seasons. I liked Lindsey too but they didn’t give her character anything to do.
Lindsay Price is too skinny these days. She had a little meat on her bones during her 90210 days. Much more attractive and interesting back then.
Lindsay Price was also a cast member of the original “Beverly Hills, 90210″ on Fox.
Of late, Kelsey Grammer. I feel bad for him–he was so brilliant as Frasier. I guess after twenty years playing the same role, people really refuse to see you as anything else.
Exactly who I was thinking of. Poor guy.
Well, it would probably help if he at least attempted to play a different character.
Sigh
Only too true. He should sit out a few years, maybe just doing guest spots (he’d be a wonderful serial killer on Criminal Minds. Kudos to Sideshow Bob).
Mary Page Keller.
I love him to death, but Christopher Gorham is a bit of a showkiller. Starring in short run series like Popular, Odyssey 5, Jake 2.0, Medical Investigation, and Out of Practice. His role on Ugly Betty has been the most stable his had in a long time.
Don’t forget Harper’s Island.
I love him as an actor, but I have to agree. when he joined the cast of Ugly betty, I wondered just how long the show would last.
Geena Davis
Summer Glau for Firefly, Sarah Conner Chronicles, and Dollhouse.
The death of those three shows has far more to do with their quality and the fact that Joss Whedon has a relatively small niche audience.
If you are seriously insinuating that Firefly was a low-quality show I may have to hit you (virtually, of course). Heathen.
i agree with amy.
Ditto with Amy and aisha.
Have you ever actually watched the entire season of Firefly???? If not, I suggest you do before you make another boneheaded comment like this one.
Most of us who enjoyed Firefly have seen the entire series at least twice. It is wonderful and character driven. The Sarah Connor Chronicles were not done by Joss, but were also excellent, and Dollhouse is one of the most original series to hit the airwaves in the last decade. These were pulled not because they were bad, or of poor quality, but because Fox is stupid, and has a horrible history of canceling any show that can receive more than 5 stars on IMDB.
Until very recently Tim Daly
Wings was on for like twenty years!
Actually ‘Wings’ was only on for 7 years, my dear.
The Fugitive is one of his casualties, although the network let them air all of the episodes.
Also killed “The Nine” and “Eyes” – and “Private Practice” isn’t that great.
Of course Ted McGinley is known for his show-killing capabilities.
There is a link to this article on his imdb and he wasn’t even mentioned. Enough said.
ok, they added him on the bottom now…
He was going to be my suggestion. It’s sad because I genuinely like him as an actor.
If you’re including one episode of Life on Mars for Eric Balfour, he was on the very first two episodes of Buffy, which survived quite well – but maybe that’s because they killed him right away.
He was also on 24. Of course he died on that show too.
True. But on the flipside, he was coming to The Beautiful Life too right as it got canned.
And he was Claire’s bf in the first season of Six Feet Under—a strong secondary character. That show certainly survived him.
Unfair to pin Murder One on Gedrick, he was on the successful first season and wasn’t involved in the bad second season.
Also, Eric Balfour was on 24, didn’t hurt that show…
he was on six feet under too…
I always thought Jay Mohr was a bit of a show killer
“anecdote” or “antidote”?
The current (very) limited success of Castle is the only thing keeping Nathan Fillion off this list.
But wasn’t he on Desperate Housewives right before Castle?
Yes he was, and it’s still around.
very limited? It was in the top twenty two weeks ago and has averaged betwen 9 and 10 million viewers a week. Granted that’s not the numbers you used to see when there were only three networks, but pretty good for 2009.
I hate that show. Mostly I hate the fake female bad-acting lead with the weird mullet
What’s interesting about the list is none are bad actors and their projects weren’t bad, they just weren’t good enough.
George Clooney was on the list before ER.
I didn’t realize he killed Roseanne.
1. Anthony Clarke from Beacon Hill and Yes Dear. Beacon Hill was stupid, Yes Dear was just the same (even if it lasted three years) but Clarke is not funny so the shows looked bad.
2. Rob Estes. Melrose Place was pretty much seeing the exit sign when he began his role and The Evidence? Really?!
3. If The Forgotten gets the boot (and I hope that it does not) Christian Slater.
Rob Estes has killed a few shows – Women’s Murder Club, The Evidence, the remake of Twilight Zone, Suddenly Susan (or are we blaming that one on Judd Nelson?), and Providence.
Correction: The show Clarke was on was called Boston Common.
I liked that show!
can’t remember her name but she was on Studio 60 (Matt Perry’s love interest), Jack and Jill (actually loved that show), a show she starred in that i can’t remember because it got cancelled so fast and at least one other.
I also think Taye Diggs is one. Before Private Practice he had like 3 shows that were canceled after a couple of episodes.
As much as I love Taye, I concur on his being a tv show killer. The shows were Kevin Hill (loved it) and Day Break, then Greys to Private Practice. But Taye was also on All McBeal, Bold & the Beautiful, Will & Grace, the West Wing…so Taye only kills shows in which he gets the lead lmao so PP isn’t going anywhere due to Taye
Sarah Paulson! I probably couldn’t remember her name because she can’t become a household name if her shows keeping getting cancelled:
Cupid
Studio 60
Deadwood
Leap of Faith
Jack and Jill
hahahaha yup she is definitely a show killer (even tho I loved her in Held Up). I had no clue Sarah was a lesbian, but she was dating Cherry Jones for years – damn I feel so out the loop!