Doesn’t matter if it’s death or dispute, but the television show must go on
Charlie Sheen’s “Two and a Half Men” character was run over by a bus and got a full-scale funeral. “Glee” actor Corey Monteith died in real life and had a tribute episode. “House of Cards” will return minus scandal-tainted Kevin Spacey, with his screen wife taking center stage.
Whether by death, design or disputes, television shows are adept at losing or killing off key characters and carrying on without them.
ABC television’s announcement on Thursday that it had ordered a spinoff of canceled hit comedy “Roseanne” without star Roseanne Barr is the latest in a long history of abrupt changes of direction on the small screen.
ABC did not say how it would deal with Roseanne’s character in the new show, “The Conners”, but audiences in the past have had little problem accepting sudden or dramatic changes.
“If you lose a main character, or someone walks out, or there is a controversy, and the fix means it is still a funny or compelling show, then most people will forget very quickly,” said Robert Thompson, professor of pop culture at Syracuse University.
“People will completely accept it – if the show is any good.”
Sometimes actors wish to leave, on other occasions they are fired because of …read more