To think it must have been so humiliating and depressing for Shelley Long

[Suetully]

I caught Cheers reruns flicking through tv last night. Having not seen or thought of it in well over 25 years, I forgot how good Shelley Long was in it as Diane and her brilliant chemistry with Ted Danson.

I did some research after and she'd after 5 years left for a movie career but her career tanked and within 3 years of leaving, she was another jobbing tv actress whilst the show went strong for another 6 years and that was the show she'd deserted as the main star.

Like I can't imagine her anguish and humiliation that Danson went on to become the biggest tv star of that time, the show went to number 1 and her co-stars who were support to her reign like Kelsey Grammar and Woody Harrison became much bigger stars than she did.
She even returned to be a guest star on Frasier and he became the highest tv star in the world whilst at a time he was only brought into Cheers as her love interest.

That and her replacement Kirstie Alley became even bigger than Long was both in her carer and in general fame. It seems her name now is synonymous with a bad career move if you google her. AIBU to think that would be a pretty hard pill to swallow?

@Harford

It's hardly a tragic life, several well received and remembered movies and a long career as a working actor

I think I recall hearing she had a suicide attempt after the breakdown of her marriage.

OK then substitute 'career' for 'life'.

Not really sure why her personal
Life is relevant to this discussion. Are you saying her marriage wouldn't have broken up if she has remained in Cheers?!?

No but her career going into the doldrums after leaving a hit show and her once high flying career fading into oblivion in such a short time might make me think it had some bad strain on the marriage. I would say Katherine Heigl had the same big regrets after leaving greys anatomy although she was younger and had time to recover more from it and I think she's doing ok on some Netflix show at the moment.

@Harford

This thread is amusing though. Penis or no penis

What do you find amusing? I don't mean that in a goady way, I am generally interested. Seems like a standard enough thread with interesting points made.

Not taken in a goady way, and thank you for the interest :)

I mean, it is a fairly standard and interesting topic, for those who have seen the programme and/or followed the actors in it.

People respond accordingly and appropriately.

Then people respond saying 'OMG why would anyone discuss this?!You're over invested, OP' (IMO, people's minds are made to wonder, scanning is fine, trivialities are as much a part of life as profound thoughts)...

Then people respond saying OP is wanting to do women down, why else would he post?

Then the thread turns into a soup of bits of all the above.

I does amuse me. And interests me. Thanks OP :)

@Artonthefridge

Cheers had a heavily male writers room. The rumour goes that Shelley Long was not well liked. Sometimes a work environment is horrible and we look for a different job. I'm really glad people don't wonder why I left my retail position years after the fact. I left because it was a nightmare.

Thinking her time on the show was up (her storylines were getting repetitive) and wanting a bigger career in the movies...sorry, but what's wrong with that? What's wrong with ambition?

Has anyone seen The Comeback? It's great for highlighting the older female comic actors experience on a toxic show, and it's funny.

Valerie Cherish is supposedly based on Shelley Long.

Mickey is based on Shelley Long's hairdresser.

She was in the brady bunch remakes thats how i know of her

We mustn't forget that in those days having a child and being pregnant were not as accepted as now. It's only the last 15-20 years a TV / news / weather could carry on in her job pregnant. That never used to happen. Filming would not have been flexible around her childcare needs etc.

I always think of Dan who played Mathew in Downton in these threads as he left far to early and apart from Beauty and the Beast and a couple of other things he just faded into obscurity. Plus he really pissed us all off leaving the show so served him right really.

@Harford

No but her career going into the doldrums after leaving a hit show and her once high flying career fading into oblivion in such a short time might make me think it had some bad strain on the marriage. I would say Katherine Heigl had the same big regrets after leaving greys anatomy although she was younger and had time to recover more from it and I think she's doing ok on some Netflix show at the moment.

Heigl is actually supposed to be a nightmare to work with. Allegedly

I suppose being an actor thats the risk you take.Its never been a steady line of work.

Also who would have thought it would have been Woody Harrelson who turned in to the Hollywood star.

@confessionsOfa

I always think of Dan who played Mathew in Downton in these threads as he left far to early and apart from Beauty and the Beast and a couple of other things he just faded into obscurity. Plus he really pissed us all off leaving the show so served him right really.

Hardly. He played the titular role on the FX series Legion for 3 seasons and was critically lauded for the incredible range he showed on the show. And while Feige is denying they are bringing his Legion into the MCU, they are planning to bring Stevens in during phase 4.

I think we think of Dan Stevens as being out of work because Legion never came to the UK, so we didn't see him for three years, but it was a solid starring role. And of course leading in one of the highest grossing romantic movies of all time is going to mean that your profile or bank balance will be well stocked for a decade so he doesn't need to be desperate.

The new Watergate thing he's in with Julia Roberts looks interesting - unfortunately I can't stand Sean Penn who's the other lead.

We've recently re-watched the entire 11 seasons of Cheers (and are now watching Frasier) and I have to say the series lost a lot of its appeal once Shelley Long left.
Those who are saying that Sam was the main character, are, in my opinion, wrong. The reason I say this is because as soon as Shelley left, the series pretty much became very much an ensemble show rather than a show with a lead actor.

I just don't think, at that point in the series, Sam's character was strong enough to be the most important part of the show. His exploits with women became a bit monotonous to be honest.

I also think there would have been a real issue having a character today who is as much of a bully as Carla was. There were times when the character was just plain nasty.

I don't know if Shelley Long regrets leaving the series when she did, but the show wasn't the same without her in it. None of us could ever know her true feelings about that. But, I don't think she should feel humiliated and depressed - that's a very weird thing to say. The Money Pit was a great film, as were other things she's starred in.
She's a great comedy actor.

I loved the Coach and when the actor who played him (Nicholas Colasanto) died, it was a real loss to the show. They did well in replacing him with Woody Harrelson, but it wasn't really the same.

Surely, for most actors, they want to be trying different roles. Isn't that the whole point of being an actor? I would have assumed that's why she chose to leave.

@confessionsOfa

We mustn't forget that in those days having a child and being pregnant were not as accepted as now. It's only the last 15-20 years a TV / news / weather could carry on in her job pregnant. That never used to happen. Filming would not have been flexible around her childcare needs etc.

In season 3 of Cheers, both Shelley Long and Rhea Perlman we pregnant. Rhea's pregnancy was written into the show for her character, Carla and Shelley's was covered up because it wouldn't have been in keeping with the character. Shelley was in 2 more seasons and Rhea was in it until the end. I wouldn't have though that either suffered because their childcare needs were not being met.

@confessionsOfa

I always think of Dan who played Mathew in Downton in these threads as he left far to early and apart from Beauty and the Beast and a couple of other things he just faded into obscurity. Plus he really pissed us all off leaving the show so served him right really.

You might want to check out his Wikipedia page.

Actors are allowed to have lives outside the telly box. You are very unreasonable to trash her achievements. It's not all about mega fame and success with a fickle audience.

@confessionsOfa

We mustn't forget that in those days having a child and being pregnant were not as accepted as now. It's only the last 15-20 years a TV / news / weather could carry on in her job pregnant. That never used to happen. Filming would not have been flexible around her childcare needs etc.

Don’t be silly - being pregnant or having a child was perfectly acceptable. It was the 1980s, not the 1880s!

Loving the idea that it is only since 2000 that it’s been acceptable to have pregnant women on TV

Alison Steadman was heavily pregnant in Abigail’s Party and that was the 1970s.

And why would filming have to be flexible around childcare needs anyway? Most people seem to make it work.

I have no interest in checking out Dans Wikipedia page and I've never heard of Legion I'm afraid so as far as I'm aware he's not been on my radar for a while. He was great in the Eurovision film though.

Obviously some pregnant women have had storylines written around them but many had to leave roles, take time out etc last century. Blimey that makes me sound ancient. But I guess I am. Anyway that's a fact so there we go.

Times have moved on and improved and sometimes we forget how crap things were for women in the workplace. Be thankful to be in a position not to remember you are lucky

And read my posts properly before ripping them apart. Look at the actual wording of my sentences.

If that was to me, then I did read it. Women on TV etc were able to be pregnant and still work.

I'm sure she's crying all the way to the bank

Shelley Long Net Worth:$10 Million

@confessionsOfa

I have no interest in checking out Dans Wikipedia page and I've never heard of Legion I'm afraid so as far as I'm aware he's not been on my radar for a while. He was great in the Eurovision film though.

Obviously some pregnant women have had storylines written around them but many had to leave roles, take time out etc last century. Blimey that makes me sound ancient. But I guess I am. Anyway that's a fact so there we go.

Times have moved on and improved and sometimes we forget how crap things were for women in the workplace. Be thankful to be in a position not to remember you are lucky

Ok, so if you personally haven't actually heard of a critically acclaimed, award winning series, then it was irrelevant. And the actor who starred in it and has gotten a huge amount of notice for his range, including a potential very significant role in the multi-record breaking, biggest, most popular, commercially successful film series of all time is a failure. Alrighty then!

Ok, so if you personally haven't actually heard of a critically acclaimed, award winning series, then it was irrelevant. And the actor who starred in it and has gotten a huge amount of notice for his range, including a potential very significant role in the multi-record breaking, biggest, most popular, commercially successful film series of all time is a failure. Alrighty then!

Actually no, he has kind of dropped off the face of the earth - I havent heard of this critically acclaimed, award winning series ? unless you are talking about Downton of course

from his wiki From 2017 to 2019, he starred as David Haller in the critically acclaimed FX series Legion. In 2018, he starred in the Netflix horror-thriller Apostle. so is that what you were talking about?

@Artonthefridge
@Snoozer11
Valerie Cherish is supposedly based on Shelley Long.

When I watched this show my first thought was "Valerie Cherish reminds me so much of Shelley Long's character in Outrageous Fortune. I googled the show afterwards and also saw the rumour that Valerie is based on Shelley. So I went away and did some research and found some stuff that points to this being true:

The Comeback was co-written and created by Michael Patrick King, who produced Sex and The City as well as writing for Will and Grace, Cybill and Good Advice. Good Advice was a 90s sitcom starring Shelley Long. The synopsis of Good Advice reads: when she returns to her therapy office, she learns she is now sharing it with high-profile divorce attorney Jack Harold (Treat Williams). While Susan and Jack don't agree on the basics of relationships, love or marriage, the one thing they do share is an undeniable sexual chemistry. Which sounds similar to the fictional sitcom I'm It in The Comeback where Valerie played an attorney called Becky who has a love/hate relationship with her male co-worker, and we see them flirting together in a scene when Mickey puts the VHS tape in for them to watch a clip of it.

[quote roopy770]@Artonthefridge
@Snoozer11
Valerie Cherish is supposedly based on Shelley Long.

When I watched this show my first thought was "Valerie Cherish reminds me so much of Shelley Long's character in Outrageous Fortune. I googled the show afterwards and also saw the rumour that Valerie is based on Shelley. So I went away and did some research and found some stuff that points to this being true:

The Comeback was co-written and created by Michael Patrick King, who produced Sex and The City as well as writing for Will and Grace, Cybill and Good Advice. Good Advice was a 90s sitcom starring Shelley Long. The synopsis of Good Advice reads: when she returns to her therapy office, she learns she is now sharing it with high-profile divorce attorney Jack Harold (Treat Williams). While Susan and Jack don't agree on the basics of relationships, love or marriage, the one thing they do share is an undeniable sexual chemistry. Which sounds similar to the fictional sitcom I'm It in The Comeback where Valerie played an attorney called Becky who has a love/hate relationship with her male co-worker, and we see them flirting together in a scene when Mickey puts the VHS tape in for them to watch a clip of it.[/quote]
Loving the inside info, thank you! It's an incredible show. You can see a bit of Shelley in Lisa's performance for sure.

@alittleprivacy I love how you twist words to suit your own rage, god help anyone in your angry little world.