TV SHOWS BEHIND THE SCENES 

A great TV show’s goal is always to keep us coming back for more juicy drama, but in some series, there were juicier stories behind the camera than in front of it. It makes sense that there will be disagreements on the set, particularly when you take into account the crazy pressure that comes with producing a hit series, with the highly collaborative nature of show business. Although many shows had endured tension among performers, artistic talent, and network executives, when the backstage environment became too toxic, others have fallen apart.

These are some of the most popular shows that, because of behind-the-scenes drama, either met their downfall early or saw significant creative changes. 

‘Charmed’ (1998-2006)

The backstage stress on The WB’s “Charmed” was so serious among the key cast members that it effectively split the run of the show into two different halves. Alyssa Milano and Shannen Doherty co-starred as two of a trio of sister witches when the series premiered in 1998, and it was an immediate success. However, the two actors ended up hating each other, doing very uncomfortable things on set, and causing Doherty to be thrown out of the cast after three seasons. 

Moonlighting’ (1985-1989)

Another Cybill Shepherd vehicle suffered from an uncomfortable behind-the-scenes dynamic until an offscreen drama led “Cybill” to an early death. By far, Shepherd was a bigger draw than Bruce Willis, her co-star, when “Moonlighting” premiered on ABC in 1985. From the beginning, the pair had a difficult working relationship, allegedly constantly feuding between scenes, but it got even tenser in 1988, when “Die Hard” made Willis one of the planet’s biggest stars.

Luck’ (2011-2012)

It is almost too great to fathom the irony that terrible luck will sink a show called “Luck.” In the early part of the 2010s, with this drama that starred Dustin Hoffman and revolved around gambling and horse racing, HBO seemed to have another surefire critical darling on its hands. The show, produced by the aforementioned David Milch, ran into major problems behind the scenes when, despite on-set safety protocols that were allegedly impeccable, three of the horses it used during production had to be euthanized for injuries they sustained while filming. 

‘American Gods’ (2017-Present)

The “American Gods” of Starz is still on the air, but in only its first two seasons, the output has become infamous for backstage drama. The series, based on Neil Gaiman’s beloved best-selling fantasy novel, was produced in 2017 by mercurial TV writer Bryan Fuller. Fuller and co-showrunner Michael Green quit in turbulent fashion after a single season on the job, after several disputes with Gaiman over the course of the storyline. The showrunner of the second season, Jesse Alexander, was also quickly fired after delays plagued his tenure, triggering the hiring for the forthcoming third season of another showrunner.

Charles Eglee, the new recruit, immediately created an outcry when he fired cast member Orlando Jones, who ripped him on social media promptly and made the offscreen history of the show even nastier.

‘Lethal Weapon’ (2016-2019)

For a series that was sadly mired by offscreen problems from the outset, the iconic “Lethal Weapon” film franchise was revived by Fox in TV form. Damon Wayans and Clayne Crawford were the two detectives at the core of the Buddy Cop season. When it premiered in 2016, however, after the second season, Crawford’s character would be killed off after it was revealed that his unprofessional actions on the set created a major rift between the two co-stars.

After the third season, Wayans would end up leaving the series, which led Fox to cancel it at last. 

‘Roseanne’ (2018)

ABC agreed to bring it back for new episodes more than 20 years after “Roseanne” wrapped up its run as a smash-hit 1990s sitcom with the original cast intact. It was a brilliant idea, and audiences turned up in huge numbers, but in the midst of offscreen problems created by its star and executive producer, Roseanne Barr, the revival would quickly disappear. After the famously acerbic comic tweeted a racist post, after a single season, ABC swiftly canceled the new run. In a new series called “The Conners,” the majority of her castmates returned, killing off Barr’s character.

‘Transparent’ (2014-2019)

In the aftermath of #MeToo, Netflix wasn’t alone in discussing a significant backstage problem involving one of its most famous series. “Transparent,” the Emmy-winning drama from Amazon Prime Video, was also crippled by charges of sexual assault being leveled against its star. After the fourth season, Jeffrey Tambor, who was acclaimed for his lead role in the show as a trans woman who did not come out until late in life, was fired. Given that Tambor was the core actor of the show, in the wake of his ousting, the series would only air a final feature-length episode, with the death of his character being written as occurring offscreen.