TV in the Movies – When movie stars try the small screen

Television has proven to be an excellent launching pad for many of Hollywood’s biggest names. Michael J. Fox (Family Ties), Bruce Willis (Moonlighting) and Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) are just a few who cut their teeth on the small screen before reaching the Hollywood stratosphere. Fox was able to make a triumphant return to TV with Spin City after his big screen star faded. Unfortunately, not all transitions to the tube go as smoothly.

There have been plenty of hits and misses over the years. Some actors have little trouble making the adjustment, while others fall flat on their faces. Whether a rousing success or a flaming disaster, the jump from big to small screen is always interesting to monitor. Here are a few who made it work and a few who didn’t.

The good:

Burt Reynolds

Reynolds got his start on television in series like Gunsmoke, but he reached his highest acclaim as a movie star during the  ’70s and ’80s. Films such as Deliverance, The Longest Yard, Smokey and the Bandit, Hooper and The Cannonball Run catapulted Reynolds into the number one box office draw. After a string of bombs during the late ’80s (Rent-a-Cop anyone), he shifted to TV land with Out of This World from 1987-1991 and Evening Shade from 1990-1994.

Candice Bergen

Bergen became a young starlet beginning in the late ’60s. Her impressive resume included The Sand Pebbles, Carnal Knowledge, The Wind and the Lion and Gandhi. After laying low for for most of the ’80s, she struck gold on series television with Murphy Brown from 1988-1998, then again from 2005-2008 on Boston Legal. The big screen introduced audiences to Bergen, but television made her a household name.

Charlie Sheen

Sheen ruled during the ’80s and early ’90s. His list of hits is amazing: Platoon, Wall Street, Young Guns, Major League and the Hot Shots! flicks. Chuck took a much-needed break from movies to focus on whoring and boozing for a few years, but resurfaced on the small screen in 2000 to replace Fox on Spin City. After Spin ended its run two years later, Sheen found sitcom glory with Two and a Half Men. Quite the comeback.

The bad:

Hugh Jackman

Jackman was riding high after nailing the Wolverine role in the X-Men films. Why the hell he decided to sign on for the Cop Rock-esque Viva Laughlin in 2007 is still a mystery. The ill-conceived Laughlin lasted a whopping two episodes. Basically, it was a steaming pile of pungent horse dung. Jackman hasn’t suffered because of it, though. He hosted the Oscars this year and is starring in a summer blockbuster. I suggest he wait until he’s washed-up and strung-out like Chuck Sheen before he returns to TV land.

Chevy Chase

Chase was one of the first Saturday Night Live cast members to achieve star status. Caddyshack, Vacation, Fletch and Spies Like Us still make me laugh. His downfall began in 1993 when FOX inexplicably pegged him to enter the late night talk show wars. The Chevy Chase Show lasted 14 episodes. It was one of the most cringe-inducing hours I’ve ever witnessed on television. He looked like a kid about to lose his virginity — unsure, overeager and horrified. Chase has not been the same since.

Ray Liotta

I wouldn’t call Liotta a mega star, but he was in Goodfellas; one of the coolest mob pics ever made. His film career never really took off after that. He tried TV in 2006 with Smith, a decent show about a crew of thieves. The series was unable to find an audience and was canned after three episodes. The show can currently be seen in its entirety (seven episodes) on DirecTV’s  The 101.

This is just a sampling. I’m sure I omitted a couple obvious ones. Guys like Hugh Laurie and Denis Leary have gone from film to TV with ease, but neither was ever considered a true movie star. Got anymore winners or losers, let me know.

Clacked by Scott Tunstall
on Jul 07, 2009 @ 12:00 EST5EDT