Winners from losers: Failed TV shows that produced big stars
- 1/10
Gal Gadot, ‘TBL: The Beautiful Life’ (The CW, Sept. 2009)
- 2/10
Margot Robbie and David Harbour, ‘Pan Am’ (ABC, 2011-12)
- 3/10
Ryan Reynolds, ‘Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place’ (ABC, 1998-2001)
- 4/10
Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, and James Franco, ‘Freaks and Geeks’ (NBC, 1999-2000)
- 5/10
Anne Hathaway and Jesse Eisenberg, ‘Get Real’ (Fox, 1999-2000)
- 6/10
Hilary Swank, ‘Camp Wilder’ (ABC, 1992-93)
- 7/10
Sandra Bullock, ‘Working Girl’ (NBC, 1990)
- 8/10
Jennifer Aniston, ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ (NBC, 1990-91)
- 9/10
Halle Berry and Leah Remini, ‘Living Dolls’ (ABC, 1989)
- 10/10
George Clooney, ‘E/R’ (CBS, 1984-85)
Kimberly Potts
·Writer, Yahoo Entertainment
The biggest TV flops can have a silver lining, and for this collection of failed tube efforts, it’s that they all featured major future stars in their casts. Yep, even a show that lasted a mere two episodes gave audiences their first chance to get to know Hollywood’s greatest female superhero, and future Oscar winner George Clooney was puttin’ a one-season comedy spin on the emergency room long before his career got serious with ER. Here, a roundup of 10 TV shows that were ratings failures but superstar-forecasting hits.