TV Comebacks That Crashed and Burned Hard

The biggest names in television have attempted comebacks, but not all of them landed.

We’ve all seen it: a beloved star disappears from our screens for a while, only to return with a new show, hoping to recapture past glory. Sometimes it works. Other times, it’s a total disaster. Watch Mojo has put together a list of the top 10 celebrity TV comeback attempts that didn’t just fizzle out – they spectacularly blew up in their faces.

Misha Barton’s Return to Reality TV

Remember Misha Barton as Marissa Cooper on The O.C.? After leaving the show in 2006, Barton struggled to find major TV roles. Her personal life and legal troubles often overshadowed her acting work. So, when MTV announced she would join The Hills: New Beginnings, it seemed like a perfect chance for a comeback. Barton herself said she was ready to take things seriously. However, she often looked uncomfortable on camera and didn’t become a central part of the show’s drama. Critics found her performance quiet and out of sync with the show’s vibe. Without a strong storyline, she wasn’t asked back for the second season.

David Hasselhoff’s Family Sitcom Fails

David Hasselhoff was a global superstar thanks to Knight Rider and Baywatch. By the 2010s, his career was affected by public personal struggles. His A&E series, The Hasselhoffs, was meant to be a playful, self-aware look at his life and his daughters’ music careers. Hasselhoff himself said being a dad was the most important title. But the show felt fake and lacked excitement. Fans hoping for nostalgia or real family moments were let down. The show’s ratings were terrible, and A&E canceled it after only two episodes.

Denise Richards’ Reality TV Rollercoaster

Denise Richards has had a very up-and-down career. Her 2008 E! series, Denise Richards: It’s Complicated, was supposed to be a fresh start after tabloid drama. However, the show was criticized for feeling exploitative rather than helpful. Years later, Richards tried again by joining The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. She said it was the worst trip of her life and she didn’t deserve it. Her second season on the show fell apart due to arguments with other cast members. Things got worse with a public accusation from Brandi Glanville claiming a relationship between them, which Richards strongly denied. Instead of fixing her image, the experience just created more headlines.

Farrah Abraham’s Controversial Reality Stints

Farrah Abraham first appeared on Teen Mom and quickly became one of the franchise’s most talked-about figures. After being fired from Teen Mom OG in 2017, her attempts to rebuild her image on other reality shows didn’t work. Abraham joined Celebrity Big Brother, where her loud arguments dominated her screen time. She even said, “I’m more famous than you are. Make more money.” She later appeared on MTV’s Ex on the Beach, which also became known for constant conflict. Even her dating show, Single AF, generated more buzz for drama than for her reinvention. Each return just brought back the same arguments and controversies, making her seem unpredictable and hurting any chance of a real TV comeback.

Ashlee Simpson’s Family Docu-Series Fizzles

Almost 15 years after her famous Saturday Night Live lip-sync mistake and a mixed reception to her early music, Ashlee Simpson tried a new comeback with Ashlee + Evan, starring her husband Evan Ross. The show was presented as a mature, family-focused reinvention as the couple worked on new music. Simpson felt the solution was right in front of her. But the show struggled to stand out in the crowded reality TV world, with many calling it too produced and boring. Even worse, the music they released with the show didn’t do well on the charts. Despite E!’s promotion, the project quickly faded, and so did Simpson’s comeback hopes.

Megyn Kelly’s NBC Daytime Disaster

When former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly moved to NBC for a fresh start with Megyn Kelly Today, many people were surprised. The network hoped Kelly would become a popular daytime host. But the transition was troubled from the beginning. Audiences felt she didn’t fit the light, friendly style of daytime TV. Critics noted she seemed uncomfortable with the show’s tone. Segments often went viral for the wrong reasons, and her ratings were much lower than expected. The final straw came when Kelly questioned why blackface was considered offensive in Halloween costumes. She said she defended the idea, thinking it was okay if it was respectful and part of a costume, but admitted she was wrong and apologized. After apologizing on air, she was removed from the show, and NBC canceled the program. Kelly has since stepped away from TV and is now focusing on podcasting.

Michael Richards’ Post-Seinfeld Struggles

After his beloved role as Kramer on Seinfeld, Michael Richards tried to get back into Hollywood with The Michael Richards Show, playing a clumsy private detective. Unfortunately, the series was a huge flop, receiving bad reviews and low ratings. Any momentum Richards had seemed to disappear in 2006 when he went on a racist rant at the Laugh Factory, causing widespread anger. However, years later, Richards attempted another return on Kirstie Alley’s sitcom Kirstie. He hoped to bring back the comedic energy audiences loved. But the show received only lukewarm reactions and was canceled after just one season.

Charlie Sheen’s Wild Ride After Two and a Half Men

Before his famous public meltdown, Charlie Sheen was a huge sitcom star. He first replaced Michael J. Fox on Spin City with great success and then became TV’s highest-paid actor on Two and a Half Men. But his 2011 breakdown and firing made him one of Hollywood’s most talked-about figures. He famously declared, “I’m winning.” Hoping to turn his notoriety into a comeback, Sheen starred in Anger Management. FX launched it with a short run, which led to a massive 90-episode order after strong initial ratings. Sadly, the show quickly lost steam. The huge number of episodes seemed to hurt the quality, and by its final episode in 2014, viewership had dropped significantly. The article notes, “Charlie lived life on his own terms and never apologized for who he was.”

Katherine Heigl’s Difficult Reputation

After becoming famous as Izzy Stevens on Grey’s Anatomy, Katherine Heigl quickly gained a reputation in Hollywood for being difficult to work with. She was known for publicly criticizing scripts, facing controversy during Emmy campaigns, and reportedly having issues with colleagues. She admitted that after winning an Emmy the year before, she thought she needed more dramatic material that season, which she didn’t get. Unsurprisingly, her career slowed down after she left the show in 2010. Hoping for a fresh start, Heigl starred in NBC’s State of Affairs as a CIA analyst and later led CBS’s Doubt. Both shows failed to gain viewers, with Doubt being canceled after only two episodes due to low ratings. The article asks, “Will TV audiences ever welcome Katherine Heigl back into their living rooms?”

Roseanne Barr’s Shocking Show Cancellation

Few comebacks have imploded as quickly as Roseanne Barr’s return with the 2018 Roseanne reboot. The original show ran from 1988 to 1997, so it had been over 20 years since Barr led a weekly network sitcom. The revival premiered to huge ratings, becoming one of ABC’s most successful debuts in years. It also seemed to confirm Barr’s status as a TV powerhouse. However, the revival collapsed when Roseanne tweeted a comment about former Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett that many found racist, causing a media uproar. Within hours, ABC canceled the show, stating Roseanne’s tweet was “abhorrent, repugnant, and inconsistent with our values.” ABC canceled the show within days, removing Barr entirely. The series was later renamed The Conners, leaving Roseanne to deal with the damage to her reputation.

Which of these disastrous TV comebacks do you think was the absolute worst? Let us know in the comments!

Source: Top 10 Worst Comebacks in TV History (YouTube)