8 Actors Who Knew Their TV Show Was Doomed On Day 1

This bunch of actors knew straight away that their TV show wasn't destined to be a hit.

By Gareth Morgan /

With rich and exciting material being frequently pumped onto the small screens now more than ever in recent times, you can bet that just about every actor signing on the dotted line to appear in an incoming TV project enters said production with the hopes of being at the centre of the next big streaming service or network smash hit.

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But as this collection of unfortunate souls can all attest, it can sometimes be painfully clear out of the gates that a once-hopeful TV endeavour is destined for complete and utter failure. And while some of these small screen thespians were lucky enough to cut their losses before the stink of a TV flop permanently damaged their reputations, some were forced to continue down this doomed path for much longer than they would've liked in the wake of a disastrous start to life on a show.

From a set of Disney Channel sensations quickly figuring out that a titular show was a bad move altogether, to one of the galaxy's most adored bounty hunter's also not being a fan of the direction his character was written to head down, each of these TV actors could sense a bumpy road ahead from the get-go.

8. Colin Baker Helped Produce A Doctor Who Charity Single Pleading For Its Comeback

While the BBC's iconic Doctor Who series may currently stand as one of the most cherished and respected small screen franchises ever to warp into our lives, the show was definitely on the ropes towards the end of its first run in the late '80s.

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In fact, things got so bad when it came to the overall quality of the sci-fi time-travelling property with Colin Baker at the wheel of The Doctor that the show was put on ice for 18 months in 1985 on the back of BBC One controller Michael Grade feeling it had just become too violent and a "very clunky studio show".

Then, in a move that still needs to be heard to be believed, the decision was made by British songwriter and Who super fan Ian Levine to assemble a collection of artists together to record a universally panned charity song by the name of Doctor in Distress to drum up some support for the series edging towards cancellation.

Clearly sensing he needed to do something in a bid to keep his failing Doctor dreams afloat, Baker himself also agreed to appear in the ill-fated tune, with Hans Zimmer, of all people, playing the song on a synthesiser. All of the jarring beats in the world couldn't save Baker from eventually getting the regeneration treatment after just three years - including said lengthy hiatus - in the Time Lord saddle, though.

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