Blind Item!- Former Primetime actress who walked away from Hollywood wants to make a comeback

Shelley Winters!

Miss Teri Hatcher

Dawn Lyn

Miss Angie Dickinson!

Katherine Heigl

R5 she never walked away from Hollywood

Blair Brown

Susan Dey! Rested and ready for her close up!

Calista Flockhart?

Neither did Miss. Angie Dickinson nor Ms. Shelley Winters! Go bully R4 and R1 you vile snatch!

Definitely Tina Yothers.

Linda Lavin. Her deep dark secret is that she's into scat.

Joan Collins! Her debut novel was called Prime Time

Could it be Bridget Fonda now that her hubby has been charged with being a pervert?

Most people are guessing Calista Flockhart, Lara Flynn Boyle or Kate Walsh

R16 no. She’s a nepo baby.

Our current Ball, Jenna Elfman.

It's me, you damn fools. They just added network dramatic addresz to throw you off the scent.

Keep remembering this person was on a network show and that it was a successful dramedy.

Sandy Duncan.

Megan Mullally or Debra Messing

Barbara Bel Geddes

June Lockhart.

It's obvious.

Twin Peaks!

Shelley Long

DRAMEDY. In what world was Will and Grace a dramedy?

If it’s Roseanne, my heart pumps piss for her.

If would have to be someone who had a chance of successfully coming back. And that means a youthful look, not some botoxed, fillered zombie. Probably someone under 45.

Lauren Holly?

Beverly Garland

Melanie Mayron! Ready for her close up!

China Beach was a dramedy. Granted, it was like 35 years ago.

Helen Twelvetrees

France Nguyen.

[quote]Most people are guessing Calista Flockhart, Lara Flynn Boyle or Kate Walsh

Boyle was my first thought. At 53, she's much younger than photos suggest. But her face would be a bigger impediment than her past, and the tabloids were ruthless in their mistreatment of her so I'm not sure how much mystery there is about the lost years.

My first thought was Flockheart. I watched that show once and it was enough. The dancing baby did nothing to convince me to give it another try. The only thing I know about her private life is her anorexia skeeved me, and she was fucking Indiana Jones.

Her face was icky by 2009. Imagine what it looks like now.

Marcia Cross?

It's Lara Flynn Boyle, with the reference to "peak." But what are her dark secrets? Is Bukowski still alive and at her bars?

Sherry Stringfield.

[quote] The only thing I know about her private life is her anorexia skeeved me, and she was fucking Indiana Jones.

She did more than fuck him, she fucked over his then-wife. Harry traded up for a younger model.

It’s probably a famous Duchess we all know and despise…

[quote]Sherry Stringfield.

From the renowned dramedies NYPD Blue and ER.

Is Twin Peaks considered a "dramedy"?

Miss Janine Turner.

I know some people who find Twin Peaks to be funny at times.

The Practice was a dramedy though

When was LFB ever considered A-list. Not to mention, TP was never a “dramedy.” It’s either Flockhart or Hatcher. Heigl isn’t right because she’s been working steadily for years and has gone a long way towards redeeming her image.

[quote]China Beach was a dramedy

Are you high, R35? No, it wasn't.

It’s Norma Desmond, ready for her closeup.

Marcia Cross is also a decent guess - she truly did walk away and there have been rumblings for years that she’s a labia lover. But it’s 2023, so at this point coming out would probably help her more than hurt her.

LFB was A-List tv actress.

Sofia Vergara?

R54 plus her relationship with Jack Nicholson made her move up the list at least temporarily.

LFB can’t come back, she’s permanently botched beyond recognition and is so deep in the trenches of alcoholism that she’ll be lucky to survive the decade. Also, Twin Peaks was never a dramedy. It’s not her.

[Quote] DRAMEDY. In what world was Will and Grace a dramedy?

in the same world that thinks it was comedy

LFB was not only on Twin Peaks. She was also on another huge hit that earned her numerous Emmy nominations, The Practice. And that did have a dramedy tone. A drama with lightness to it.

Zombie Joan Davis

For anyone unfamiliar with Boyle's horrible life post-"Practice" dismissal, there are old threads (like this one) with details.

Regardless of whether she's the answer, David E. Kelley was the king of the primetime dramedy. His actresses, many of whom were troubled, will dominate the non-"Desperate Housewives" guesses.

Blair Brown was great guess, as she starred in the first “dramedy,” as it was thought of at the time.

But I know her and she’s lovely and sane and sedate.

No ex-boyfriends in her freezer or bondage gear in her boudoir.

Racist bit he’s of the DL, you never even considered me.

I don’t think Jasmine Guy would want to make a big comeback. I think she likes working in a more lowkey way.

If Laura Flyn Boyle wanted a comeback, she had a perfect chance to lay the groundwork in 2016/2017 with "Twin Peaks: The Return". She refused to participate.

If the sainted "Buffy" had been on a regular network, I would guess Sarah Michelle Gellar.

R65 Gellar has been working steadily - albeit in terrible projects. She’s currently a regular on some Teen Wolf spinoff.

Buffy was on a network channel and was a huge hit.

Perhaps Lea Michele is ready to do a Patti Lupone-like turn as a careworn Mom only as Oscar bait on the big screen!

It’s Flockhart. Rumors have been flying for years about her eating disorder (yes, the very one she first claimed to have never had, then claimed to have recovered from) as well as her abhorrent and abusive treatment of staff, underlings, fans etc. Word is she makes Julia Roberts look like a sweetie pie. If Calista wants to work again she will have a lot to answer for. I wouldn’t be surprised if she decides it’s not worth the risk.

Hasn't Calista been Mrs. Harrison Ford for a couple of decades? Why would she want to come back?

Not to mention Ally McBeal was notoriously the most toxic set in Hollywood (Portia straight up admitted working on that set sent her down the path of anorexia and bulimia). Lucy Liu has also spoken about how horrendous it was. And who was at the center of this maelstrom of misery and dysfunction? One Calista Flockhart.

R70 Boredom, insecurity, ego, vanity, FOMO

My Little Margie.

How about Julianna Margulies? A notorious viper, and bully.

Margulies is a good guess, what has she been up to? She refused to appear on the spin-off of her own show, which is strike one against her.

Was The Good Wife a dramedy?

Also she wrote a memoir last year, she’s not hiding from the spotlight.

The Good Wife certainly had comedic moments and episodes. One of the most comedic characters (Elsbeth) recently got her own show.

Margulies works steadily on shows no one watches.

I can't believe no one has mentioned Meredith Baxter Birney yet!

Lisa Bonet?

Can't be Lauren Holly; she currently co-stars on Family Law.

All signs point to CALISTA.

Calista also appeared on Brothers and Sisters, the second most toxic set in Hollywood, after Ally McBeal.

LASSIE

R85 did this also star Calista Flockhart?

CALISTA, a Haiku:

Perception's shadow, Calista's image in flux, Truth veiled, let's inquire.

The only one of the shows mentioned so far that I consider a true dramedy is Ally McBeal.

The “ dark, dark secrets “ make it sound so salacious

Shelley Hack

Lara Flynn Boyle has always pinged to me, and became a vixen to cover her latent desires. I do not think that Lara acted on her desires though . Lara is a soul in a lot of pain and turmoil

Teri Hatcher

Lisa Kudrow

Rula Lenska. And we want her back

Margulies is in the Morning Show. She’s doing fine.

A friend worked with her in a major recurring role on one of her shows and adored Julianna.

Sherry Stringfellow was my first thought but was ER a dramedy? I never watched it.

[quote]Sherry Stringfellow was my first thought but was ER a dramedy?

Definitely not.

Sherry’s too long gone.

Debra Messing. I'm tellin' ya!

Is Callista the reason Lisa Nicole Carson has a mental breakdown?

I think it's more likely Teri Hatcher than Marcia Cross, if talking just those two. Marcia has been on several series since DH--two seasons on the good but confusing ABC FBI drama, one on a Fox failed soap, she did a pilot for some big soap that never made it to air and a few other things. But Hatcher apparently lives in a van.

Who was that chick in the show supposedly based in Alaska?

Mary McDonnell.

Now that she's got a new face and Jean Smart has ten Emmys and fifty caftans, the time is right to reboot "High Society."

Northern Exposure Janine Turner.

Peaks= Pamela Anderson

[quote] Is Twin Peaks considered a "dramedy"?

No.

R97

I didn’t think so but wondered if there were adorable moments of mayhem.

Chad Allen!

Blacktress Janet Hubert?

Why did this immediately make me remember that Brett Butler used to be a person? What ever happened to her?

Imagine working with Calista and competing for who makes the most trips to the bathroom.

R110 While the photo is click bait (that was Brett in her role on The Walking Dead), this youtube video put up in April 2023 is a fairly objective overview her career and what happened to her. The last three chapters of the video talk about her more current life and possible comeback.

Cara Williams

Divorce, #70?

Phylicia Rashad

Rosanne Arnold

Flockhart was in "Supergirl" and was signed for the whole run but after Season 1 production was moved from CBS to The CW they moved production from Los Angeles to Vancouver. She had a kid in school and didn't agree to living in another country so she was able to break her contract.

Did Teri Hatcher really walk away from Hollywood? Or did she just stop getting hired because she had such an awful reputation after DH?

Calista didn't walk away from Hollywood, she was still appearing on Supergirl as recently as two years ago and she's married to one of the most famous men in the world. I also don't think there are a lot of questions about her personal life.

Someone mentioned Lisa Nicole Carson and while I'd dispute her as having been A-list, she did walk away and people would have a *ton* of questions about her personal life given the rumors about mental illness, etc.

R118 perhaps but between ER and alley McBeal she was on two pretty big hit shows at the same time so maybe sort of an a Lister.

[quote] Megan Mullally or Debra Messing

Will & Grace was not a dramedy.

Felicity Huffman

Has Felicity worked since the college admissions scandal? Do people still care? She did seem to come out of it looking much better than most of those other grifters (cough Lori cough Loughlin). It helps that Felicity has always been the most talented and high brow Desperate Housewife.

R117 How convenient for her. This smells like something spun by her publicist. Clearly the gnarled old crone was stinking up yet another set with her bad attitude and they wanted her OUT, especially considering her name failed to bring in viewership for season one, which really struggled in the ratings. Calista is a demon.

If they'd wanted Calista OUT then she'd have stayed OUT. But she continued to do guest appearances until the end; she just stopped being a regular when production moved.

I don't think this is Felicity either. Everyone already knows about the college admissions scandal. I find it hard to believe she's hiding other dark dark secrets or that anyone would have questions about her personal life beyond that scandal.

I had an acquaintance tell me Ellen Pompeo from Grey’s Anatomy was the rudest celebrity he ever worked with. She would be my guess, if not for the fact that she left the show fairly recently? His stories about her made her sound almost sociopathic. The funny thing is, he’s a Hollywood hairstylist and a bit of a diva himself (the clients are usually afraid of HIM), so she must have been REALLY bad.

Mischa Barton was A-list when The OC was at its peak and she did walk away. She's also trying to make a comeback and is appearing on the Neighbours reboot. She also seems like someone with a sordid personal life that she'd want to keep secret.

It’s Joyce DeWitt- the original wig shitter.

Ellen Pompeo, Courteney Cox, Calista Flockhart and Teri Hatcher all have the worst reputations. And to think, they all live in Malibu (well, Teri’s van is often parked in Malibu). They should reboot The Witches of Eastwick!

When Ellen Pompeo was on Punk'd she joked about stabbing the waitress who was flirting with her husband and laughed as she described how the woman would be lying on the sidewalk bleeding. She came off like a total psycho.

Speaking of Sandy Duncan, I got some Sargento Balanced Break snack things with cheese and tiny Wheat Thins. And the Wheat Thins were sweet! What’s up with that?

She was in a Wheat Thins commercial, right? Or Triscuit? Or Grape Nuts?

R126 This is a great guess. Mischa was certainly A-list for a brief moment and her personal life is as sleazy and disreputable as one can get. Her star has fallen further than almost anyone else’s in Hollywood. The last time I saw her she was attempting a comeback on an ill-advised reboot of The Hills, the tawdry reality show with the likes of Heidi and Spencer.

R129 Yikes! Sad for Katherine Heigl (who by all accounts is actually intelligent, hardworking and kind to crew members) to be painted as The Bitch when the actual Bitch was standing right there next to her.

R124 More like they were getting their money’s worth since they’d already backed the Brinks truck up to her house. They even had another actress portray her character in occasional later flashbacks.

Could it be Marcia Cross when she allegedly tried to keep the lesbian thing under wraps?

R134 This was mentioned upthread and seems feasible to me. A lesbian friend of mine swears she had a one night stand with Marcia, circa Melrose Place. But would coming out really hurt her at this point? If anything it seems like it could reinvigorate her career and drum up a lot of (positive) press.

Marcia has continued to work steadily since DH ended. I also don’t think being a lesbian counts as a dark secret in this day and age.

R136 Maybe she’s a lesbian who just so happens to have a lot of unrelated dark secrets.

Sofia Vergara is long rumored to have ties to the Cartel and drug money. She also has a very shady past, pre Modern Family.

Dramedy? Shameless, Emmy Rossum

R138 She was the town chicken coop - cocks flying in and out all day long.

R138 Just “the cartel.” What cartel FFS? This reads as casual racism.

R139 I have friends who’ve worked with Emmy and they all say she’s a peach.

I think R126 is on the money. That's a great guess.

Melissa Joan Hart?

[quote] Zombie Joan Davis

Half the posts failed "clever" remarks. Sad.

Pamela Sue Martin

Marcia cross

It might be good to narrow down what could realistically qualify as a dramedy.

dramedy noun dra·​me·​dy ˈdrä-mə-dē ˈdra- Synonyms of dramedy : a comedy (such as a film or television show) having dramatic moments

I think that’s a little narrow. I think a drama that reliably went for laughs could also be a dramedy in this context. But I still can’t think of many.

Ally McBeal, Northern Exposure - yes

Desperate Housewives, Twin Peaks, Grey’s Anatomy, The OC - ?? Thought they were dramas but never watched them. Were they comedic?

The Good Wife, ER, Modern Family, Will and Grace - no

Sounds like crazy ol’ Janine Turner.

I think it has to be Calista Flockhart or Janine Turner, but is Janine Turner well known enough? Even as a has-been?

It’s Georgia Engel.

Her secret is that she was born male. Also, she’s the one who shat in Betty White’s dressing room.

Helen Lawson

And ol' Georgia is still trying for a comeback years after dying. What a trouper!

The deep dark secrets reference makes it sound like DH. “Walk away from the light” also seems like a reference, but not sure what it would refer to. It seems like a deliberate use of “light” rather than “limelight”.

Shelley Long

Network dramedies would generally be hourlong shows with a lot of humor. These include Ally McBeal, Desperate Housewives, Northern Exposure, Gilmore Girls, and The OC. More recent versions would include Mrs. Maisel, Orange is the New Black, Shameless, and even Succession. Though it can’t be any of those because they weren’t network shows. Shows like Nurse Jackie or Weeds could also qualify as dramedies, but again they weren’t network shows.

The Practice and Grey’s Anatomy are dramas. Modern Family is a comedy. No one from those shows would fit.

Succession is not a dramedy. No one would characterize it as such.

Plenty of people characterize Succession as a full on comedy.

I thought it was satire.

[quote]Desperate Housewives, Twin Peaks, Grey’s Anatomy, The OC - ?? Thought they were dramas but never watched them. Were they comedic?

Desperate Housewives was a dramedy. The other three were/are not.

Disagree about the The OC not being a dramedy. Its humor is what set it apart from similar teen shows like 90210 and Dawson's Creek.

It's me bitches! I should be a goddamned DL Icon by now!

What about Kerry Washington? What has she done since Scandal?

I don't know if you could call her A list beyond her ex husband....but what about Anna Faris?

"Mom" would fit the dramedy label closer than most other shows mentioned. And she walked away - no appearances in the last season, not a peep from her.

R164 She has a great reputation - it’s her ex who’s supposed to be the asshole. Plus, I’d argue she’s much more known for film (Scary Movie, The House Bunny, Just Friends) than TV.

She was A list before Mom. I’d argue Janney got more of the attention for Mom (though Faris was excellent) so hard to argue it helped her standing when Janney was getting all the awards attention.

R141 - It's a well known Hollywood rumor that Vergara was working as a drug dealer in L.A. before making it big. Nothing to do with racism so get your panties out of your ass, dearie. Also, after waiting tables and prostitution, dealing drugs is one of the most common jobs in L.A. for struggling actors. She'd be one of hundreds to do it, so maybe not so much a dark secret...

Former A star wants a comeback? This is like half of LA.

I did a whole show about this and it still didn't make me relevant again. Fuckers!

Cybill Shepard

Is it moi, STAR of Malibu Country?

How galvanic!

[quote]She has a great reputation - it’s her ex who’s supposed to be the asshole. Plus, I’d argue she’s much more known for film (Scary Movie, The House Bunny, Just Friends) than TV.

She also has a successful podcast; she hasn't disappeared.

168. She comes from mega money.

R174 - Her mother was a housewife and her father was a rancher. She went to private school. I hardly call that MEGA money. Maybe she didn't grow up in the slums of Colombia, but she sounds middle to (stretch) upper-middle class in an overall poor country (1970-80s).

Being an aspiring actor in L.A. in the 90s wasn't cheap. You do the math.

This BI is among the most boring and banal of BIs. I mean, does a reveal really matter to anyone? Look at the names posted! Look at the uninteresting shows!

Frankly, my Dear,.....

Jenna Elfman?

What, R16? You have a link?

I'm going with Debra Messing.

Let me tell you about Deb Messing......

It's Shannen Doherty, and then she'll die.

Messing is famous for a comedy. Not a dramedy. A comedy. I’ll repeat it slower next time…

Valerie Bertinelli. She's got nothing going on since her cooking show got cancelled, she got divorced, and Eddie died. Attention must be paid.

Definitely Tiffany Brissette.

None of the people mentioned are A-list.

OMG! It's Lens!!!! Or Richard Simmons!

BrendaD ickson

R185:

[quote]actress who reached A list when the show was at its peak.

“A list” is a very flexible term when used by these blind item sites.

They would probably include friends of the housewives.

Eddie VanHalen died?!?

In 2020, r190.

[quote] get your panties out of your ass

But pics first please.

SO obvious. Miss Meghan Markle.

What was her name, the star of Weeds? She got three Emmy nominations. Did that make her A list at the time? Something Botwin?

Mary-Louise Parker, r194.

Thanks, R195.

You're welcome, r196.

Annette Bening

Sure sounds like Cybill to me.

Lara Flynn Boyle was the one who walked away from Hollywood and went off the grid a bit.

R200 - Most people just call that a bender followed by rehab.

Amy Bennerman???

Mary Louise Parker wasn’t on a network dramedy, so she’s out. Although I have heard she’s a pill.

I never liked her

So network can’t mean a cable network?

Mary-Louise Parker works consistently, taking breaks from film and TV sometimes for stage work.

[quote]So network can’t mean a cable network?

Historically it refers to free over-the-air networks, not digitally-delivered pay services.

[quote] Amy Bennerman???

It's actually Amy Brenneman, but that's not a bad guess.

Louise Lasser!

R205 In context, when Enty wants to indicate someone-something that was on cable, he usually writes that - even indicating that someone-something was "pay cable" or "cable news network" or "cable reality," etc.

[Quote] Hasn't Calista been Mrs. Harrison Ford for a couple of decades? Why would she want to come back?

have you seen Harrison lately?

^He looks like he died twenty years ago and they reanimated his rotting corpse.

Has anyone heard from Susan Dey?

Susan Saint James?

Lindsey Sidney Greenbush

The lady from Weeds?

Greta Garbo.

What put Lara Flynn Boyle on the A List was dating Jack Nicholson. On her own merits, a high B. Maybe that part about turning away from the light is a "The Shining" clue?

OMG is it Melina Kantalopalou - she was Eleni on GUIDING LIGHT, then hit A list with Providence, which surely was a Dramedy. The 'light' clue would make sense. She hasn't done a thing in YEARS.

R218 - But aren't Blind Items about celebrities supposed to be about people are famous or generally cared about?

I think that “turning away from the light” clue clearly points to Northern Exposure as the show and Janine Turner as the actress.

R218 "THE Guiding Light" ???

Kim Delaney?

Meg Ryan?

Helen Lawson. Helenesque sales are flat.

A List Superstar Heather Dubrow.

The death knell of the Roseanne PR Machine.

Mary Louise Parker is a good friend of mine and she is in no way a "pill". Would give you the shirt off her back. Her friends love her. Bawdy sense of humor and an " honorary" gay man.

Roseanne didn't walk away, she was pushed down the elevator shaft.

Potato, pahtahto

I'm waiting...

I’m available

Monica Potter? I’m not sure if Parenthood made her A-list, but it was very highly-regarded. I know she kind of walked away from Hollywood to start a home goods business in her hometown of Cleveland, which I think some of her family worked for.

I'm not getting any younger

[quote] because she did walk away from the light.

"Light" is a reference to weight.

Someone who got fat.

Could "Light" be about me?

R235 Judith has never walked away. She's been working all the time.

MovieMaker did just did an article on the subject of actors who walked away when they were on top and they included Portia de Rossi. .. Given her connection to Ellen might make her A List, at the very least where name recognition is concerned.

[quote] The actress had a run of hits from Ally McBeal to Scandal to Arrested Development, but she opted to quit acting just before turning 45, and asked Scandal creator Shonda Rhimes to write her character off the show. She explained on wife Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show: "I kind of knew what acting would look like for me for the next 10, 20 years, so I decided to quit and start a business." She did make one exception, returning for the fifth season of Arrested Development on Netflix in 2018. But since then, she’s chosen to focus on other aspects of life, earning this place on our esteemed list of stars who quit acting.

Also, her book about her anorexia was entitled "Unbearable Lightness" which could tie into that line about "the light."

Kathy Heigl.

Joan "Anyone have a cig I can bum?" Davis. She's red hot, kids!