Why in the world...
did Shelley Long ever leave this series?
shareShe wanted to resume film acting, and also felt that Diane's romance with Sam could not be milked out any longer.
shareSmart decision, huh?
RIP Gene Wilder. One of the funniest people of all time. RIP Matt Roberts. You were great.
She wanted to resume film acting
That went well. share
Diane's departure might not have been the best career move for Shelley Long, but it was best for the show. The writers had done everything with Sam and Diane short of marrying them off and giving them a kid, and that wouldn't (IMO) have worked as well as a new character coming in. The writers (sadly) seemed not to know what to do with an intelligent woman - unlike the early years' writers - and turned Diane into a stalkerish shrew. I don't think the show would have lasted as long as it did if Sam and Diane just kept going round in circles, becoming more and more unlikeable.
shareI think Cheers could have run around 8 seasons with Diane before ideas got stale. There was definitely some mileage left in a married Sam and Diane. Making Diane pregnant would no doubt have been next.
They think we're the demons now - Prue Halliwell ~ All Hell Breaks Loose ~ Charmed
She left at a good time. Rebecca was a welcome change of pace.
RIP Gene Wilder. One of the funniest people of all time. RIP Matt Roberts. You were great.