The real drama was behind the scenes. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most sensational on-set drama from popular TV shows.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00What is your problem?
00:02I don't have a problem. You have a problem.
00:04Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks
00:08for the most sensational on-set drama from popular TV shows.
00:12Let me just say, I have no idea where it's going.
00:14I don't either.
00:15When it's kind of fun.
00:16Yeah, right.
00:17We're on a ride here.
00:18I'm so sorry. No, no, no.
00:20Number 10. Charmed.
00:22There was too much drama on the set, and not enough passion for the work.
00:26Even before cameras started rolling, tensions were already high behind the scenes of Charmed.
00:31Prior to signing on, Shannon Dougherty had gained a reputation on the set of Beverly Hills 90210
00:37for being difficult to work with.
00:39And to make matters worse, she and Holly Marie Combs' decade-long friendship
00:43made co-star Alyssa Milano feel like a third wheel.
00:47It was very much sort of like high school.
00:50I would hope that in our 30s that it wouldn't be like that anymore.
00:54The three women acted friendly with each other for the press,
00:57but the facade soon fell when Dougherty publicly exited the series in its third season.
01:02In the years that followed, Dougherty got the brunt of the blame for her own departure.
01:07But she has since said that it was actually due to Milano's ego
01:10and desire to be number one on the call sheet.
01:13A livelihood that was taken away from my family
01:16because someone else wanted to be number one on the call sheet.
01:19That isn't true.
01:20Number nine. Desperate Housewives.
01:23Dubbed 2004's best new drama, Desperate Housewives was an instant success,
01:28winning seven Emmys and two Golden Globes for its premiere season.
01:32All right ladies, lift him up.
01:34To Mary Alice, a good friend and neighbor.
01:37Wherever you are, we hope you've found peace.
01:40To Mary Alice.
01:41To Mary Alice.
01:42The cast featured in Vanity Fair shortly afterwards
01:45with a cover story suggesting all was not well on Wisteria Lane.
01:49The network claimed the story was overblown
01:51and Eva Longoria even participated in a sketch
01:54poking fun at the ordeal on Saturday Night Live.
01:57But soon after, real issues began to surface.
02:00For me, when I spoke out of being the victim of assault and battery,
02:04I was absolutely vilified.
02:06And I decided to take that legal route.
02:09Nicolette Sheridan claimed to have been assaulted by showrunner Mark Cherry,
02:13who was also accused of creating a toxic work environment for his female writing staff.
02:18Years later, Longoria would add to the set's negative perception,
02:22describing torturous work days in which she was bullied by an unnamed castmate.
02:27You know, everything's such a blur.
02:29Yeah.
02:30I was mostly drunk on the set.
02:32So I don't remember a lot of stuff.
02:35Number eight, Lost.
02:37I would have left you behind.
02:39Shut up man, don't try that.
02:43I did leave you behind.
02:45Thirteen years after Lost ended, film critic Maureen Ryan released a book
02:49about the myriad of issues still plaguing Hollywood sets, titled Burn It Down.
02:54The book featured an interview with Lost series regular Harold Pirineau,
02:59who took the opportunity to discuss the racism present behind the scenes.
03:03He claimed that his character, along with Daniel Day-Kim's,
03:06were not considered as relatable as their white counterparts,
03:09and their salaries reflected this bias.
03:12You're never going to be able to do it by yourself.
03:14I thought we parted ways, Mike.
03:16We're caught in the same current.
03:18Writer Monica Urusu-Breen had similar complaints,
03:21saying that openly racist remarks were commonplace in the Lost writers' room.
03:26The environment was just as unsafe for women,
03:28with actor Henry Ian Cusick being sued for sexual harassment,
03:32and the writers' room similarly accused of making sexist comments.
03:37It is so easy to make fun of me.
03:39I wish I didn't have to waste my time making fun of you.
03:41I wish I didn't have a reason.
03:42Yeah, and it is easy, Shannon.
03:43Screw you. You do not have the slightest idea.
03:45I have a much better idea than you think I do.
03:47No, you don't!
03:48Number 7. Two and a Half Men
03:50When it was announced that Charlie Sheen would be entering rehab,
03:53it seemed like a step in the right direction for the volatile actor.
03:57Did he work drunk?
03:58Uh, not drunk.
04:00I don't know if that was his weapon of choice at the time.
04:04Two and a Half Men even accommodated him,
04:06going on hiatus until Sheen felt well enough to return.
04:10And yet this moment would mark the beginning
04:12of the end of Sheen's relationship with the series.
04:15Following an alleged pay dispute,
04:17Sheen publicly ranted against showrunner Chuck Lorre,
04:20severing any goodwill that had remained between the two.
04:23Well, yeah, I think that what went down was fixable,
04:26and I made it irreparable.
04:28Sheen's character was killed offscreen
04:30and given a surprisingly mean-spirited funeral.
04:32Blah, blah, blah. Why can't we see the body?
04:36Yeah, I didn't come all this way to spit on a closed coffin.
04:39Anger management allowed Sheen the chance at a meta-response,
04:42but Lorre ultimately got the last laugh,
04:45using Two and a Half Men's final moments
04:47to kill Charlie once more.
04:49Number six, Star Trek, the original series.
04:52The impact of Star Trek on modern sci-fi is undeniable,
04:56despite the on-set conflicts between William Shatner
04:59and pretty much everyone else.
05:01You've reached the home of Leonard Nimoy.
05:03Anybody but Bill Shatner, please leave a message.
05:06In her memoir, Nichelle Nichols claims that the actor
05:09used his influence to cut back people's lines,
05:12while James Doohan wanted to punch him.
05:15Even Leonard Nimoy, who maintained a good-natured sibling rivalry
05:18with Shatner, had a falling out with him shortly before his death.
05:21Captain's biggest critic is George Takei,
05:24whose vocal distaste for the actor has spanned decades.
05:27He's got this charm that he thinks is going to cover up
05:32all the other things that he does to people.
05:34Oh, so he's nice to you while he's cutting your throat?
05:36The original series wasn't the only Star Trek show
05:39that suffered behind the scenes.
05:40Gene Roddenberry's insistence that the Starfleet crew
05:43never have internal conflicts led to massive headaches
05:47and constant turnover for the writers of The Next Generation.
05:50I cannot imagine why you are trying to block this investigation.
05:55There have been others in the past who doubted me.
05:59They came to regret it.
06:01Number 5. Community
06:03In another timeline, this show would not have made this list
06:06because in that universe, Chevy Chase was not involved.
06:10Hi, Dan.
06:14Can I eat?
06:15Yeah.
06:17I don't want to interrupt.
06:18Showrunner Dan Harmon initially considered actors like
06:21Fred Willard, John Cleese, and even Patrick Stewart
06:24for the role of Pierce.
06:25But Sony was adamant that Chase be cast in the role.
06:29Though he was a recognizable draw for audiences,
06:32Chase was reportedly difficult to work with,
06:34leaving set early and even refusing to perform scenes
06:38he deemed unfunny.
06:39Why was Chevy difficult to work with?
06:41Yeah, I mean, I think, I wish he was sitting here
06:45so that that didn't seem scandalous to say
06:47because I doubt he would disagree.
06:49A tense relationship formed between the actor and Harmon,
06:52which ultimately led to Harmon's firing.
06:55Following season was infamously rocky,
06:57and Chase's use of a racial slur on set helped seal his fate.
07:01Surely, that's the most racist thing I've ever heard.
07:04Pierce will beat that in one minute.
07:06For the show's final two seasons, Harmon returned
07:09and Chase was cast out.
07:11Number four, Grey's Anatomy.
07:13Actually, you know, the journey of it has been quite interesting
07:16because obviously we've had our ups and downs behind the scenes.
07:20When a show has run for as long as Grey's Anatomy,
07:23there's bound to have been some drama along the way.
07:25But it came as a surprise when it was revealed
07:27that McDreamy was behind some of the series'
07:30biggest behind-the-scenes issues.
07:32A new book citing former Grey's cast and crew members
07:35claims Dempsey was written off Grey's
07:37because, well, behind the scenes, McDreamy was a McKnight-man.
07:41Patrick Dempsey was said to be a huge pain on set,
07:45showing up late and stopping production.
07:47Isaiah Washington was also let go from the series
07:50after allegedly calling T.R. Knight a homophobic slur
07:54during an on-set argument with Dempsey.
07:56This forced Knight to come out shortly after,
07:59a moment which he suggested spelled the beginning
08:01of the end for his time on Grey's.
08:03We are your neighbors, your co-workers, your family.
08:06If someone you know comes out, be willing to listen.
08:09You have the power to make a difference
08:10just by treating people with dignity and respect.
08:13Number three, Sex and the City.
08:15The four friends at the center of this show
08:17may have considered each other platonic soulmates,
08:19but in real life, the relationship between the women
08:22was far more complex.
08:24This is particularly true for Kim Cattrall
08:26and Sarah Jessica Parker,
08:28whose dynamic has been tabloid fodder for decades.
08:31I'm not blind. I saw that look in your eye in my office.
08:35What look?
08:36That judgmental look.
08:37That wasn't judgment, that was shock.
08:39Shortly after the finale, Cattrall expressed her disappointment
08:42in the division of pay behind the scenes.
08:44Parker actually stood up for her castmate,
08:47initially denying rumors of any feud.
08:49Was every day perfect?
08:50Were people always desperately, hopelessly in love with each other?
08:53No, but this is a family of people who needed each other,
08:57relied upon each other, and loved each other.
08:59However, all pretenses were dropped
09:01when Cattrall lashed out at the actress
09:03for publicly sending her condolences
09:05after her brother's death in 2018.
09:08Cattrall claimed that any attempt by Parker
09:10to make it seem like they were friends
09:12was simply to aid her nice girl image.
09:14Despite the laughs and hugs over the years,
09:17Cattrall telling Piers Morgan in October
09:19that the women on Sex and the City were never friends.
09:25People have always been interested in
09:27David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson
09:29getting together personally, privately, intimately,
09:32as they were interested in Mulder and Scully
09:35getting together intimately, and not going to happen.
09:38If you're one of many who consider
09:40Dana Scully and Fox Mulder to be soulmates,
09:44this is just a testament to the talent of their actors.
09:47In real life, Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny
09:50maintained a strained relationship,
09:52with Anderson saying she had multiple breakdowns
09:55throughout their series' original nine-season run.
10:05On occasion, the two actors would even
10:07refuse to talk to each other,
10:09only communicating when a script dictated it.
10:11One of the primary points of contention
10:13appeared to be a salary dispute,
10:15with Anderson making significantly less
10:17than her male co-star.
10:29Fortunately, this injustice was resolved
10:31for the 2016 revival season,
10:33and Anderson and Duchovny seem to have
10:36reconciled any other issues between them as well.
10:39Before we continue, be sure to subscribe
10:41to our channel and ring the bell
10:43to get notified about our latest videos.
10:45You have the option to be notified
10:47for occasional videos or all of them.
10:49If you're on your phone, make sure you go
10:51into your settings and switch on notifications.
11:03As most fans of this show probably know,
11:05actress Lea Michele is at the center
11:07of many stories of on-set turmoil.
11:09Naya Rivera was frequently vocal
11:11about the actress' behavior,
11:13even detailing specific instances
11:15of Michele's poor professionalism
11:17in her memoir, Sorry Not Sorry.
11:29The star was also accused of racism,
11:31and rumors circulated that she may have
11:33had a hand in Diana Agron's
11:35troubling absence from the tribute episode
11:37following Corey Monteith's death.
11:39Somehow, however, Michele is not
11:41the cast member who tarnishes
11:43the show's legacy the most.
11:45In the years following Glee's end,
11:47Mark Salling was found to be in possession
11:49of thousands of illegal images
11:51of young people, retroactively
11:53ruining any goodwill fans had
11:55fostered for his on-screen character.
12:05Did we miss any dramatic disputes
12:07from your favorite series?
12:09Let us know in the comments.
12:11I haven't changed at all.
12:13Sometimes it's just there's a
12:15cornucopia of things that can happen
12:17to make it stressful. Sometimes it's stressful
12:19beyond your control.
12:21Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other
12:23recent clip from Ms. Mojo. And be sure to
12:25subscribe and ring the bell to be notified
12:27about our latest videos.