Ted Danson faced one of the sharpest confidence crises of his comedy career after the 2006 sitcom Help Me Help You failed to find an audience. The actor said the experience made him consider walking away from half-hour comedy altogether.
The ABC series cast Danson as Bill Hoffman, an egotistical therapist whose personal problems were as persistent as those of his patients. It premiered in September 2006, but was removed from the schedule in December after nine of its 13 episodes had aired.
A Setback for a Sitcom Mainstay
The disappointment was especially striking given Danson’s long association with television comedy. He had already become the face of Cheers, playing the central figure at the bar where “everybody knows your name.”
His career did not move in a straight line after Cheers, however. The 1997 comedy Ink lasted one season, while Becker became a far more durable return, running for six years and nearly 130 episodes.
| Series | Role in Danson’s Career | Run or Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Ink | First post-Cheers comedy | Cancelled after one season in 1997 |
| Becker | Comedy comeback | Six years, nearly 130 episodes |
| Help Me Help You | ABC therapist sitcom | Nine of 13 episodes aired |
| Damages | Shift to drama | Series regular for its first three seasons |
Far Out Magazine reported that the failure of Help Me Help You made Danson question whether his time in comedy had run its course. He described feeling outpaced by other performers and no longer amused by his own work.
“It didn’t work out, then it was like, ‘Oh, I’ve stayed at this half-hour party too long,’” Danson said. “I’m no longer funny. I’m not amusing myself. There are people doing really amazing, funny stuff. I’m gonna stop doing this.”
Drama Offered a Reset
Rather than permanently leaving television, Danson moved into more dramatic territory with Damages, the legal thriller led by Glenn Close. He joined the show as a regular for its first three seasons and credited it with restoring his enthusiasm for acting.
“Damages gave me the thing,” Danson said. “It took the bored out of my butt.”
The reset proved temporary rather than a departure from comedy. Bored to Death arrived on HBO less than two and a half years after Help Me Help You, and it ran for three seasons.
Danson later continued his sitcom run with The Good Place, which lasted four seasons, and Mr. Mayor, which lasted two. Netflix has also renewed A Man on the Inside for a third season, extending a career that has included no fewer than nine comedy shows since the ABC setback.