Ted Danson Explains Why He Stepped Away from Sitcoms After ABC Cancellation

Veteran actor Ted Danson has been a television icon for decades, but he revealed on his podcast Where Everybody Knows Your Name that he considered leaving the small screen entirely after ABC canceled Help Me Help You mid-season. The cancellation came after successful runs on Cheers and Becker.

"It was after Cheers and Becker and I tried another half-hour and I just felt like — it didn’t work out, then it was like, ‘Oh, I’ve stayed at this half-hour party too long.’ I’m no longer funny. I’m not amusing myself. There are people doing really amazing, funny stuff. I’m gonna stop doing this."

Danson made these remarks during an episode featuring guest Adam Scott. The podcast occasionally features Woody Harrelson, who co-starred with Danson on Cheers starting in Season 4.

Career Shifts and Comebacks

Danson discussed his career diversions, including his pursuit of dramatic roles—such as his appearance in Saving Private Ryan under director Steven Spielberg—and his early involvement in Curb Your Enthusiasm. He admitted he initially thought the show "sucks" after watching the pilot.

His return to television in a major way came with the FX legal thriller Damages, which he credits for reigniting his passion for acting. Danson described the experience as transformative:

"Damages gave me the thing. It took the bored out of my butt in that it’s brilliant writing but literally you would be called to the set for a scene and be handed warm pages of the scene that they had just rewritten. It was like I had carte blanche."

Iconic Roles and Recent Projects

It’s difficult to imagine a time without Danson on television, as each generation has had its own iconic series featuring him. His notable roles include:

• Cheers (1982–1993)
• Becker (1998–2004)
• Damages (2007–2010)
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2011–2015)
• The Good Place (2016–2020)
• A Man on the Inside (current)

Danson emphasized that Damages was pivotal in pulling him out of a brief creative slump. It also marked the first time he hired an acting coach, a decision that surprised him at the time.

"What was weird was the writers, the Kesslers, Glenn and Todd, came up to me a week before we started shooting and said, ‘Would you mind going to our acting coach?’ and I was like, ‘Oh, f–k man, I guess I’m really miscast and they’re worried.’ I was smart enough to go, ‘Yes, of course!’ even though I was dying inside. I went and he was brilliant."

The acting coach helped Danson realize his strengths as a "nice actor"—someone audiences trust to deliver lines and see projects through. However, playing the ruthless billionaire Arthur Frobisher in Damages required a different approach.

"You need to have an irreverence to the material. You need to have, in your mind, ‘You know what? I’m gonna do this differently.’"