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Some comebacks are best left unmade. Join us as we count down our picks for the celebrity TV comeback attempts that flopped, fizzled, or blew up in their faces! For this list, we're looking at stars who tried to reclaim their small-screen glory — only to crash and burn all over again. Which disastrous TV comeback do you think was the worst? Let us know in the comments!
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00:00I forgive you
00:04Welcome to watch mojo and today we're counting down our picks for the celebrity TV comeback attempts that flopped fizzled
00:10or blew up in their face
00:12I think all of our years of psychological training has brought us to this moment
00:17Number 10 Misha Barton after rising to teen TV superstardom as Marissa Cooper on the OC Misha Barton spent years
00:24off the television map
00:31I
00:36Following her 2006 departure from the series Barton's career became defined more by personal struggles and legal issues alongside the
00:43occasional indie film work
00:44So when MTV announced she'd be joining the hills new beginnings her first major TV role in well over a
00:50decade
00:50It sounded like a need a comeback. I thought okay
00:52I'll take this seriously now and think about it
00:55However, Barton often seemed uneasy on camera and rarely factored into the central drama
00:59Critics described her presence as subdued and disconnected from the show's tone and with no breakout storylines to anchor her
01:06She didn't return for the second season
01:07Keep my distance now from people. It's a hard-learned blessing
01:10Number 9 David Hasselhoff
01:13Who are you?
01:14I'm David Hasselhoff
01:16Hooray!
01:17Once a global TV icon thanks to the 80s hit Knight Rider and 90s phenomenon Baywatch
01:23David Hasselhoff entered the 2010s with his career overshadowed by well-publicized personal struggles
01:28His A&E series the Hasselhoffs was his chance to get back in the TV spotlight by providing a playful
01:33self-aware look at his life
01:35All while helping his daughters pursue music
01:37I've been called a lot of names in my life
01:39One that means the most to me now
01:41Is Dad
01:42But the show lacked energy
01:44Feeling overly staged rather than revealing
01:46Fans hoping to capture either nostalgia or genuine family chemistry were left disappointed
01:51It's a terrible idea
01:52Worse, ratings were dismal
01:54And so, A&E cancelled the show after just two episodes
01:56Yeesh
01:57Number 8 Denise Richards
01:59No wonder he was looking for something better
02:02Few comebacks have unfolded in as jagged a trajectory as Denise Richards
02:06Her 2008 E-series, Denise Richards' It's Complicated
02:09Was marketed as a fresh-starred post-tabloid turmoil
02:12But the show drew criticism for feeling exploitative rather than redemptive
02:16Is he gay?
02:17No, he's not
02:18I'm serious
02:19No, oh, you got that vibe?
02:20Totally
02:20Years later, Richards attempted another soft reboot
02:23By joining The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
02:25This has been probably the worst trip I've ever been on in my entire life
02:29That is the truth
02:32I don't deserve this
02:33It began promisingly enough
02:35But unraveled fast
02:36Her second season on the show imploded
02:38Thanks to cast conflict
02:40And a highly publicized claim from Brandi Glanville
02:42Alleging a personal relationship between them
02:44An accusation Denise Richards firmly denied
02:47I've never experienced this with you
02:49Instead of revamping her image
02:50The experience just ignited tawdry headlines
02:53Number 7
02:54Farrah Abraham
02:55Introduced to audiences on Teen Mom
02:57Farrah Abraham become one of the franchise's most polarizing figures
03:00Well, aren't you glad that's over with?
03:03Yeah, Mom
03:04Yeah, me too
03:06After eventually being fired from Teen Mom OG in 2017
03:09Her attempts to reboot her image through other reality shows repeatedly fell flat
03:13Abraham joined Celebrity Big Brother
03:15Where explosive arguments dominated her screen time
03:18You know what?
03:19I have no energy for a stupid little f***
03:21Bye
03:21Bye, I'm more famous than you are
03:23I make more money
03:24Bye
03:24She later appeared on MTV's Ex on the Beach
03:27Which similarly devolved into constant conflict
03:34Even her stint on the social media dating series Single AF
03:38Generated more headlines for drama than reinvention
03:41Each return reignited the same feuds and controversies
03:44Leaving her widely viewed as unpredictable
03:46And no doubt limiting any chance of a genuine TV comeback
03:49Number 6
03:50Ashley Simpson
04:00Nearly 15 years removed from her infamous Saturday Night Live lip sync fiasco
04:04And the uneven reception to her early music career
04:06Ashley Simpson attempted a fresh comeback with Ashley and Evan
04:10Co-starring her husband Evan Ross
04:12If I trust you, I do, I do, I do
04:16The docu-series positioned her return as a mature, family-centered reinvention
04:21While the pair worked on new music
04:23Basically, the solution was in front of me the whole time
04:26But the show struggled to stand out in a crowded reality TV landscape
04:30With many calling it overly produced and lacking memorable moments
04:33Who's cooking?
04:35We are? You are?
04:37We are
04:38I'm gonna start getting packed
04:40Worse, the music released alongside the series made little chart impact
04:44Despite E's promotional push, the project faded quickly
04:47And so too did Simpson's comeback hopes
04:50It was a special kind of life
04:52Because we all got to be together
04:53And we supported each other
04:55Number 5
04:56Megyn Kelly
04:57When former Fox News star Megyn Kelly shifted to NBC for a fresh start
05:01With Megyn Kelly today
05:02Many eyebrows were raised
05:03The network envisioned Kelly as a daytime personality with wide appeal
05:07That transition, however, was doomed from day one
05:10Audiences felt she was miscast for the light, personable world of daytime TV
05:14And critics noted she appeared uncomfortable with the show's tone
05:17Segments often went viral for the wrong reasons
05:19And her ratings lagged far behind expectations
05:22The final blow came when Kelly sparked backlash
05:24By questioning why blackface was considered inappropriate in Halloween costumes
05:28I defended the idea, saying as long as it was respectful and part of a Halloween costume
05:34It seemed okay
05:36Well, I was wrong
05:37And I am sorry
05:39One of the great parts of sitting in this chair each day is getting to discuss different points of view
05:44Sometimes I talk and sometimes I listen
05:46And yesterday I learned
05:49After issuing an on-air apology, she was nevertheless removed from the show
05:53And NBC canceled the program outright
05:55Kelly's since stepped away from TV entirely and shifted her focus to podcasting
05:59He is what we would call in the law a f***ing liar
06:02Number 4, Michael Richards
06:04I'm out
06:07After his beloved run as Kramer on Seinfeld
06:09Michael Richards looked to regain footing in Hollywood
06:12With The Michael Richards Show
06:13Where he played a bumbling private detective
06:15Unfortunately, that series flopped hard thanks to poor reviews and low ratings
06:19Was that tree pink when I came in here?
06:25Any momentum Richards had left all but vanished in 2006
06:29When a highly publicized racist outburst at the Laugh Factory
06:32Sparred widespread backlash
06:34You guys have been talking and talking and talking
06:38I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
06:40However, years later, Richards attempted another return
06:44This time on TV Land's Kirstie
06:46Did you tell her yet?
06:47Isn't it incredible?
06:48Joining the Kirstie Alley-led series
06:50Richards hoped to recapture the comic energy audiences once loved
06:53But the sitcom drew lukewarm reactions
06:56At best
06:56And the show ended after one season
06:58Number 3, Charlie Sheen
07:00Before his infamous public unraveling
07:02Charlie Sheen had enjoyed major sitcom success
07:05He first replaced Michael J. Fox on Spin City to booming viewership
07:09And then became TV's highest paid actor on Two and a Half Men
07:12Oh, gee, Charlie, that may not be the best idea
07:15But his 2011 meltdown and ultimate firing made him one of Hollywood's most notorious figures
07:20I'm by winning
07:21I win here and I win there
07:23Now what?
07:24Hoping to convert that infamy into a comeback
07:26Sheen headlined Anger Management
07:28Which FX launched with a 10 episode test run
07:30That triggered a massive 90 episode pickup after strong initial ratings
07:34All right, let's just put this whole damn thing behind us
07:37May the filth be with you
07:39Sadly, the show quickly lost steam
07:41The enormous episode order seemingly strained quality
07:44And by its 2014 finale
07:45Viewership had sharply declined
07:47To put it nicely
07:48Charlie lived life on his own terms
07:50And never apologized for who he was
07:53Number 2, Katherine Heigl
07:55After a rise into fame as Izzy Stevens on Grey's Anatomy
07:58Katherine Heigl quickly developed a bad reputation in Hollywood
08:01Stop it, I mean it
08:02Stop talking
08:05There is nothing to talk about
08:08Do you understand me?
08:09There is nothing to discuss
08:11She was labeled as someone difficult to work with
08:14Due to public criticism of scripts
08:15Emmy campaigning controversies
08:17And reported tensions with colleagues
08:19There was a part of me that thought
08:20Because I had won the year before
08:22That I needed juicy, dramatic, emotional material
08:25And I just didn't have that that season
08:27Unsurprisingly, her career momentum slowed
08:30After leaving the series in 2010
08:31Hoping to reset
08:32Heigl starred in NBC's State of Affairs
08:35Portraying a CIA analyst
08:36And later led CBS's Doubt
08:38Both series failed to gain traction
08:40With Doubt being cancelled
08:41After just two episodes due to low ratings
08:43Ouch
08:44Sound familiar?
08:45Will TV audiences ever welcome Katherine Heigl
08:48Back into their living rooms?
08:49Number 1, Roseanne Barr
08:51Few comebacks have imploded
08:52Faster than Roseanne Barr's return
08:54With the 2018 Roseanne reboot
08:56What happened?
08:58I thought you were dead
08:59The original Roseanne aired from 1988 to 1997
09:03Making it over 20 years since Barr had led a weekly network sitcom
09:06But the revival premiered to massive ratings
09:09Becoming one of ABC's highest rated debuts in years
09:12Did you get the pain pills for my bad knee?
09:16Wouldn't be the candy man without the sunshine, babe
09:18It also appeared to restore Barr's status as a television powerhouse
09:22However, the revival collapsed when Roseanne tweeted a perceived racist comment
09:27About former Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett
09:29Provoking a media outrage
09:31Within hours, ABC pulled the plug on the show
09:34Saying Roseanne's Twitter statement is
09:36Abhorrent, repugnant, and inconsistent with our values
09:40And we've decided to cancel her show
09:42ABC cancelled the show within days
09:44Removing Barr entirely
09:45The series was later rebranded as the Conners
09:47And Roseanne was left to pick up the pieces of her reputation
09:51Which disastrous TV comeback do you think was the worst of the worst?
09:54Let's chat in the comments below
09:55Let's chat in the comments below
09:58Let's chat in the comments below
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