10 Actors Whose Careers Died After Leaving Their Hit Show

After appearing on a hit television program, many actors begin to believe they can have a successful career outside of the show that gained them popularity. But many celebrities soon find out that in Tinseltown, you can be hot one day and at the bottom of the Hollywood totem pole the next. These 10 actors found out the hard way that transitioning their success after leaving a hit show is much harder than it seems, and for these actors, their decision proved to be detrimental to their careers.

10. David Caruso

David Caruso played Detective John Kelly on ABC’s hit police drama NYPD Blue. After winning a Golden Globe award, Caruso left the show over a salary dispute, and he gave acting on the big screen a shot. He appeared in a bunch of flops including: Jade, and Kiss of Death. Perhaps his movies weren’t well-received because fans of NYPD Blue were still a bit ticked off over the way he left the series. Without any fan support, Caruso struggled for almost ten years, appearing in back-to-back forgettable flicks, until he found his way back to primetime television to play a lieutenant on CSI: Miami. To this day, his career has never been able to get back on track.