Samantha Browne-Walters fired?

[TJ]

Was she fired from the show or did she voluntarily leave it for other reasons? I don't see her in any of the season 2 cast photos or press releases.

[Marvo301]

TJ, I just visited the official website for Life With Bonnie at ABC.go.com. Samantha was in all the pictures and is very obviously still on the show. Please try to get your facts correct.:mad:

[TJ]

Um Marvo, check again buddy.. she is no where to be seen in any photos on that site and she's not listed under the cast bios section.. you were viewing their old site probably, they recently updated...

http://abc.go.com/primetime/lifewithbonnie/index.html

[Stuck In The '70's]

Over at Mediaweek.com it was reported that a tv kid would be missing in action this season with no explanation of where he/she went. It didn't mention the show but maybe it was Life With Bonnie.

[TVJunkie101]

I have no clue what happened either. But, she's obviously gone from the show. Chalk it up to another Missing In Action kid on a sitcom, lol. Last night's premiere it was as if the daughter never existed.

[hawaii five-o]

Maybe Chuck Cunningham can tell us where she is???

[HDfanLiz]

Yeah, I noticed she wasn't in any of the ads, and then sure enough I tuned in and she was gone. It's very odd, I thought she was a pretty good actress. I wonder why they wrote her out with no explanation.

[Wizzy]

she was too darn distracting to viewers...

why did Bonnie Hunt cast such homely kids to begin with?
If the show DOES last for 5 years they are gonna be the ugliest things since Danny Bonaduce grew breasts on The Partridge Family.
In fact, the remaining wise cracker son LOOKS like young Danny !

maybe with one missing daughter (in Chuck Cunningham limbo)
Bonnie can focus on using her cast well-- instead of annoying
improv guests who try to milk it and flop (Robin Williams was
horrible last year!)

[Grant]

Seems like a BIG mistake to boot the kid that actually can act. (Maybe that's why Whizzy found her so distracting.) Which is far more than I can say for the other two kids, (geez, could somebody get them some acting and diction lessons), and a couple of the adults as well. Holly and Chris, please.
Beyond the sheer tackiness of having Samantha never come home from school and have nobody notice. She was the character that could handle exposition therefore driving what story forward, that wasn't lost on the cutting room floor, without making it SOUND like exposition. Besides she was the heart of the show if you look back.
As to looks, Charlie I'll give you, eeeee. But I think there was a little of the Lucy making sure Ethyl didn't upstage her looks happening on Bonnie's part. If you've seen any of Samantha's film work, she's much better looking than she was allowed to be on LWB. And also by the end of the season Samantha was beginning to develop some very long legs, and some T&A to go with that gorgeous NATURAL blonde hair. Bonnie is infamously insecure about her looks, her age, and competition from the female gender. Just peruse the looks of the women she has as regulars on the show. And the guests, mostly men, some with their aging mothers.
All that aside, WHERE is Bonnie's vaunted loyalty to her casts? Oh I forgot, little girls are expendable.

[Frasier W. Crane]

I HATE when they do this to shows...they get rid of a charater without any explination.....it bothers me so much. Anyone agree?

[Sitcomwriter]

Originally posted by Frasier W. Crane
I HATE when they do this to shows...they get rid of a charater without any explination.....it bothers me so much. Anyone agree?

Yep but I knew Frankie would become a regular.I sort og expected this.Charlie was the "Funny Kid", Frankie was the "Crazy Next-Door Neighbor" but what was Samantha? She was the "ugly" (although I didn't think so) token daughter.She really didn't do anything.Chuck Cunninham anyone? It does suck though.I kind of refuse to watch the show now.

[Wizzy]

female improv actresses like

Catherine O'Hara
Tracey Ullman
Andrea Martin
Jane Curtain
Jennifer Coolidge
Lily Tomlin

would NEVER be cast as guest stars on Bonnie's IMPROV/Sitcom
because they would BLOW her out of the water in the talent department....and Miss Priss would be scared they would look
PRETTIER than the STAR.
Believe me, Bonnie....your TV HUSBAND is prettier than you.
Like Donna Reed's TV Hubby -- he is a hottie and nobody is looking at YOUR side of the bed.

ABC is hanging on to this DOG of a show and talent because
they are often 4th place in ratings -- and are desperate.

[Grant]

Not only do I hate it when a character drops off the face of the earth. Someone who should know told me, that there is even more hateful behavior behind the scenes. Seems Bonnie made Samantha wait until a couple of days before the contract deadline, travel and housing arrangements already having had to be made by then for NYC to LA, before Samantha's agent was told Sams contract wouldn't be picked up. No explanation was given and Bonnie didn't so much as drop a note to the child she'd been kissing, hugging, and telling how wonderful she was for the whole of last season. And the creepy kicker, Bonnie has had Samantha's head cut out of the little kid pictures on set and glued Connor's head in? Why not just put picures of Connor in the frames? Does anyone else find that this is bizarre behaviour in regards to a child?

[hawaii five-o]

This reminds me of the scene in the movie "Mommie Dearest" when Joan Crawford breaks up with her boyfriend and cuts his head out of all of the pictures in the picture frames and photo albums. Little Christina says, "If she gets mad at you, she can just make you disappear."

[simplechef]

Wow, I just have to say this thread has become viscious! I LOVE LWB. Yes, we miss Samantha, but we sure wouldn't ax the whole show for it.

Perhaps there were two sides to the story. Maybe a long legged, actractive little girl has other fish to fry... Maybe she didn't like being a "little girl" on the show.

I am disappointed that there is no mention of her, but get real. It's not the only time this has happened in TVland.

All to say, I think this is the FUNNIEST show on TV right now. We tape and watch faithfully.

[Grant]

Facts are not vicious. The reality of the Samantha's situation is just extremely unseemly and unfortunate. A lovely message to send out on the air waves about the insignificance of females who aren't seen as cute toys or sex objects. Yes characters have disappeared from programming but it could have been handled with far more grace and kindness, surely. Why send a character to oblivion when, say, just as easily she could have been said to have gone for special entrance to Julliard because of her musical talent or because of her hard work and brains, she was given full tuition to a prestigious boarding school. There are many, many options that could have been chosen that were affirmative. Poof, you're gone and no one has noticed wasn't at all necessary. My daughters and many comparably aged girls did find Samantha Molloy their favorite character on TV. It was really disturbing to "see themselves" as having so little merit and so easily 'lost'. There are extremely few females that age on television who can be looked up to as peer models. The usual offerings are very young girl cuties or big girl sexpots.
As for the actress Samantha Browne-Walters, I'm sure she will find other fish to fry if she chooses, because she's good. But a Disney contract isn't something you just DECIDE not to do anymore. It's seven years, ironclad, and must be signed by all who wish to participate in the final auditions. Therefore there are no negotiations possible. For seven years all the options are on the corporations side. The only release comes with the decision that the actor's contract option isn't being picked up by the producers.
And for several reasons, I don't feel that the quality and humour of the program is up to last years standards. For instance, it's great to take on menopause but so far it's just perpetuating cliches. Speaking of cliches, how many times have we seen the family priest/minister/moral arbitar walk in just at the right time? Why does David have to play it fey when being "attracted" to Bonnie. Is "real" masculine flirting, which would have been much funnier, too "edgie". The best comedy "goes for it" and doesn't play safe. Oh boy, bland is just hilarious. The show has always been "messy" when it came to telling the story and having a semblance of rythym and arc. I didn't mind messy when spontaneity, wit, and suprise where uppermost. But messy with cliches, no witty banter, and no surprises is just, well,...messy.

[Matt Tauber]

I'm a little disturbed by Grant's posts. In an earlier post he commented on Samantha's long legs, her developing T&A, and her gorgeous hair. SHE'S 12! I find that sick, and the idea that Hunt had her eliminated from the show out of jealousy, out of wanting to be the prettiest one, is ridiculous.

Isn't Holly more attractive than Samantha? Why is SHE still on the show? (or 2 of Bonnie's other shows)

[Quiz]

Actually, it's just my opinion, but I definitely don't find Holly attractive at all. Part of the reason she's funny when she rarely is, is because she is funny looking. Recessive chin, not a terribly good nose job, thick bodied, scimpy haired, unpleasant voice, and bad timing besides.
I suppose now that you've got me thinking about it, Holly is no competition for Bonnie at all. If there really is a jealousy factor. She is completely not threatening. Holly's acting is no threat to anyone either. While Samantha I think, with her hair color, bright blue eyes, slim shape, given a year of braces, some growing up time, and a good dose of mascara, will be quite the stunner. Remember the episode when she had eye make up on? Maybe Samantha just makes Bonnie feel like she looks old, there are many forms of envy and jealousy that aren't obvious to most of us because they are just so silly, or none of this has anything to do with anyting.
I've been cruising around attempting to find any info about her absence, I just love her understated humour and would dearly love for her to reappear (Maybe home for Christmas?), and I had a hard time accessing Samantha's website with www.browne-walters.com. It does come up at this point with www.samanthabrowne-walters.com. I heard that new information might be coming up there in the next few weeks. Probably just a rumour.
Anybody else see that Life With Bonnie got a Jeer in TV Guide this week?

[kbrdmn2]

Samantha is funny, cute and a good actress. The TV family lacks something without her. Maybe if enough people write to ABC they'll renew her contract. There's a link on Samantha's website to send ABC an e-mail.

[Quiz]

Excellent suggestion, I'm off to send an email right now.
Maybe there will be a ground swell. I saw a little girl on the street today, with a button that said, "Where's Samantha, Bonnie? Daughters aren't disposable." Pretty nifty, I thought.

[david&maddie4ever]

This is insane! Bonnie Hunt would ditch a 12 year-old girl because she was afraid she wouldn't be the PRETTIEST???? That's a sad comment. :rolleyes:

First of all, Sam was NOT the most gorgeous of kids, to put it nicely. Second of all, what kind of person would be afraid of looking worse than a 12 YEAR-OLD? C'mon, now. Maybe Bonnie is insecure, but this is just ridiculous. :mad:

~ Lauren

[Grant]

There is an update pertaining to the issue on Samantha's website....www.browne-walters.com

[Frasier W. Crane]

That's real odd. They didn't even give a reason for her contract not getting pick up.

That sucks.

[DJM77]

Originally posted by Quiz
Anybody else see that Life With Bonnie got a Jeer in TV Guide this week?

I saw it. It deserved a Jeer. Maybe Samantha moved in with Chuck from Happy Days and Judy from Family Matters.