When we watch our favorite television shows , we don’t always know what went into making them. Even some of the most lighthearted series can have drama behind-the-scenes, and sometimes these issues come to light.
Whether it is issues between actors or the way people were treated, everything isn’t always sunshine and rainbows.
Here are 10+ TV shows with some dark secrets behind them. You’ll definitely be surprised at some of the shows on this list.
*Boy Meets World* actors had school on set.
There are many concerns when it comes to young actors getting the schooling and socialization they need while filming.
But, it seems kind of wrong that ABC had the cast members of the series go to school while on set.
This doesn’t seem like something that would be allowed today.
Employees claimed *The Ellen DeGeneres Show* had a toxic work environment.
A rather recent and well-known television series scandal involved Ellen DeGeneres.
Many ex-employees claimed that working on her show was harmful and toxic. They called for DeGeneres to be more aware of what was happening behind-the-scenes and stay true to her message of kindness.
Will Smith spent most of his *Fresh Prince of Bel-Air* money.
After he found sudden fame and a lot more money, Will Smith wasn’t very careful right away.
He admitted that he blew through around six million dollars in the early days of his career. However, seeing as how he’s still an A-list celeb, things turned out just fine for him.
The mother on *Family Matters* left because she didn’t like Urkel.
JoMarie Payton was the actress who played Harriette Winslow, the Matriarch of the family.
However, she left in the middle of filming the final season of the show. This is because she was tired of how much of the series was about Urkel.
The women on *The A-Team* dealt with a lot of sexism.
The series isn’t itself wasn’t exactly feminist, and this also impacted how the actresses were treated behind-the-scends.
Actress Marla Heasley, who joined in the show’s second season, has alleged that on her first day she was told that the male actors didn’t want even want her around.
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This *Step by Step* actress had her money taken by her parents.
Angela Watson was a child actor who starred in the series Step by Step.
After making around a couple of million dollars for her role as Karen Foster, most of the money got spent by her parents.
The misuse of her money inspired her to start an organization called Child Actors Supporting Themselves.
John Stamos tried to get the Olsen twins fired.
The Olsen twins jointly played the role of Michelle Tanner on Full House, but not everyone wanted them to have the part.
Even though they were just kids, John Stamos tried to get them fired because they were hard to work with. Clearly, he didn’t realize that that’s just how children are.
This actor was written off *Step by Step* because of abuse allegations.
Step by Step was another family-friendly television series that had some dark things happen off-screen.
Actor Sasha Mitchell played Cody Lambert on the series, but the character suddenly stopped appearing.
This was because he was fired due to being charged with domestic abuse.
Kevin Spacey was fired because of assault allegations.
One of the rather notorious examples of an actor being fired for allegations of abuse was when Spacey was let go from House of Cards.
Given the severity and number of the accusations, this was definitely the right move on Netflix’s part.
This messed up information behind *Desperate Housewives.*
Desperate Housewives is known for having a lot of drama behind-the-scenes, but the inspiration for the series is even more messed up.
Creator Marc Cheery explained that he was inspired by watching news coverage of a woman who murdered her five children. This got him thinking about the idea of “desperate” women.
This HBO series was cancelled over animal abuse.
The series Luck only had one season because it was canceled after audiences learned that three horses died during production.
The show was about horse-racing, and while many involved with the series claim things weren’t as bad as they sound, the whole thing was a PR nightmare.
James Franco was accused of harassment while making *The Deuce.*
The Deuce is an HBO series that featured James Franco as both actor and executive producer. The series is about the porn industry in the ’70s and beyond, and it deals with issues of assault and harassment.
So, when Franco himself was accused of these things off-screen, many fans were upset when this wasn’t really addressed and the show continued on.
Kirk Cameron’s religion impacted *Growing Pains.*
It might not exactly be dark, but it was definitely difficult for the other actors when Kirk Cameron found religion.
This made him refuse to do certain things like refuse to share a bed with a girl, and because of this, many lines and scenes had to be re-written.
These *Brady Bunch* actors were making out on set.
The actors who played step-siblings Cindy and Bobby had a crush on one another when they were filming.
Susan Olsen, who played Cindy, admitted that she would kiss Mike Lookinland, who played Bobby, during filming.
It’s not really dark, but it is a bit weird.
The Olsen twins had to wear fake teeth on *Full House.*
Given that Full House was such a wholesome show for all ages, it’s a bit surprising that there is more than one dark thing about the series.
Since the twins both played Michelle Tanner, they had to look similar. As their teeth began growing in at different times, fake teeth had to be made so they would appear the same.
