Beloved Family Sitcom Casts: Where Are They Now?
Some family sitcoms become part of viewers’ lives, with characters who feel like old friends. Decades after these shows premiered, their stars continue to attract audiences. Here’s what happened to the casts after the cameras stopped rolling. More than 30 years after Full House premiered in 1987, the Tanner family remains beloved. The sitcom ran for eight seasons before ending in 1995. What happened to the cast after leaving San Francisco? Bob Saget remained active in television and comedy, appearing in Raising Dad, Entourage and Grandfathered, while voicing future Ted Mosby on How I Met Your Mother. He also performed stand-up and wrote books. Saget died in 2022 at 65 after accidental head trauma. John Stamos built a successful television career after Full House, including a major role on ER and appearances in Glee, Scream Queens, You and Big Shot. He released his memoir in 2023 and later reunited with The Beach Boys as a guest musician. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen became major stars as Michelle Tanner, leading successful films and TV projects through Dualstar. They eventually left acting and focused on fashion, becoming owners of the luxury label The Row. Candace Cameron Bure continued acting while raising a family after marrying Valeri Bure in 1996. She appeared in Make It or Break It, The View and Dancing with the Stars, later reprising DJ Tanner in Fuller House. More than 20 years after Everybody Loves Raymond premiered in 1996, the CBS comedy remains widely remembered. In 2025, most of the cast reunited for a 30th anniversary special, while making clear they had no plans for a full-time reboot. What have the cast members done since the show ended in 2005? Ray Romano starred as Ray Barone, earning an Emmy and becoming a major sitcom star. He later appeared in Parenthood, Vinyl, Get Shorty, The Irishman and The Big Sick, while voicing Manny in the Ice Age franchise. More recently, he starred in No Good Deed and Running Point. Patricia Heaton played Debra Barone and won two consecutive Emmys. She later starred in The Middle, Carol’s Second Act and other television and film projects, including the Frasier reboot. Brad Garrett played Robert Barone and won multiple Emmys during the series. Afterward, he appeared in shows including The Crazy Ones, Single Parents and High Desert, while continuing his comedy career. Peter Boyle played Frank Barone after an established film career that included Young Frankenstein and Taxi Driver. He died in 2006 at 71 from complications related to multiple myeloma and heart disease. When That '70s Show debuted in 1998, it turned its young cast into stars. Set in a Wisconsin basement, the sitcom ran for eight seasons. What have they been doing since the show ended? Topher Grace played Eric Forman for seven seasons before leaving. He later appeared in Spider-Man 3, Interstellar and BlacKkKlansman, earning a SAG Award nomination with the cast. Laura Prepon became known as Donna Pinciotti before starring as Alex Vause in Orange Is the New Black. She appeared in all seven seasons and won two SAG Awards with the ensemble. Mila Kunis joined the cast at 14 as Jackie Burkhart after lying about her age at the audition. She later starred in Black Swan, Ted and Friends with Benefits. She married former co-star Ashton Kutcher in 2015. Ashton Kutcher played Michael Kelso before creating and hosting MTV’s Punk’d and portraying Steve Jobs in the 2013 biopic. He later replaced Charlie Sheen on Two and a Half Men for its final four seasons. More than 40 years after The Golden Girls premiered, Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia remain iconic television characters. Each star continued a notable career after the sitcom ended. Bea Arthur played Dorothy Zbornak and had a celebrated stage and screen career, including a Tony Award and Emmy nominations. She later appeared in Malcolm in the Middle and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Arthur died of lung cancer in 2009 at 86. Betty White continued working for decades after playing Rose Nylund. Her later career included The Proposal, Hot in Cleveland and hosting Saturday Night Live. She died in 2021, weeks before turning 100. Rue McClanahan remained active in television and theater after playing Blanche Devereaux, winning an Emmy and joining Broadway’s Wicked as Madame Morrible in 2005. She died in 2010 at 76. Estelle Getty became a fan favorite as Sophia Petrillo, Dorothy’s mother, despite being younger than Bea Arthur in real life. She later retired from acting and died in 2008 at 84.
As featured on
The nanny state needs a timeout.
