Why Sitcom Legend Valerie Harper's Character Was Killed Off On Her Self-Titled Show

Valerie Harper played a matriarch in a cozy sitcom named after her, believing it would be her career comeback. It had been seven years since she had wrapped on "Rhoda," a spin-off of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," and she was on the lookout for her next lead role. Little did she know, the series she starred in next would kill off her character just two seasons in, and ignite a hefty legal battle.

"Valerie" launched in 1985, and was an NBC family series about a suburban businesswoman raising her sons (one of them played by Jason Bateman) while her pilot husband is frequently away. The show was originally centered on Valerie, but the more the series progressed, the more her role was minimized to a generic sitcom mom. 

The comedy series might've started with lower ratings, but it soon gained a faithful by the end of Season 2. When Harper requested a salary increase and further creative control of "Valerie," Lorimar-Telepictures (the studio backing the show) wasn't pleased. When salary negotiations failed, Harper refused to return to set to film an episode. 

She had previously done this after asking for a raise on "Rhoda," with CBS later agreeing to pay her more. This wasn't the case for the NBC sitcom. The following week, when she showed up to film the next episode, Harper was fired, with her character being killed off-screen and her sister-in-law, Sandy Hogan (played by Sandy Duncan), stepping in to take care of the family.

NBC filed a $70 million lawsuit accusing Valerie Harper of breach of contract. Harper and her husband, Tony Cacciotti (who was an executive producer of the series), responded with a countersuit of $180 million in damages. This behind-the-scenes rift led the series to be renamed twice, first called Valerie's Family, and then The Hogan Family. After an extensive legal battle, the jury reached a verdict that favored Harper, agreeing that she was wrongfully fired. According to The Guardian, the actor received $1.4 million in compensation and 12.5% in profits from the series.

Harper shared with The Los Angeles Times that getting fired from "Valerie" affected her reputation in the public eye, but her victory in court allowed her to own her truth. "There were so many half-truths, and out-and-out untruths about me, my performing, about my stability as a person, my psychological state. It's so nice to see wrongfully fired after all I've seen is fired, fired, fired," she said. 

Following this experience, the actor went on to make several guest appearances on hit series like "Melrose Place," "Sex and the City," and was a contestant on "Dancing With the Stars." After facing a long cancer battle, the "Rhoda" alum died at 80.