Alan Alda Was Nearly Brought In To Save An Acclaimed Steven Bochco Series

Sometimes, a show just isn't working and needs a little TLC — and that's exactly what happened when legendary "M*A*S*H" star Alan Alda was almost brought in to save a critically acclaimed Steven Bochco series back in 1996. At the time, the ABC legal drama "Murder One" — co-created by Bochco and called an "absorbing excursion into a good Mary Higgins Clark mystery" by The New York Times — was prepping for its 2nd season by going through a behind-the-scenes retooling process.

One of the elements of the series that was being reshaped was its cast, which was originally helmed by Daniel Benzali. Bochco felt the actor was great in the role, but not recognizable enough for the series to build its audience in the way it needed to. "I think when you've got as low a rating as we had and you get renewed, you've got to try to broaden your appeal," he told The New York Times of letting Benzali go at the time. To replace him, Bochco initially approached Alda for the role, which didn't exactly go the way the showrunner hoped.

"Murder One" co-creator Steven Bochco quickly learned that Alan Alda would be way too expensive to sign on as lead Daniel Benzali's replacement — so the series went in another direction and brought in Anthony LaPaglia to take over the role for the 2nd season of the legal drama.

In addition to considering Alda as a leading replacement, Bochco decided to shift the show's typical one-case structure and broaden it so the show would cover three cases over the course of a season. "I felt that not only from a viewer point of view, but also from a creative point of view, it was better to tell more than one story," the creative told The New York Times. "We could have told it just as efficiently in half the time. I think if I do a couple or three story lines, allow them eight or nine episodes each and have them overlap two or three weeks each, we'll be able to do a lot more with the show."

Ultimately, Bochco was able to do only a little more with the show, as the change of structure and cast didn't give "Murder One" any more staying power. The show concluded with the 2nd season, and we'll never know what could've been if Alda took the lead.