Why Sharon Gless Replaced Meg Foster In Cagney & Lacey
The female buddy cop drama Cagney & Lacey was a groundbreaking show in the '80s, but one of its stars was replaced for sexist and homophobic reasons.
Meg Foster portrayed detective Christine Cagney in the pioneering 1980s television series Cagney & Lacey. However, she was abruptly removed from the show due to discriminatory and homophobic grounds. Foster was initially offered the role in a made-for-TV movie that launched the franchise, but she could not star in the series as she was bound by a contract for the sitcom M*A*S*H*.
When the series premiered on March 25, 1982, she co-starred alongside Tyne Daly's character, Mary Beth Lacey. Despite CBS canceling the series after six episodes, executive producer Barney Rosenzweig managed to bring it back with some adjustments. CBS deemed Foster and Daly too similar and not feminine enough for American audiences, leading to Foster's replacement with Sharon Gless for the remainder of the series and four reunion TV movies.
After Foster's departure, Cagney & Lacey faced another threat of cancellation due to low ratings. However, a fan letter-writing campaign saved the show by demonstrating its dedicated viewership. The show was eventually canceled for a third and final time in 1988. Despite multiple cancellations, Cagney & Lacey garnered critical acclaim and is remembered as one of the finest police procedurals.
Foster's co-star, Tyne Daly, won four Emmys for her role, while Gless secured two Outstanding Lead Actress Emmys in 1986 and 1987. Foster's acting career recovered after the firing, but none of her subsequent roles achieved the iconic status of Cagney. One newspaper reported that Foster felt "hit by a truck" upon learning of her termination, and while her career rebounded, none of her later roles matched her iconic portrayal of Cagney.
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