TV Shows That Covered Up Off-Set Drama With Clever Plot Lines

The best TV shows are so immersive that we forget we're even watching a work of fiction. We cry along with the characters at their darkest moments and then laugh when the good times come. Sometimes actors are so good at what they do that it's hard to believe they are a different person from the characters they inhabit. But every now and then, real life comes crashing down, and TV shows are forced to adapt to the external circumstances surrounding them. The results are often funny, weird, and in some cases, completely unexpected.

1. All In The Family

When actor Carroll O'Connor tried to negotiate for a raise, show writers simply wrote him out of the next two episodes. The third episode, which was slated to kill off his character, was rewritten after they reached an agreement.

2. House

Hugh Laurie is a peaceful man, but that doesn't mean he doesn't enjoy a good round of boxing. When he sustained a black eye after a particularly aggressive match, producers explained it away by having a patient punch the sarcastic doctor.

3. M.A.S.H.

Gary Burghoff is famous for playing lovable Radar O'Reilly on the hit TV series. Few fans noticed, however, that the actor's left hand is visibly deformed, forcing producers to shoot around it for all eleven seasons.

4. Lost

Fans of the supernatural island drama will remember the oddly abrupt departure taken by Walt, the only regular child actor on the show. Behind the scenes, Malcolm David Kelley was actually just maturing too quickly to continue playing a 10 year-old character.