"As for not hearing from him again, since series 3 of Coupling, he has starred in his own series, called Strange, and will be appearing in an historical mini-series called Gunpowder, Treason and Plot."

This is invalid evidence, as all of these were made while Coyle was still doing Coupling. It remains to be seen how Coyle fairs now that he has left the show. He may do well, but, I somehow doubt that. People who don't stick with successful shows have a way of fading into obscurity.

In the US version I agree, Jeff was totally miscast and I really disliked Jane as well. Both Steven and Susan were fine with me and I actually liked their first break-away episode where they talked dirty to each other.

Hmm, yeah, I wonder whatever happened to that Travolta kid from Welcome Back, Kotter and that Clooney fellow who was on er.

Seriously, though, sticking with a show sometimes can do irreperable damage to your career, pidgeonholing you as a certain "type." Look at what Batman did to Adam West (there have been several stories told of how he was passed over for roles because people would think, "that's Batman"), what Star Trek did to the supporting cast on that show, what Gilligan's Island did to Russell Johnson (who was considered a pretty good actor before doing that show), etc.

I really think that if Coyle fears typecasting, he has reason to be worried. Jeff is the kind of "cult" character that could be hard to shake off.

Whether or not Strange or his upcoming movie were made during the time of being on Coupling or not doesn't matter. He's still being seen in other things, and whether or not he pops up on the screen much after this, there's always the theatre, which is a bit more important in the minds of actors and the public alike in the UK than it is over here.

It might even help Coyle's TV career to not be on the box right now anyway, to let the Jeff persona fade away in people's memories.

Unfortunately, I, like most others, am a fan of the show. Not really a fan of Mr. Coyle's. So how it affects him really isn't my concern. I only care about how it will affect Coupling and I stand on my position that the show will be significantly impacted without him. Time will tell.

The show can't help but be impacted by one of the major characters leaving. To say that we'd have to wait to see the episodes is just silly.

Now, whether it will be a major negative, or even if the new cast member will be a plus and make the show better, is still up in the air.

But it will certainly be *different*.

I'm willing to give it a go. I mean, it's been consistently good so far.

Well, John Travolta never quit a successful series. George Clooney has had a mixed career since leaving E.R..

At any rate, if he is playing Lord Darnley, he is well cast.

What will be interesting is how they write Jeff off the show. Apparently Coyle will not even do an "exit" episode so his disappearance will have to be referenced to indirectly - lame.

You can find a lot of discussion about Coupling at the forum boards at BBCAmerica: http://discussions.bbcamerica.com/forum.jspa?forumID=5

I'm concerned about so many jump the shark element for series 4. Do they have "jump the shark" in GB or is it called something else?

I don't think the cast member leaving is a publicity stunt to promote the show, so it's really not a "jump the shark" kinda moment.

Jumping the shark does not refer to something designed to promote a show. It refers to the moment when a show crosses a line and loses credibility with a significant portion of its audience.

Yes he did. Welcome Back, Kotter was a success, at least in its first couple of seasons.

My whole point was that the thing can work both ways: sometime it's better for one's career (not the show) to leave the fans wanting more.

If he doesn't want to be typecast, it might not be such a bad move for him. Like everyone else here, I will miss Jeff, but that doesn't mean the show will necessarily be doomed withouth him.

Someone else mentioned "shark jumping" moments. I won't spoil them but, #1 could easily be disposed of in the new season if Moffat wanted to (a dream, a false alarm, etc.) but as he wrote all the episodes, it's probably intentional. As for #2, nothing necessarily will happen there. There were a few false starts along this plot line before...

Hopefully, we'll all be pleasantly surprised with the fourth series.

What about those US original cast members? Did they shoot a pilot? Why was Breckin Meyer recast? I agree; the replacement Jeff wasn't very funny.

Welcome Back, Kotter aired for four seasons from 1975 - 1979 and John Travolta played Vinnie Barbarino for all four seasons.

Yeah, Travolta never left WBK to pursue a movie career.

Anyway, some have, and were successful (Clooney... Um.... well, surely someone else must've) and most weren't (That red-haired fellow from NYPD Blue, Denise Crosby, Shelley Long, etc.).

As much as I love Jeff, having him absent from the ensemble won't be teh end. MASH lost a number of characters, and still grew in quality. Jeff is kind of like Henry Blake or Frank Burns. He's an integral part of the show, but once he's gone he will be a memory and some other, possibly better, character will take his place.

I'll reserve judgement till I see the new eps. Besides, the show won't die till they cast Ted McGinley anyway.

Yes, Ted MGinley replacing the biggest star in the show is always a harbinger of a show's demise.

Technically, he did leave during the fourth season. He quit being a regular cast member and was replaced by a character called Beau. He did return for "special guest appearances", but he was not a regular during the last season.

Oh, another person who quit a successful show and went on to greater success: Goldie Hawn, who left Laugh-In after three seasons.

I will admit, however, the success stories seem to be outnumbered by those who fared less-well.

Not trying to stir up an argument, by the way, just wanted to show that leaving a hit show is not necessarily the recipe for disaster. Besides, I think that "career suicide" stigma is only typical of American television anyway.

To my mind, Coupling has only gotten better with each subsequent series. Here's hoping series 4 continues on those strengths. Who knows, maybe this Comic Book guy will be just as memorable a character, and maybe Coyle will return and put in a guest appearance someday.

Technically is an evasive word. He did not quit the show. He made appearances throughout the fourth season. Leaving a show means that one no longer appears in the show.

Goldie Hawn is a poor example. It was impossible for her career not to improve after leaving Laugh-In. Dancing in a bikini while painted in psychedelic colors is not a career.

This is not true. Jeff is more like Hawkeye Pierce. If Alan Alda had left, MASH would have folded.

Travolta and Kaplan both wanted to leave. I think the "guest starring" think might've been a compromise struck between the producers and the actors. Be that as it may, Travolta was not a regular cast member in the forth season ("recurring guest star" perhaps) and the ratings took a nosedive.

She did a bit more than that (you have seen Laugh-In haven't you?

Okay, then. How about Michael Douglas, who left [i]Streets of San Francisco?

We are getting off topic here. That said, Johnny Depp left "21 Jump Street."

MIchael Douglas is a fair example.

Coupling S3 set for Spring '04 release

Can't wait!

I can't believe there's only 7 episodes in Season 3.