Throughout much of the 80s and 90s, John Candy dominated comedy but never lost sight of his humble Canadian beginnings. Audiences adored him, and his fellow comedians respected him. But beneath his funnyman exterior, he struggled with the weight of his success—and his literal weight. Candy’s story is proof that the good ones never last long.

For Gen X viewers, television in the 1980s offered a surprisingly complicated education in romance. Some couples were happily married, others spent years avoiding commitment, and a few seemed incapable of getting through dinner without starting an argument. From sitcom kitchens to detective agencies and Texas oil empires, these relationships suggested that love could be comfortable, chaotic, funny, frustrating, or all four at once.

From the 1960s to the 2000s, English actor Jack Wild created a charming, youthful persona, launching him into the spotlight. However, fame is fickle, and he learned it can take just as much as it gives.

Even very famous actors have a few credits that seem to have vanished into television history. Sometimes a future Oscar winner appeared in a series nobody watched, while other times an established star received an expensive new vehicle that quickly ran out of gas. These forgotten shows prove that even Hollywood’s biggest names occasionally needed audiences to collectively move on.

Country music maverick Waylon Jennings may have been a good ol’ boy, but he was also a fighter who battled his demons, the law, the Nashville establishment—and one gut-wrenching event that would change his life forever.