After the Sitcom’s Gone . . .

For Jerry Seinfeld, the burning question becomes, now what? That answer won’t come for years--not if Seinfeld, as promised in a recent Vanity Fair article, stays away from a new television series or acting in movies. In the end, though, no move may be the best move of all. History has shown that stars who become indelibly defined with their sitcom characters can have a rough time with that next career choice, as if audiences feel betrayed and abandoned, unable to accept their star in a new role.

Mary Tyler Moore, for instance, went to Broadway in 1966, shortly after “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” and bombed in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” which closed in six weeks.

Two subsequent starring roles in sitcoms ended in disaster--1988’s “Annie Maguire” (CBS), which lasted eight episodes, and 1995’s “New York News” (CBS), another short-lived dud.

Of course, Moore’s not alone. Lucille Ball had “Life With Lucy” (ABC in 1986); after “Mash,” Alan Alda created “The Four Seasons” (1984), which lasted only a season on CBS; and let’s not even get into Shelley Long’s post-”Cheers” movie career. Here now is a look at some top sitcom stars.

CAREER HIGHS AND LOWS

Star: Dick Van Dyke

Show: “The Dick Van Dyke Show” CBS (1961-1966)

Career Highlights

Films: “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” (1968)

TV: “Diagnosis Murder” CBS (1993-Present)

Career Lowlights

TV: “The Van Dyke Show (CBS) 1988

Film: “The Runner Stumbles” (1979)

*

Star: Mary Tyler Moore

“The Mary Tyler Moore Show” (CBS 1970-1977)

Career Highlights

Films: “Ordinary People” (1980), “Flirting with Disaster” (1995)

Stage: Special Tony Award for “Whose Life Is It, Anyway?” (1980)

Career Lowlights

Stage: “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (1966)

TV: Failed series “Annie McGuire” CBS (1988) and “New York News” CBS (1995)

*

Star: Andy Griffith

“The Andy Griffith Show” CBS (1960-1968)

Career Highlights

TV: “Matlock” NBC (1986-1992) ABC (1992-1997)

Career Lowlights

Film: Angel in my Pocket (1969)

TV: “Salvage I” ABC (1979)

*

Star: Carroll O’Connor

“All in the Family” CBS (1971-83)

Career Highlights

TV: “In the Heat of the Night” NBC (1988-1992); CBS (1992-1994)

*

Star: Lucille Ball

“I Love Lucy” CBS (1951-1961)

Career Highlights:

TV: “The Lucy Show” CBS (1962-1968)

Film: “The Facts of Life” (1960); “Yours, Mine and Ours” (1968)

Career Lowlights

Film: “Mame” (1974)

TV: “Life With Lucy” ABC (1986)

*

Star: Shelley Long

“Cheers” NBC (1982-1987)

Career Highlights

Films: “The Brady Bunch Movie” (1995); “A Very Brady Sequel” (1996)

Career Lowlights

Films: “Troop Beverly Hills” (1989); “Hello Again” (1987); “Frozen Assets” (1992)

TV: “Good Advice” CBS (1993-94)

****

Star: Ted Danson

“Cheers” NBC (1982-1993)

Career Highlights

TV: “Gulliver’s Travels” (NBC) 1996

Career Lowlights

Films: “Pontiac Moon” and “Loch Ness”

TV: “Ink 1996-97 (CBS)

*

Star: Alan Alda

“Mash” CBS (1972-1983)

Career Highlights

Film: “Crimes and Misdemeanors” (1989) “Manhattan Murder Mystery” (1993) “Flirting With Disaster” (1995)

Stage: “Jake’s Women” “Art” (1998)

Career Lowlights

Films: “Betsy’s Wedding” (1990) “Canadian Bacon” (1994) “Whispers in the Dark” (1992) TV: “The Four Seasons” CBS (1984)

*

Star: Henry Winkler

“Happy Days” ABC (1974-1984)

Career Highlights

TV: co-creator of “MacGyver” ABC (1985-1992)

Film: “Scream” (1996)

Career Lowlights:

Film: Director on “Cop and a Half” (1993) and “Memories of Me” (1988)

*

Star: Larry Hagman

“Dallas” CBS (1978-1991)

Career Highlights

Film: “Nixon” (1995); “Primary Colors” (1998)

Career Lowlights

TV Movie: “Staying Afloat”

*

Star: Bill Cosby

“The Cosby Show” NBC (1984-1992)

Career Highlights

TV: “Cosby” CBS (1996-Present)

Career Lowlights

TV: “You Bet Your Life” Syndicated (1992); “The Cosby Mysteries” NBC (1994-95)