The makers of Grace Under Fire pulled the plug on the sitcom Thursday, suspending production indefinitely. This, one day after the 39-year-old former stand-up "blew up" on the set, in the words of one network source. None-too-pleased ABC executives are said to be ready to cancel the comedy series--formerly a top 10 hit for the network.
Officially, Carsey-Werner Productions says the time-out has been called so that Butler can "resolve some personal issues."
This is the second time that the doors of Grace Under Fire have been shuttered due to Butler's "personal issues." Last August, the show was shut down when Butler entered rehab for addiction to painkillers. At the time, Tom Werner called the actress "courageous."
Butler and painkillers had tangled previously--she first admitted a dependency on the prescription drugs in October 1996. And in her autobiography, Knee Deep in Paradise, she wrote of struggles with alcohol and marijuana.
Butler's on-set tyranny has also led to staff defections--costar Julie White left the series last year because she was fed up with Butler's diva routine.
Grace Under Fire, which premiered in 1993 and carved itself a niche as a lower-decibel Roseanne, has faded in the ratings in recent years. ABC didn't even include it on its 1997-98 fall schedule. But the network ordered more episodes when other new programming failed.
So far, 14 episodes have been shot for this season and ABC says it plans to air the "four or five" shows Butler completed prior to the series' shutdown.