"Queen Latifah Show" (1999-2001)
In early 2003, Dana "Queen Latifah" Owens triumphantly made the awards-season rounds as a distinguished thespian with an Oscar nomination for her work in Best Picture "Chicago." Million-dollar offers poured in for the suddenly sizzling actress, which was particularly shocking because she had bombed as a lowly daytime talk host just 20 months earlier. Hip-hop's first lady struggled with less-than-royal ratings despite the aid of friends/guests Diddy, Mary J. Blige and Lauryn Hill and the good karma earned by making disadvantaged kids' dreams come true. By the time her show was shockingly renewed for a second season, however, the charismatic host was lost between social responsibilities (Al Gore and Ralph Nader were guests) and "Jerry Springer"-like sideshow attractions.

Video: Queen Latifah on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon"

"The Tony Danza Show" (2004-2006)
It's difficult to decide which is more unbelievable: that producers, executives, affiliates and a studio all believed the world wanted to spend five hours a week with Tony Danza, or that they were kinda right. After a second-season renewal only slightly less shocking than the O.J. Simpson verdict, "Danza" finally threw in the towel after more than two years on the air. It's hard to imagine why, with powerful guests such as Judith Light and a talking parrot, segments on how to make pizza and regular guest stints from Liza Minnelli. The two most enduring sights from the show's run will likely be Danza singing cabaret-style at a piano and getting a concussion during a go-kart race -- with the kiddie ride showing Danza once and for all who really is the boss.

"The Marsha Warfield Show" (1990-1991)
Who better to host a talk show than the sixth funniest person from "Night Court"? After a lengthy search for an affable, homey and quick-witted host, producers instead offered the job to the woman who played bailiff Roz -- a cranky, manly character who spent most episodes standing in the background with her arms crossed. Shockingly, the show lasted less than a year after its 1990 premiere, and Warfield was never heard from again (save the occasional "The Love Boat: The Next Wave" appearance). The show featured a laid-back set with a soda machine, fireplace and a basketball hoop that encouraged guests to take a shot on their way in, but the show, like Warfield herself, was far from a slam dunk.

"The Caroline Rhea Show" (2002-2003)
When Rosie O'Donnell traded in her daytime crown for a hermit-like existence of lawsuits, lesbianism and lunacy, she handpicked this "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" comedian to assume her Koosh-ball-slinging duties. Unfortunately for the somewhat quick-witted Caroline Rhea, however, the job also came with all the appeal of a worn-out pair of your older sibling's overalls. Hosting from a nearly identical set, Rhea inherited many of Rosie's behind-the-scenes people, along with the belief that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. But things did break -- quickly -- as the daytime host got blank stares asking guests questions such as, "So, were you ever a Boy Scout?" Rhea's self-deprecating humor took on an unintended dimension after only a few months, when the audience realized that her "I-can't-believe-I-have-a-talk-show" shtick probably meant that she shouldn't.