Dukes of Hazzard (1979 – 1985): Wopat and Schneider vs. Warner Brothers
The Dukes of Hazzard was a good-guy-vs.-bad guy show about corruption in a small southern town. The Duke boys, Tom Wopat as Luke Duke, and Johns Schneider as Bo Duke, were a team off screen as well as on. Although they weren’t best of friends, they came together before the start of Season 5 to sue Warner Brothers for $25 million. The actors felt cheated out of their share of the extremely popular merchandise market, since their image was so closely tied to the product’s popularity. They lobbied a charge of libel and breach of contract and accused the two of trying to weasel out of their contracts. A joint statement from Wopat and Schneider expressed how they were loath to leave the show but felt cheated by the studio. Warner Brothers countersued for $90 million and hired new actors as leads for its final season in 1985.