Then in came this script with another very low offer, and another drug addict and a depressing and difficult part to play. I thought, 'Why should I put myself through that for hardly any money?'

NBC pulled the series from its lineup after four episodes but did not publicly give a reason for doing so. In 2009 Ellen Burstyn won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her portrayal of the bipolar estranged mother of Detective Elliot Stabler on NBC's police procedural Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Burstyn's performance in the acclaimed 1971 ensemble drama The Last Picture Show brought her first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination after which Ellen Burstyn moved from supporting to leading film and stage roles. Her career began in theatre during the late 1950s and over the next decade included several films and television series. Burstyn has worked consistently in film television and theatre since receiving multiple awards and nominations along the way including seven additional Golden Globe Award nominations five Emmy Award nominations (one win) and two more Academy Award for Best Actress nominations for her performances in the films Resurrection (1980) and Requiem for a Dream (2000).