Elizabeth Taylor: sitcom killer
As a ratings stunt for CBS and a promotion for her "Black Pearls" perfume in 1996, Elizabeth Taylor slummed by appearing in 4 consecutive Monday night sitcoms (in order): "The Nanny", "Can't Hurry Love", "Murphy Brown", "High Society". It was a continuous storyline that ran from the first show through to the last show, with lovable Liz appearing in all of them. Well, she didn't actually "appear" in "High Society", but her voice was heard and an "arm double" appeared, representing Taylor.
The premise was that Elizabeth Taylor (playing herself), has her pearl necklace (black pearls, naturally) misplaced in the first episode and finally gets them back (after "wacky hijinx ensue") in the last episode. I could try to explain the storyline in more detail, but instead I'll point you to the source (http://home.earthlink.net/~jinxo/liztaylorevent.html).
Never heard of the shows "Can't Hurry Love" or "High Society"? There is a reason. They were only on TV for a part of one season. "Can't Hurry Love" starred former "The Facts of Life" star Nancy McKeon, and was about her and her "friends". Yah, a knock off of "Friends". Yawn. "High Society" was an Americanized version of "Absolutely Fabulous", starring Jean Smart (formerly of "Designing Women").
But what about the "sitcom killer" claim? Well, this Liz Taylor crossover ratings-o-rama was the very last episode for both "Can't Hurry Love" and "High Society". It takes a special place in history to make a guest-starring appearance in the final epsiode of two sitcoms that got canned in the same season.