What happens when you win the opportunity of a lifetime, but the reality doesn’t live up to what you pictured? Linda Purl was confronted with the ugly reality of television when she won the role of Charlene Matlock.

Purl had harbored dreams of performing since she was a child.

“When I was a little girl, all I wanted to do was dance,” said Purl during an interview with the Gannett News Service. Previously, Purl was Ashley Pfister on Happy Days, where she played Fonzie’s girlfriend. Later, the actor was cast as Ben Matlock’s daughter in the hit crime series, Matlock.

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Though Charlene was a regular character, she admitted that her character wasn’t given any meaningful plots or development throughout her time on the series.

“The writers were just not able to write the character very fully,” said Purl. “Any show begins to take on its own format, and Matlock took on its own.”

Purl said that she was confronted with a difficult decision: “Do I stay on and enjoy my nice, comfortable job, or do I quit and look for something more challenging?” she asked.

Purl made the difficult decision to leave Matlock after the show’s first season. Though her tenure was short, she was able to find more meaningful opportunities after she left, including working as a jazz singer.

Despite her short stints on shows like Matlock and Happy Days, Purl was complimentary toward the television industry. “I did each [series] for a year, and I enjoyed them both,” said the actor. “Maybe if I had been there longer, I would have tired of them.”