Will the Colts thrive under Luck? Will Peyton be able to muster his career in its twilight years? Scenarios like this don’t just happen in sports, but also in entertainment, where properties and franchises are held together by actors who, for one reason or another, take leave and move on.

As you’ll see below, the results are a mixed bag. Sometimes franchises improve, sometimes they flounder, and sometimes they just gently fade away. Take a look.

Steve Carell – The Office

The question of whether or not Carell left the office because it had started to suck or if the show started to suck when he was gone is one that I won’t address here, because I didn’t watch the later episodes during his tenure. But it’s clear that his demise has hastened the decline of the show regardless.

While the gimmicky casting of James Spader made for interesting copy and kept all eyes on the show, perhaps people didn’t realize just how integral Steve was to the show. Sure, the supporting characters were able to hold their own, but the show needed a star more than most people realize, and someone like James Spader or even the competent ensemble can’t fill that void.

The fate of The Office is up in the air after Carell’s first year away, but if it does carry on, I would expect it to end with a bang, and not a whimper.

Matt Damon – The Bourne Series

The problem with hiring (or even creating) a big star with your franchise is that it affords them big opportunities outside of the franchise. Most actors want to take the goodwill they create with one role and parlay it into much more. For instance, Matt Damon was in a bit of a slump when he signed on to play Jason Bourne in The Bourne Identity. However, the Jason Bourne character made Damon as close to an action-hero icon as the world has right now.

Damon has used that goodwill to star in both independent and large-scale films, eventually walking away from the Bourne series after The Bourne Supremacy. However, new blood was eagerly anticipated by both the producers and audiences, so the role became one of the most coveted in Hollywood, eventually going to Jeremy Renner.

With Edward Norton playing the villain in The Bourne Legacy, I would be very surprised if this film didn’t succeed on a larger scale than the Damon ones.

The story has been essentially debunked and we’ve all returned to not caring what Rob Lowe has to say about the field of sports entertainment. Phew! That was a rough night. But it got us wondering, where is Rob Lowe getting his intel? What does he know that we don’t?

We’ve been keeping a close eye on his Twitter page to discover what else 2012 may hold in store. My theory is he’s a wizard from the future.

However, because we’re a movie/TV/entertainment site, we would be remiss if we didn’t use Manning’s misfortune to capitalize on the soon-to-be influx of Google searches on his name. So, let’s all send some positive vibes to Manning, hoping that he not only can regain his health, but return to the gridiron, where the guy is every team’s worst nightmare when he has two minutes left and the ball.

Vibes sent? Great. Now let’s appreciate Manning for his work off the field. No, not charity. That’s lame. His unique brand of deadpan comedy that has made him one of the most marketable athletes in the world.

9. Football Cops

Not his most inspired work, but it’s amazing how much comedic mileage simply slapping on a fake mustache and a police uniform can get you.

Big drawback here: Being paired up once again with Eli. Eli’s just not that funny. We get it. They’r brothers.

Still…mustaches!

8. Priceless Pep Talks – Love Handles

Just because he’s being a dick doesn’t mean he’s wrong. Sorry, Jesse

7. Sprint Commercial

Hmm. We’re only three entries in and we’ve already got two that heavily rely on Peyton Manning wearing a fake mustache. I don’t care.

I apologize for nothing.