Maura Tierney leaves TV series for cancer battle

Tierney leaves TV series to battle cancer

Actress Maura Tierney has exited her new, yet-to-air TV series to battle cancer. 

Tierney, whose credits include playing Abby Lockhart for ten seasons on the recently-retired hit ER, quit her new NBC series to focus on treatments for breast cancer. 

The new series, Parenthood, has had production delays since Tierney's diagnosis postponed filming in July.  The series will now debut in mid-season and the role left vacant by Tierney will most likely be recast. 

Parenthood, inspired from the 1989 box office hit starring Steve Martin, stars Craig T. Nelson, Dax Shepard and Peter Krause.  

The actress has starred in box office hits Liar, Liar with Jim Carrey and the more recent Baby Mama with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. 

Tierney, 44, also starred on the NBC comedy NewsRadio from 1995 to 1999.  The show was eventually canceled after the murder of series regular, comedian Phil Hartman. 

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