Complex sentence: The pilot, recorded in 1981, was not used and Lowe died in April 1982, ending production: however, Lowe's widow had enjoyed the show and persuaded the writers to start again with a new cast.
Split into simpler sentences: The pilot, recorded in 1981, was not used and Lowe died in April 1982, ending production. But Lowe's widow had enjoyed the show and persuaded the writers to start again with a new cast.