TV Shows That Recast Major Characters

TV casts work long seasons year after year together, and sometimes, it can be hard to hold a group of actors together. Once in a while, a series will have to recast a major character, it never fails to freak audiences out.

When TV characters appear in the audiences’ living room every week, they become like close friends or members of the family. Therefore, it’s all the more jarring when a complete stranger comes down the stairs of the Conner family’s house acting as if she is Becky. Even more mind-bending, the rest of the family acts as if nothing has changed.

Unfortunately, recasting is unavoidable in the fast-paced world of entertainment, but it never stops being eerie for everyone involved. Many of the biggest recasts on TV have been children, since child actors often have school or other non-negotiable obligations to pull them out of work. Other times, they’re secondary characters, which can cause even more cognitive dissonance when people start to wonder if they imagined the original cast member.

TV fans may never get used to seeing a new face standing in for their beloved characters, but many of them love picking apart the stories and finding the nitty gritty details from behind the scenes. Here is a look at some of the biggest recasts in TV history.

Becky – ‘Roseanne’

Many people were confused to see two Beckys side by side on Tuesday’s premiere of the Roseanne reboot. Fans were confused as they remembered both Lecy Goranson and Sarah Chalke playing the Conner family’s eldest daughter.

Becky is an odd case because it wasn’t a one-time recast. Goranson came and went from the show in the latter four seasons, and whenever she wasn’t available, Chalke would fill in. However, when it came time to reboot, producers opted to have Goranson play Becky. As a compromise, they created an entirely new character named Andrea for Chalke to play.

Daario Naharis – ‘Game of Thrones’

Game of Thrones has recast many of its secondary characters, though none has caused as much of an uproar as Daario Naharis. The smooth-talking sell-sword was originally portrayed by Ed Skrien in season 3.

When Michael Huisman took over the role in season 4, producers didn’t even try to make him look like Skrien. Instead of long, light hair with a single braid and bright blue eyes, Huisman plays a swarthy Naharis, with a full beard and dark, unkempt hair.

Skrien reportedly left to pursue a role on the next Transporter movie. Meanwhile, while fans noticed the glaringly obvious replacement of Daenerys Targaryen’s love interest, they couldn’t exactly complain, as neither of the actors looked much like Naharis was described in the book — with bright blue hair, a pointed mustache and a forked beard.

Laurie – ‘That ’70s Show’

That ’70s Show recast Grace’s sister, Laurie, after season 5. Not long after the secondary character, played by Robin Kelly, reappeared, she was swapped out with Christina Moore. The show was no stranger to self-conscious jokes. When Topher Grace left the show, the writers reportedly discussed replacing him with a new actor, and saying that he’d come back from Africa as “a changed man.”

Claire Kyle – ‘My Wife and Kids’

Claire Kyle was replaced after the first season My Wife and Kids. According to a report by Complex, the original child actress, Jazz Raycole, was pulled from the show by her mother, who objected to a storyline where Claire’s friend gets pregnant. She was replaced with Jennifer Freeman, who finished out the series.

Ann Veal – ‘Arrested Development’

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George Michael’s girlfriend, Ann Veal, was meant to be recast many times on Arrested Development. The show’s creators have said that the original idea was to have the bland girl portrayed by a different actress each time she appeared on the show, helping to explain why the Bluth family never recognizes or remembers her.

Instead, Ann was only replaced once, after the pilot. While Alessandra Torresani introduced the character to the world, Mae Whitman was the one who the rest of the cast pointed at for four seasons saying “her?”

Aunt Viv – ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air recast Will’s maternal Aunt Viv after the third season. While Janet Hubert was a fan favorite, many fans have just as many fond memories of watching the show with Daphne Maxwell Reid, who picked up the same comedic timing as her predecessor in no time.

An enduring Hollywood rumor claims that Hubert left because of disagreements with Will Smith. The only on screen acknowledgement of the switch was by Will’s friend Jazz, who said “you know Ms. Banks, since you had that baby there’s something different about you.”

Darrin Stephens – ‘Bewitched’

On the ’60s TV classic Bewitched, Dick York delighted audiences with his portrayal of Darrin Stephens, the husband of Elizabeth Montgomery. However, behind the scenes, York was reportedly toiling with an old back injury, and by the end of the fifth season, it became too much for him.

The producers got around York’s absence by writing a few Darrin-free episodes to close out the season, and when they returned, Dick Sargent took over the part. In the three ensuing years of the show, it never reached the same level of sky-high ratings.

Carol – ‘Friends’

When Friends began, Ross’s ex-wife Carol was clearly intended to be a more integral part of the series. She appears in the second episode to tell the man she has only recently divorced from that she’s pregnant.

The divorced co-parenting dynamic of Ross and Carol persists as a plot point through much of the series, though the actress who first played Carol, Anita Barone, never returns. She was replaced by Jane Sibbett, who most fans probably remember as the patient lesbian who raises Ben and coaches Ross through his various Crises.

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After 16 seasons, it’s a wonder that any of the original Family Guy cast remains. The Griffin family’s eldest child, Meg, was originally voiced by Lacey Chabert, though it may be a little jarring for fans to hear that voice in those early episodes now.

Chabert, who is best known for her role in Mean Girls, left the show in the second season of her own accord. She has said on numerous occasions that she simply didn’t consider the cartoon job a priority — she was in school at the time, and she was working on Party of Five.

That worked out for Mila Kunis, who is now synonymous with the character of Meg Griffin.
Unbeknownst to most fans, there was actually one actress hired to play the Griffins’ downtrodden daughter before Chabert. Cree Summer was reportedly fired from the role, and even she has admitted that it simply wasn’t a good fit for her.