The ever-changing nature of the entertainment industry means thatthe need to replace a character on a television show comes about more frequently than one might expect.This change can be because of several factors, from simple scheduling conflicts and technical considerations to full-on behind-the-scenes drama and scandalous sackings. While the facts of the particular case may differ, the onus on the show’s production remains the same: to find a worthy replacement for the outgoing actor, a task that is easier said than done.
While history is littered withTV character replacements that did not work,some shows have managed to shake this trend in triumphant fashion with a replacement who was better than the original. Swapping out an established character is no mean feat in itself, presenting just as many avenues for failure as a simplerecast of the TV actorin question, if not more so. Finding a performer who can surpass the original in terms of quality makes matters even trickier, making the rare case where a show manages to do so organically even more impressive.
10Winston Bishop (New Girl)
Replaced Ernie “Coach” Tagliaboo
Starring in 145 episodes and forming an integral aspect of the hit show’s lasting success, it’s hard to imagine a version ofNew Girlthat didn’t featureFargoEmmy winner Lamorne Morrisin the role of Winston Bishop. A fan favorite who was well-received by critics,Morris' character replaced Damon Wayan’s Ernie “Coach” Tagliaboo immediately after the show’s pilot episode.
New Girl: Why Winston Replaced Coach After The Pilot
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While he would go on to become a key character after returning inNew Girl’s third season, Wayan’s character was originally written out of the show due to scheduling commitments with another sitcom. Coach’s departure to move in with his girlfriend meant that Winston’s character was introduced as a former roommate of the show’s cadre of characters, looking to take the empty room that had belonged to Wayan’s charge. Seamlessly slotting into proceedings, Morris proceeded to make the beloved character his own without skipping a beat.
9Elaine Benes (Seinfeld)
Replaced Claire
Seinfeld’sElaine Benes is a role that Julia Louis-Dreyfus is virtually synonymous with. An integral element in the lasting success of one of the most popular and beloved shows of all time, the notion of somebody else playing Louis-Dreyfus' fiery charge is akin to imaginingFriendswithout Jennifer Aniston playing Rachel. Remarkably, that’s very nearly what audiences ended up with.
American actress Lee Garlington was charged with the lead female role inSeinfeld’soriginal pilot episode, playing Claire, a waitress friend of Jerry and George. However, when the show was finally picked up by NBC, the decision was made thatSeinfeld’s female lead needed to come from a similar social class to the rest of the cast for the sake of credibility, making Garlington’s waitress character unworkable. Louis-Dreyfus was called in to play Elaine and never looked back, breathing life into one of comedy television’s most lauded and influential faces.
8Woody Boyd (Cheers)
Replaced “Coach” Ernie Patuso
The fourth season of the wildly successful sitcomCheerssaw the introduction of Woody Harrelson’s Woody Boyd. A simple-minded, lovable bartender at the show’s titular establishment,Harrelson’s character was brought into the fold to replace fan favorite “Coach” Ernie Patuso in the fourth season.This casting change was precipitated by a tragic development, with Patuso’s actor, Nicholas Colasanto, passing away from a heart attack.
Nicholas Colasanto had a picture of Apache leader Geronimo hanging in his dressing room; the same photo was hung on the production set’s bar wall in his memory throughoutCheers’run.
While there was no replacing a character as beloved as Coach, Harrelson’s well-meaning bartender swiftly became an established fixture of the acclaimed series. Well received by fans and critics alike, Harrelson went on to appear in 200 episodes ofCheersafter debuting in 1985,with his take on the character paying respectful tribute to the memory of Colasanto’s Coach while simultaneously introducing audiences to a hilarious new face for the hit show.
7Colonel Sherman Potter (MAS*H)
Replaced Colonel Henry Blake
One of the funniest war comedy dramas of all time,MASHis notable for featuring multiple successful character swap-outs over the course of an 11-season run.The show’smost successful import in this regard is Harry Morgan’s Sherman Potter;replacing McLean Stevenson’s Colonel Henry Blake, the American went on to play the role in all but three subsequent episodes of the hit show after being introduced in the fourth season.
Providing the show with a realistic, grounded presence, Morgan hit the ground running in his new role after his predecessor’s departure. The actor’s portrayal of Potter lent an air of assurance and gravitas to his bow that arguably wasn’t there in Stevenson’s take on Blake, providing Hawkeye and Co. with a believable authority figure who was simultaneously capable of evoking laughs from the audience.
6Malia Tate (Teen Wolf)
Replaced Cora Hale
A prominent role throughout the early goings of the third season of MTV’sTeen Wolf,the story indicated that Adelaide Kane’s Cora Hale was primed for big things with the show moving forward, only for the character to vanish into obscurityalmost as quickly as she had arrived. Kane left the show after being tempted by a prominent placing on the CW period dramaReign,leaving a void that was swiftly filled by an exciting new face.
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A werecoyote who spent her formative years living in the wilderness in her alternate form,Shelley Hennig’s Malia Tateprovided a compelling new face for the show’s ensemble cast from her very first appearance. Tate’s increased involvement saw her cast member status bumped from recurring to regular from the fourth season onward, with Hennig’s blend of blunt honesty and charming sweetness winning over any doubters in short order.
5Ben Wyatt (Parks and Recreation)
Replaced Mark Brendanawicz
For one reason or another, fans ofParks and Recreationnever gravitated towardPaul Schneider’s Mark Brendanawicz. A no-nonsense city planner for the city of Pawnee, Schneider’s charge never truly found his comedic footing on the show, despite his purported status as a key character. Accordingly, Mark Brendanawicz was written out of proceedings after season 2 and was never referred to again, with Adam Scott’s Ben Wyatt stepping in to fill the void left by Schneider’s character.
In contrast to his predecessor,Scott’s charge swiftly became one ofParks and Recreation’smost beloved charactersand the chief love interest of series protagonist, Leslie Knope.Taking up the role as the show’s voice of reason, Scott’s performance as Ben received glowing reviews from critics throughout the remainder of the show’s run, citing the actor’s ability to deftly balance his straight-man role as Ben with sidesplitting humor.
4Paige Matthews (Charmed)
Replaced Prue Halliwell
Shannen Doherty’s ignominious departure from the fantasy dramaCharmedpresented the show’s producers with an unenviable conundrum. While the American actress had received acclaim from fans and critics alike for her performance as powerful witch and Charmed One Prue Halliwell, things had apparently fallen apart behind the scenes on the show due to a feud between Doherty and fellow cast member Alyssa Milano.
After Doherty was allegedly fired from the show, Prue’s death was written intoCharmed’snarrative,withRose McGowan’s Paige Matthews replacingher as the younger half-sister of the surviving Halliwell siblings. Filling the void left by such an established character was no mean feat, but while McGowan’s new face presented an entirely different personality to the more pragmatic Prue, it proved to be an equally entertaining one. McGowan’s performance was well received and highlighted as a notably bright aspect of the show’s later seasons.
3Morgause (Merlin)
Replaced Nimueh
While Michelle Ryan’s Nimueh serves as an excellent antagonistic foil for Colin Morgan’s titular protagonist throughout the first season of the hit BBC fantasy dramaMerlin, Emilia Fox’s casting as the villain who replaces her raised the bar to an entirely new level. A ruthless sorceress, deadly warrior, and the half-sister to Morgana Pendragon, Fox’s bow as the Machiavellian Morgause blew her predecessor out of the water in just about every sense imaginable.
Implacable, charismatic, and deviously intelligent,Morgause proved to be a formidable adversary for Merlin, seamlessly stepping into the role of the show’s chief antagonist after Nimueh’s demise.Her presence served to elevate the show’s quality even further after an excellent first season, with Fox turning in an electrifying performance to bring one ofMerlin’smost memorable villains to life in wickedly brilliant fashion.
2Buzz Hickey (Community)
Replaced Pierce Hawthorne
Chevy Chase’s time as millionaire Pierce Hawthorneon the cult classic sitcomCommunityended in controversy, with various instances of erratic behavior culminating in the actor’s dismissal from the show after he allegedly used a racial slur during a rant on set. Pierce was subsequently written out of the show, with the fifth season revealing that Chase’s character had died of dehydration while collecting sperm samples.
Played byBreaking Badstar Jonathan Banks, Buzz Hickey wasn’t a direct replacement for Chase’s character in the traditional sense but ended up indirectly filling the void left by Pierce. A whip-smart criminology professor and army veteran,Buzz presented a far more compelling and nuanced character than Pierce had ever been,aided by the usual excellent performance that audiences have come to expect from the supremely talented Banks. Hickey may have only appeared in the show’s fifth season, but he left a memorable impression in his brief time withCommunity.
1Captain James Kirk (Star Trek: The Original Series)
Replaced Captain Christopher Pike
A remarkable piece of trivia in the history of one of the most successful and enduring science fiction shows of all time,Star Trek: The Original Series’first pilot episode originally starred Jeffrey Hunter in the lead role of Captain Christopher Pike.Poor feedback to the show’s first iteration meant that this state of affairs only lasted one episode, with NBC moving to commission a second pilot that starred an entirely new figurehead for the series. Said figurehead took the form ofWilliam Shatner’s Captain James T. Kirk, and the rest is history.
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Captain James T. Kirk went up against Klingons numerous times throughout his Star Trek career, but these five were particularly formidable.
Shatner’s take on theUSS Enterprise’scaptain swiftly morphed into one of the most popular and influential science fiction characters ever conceived, as well as arguably television’s preeminent example of a character replacement that was better than the original. Hunter’s fleeting bow as Pike was relegated to little more than a footnote until Anson Mount’s modernized take on the character made a comeback in the second season ofStar Trek: Discovery,a successful return that led to his own spin-off show inStar Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek follows the U.S.S. Enterprise on its five-year mission to explore the galaxy, led by Captain James T. Kirk and First Officer Mr. Spock. The crew confronts a variety of challenges, including Klingons, Romulans, and genetic supermen, as they search for new life and civilizations.
