Replacement Characters on TV Shows

Furley over the Ropers.

I loved Irene Lorenzo on All in the Family. I think they phased her in when they were phasing the Jeffersons out to their own show.

Heather Locklear’s Amanda Woodward on “Melrose Place” thoroughly owns this thread.

Sorry, I misread and thought it was “most favorite.”

Betty White on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

One of the worst was Arnie on Roseanne. He didn't replace anyone, but oh my god is Tom Arnold awful.

My favorite: Betty White as Sue Ann Nivens on the Mary Tyler Moore Show. She was introduced as Rhoda and, later, Phyllis were being spun off into their own series.

Kirstie Alley was no Shelley Long.

One of the best is Danny Devito on It's Always Sunny.

Cindy Snow never worked on Three’s Company.

Does anybody else remember when they tried to make Felicity Huffman happen on 'Frasier'? What an awful character!

Downton Abbey

Worked:

Cousin Rose

Bertie Pelham

Didn't Work:

Henry Talbot

Epic fail: Cousin Oliver on "The Brady Bunch."

[QUOTE] Worked: Cousin Rose

Umm, no, she didn’t. That actress is horrible and she is now literally EVERYWHERE.

Spike , Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Cousin Oliver did them a favor by helping them get canceled. If there had been a sixth season, it would’ve been with a replacement Mike Brady.

The bland, soap-opera stiff who replaced Richard Thomas as John-Boy Walton! A big part of "The Waltons" appeal was John Boy's quirky, slightly-fey charm. The late-series switcheroo to whoever that wooden impostor was ruined what was left of the show, which never recovered after Richard Thomas left, taking his magic with him.

Mrs. Naugatuck on 'Maude' was funnier than Florida Evans, but the interplay between Bea and Ester was better.

People still get worked up about Pernell Roberts being sacked from Bonanza, even though David Canary's Candy was a perfect replacement.

Peter Scolari and Julia Duffy from Newhart were so integral to the show’s success that I doubt anyone really remembers the cast members they replaced.

On M*A*S*H, David Ogden Stiers as Maj. Winchester was a huge improvement over the unfunny character of Maj. Burns. Better dynamic with the rest of the cast too. (And he was family.)

And maybe it's sacrilege, but I preferred Harry Morgan as Col. Potter to McLean Stevenson as Col. Blake.

Wish Wayne Rogers had stayed, though. Mike Farrell never convinced me at all as a surgeon or a soldier and his timing didn't work in his scenes with Alda.

I liked Ted McGinley on Married, With Children. His bland good looks hid a whipped/secret pervert persona that was interesting.

Donna Culver Krebbs became one of my favorite characters on Dallas. She did appear in season 1 but didn't become a permanent cast member until season 4. The enduring friendship between her and Miss Ellie was a nice contrast to the wild ups and downs of the other relationships on the show.

Julia Duffy may not have worked on Designing Women, but she saved Newhart.

Kirby on “Dynasty.” You almost didn’t really even care when Adam raped her. She was THAT annoying.

One of the worst was whoever they tried to replace the British doctor with on Nurse Jackie.

Aww, I thought Cousin Rose brought a little lightness to Downton. She was good hearted like Sybil but not as dull.

When Sarah Chalke became the next Becky. She had no comedy skills, which is surprising since I found her funny on Scrubs.

Worst

Brian Haley replacing Thomas Haden Church in WINGS

Cloris Leachman replacing Charlotte Rae in THE FACTS OF LIFE

Best

Michiel Huisman replacing Ed Skrein as Daario Naharis in GAME OF THRONES

Joseph Gilgun replacing Robert Sheehan in MISFITS

Kirstie Alley replacing Shelly Long in CHEERS

Amy Yasbeck replacing Farrah Forke in WINGS

Mr Spooner on Are You Being Served was awful.

Dana Delaney was really good on Desperate Housewives.

I disagree with Cloris Leachman replacing Charlotte Rae. Any other actress and it would’ve been pointless. At least Charlotte was passing the torch to a long-time friend since she couldn’t do the show anymore because of her health problems. She was certainly better than the wooden and uninteresting dark-haired man they got to play a handyman a year earlier.

Now, Mary Ann Mobley replacing Dixie Carter on [italic]Diff’rent Strokes[/italic]; that was a decline from a decline!

That horrid little ginger Sam on Diff'rent Strokes was one of the most annoying TV children of all time.

[QUOTE] She was certainly better than the wooden and uninteresting dark-haired man they got to play a handyman a year earlier.

George Clooney?

I thought Kirsty Alley was great on Cheers.

I had no idea she was an unhinged nutcase though. Worked fine for the character.

Teri Polo and Paul Provenza taking over for the departure of Rob Morrow on “Northern Exposure”. The show tanked fast.

Coy and Vance Duke

Tiffani-Amber Thiessen as Valerie on BH, 90210 replaced Shannen Doherty as Brenda for the “bitchy brunette” niche.

She is the best example of all time, IMO. The show didn’t miss a beat, and Tiffani was terrific in the role and stole every scene she was in.

R6 He was awful, and yet the show thrived creatively during Tom and Rosie’s marriage.

Least: Whoever replaces Tom Bergeron! (DWTS)

Best Ever: Jerry Orbach replaced Paul Sorvino! (L&O)

Worse:

Hazel was just not the same with Steve and Barbara Baxter as replacements for George and Dorothy Baxter.

R19, Parnell Roberts quit; he wasn't "sacked." He felt "Bonanza" was beneath him and his talent. Roberts also thought it absurd that adult men had always to defer to their father.

Dear God, whoever that slab was who replaced Lowell on Wings. They got smart and axed him with no explanation after about 2 episodes.

OP, your question is confusing ... are you asking about replacements or people who were added to the cast?

Sorry about that R44. I meant both types.

Charity Rahmer (who was a maybe week-long Interim Belle Black on DAYS) was horrific. So so so bad.

[quote] and she is now [bold]literally[/bold] EVERYWHERE.

That word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

[quote] Aww, I thought Cousin Rose brought a little lightness to Downton.

I say! It's about time we had a little fun around here!

I actually like the second Darrin, Dick Sargent, even though most people think he's much inferior to Dick York. Certainly his Darrin did not seem as in love with Elizabeth Montgomery's Samantha as York's Darrin was (which may be because Sargent was gay in real life, while York was heterosexual). But Sargent and Montgomery were old friends, and you could tell that his Darrin genuinely liked being aorund Sam; and he was less explosive around Endora and Maurice than York's Darrin was. It seemed like Dick Sargent's Darrin was what Dick York's Darrin might have become with time: more mellow, less splenetic, less in love with his wife but more comfortable around her and still greatly enjoying her company.

Two of the best examples from Mama's Family:

Iola replace Aunt Fran (Iola > Aunt Fran)

Bubba replaced Buzz and Sonya (Bubba > [hotter and more hung] Buzz & Sonya

They killed off Charlie Sheen on Two and a Half Men and brought in Ashton Kutcher.

New Darren had zero chemistry with Samantha.

Dianne Ladd (movie Flo) failed miserably replacing Polly Holiday (tv Flo) on Alice. So much so that the bland Jolene was an improvement. (Not a fig at the brilliant Celia Weston)

Soap could not recover from Robert Guillaume’s exit, his replacement (closet case Roscoe Lee Brown) was boring as shit.

Rhonda was a great addition to Laverne and Shirley when they moved to California. Adversely, sexy Ed Marinaro was was redundant. We already had a Carmine. I wonder if they hired him to show Eddie Mekka how replaceable he was.

*dig, not “fig”

also, I swear I didn’t type “was was” before the word redundant on purpose.

[quote]Cousin Oliver did them a favor by helping them get canceled. If there had been a sixth season, it would’ve been with a replacement Mike Brady.

I think Dick Sargent was finished with "Bewitched" by that point and would have been available to take over for Robert Reed.

Julia Duffy got a bad deal with DW. Apparently the network pushed that and Linda Bloodworth wasn't exactly on fire about having her there.

She did the best with the crumbs she was given but the writing did not help. And she was replacing Suzanne, which in retrospect was really impossible.

Do you guys do anything besides watch and discuss tv shows from four decades ago?

r11 - All of his girlfriends had limited story arcs.

What else is there, R56???

I’m done polishing mom’s silver.

Ling Woo on Ally Mcbeal. Brilliant.

[quote]Do you guys do anything besides watch and discuss tv shows from four decades ago?

What's it to you? How awful that someone is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to read this thread.

It's just sad, that's all. I watched these shows too, but JFC my life moved on. Lots of those shows look really dumb and dated now. For example, I don't know how anyone in 2020 can sit down and watch a marathon of Dallas or Dynasty. That sounds excruciating. Go out and take a walk or something.

The idea that just because some of us enjoy chatting about old TV shows means we're all Miss Havishams who haven't been outside in 20 years is very naive, R61. But congratulations on having moved on with your life. We all envy you terribly.

So, we're not just talking replacements, right? Show saving additions like Alexis as well?

Worked very well: Richard Channing in Falcon Crest Dr. Pulaski - Star Trek TNG (I don't care what others think) David and Ted - Schitt's Creek

WTF: Fallon 2 - Dynasty Seven - Married with Children

I agree. Emma Sammswas the worst Amanda.

Emma sands was Fallon replacement.

Jenilee Harrison, joining Dallas (season 8) as long-lost relative Jamie Ewing. How dreary. The same season had Donna Reed as the new Miss Ellie. Blechhhh!

She so uninteresting I spelled Samms wrong.

[quote]Charity Rahmer (who was a maybe week-long Interim Belle Black on DAYS) was horrific. So so so bad.

R46 She was awful, and she was so bad she was good. I'm sad the YouTube clips of her have been removed. They were hilarious.

BUT, you were the first one in the thread who made a mistake, and now others are copying you.... this was not about RECASTS. PAY ATTENTION!!!!

The new (long-lost?) sister who replaced Kristy McNichol on Empty Nest. Terrible! Who was the "actress" anyway and did she ever act again?

Let's face it: SVU was never the same once Diane Neal joined as Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak, replacing Stephanie March as A.D.A. Alexandra Cabot. I eventually grew to grudgingly accept Casey, but the episodes with Alex are the only ones I'll stop everything to watch if they're rerunning.

R62 I say we choreograph clacking our fans open when we turn our backs on hip, happening Miss R61.

Sandra Bernhard as Nancy slowly displaced Natalie West as Crystal as Roseanne and Jackie's best friend on Roseanne. For a while, they co-existed, but by the last few seasons, Crystal was only in one or two episodes per season while Nancy seemed to be in about half of the episodes.

Crystal never did anything hilarious herself, but I always thought she was such a realistic character. Everyone's mom had that one annoying doormat of a friend that you couldn't help but love.

On Knots Landing, Betsy Palmer as Aunt Ginny replaced Julie Harris as Lilimae in the niche of the crazy older meddling woman in Valene's life/on-call babysitter to Val's twins.

I DESPISED Aunt Ginny. Nobody could mow down hunky men with her Buick and rock out on the autoharp and get a snazzy home perm like Lilimae. Nobody.

R17 - I agree. I loved Richard Thomas as John-Boy and things went down the shitter once he left.

Worse: Goran (Euro Clooney) Fishsticks on ER

[quote]Cindy Snow never worked on Three’s Company.

I actually liked Cindy and thought she was better for the show than Teri.

New John-Boy was hot. Hotter than John-Boy #1.

Aunt Sandy replaced Valerie on Valerie/Valerie's Family/The Hogan Family. Terrible!

I fucking hated Crystal, R72. And Lonnie is a ridiculous name for a boy.

This thread reminds me why I'm glad [italic]Golden Palace[/italic] was a separate series and not season 8 of [italic]The Golden Girls[/italic].

Falsone (Jon Seda) and Ballard (Callie Thorne) instead of Crosetti (Jon Polito) and Bolander (Ned Beatty) on Homicide: Life on the Street.

The guy who replaced Jon on Chips. Who was he?

[quote] The new (long-lost?) sister who replaced Kristy McNichol on Empty Nest. Terrible! Who was the "actress" anyway and did she ever act again?

Her name is Lisa Rieffel and she was in [italic]Drowning Mona[/italic], inarguably one of Bette Midler's worst films.

Tom and Helen's white son on The Jeffersons was a dud.

I didn't love the Ropers on "Three's Company," but I preferred them to Don Knotts. Mr. Furley was about as funny as a joint replacement.

I always loved Lana on Three’s Company. Ann Wedgeworth won a Tony for her performance in “Chapter Two.”

[QUOTE] BUT, you were the first one in the thread who made a mistake, and now others are copying you.... this was not about RECASTS. PAY ATTENTION!!!!

Sorry, R68. Totally my bad.

I would pay for clips of Charity Rahmer on Days right now. You’re right: she transcended bad to become something almost amazing.

Ellen's friends were always replaced on her sitcom. Why did Ayre Myers (sp.?) leave the show? Jeremy Piven was a hot replacement.

The worst replacements on SVU were Michaela McManus and Adam Beach (who was hired to help slowly phase out Munch's role as Fin's partner and role on the show). Both were really terrible and thankfully didn't last long.

Mary Cadorette replacing Joyce and Priscilla Presley on Three's Company.

Woody was a great addition to Cheers. As was Charles Emerson Winchester on MASH.

Replacements are always best when they're not carbon copies of whomever they’re replacing.

Cheryl Ladd replacing Farrah Fawcett on Charlie's Angels went very seamlessly. Impressive considering how popular Fawcett was.

Shelley Hack and Tanya Robert's weren't as lucky.

Pernell Roberts was disliked by Michael Landon, R42, he was made to go. Because he was taller, more talented and better looking. Same thing happened with two actors who were cast to replace Pernell. David Canary only stayed till the end of the show because with his broken nose he wasn't traditionally good looking and didn't try to steal attention away from Landon who was behaving like little Bonaparte.

I’ve been watching Mary Cadorette on some 1985 episodes of “Super Password.” She really did not have enough charisma for the Three’s Company/Crowd universe. Even boring Teri, could at least pretend to be in on the joke for some episodes. MC was just boring and lacked chemistry with John Ritter.

Slightly off-topic: Tom Poston (“Newhart”) was incredibly homophobic to a (married to a woman) straight man on an episode I watched recently of “Super Password.” Poston said that the contestant needed to stop using his hands so much because it made him look gay.

Bert Convy later picked up the thread when the man made it to the bonus round and Bert had his hand on the guy’s shoulder before the clock started ticking off and referenced the hands thing from earlier.

[quote]Mary Cadorette replacing Joyce and Priscilla Presley on Three's Company.

Priscilla PRESLEY?

Fran Ryan was a terrible replacement for Barbara Pepper as Doris Ziffel

Butters replaced Kenny as the 4th friend on [italic]South Park[/italic] when Kenny died "permanently." Even though they eventually brought Kenny back after a season, Butters has always been more of a major character since then. Kenny is great, but I think most fans would agree that Butters has provided way more hilarious moments and this change has been for the better.

Yes, r95. How inconsiderate of Barbara Pepper to go and die like that.

On That 70's Show they tried shoehorning in MAD TV cast members Christina Moore and Josh Meyers as replacements for Lisa Robin Kelly, Ashton Kutcher and Topher Grace. It was a disaster and they were hated by most viewers.

Sherryl Lee Ralph replaced Ann Jillian on It's a Living. WTF!

Worst:

R100 is right.

What the fuck did Lucy ever see in him? The guy was not funny, and as a replacement for Vivian Vance of all people?

I’m probably in the minority but I preferred all 3 replacements for werewolf, vampire and ghost on the UK Being Human.

I preferred Joel Robinson to Mike Nelson in MST3K

Sandra Gould gave it her best but she was no Alice Pearce as Gladys Kravitz and I'm still not sure why Catherine Tate ever did the Office.

I know it's a minority opinion but I thought Sandra Gould was fantastic as Mrs. Kravitz. It was simply a different interpretation than that of Alice Pearce, who, of course, was brilliant.

[quote]What the fuck did Lucy ever see in him? The guy was not funny, and as a replacement for Vivian Vance of all people?

Gale Gordon was not the replacement for Vivian Vance. He replaced Charles Lane, who was the banker overseeing Lucy's trust fund in the first season of "The Lucy Show." Vivian was still a regular when Gordon joined the show. But I certainly agree with you that Gordon was never funny. I think Lucy liked Gordon because he was very loud. Lucille Ball's idea of hilarity by that point in her career was for everyone to talk as loudly as possible. Remember years later when Lucy made the TV movie "Stone Pillow"? I remember an interview with the actress playing the social worked in that movie, who, of course, was asked what it was like to be working with the great Lucille Ball. "She keeps telling me I should be louder," the actress said.

^^ the actress playing the social worker . . . ^^

Was that Anna Maria Horsford?

It was Daphne Zuniga, R108.

Aunt (or Cousin?) Rose on The Waltons. She just shows up in season 8 after Mother Walton leaves the show. She brings her two grandchildren, whom she is "hiding" from their abusive, drunken, violent (unseen) father. Season 9 starts, the grandkids have disappeared, and Aunt/Cousin Rose explains that the kids have gone to live with their father!

That's a riot, R110.

R111, season 8 is on ME-TV right now.

Julia Duffy did [italic]Designing Women[/italic] to get out of that crappy [italic]Baby Talk[/italic] show. To go from seven Emmy nominations in a row to a show with both Tony Danza and Scott Baio attached to it is a huge step downward. I think it was Columbia Pictures Television, not CBS, who had her under contract at the time.

Stephanie Beacham was brought onto the last season of Dynasty as Sable to replace Linda Evans' Krystle as the foil to Joan Collins' Alexis. The writing for Linda Evans had been poor for years and on her way out the show pretty much all but acknowledged how lobotomized Krystle had become.

Stephanie Beacham totally revitalized the show IMO. But it was too late and got canceled anyway.

He wasn't a replacement for anybody but Mark Shera was a great addition to "Barnaby Jones." Buddy Ebsen was winding down by season 6 or so and Mark was just the shot in the arm the show needed by that point.

(For anyone who can stay up that late, Me-TV just started showing Shera's seasons this week.)

R111, Aunt Rose, and the kids were really annoying and ruined what was left of the show. That woman's voice was like nails on a chalkboard.

June Lockhart as the lady MD

[quote]June Lockhart as the lady MD

But she was as pretty as can be!

The annoying brat who replaced Nellie Olsen on Little House on the Prairie. Alison Angrim (Nellie) was a good little actress who managed to make her bratty character funny and likable. Her replacement tried too hard to be Nellie 2.0 but was neither funny or likable.

R115, Mark Shera joined BJ in season 5. You stay up THAT late (4 am Eastern) to watch the show? Just DVR it like I'm doing. You crazy!

[quote]I’m probably in the minority but I preferred all 3 replacements for werewolf, vampire and ghost on the UK Being Human.

I agree. The writers were smart to make Hal, Alex and Tom so dissimilar to Mitchell, Annie and George.

Nancy Oleson was an annoying brat. They also tried to act like Laura and Nellie were best friends when they were grown up.

The one new addition I absolutely HATED from day one was Countess Vaughn on the 4th season of "227", playing "Alexandria".

She was obese, obnoxious and ugly, and it made no sense as to why this annoying little fat brat was suddenly living with the family. The character was so off-putting it was hard to watch.

Fortunately, the producers realized it was a huge mistake and gave her ass the heave-ho after that one season.

2nd place goes to Janet Jackson as "Penny" on "Good Times". She was AWFUL. Zero charisma, zero acting talent. Brought the show to a screeching halt whenever she appeared in a scene. The show had already jumped the shark at that point, so it didn't matter that much, though.

Geri Reischl trying to fill Eve Plumb's shoes as Jan in the critically acclaimed Brady Bunch Variety Hour was a failure.

MASH and Bewitched are great examples of the effects of recasting. I gives kudos to MASH for replacing key characters with new ones who were far different. The originals (Frank Burns, Trapper John, Henry Blake) were far funnier than the characters who replaced them, but it allowed the show to grow. I think Col. Potter was a complete success, Winchester started out good, in that Hawkeye needed someone who could give as good as he got (but later he lost that edge). The only failure was BJ Hunnicutt, who never got one honest laugh during his whole run.

Bewitched took a downward turn with each replacement. Darrin and Mrs. Kravitz were replaced by shrill , unlikable actors. Aunt Clara was so lovable that her "replacement" Esmerelda didn't stand a chance.

Anyone remember the young intern they brought on to Perry Mason to attract a younger audience? He lasted about 8 episodes.

Kirstie Alley was a horrible replacement for Shelley Long.

The new couple on Hazel were bad, but I'll give them a pass because steve (Ray Fuller) was hot and should've been shirtless in at least one episode.

Worst replacement ever? Mary Jane Croft, Vivian's "replacement on The Lucy Show.

(R98) That '70s Show fired Lisa Robin Kelly in the middle of a story line, so they had to bring in someone to wrap it up. Christina Moore only appeared in 6 episodes. Laurie Forman didn't appear in the last two seasons.

Yusuf Gatewood, Daniel Sharman and Sonja Sohn were better replacements for the actors who played Finn, Kole and Esther on CW's THE ORIGINALS.

Jon Lovitz was a terrible replacement for Phil Hartman on NEWSRADIO.

Marsha Warfield in NIGHT COURT was a better bailiff than the older ones who died necessitating for a younger model.

[quote] Jon Lovitz was a terrible replacement for Phil Hartman on NEWSRADIO.

Phil Hartman WAS Newsradio. They really should have just ended the show.

R128, you mean you didn't fall for the comic charms of Andy Dick?

I HATE Andy Dick!!!!

Does anyone else remember the Faux Duke Boys?

R123, Alexandria was dumped from 227 after the first 10 episodes of season 4. LOL. Rose's daughter, Tiffany, disappeared from the show after 2 or 3 seasons, as Judy Winslow disappeared from Family Matters after season 4.

How spooky.

I'm sure Lucy would have had Gale Gordon as her foil the first season of "The Lucy Show" had he been available. He was, after all, her first choice to play Fred Mertz. But he was still playing the second Mr. Wilson on "Dennis the Menace."

He was Mr. Wilson's brother on that show after Joseph Kearns died.

Joseph Kearns was much funnier.

[quote] Was that Anna Maria Horsford?

In a taxi, honey!

Dawn Lyn as "Dodie" on "My Three Sons" was another awful addition.

I always hated that pig-faced little bitch.

Big and Little Earl on What's Happening. They were the neighbors of Raj and Rerun (at their new apartment).

They had a kid on the Golden Palace that lasted for half the season. There is someone in Hollywood who thinks adding a cute little precocious kid to a show means ratings gold.

R126 Yes, the show was in a bit of rough spot with Lisa Robin's abrupt departure. Laurie was supposed to become a regular character again. Christina was really bad in the role though, her Laurie was a get her off my screen type of annoying bitch, compared to Lisa Robin's loved to hate her type of bitch. So they cut their losses and minimized her screen time and wrote Laurie off the canvas after 6 episodes.

For the eldergays, who was better on My Three Sons, William Frawley or William Demarest?

Kearns had warmth, which Gordon really lacked.

He'd worked with Ball on radio--she was either loyal or just a prisoner of the familiar, depending on how you look at it.

Harry Morgan was the only successful replacement on MASH. The show lost it's comedic/creative tension when Frank Burns left and the show stumbled into being "The Alan Alda Show".

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman replaced her adopted daughter Colleen with a different actress after the 2nd season.

Star Trek: Voyager phased out the rather innocuous Kes and added 7 of 9, who brought Sexy to the Delta quadrant, and more action to the story.

R119 Nancy was a total mess. Her character definitely showed some sociopathic traits.

Little House On The Prairie didn't have a lot of luck adding new characters in the later years. The Carter family fell flat especially. The actors weren't bad, but they were blandly written for supposed to being replacements for Charles and Caroline.

Perfectly fine: Lola Albright temporarily stepping into Dorothy Malone's role in Peyton Pace, an evening soap, when Malone had to be hospitalized for emergency surgery.

Not so fine: Joan Crawford temporarily stepping into daughter Christina's role in The Secret Storm, an afternoon soap, when Christina had to be hospitalized for emergency surgery.

^ Peyton Place, of course. Sorry.

Nathan Fillion’s cop partner was replaced on The Rookie in Season 2 after the actress from S1?quit citing racial and sexual harassment (neither from Fillion). Though my guess is DL doesn’t watch this show nor gives two fucks.

R138 I failed to understand how or why Dawn Lyn joined the My Three Sons family because I was young and didn't get to watch the show regularly. She didn't add anything special to the show. Adding a child to a show happens when the show has jumped the shark and producers are desperate.

On a side note, Dawn Lyn looks a bit like she may have Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Not her fault, of course, but given that her brother, Leif Garrett, is an addict, maybe some of the genetics for addiction came from their mom. What do you think?

Disagree, OP.

Allison was the best character DW ever had and Julia Duffy the best actress — by far.

TV’s Frank (left — wearing briefs on chin). VASTLY better than whiny-voiced little shitbag Josh Weinstein who played Dr. Erhardt on the original MST3K.

R149's brat immediately reminded me of

I’d angrily change the channel as a kid if it was a Tori episode of “Saved by the Bell.”

She was the replacement for both Tiffani Amber Thiessen and Elizabeth Berkley.

When Joan took over for Christina on The Secret Storm, she was in her sixties and looked 10 years older. The character was supposed to be in her 20s. And on several if not most of the episodes she appeared in, she was obviously inebriated. Ratings went up over 40%.

Joan never told Christina she had called up the producers on her own and volunteered herself as a replacement. Christina found out in her hospital bed when she tuned into the show to see how her absence was being handled.

Grantchester. Exit James Norton, enter less attractive other guy.

Mr. Spooner was no me!

Death In Paradise - a revolving door of white male leads with a black supporting cast.

As deficient at acting as Barbara Bain and Martin Landau were on "Mission: Impossible" the actors brought on to "replace" them were far worse.

John McIntyre was not quite as good on "Wagon Train" as Ward Bond had been.

Most of the later seasons replacements on "Rowan and Martin's Laugh In" were just awful.

Judith Ivey and Julia Duffy on "Designing Women"? Bitch, please.....

Always thought Jan Clayton was the best mother on "Lassie."

Do I type old?

I enjoyed Connie Nielsen’s stint on SVU when Mariska was on maternity leave.

She said In an interview she would never reprise the role because of all the hate she got from the precious Olivia obsessed fans st the time.

R155, I was bored with James Norton's relationship with that married woman. She was neither attractive nor interesting and they dragged it out over his entire tenure on the show. They made him boring and needy and more than a little pathetic. I don't blame the actor for leaving. The new guy is attractive enough but his storylines are pretty awful, especially as they have decided to give him an ongoing love interest in that annoying reporter.

The best part of the show is the gay priest and the cranky housekeeper.

R65 lives at the foot of the runway.

Judith Ivey's replacement was much better-written but the show had run its course.

R56, They do mention that daughter in the pilot, at least. It could be a different daughter though, Susan Harris isn’t huge on consistency.

Still.... terrible.

Did you think they were a good addition or and one, r139 ?

I think I may have had a small crush on Big Earl. 🤦‍♂️

[quote] were inserted into a show during it's run.

Oh, dear!

[quote] The show lost it's comedic/creative tension

Oh, DEAR!

R21 and I are in complete and total agreement.

Good points.

R28, I agree with you on both points about Sarah Chalke.

One of my favorite lines from "Roseanne," a show I never liked much, was when the original Becky (Goranson) returned to the series and in their first scene together Roseanne asks, "Where the hell have you been?" Quite funny.

[quote] I thought Kirsty Alley was great on Cheers. I had no idea she was an unhinged nutcase though. Worked fine for the character.

Fun fact: Kirstie was a contestant on an early Match Game show. She was just as nutty then.

[quote] I enjoyed Connie Nielsen’s stint on SVU when Mariska was on maternity leave.

I thought so, too. She fit right in and had really good chemistry with Meloni. Was surprised she was never made a regular. You would think that somewhere in the franchise was an opening for her. L&O Criminal Intent alone should have had a vacant slot for her pretty much every new season considering how often they switched around leads. Pair her with Chris Noth and you have a winner right there.

[quote] I loved Irene Lorenzo on All in the Family. I think they phased her in when they were phasing the Jeffersons out to their own show.

I assumed she left for the more regular role on Laverne & Shirley

When Genie Francis left General Hospital at the height of the Luke and Laura craze in 1982, producers tried to replace her with Laura Templeton (Janine Turner), Jackie Templeton (Demi Moore), and Holly Sutton (Emma Samms). Holly was the only one even remotely successful (and even she had to be re-paired with Robert Scorpio).

It always amazed me how producers smart enough to create the most popular soap opera love story ever would be stupid enough to make the character of Luke (so passionately devoted to Laura that he pursued her for years) move on so quickly after the death of his beloved wife. Did no one at GH stop to think viewers might be turned off by that?

Yes R170 you are correct.

I preferred The Pembroke kids to The Powell kids on Charles In Charge.

California Dreams traded up when they replaced Matt Gore with Jay Anthony Franke.

Has the annoying Quin Cummings on Family been mentioned.

I haven't seen it but I seem to remember viewer discontent with Any Day Now when the two young actresses were replaced.

I'd hoped that when Vanessa Williams joined Desperate Housewives she would give it some much-needed new energy. Instead the writers pretty much wasted her.

In addition to Marcia on Night Court, they had a couple of woman DA characters until it clicked with Markie Post.

On Benson, Clayton replaced someone who I cannot even remember. Not sure he lasted a full season, but Clayton was a much better foil. Not a key part, but even though I like Didi Conn and she was not horrible, I liked Marcy better (perhaps because Didi's character was dragged down by Pete). This is more than I have thought about Benson in about 25 years.

The Waltons suffered not from just the loss of John Boy, but Grandpa died, Grandma had a stroke, Olivia left, and I think the dad was in and out all within a few seasons of John Boy leaving. Also the other kids were aging out of their natural child acting to being bad young adult actors. The show was already on fumes by the time they brought in Ken Doll John Boy (not to mention they completely quit trying at looking like the 1940's by then - Mary Ellen had a closet full of Jordache jeans and a lot of 80's perms). The show was much more in its element with the depression than it was with WWII.

A lot of the replacements that did not work were more of a product of a show that was already on its death bed creativity and writing wise rather than the actor. I think in Julia Duffy's case, it was because by then Julia/Dixie Carter had to be right about everything - and they wrote Dufffy's character as humorless and small minded to make Carter's character look better (but often just looking insufferable).

I preferred the original actress who played Aunt Viv.

It's always jarring watching the first episode of Blue Bloods in syndication. The first episode was actually the pilot and the tween actress playing Erin's daughter Nicki was plain looking and quite annoying. By the second episode she had been replaced with the much better young woman who still plays the part.

Lindsay Lohan was replaced by a different actress as Bette Midler's daughter once 'Bette' went to series. Probably didn't hurt her career.

June Lockhart (who is still alive BTW) replaced Bea Benaderet on Petticoat Junction after Bea died. By that point the show had shifted focus to the marriage of the lesbian daughter to Steve Elliot, so June didn't get to do all that much except be a lady doctor.

Anya kind of took over Cordelia’s niche on [italic]Buffy the Vampire Slayer[/italic] after Cordelia left to do [italic]Angel[/italic].

I liked Anya, but it was never the same without Cordelia.

R178 didn't understand the assignment.

r183 hasn't read the thread. OP was asked if he meant if he meant replacements or new characters added and said either.

[quote] they had a couple of woman DA characters

Just the one, dear?

Pettycoat Junction was a bit odd in that it the writing of the daughters actually got more reactionary as the show entered the 70s. The daughter who married Steve went from having a personality and having skills not normally associated with women in the 60's to being just wanting to be a wife and mother and the daughter who wanted to be a writer became a ditz.

R183 clearly hasn't read the thread either.

[quote] Start a replacement actors thread

It was start a replacement CHARACTER thread, you fat whore!

[quote]Just the one, dear?

Sorry - meant the public defender not DA. For a show that was on 9 years, it has a low syndication presence.

The public defenders: Gail Strickland is public defender Sheila Gardner (pilot episode only). Paula Kelly is Liz Williams (season 1). Ellen Foley as Billie Young (season 2) is a public defender and potential romantic interest for Stone during season 2. Markie Post as Christine Sullivan (seasons 3–9):

R187, see r184.

The British crime drama Silent Witness has had a slew of replacement characters during its long run. The seasons with Tom Ward and William Gamanara were my favorites as both were easy on the eyes.

Emilia Fox is the Mariska Hargitay of that show, having been with it the longest (though she herself was a replacement character). I believe they recently renewed it for a couple of more years and she ain’t going nowhere.

[quote] Sorry - meant the public defender not DA. For a show that was on 9 years, it has a low syndication presence.

Apart from a handful of classics like Lucy, Dick van Dyke, Twilight Zone, etc., black and white shows have traditionally not done well in syndication since the 70s. Fortunately, some of these recent over the air digital subchannels like MeTV (usually also available on the upper ranges of cable) are changing that.

You all mention Cousin Rose and Aunt Rose, when I am the only Rose that matters.

One of the worst actually inspired a new show 😆

R56

No

No, we do not

[quote]Mrs. Naugatuck on 'Maude' was funnier than Florida Evans, but the interplay between Bea and Ester was better.

Agree with this. The Maude-Florida dynamic was special, with Ester the perfect straight foil. Bea did some of her best work ever along side Hermione Baddeley but it was NEVER believable.

I grew up in the era of "My Three Sons" where the three sons were Robbie, Chip and Ernie, and they lived with Uncle Charlie.

I was shocked to learn as an adult that Fred Mertz was the original uncle, and that there had been another oldest son. Chip was originally the youngest, and Robbie was the middle son, and Ernie was adopted when the original oldest son left.

My whole life was a lie!!!!

[quote] She said In an interview she would never reprise the role because of all the hate she got from the precious Olivia obsessed fans st the time.

Lesbians are possesive.

[quote] You all mention Cousin Rose and Aunt Rose, when I am the only Rose that matters.

Yes, but a Rose by any other name, uh, something something.

I was in the same boat R197. It wasn't until Nick at Night that I learned about the other brother and Bub. I was in shock. Also, it wasn't until Nick at Night that I learned about the original and better Gladys Kravitz.

On "The Waltons", I always liked the character they brought in as Ike the grocer's wife.

She was from the big city and haughty, so she worked both as a source of both conflict and comedy, but she was portrayed with heart and depth. She wasn't a villain, nor was she there just to be the butt of jokes. She had an essential kindness to her, and I always looked forward to her scenes.

It's Esther, bitches!!! ESTHER!!!!

R202 Damn! Damn! Damn!

[quote]I actually like the second Darrin, Dick Sargent, even though most people think he's much inferior to Dick York.

I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I also preferred Dick Sargent. Dick York always seemed so angry, as though he were about to haul off and belt Samantha.

Team Sargent here too.

York always did that bulging eye mugging that Don Knotts did to express shock, anger, etc.

Sargent was and longtime close friend of Montgomery's. He had been offered Darrin originally but had turned it down.

[quote] By that point the show had shifted focus to the marriage of the lesbian daughter to Steve Elliot, so June didn't get to do all that much except be a lady doctor.

June Lockhart never really had much to do on any of her series. Mostly she was just a concern troll.

"Lassie, have you seen Timmy.?"

"I'm worried about Penny and Will."

"Do you think that's a good idea, Bobbie Jo?"

[quote]On Benson, Clayton replaced someone who I cannot even remember. Not sure he lasted a full season, but Clayton was a much better foil. Not a key part, but even though I like Didi Conn and she was not horrible, I liked Marcy better (perhaps because Didi's character was dragged down by Pete). This is more than I have thought about Benson in about 25 years.

Rene Auberjonois (as Clayton) replaced actor Lewis J. Stadlen, who played Taylor, the governor's chief of staff, in season one. Stadlen, a stage vet, was fine in the role, so not sure why they felt the need to replace him, though I always adored Auberjonois.

[quote]A lot of the replacements that did not work were more of a product of a show that was already on its death bed creativity and writing wise rather than the actor. I think in Julia Duffy's case, it was because by then Julia/Dixie Carter had to be right about everything - and they wrote Dufffy's character as humorless and small minded to make Carter's character look better (but often just looking insufferable).

Perhaps I'm a bad gay but I always hated "Designing Women" and Dixie Carter was the primary reason why. Her character was an overbearing, obnoxious know-it-all and I could never buy why any of those other women would have ever wanted to be around her, let alone go into business with her.

Wasn't there an older son on Happy Days who went upstairs and never came back? I think he was one son too many and didn't add anything to the show.

[quote]On "The Waltons", I always liked the character they brought in as Ike the grocer's wife.

Ronnie Claire Edwards. Wonderful actress.

[quote] A lot of the replacements that did not work were more of a product of a show that was already on its death bed creativity and writing wise rather than the actor. I think in Julia Duffy's case, it was because by then Julia/Dixie Carter had to be right about everything - and they wrote Dufffy's character as humorless and small minded to make Carter's character look better (but often just looking insufferable).

That’s right.

It’s a shame. Julia Duffy was too good for that show. But CBS forced her to do it. She didn’t enjoy the experience.

I just watched most of the first season of Bewitched (before it exited the free Roku channel I was watching it). Generally, Dick York's is more laid back and does not freak out every time Samantha uses magic and is more understanding and sometimes amused by it. He is more accepting of that is who she is and there are going to be times when she uses it. He is actually pretty charming and you can see why Sam loves him. Sam also does not apologize and practically bow down to Darrin every time she uses magic and is more spirited with an impish twinkle in her eye.

Endora is on much less frequently and her interference is much more subtle, planting doubts rather than turning Darrin into something, and it is much more realistic that Sam and Darrin tolerate her being around and don't cut her out and why she and Sam still have a relationship.

Not every episode evolves around a client and Darrin getting fired two thirds into the episode. There seems to be more commentary on suburbia in general and you meet more people from the neighborhood (and yes, the first Gladys is a little more well rounded and is friendlier with the Stephens when not freaking out).

[quote]Always thought Jan Clayton was the best mother on "Lassie."

I agree, R158. She had a genuine warmth that June Lockhart seemed to lack.

Jan Clayton was the original Julie Jordan, opposite John Raitt, in "Carousel."

JAG. Season1 on NBC had Harmon Rabb partnered with blonde Meg. I guess ratings sucked, as the network dropped it.

CBS picked up the show and did some retooling. Meg was gone, replaced with dark-haired "Mac."

The show continued for 9 more seasons. JAG.

There was kind of a depth of relationship between Val and Lilimae on KNOTS LANDING.

I didn't mind when Aunt Ginny (Betsy Palmer) arrived to replace Julie Harris, but the relationship seemed more superficial. She never seemed like she existed for any other reason than to act as a sounding board for Val's thoughts and babysit the kids when Val had a pressing plotline.

Julia was a better character in some ways in the earlier two seasons, and she was funnier in later years when they allowed her to be more slapstick.

But there was a tipping point with her tirades, which started around the time she drove into the porno stand, that did become unappealing. I loved some of her epic reads, but a little of that went a long way.

I think Jag might have even tried to introduce another blonde in the first season when the sensed the first one was not working. Catherine Bell was a good replacement and held her own against David James Elliot who at the time I was a bit enamored with. I think the writing improved with the network change and other cast changes improved the show. If I remember correctly, it could be an interesting show, but the tone changed after 9-11, where it was much more flag waving and reluctant to show off any warts in the military.

On Knots was it the the show's or Julie Harris's decision to write out her character? I remember being surprised when she left.

[quote]On Knots was it the the show's or Julie Harris's decision to write out her character? I remember being surprised when she left.

The show's.

Budget cuts.

I always WISHED they'd come up with a replacement for Abby once Donna Mills left the show.

But they never did.

Paige, Linda, Claudia, Anne... none of them ever quite fit her role. But by that point the archetype she helped define -- the all-powerful soap opera bitch -- was feeling dated.

Still, they should've taken the opportunity to have Paige move up the Abby scale (as the show alluded to in her final episode) but she never did. She just spend the show's remaining four seasons pining after Greg.

The show was adrift without that character, hackneyed though it was by then.

R219. I loved Linda, she was such a throwback.

I recently re-watched Designing Women on Hulu. The problem with Allison Sugarbaker wasn't the actress, it was the writing. Allison wasn't likable in any way. She had a few funny lines every now and then, but I've never been able to connect with her. Her best line was during the Anita Hill episode. Mary Jo asks her if she'd ever been hit on in a professional setting. Allison smugly, proudly responds, "Not even a compliment."

When I was younger I didn't care much for Carlene. I found her annoying and I preferred Charlene. But on re-watch I think Jan Hooks did a great job in making Carlene dumb but very likable and funny.

Judith Ivey was even worse. There was no point to her character. She was just some bored millionaire who wanted a hobby so she invested in Sugarbakers so she could work there.

I can at least tolerate the Julia Duffy year because some of the episodes are well written and genuinely funny. The last season is just plain awful.

I haven't seen Desperate Housewives since it aired, but I remember it having one-season full-time cast members. They were usually new neighbors hiding a dark secret.

The Good:

Alfre Woodard as Betty Applewhite in Season 2. She kept her mentally challenged son chained up in the basement, thinking he murdered a girl back in Chicago. But it was really her other son who killed the girl. Alfre was great, but the writers didn't mix her well with the rest of the cast. Her stuff with Bree was great. But everything with Bree was great in Season 2.

Dixie Carter as Mother Hodge in Season 3. She was a demented religious freak who wanted her son Orson to divorce Bree and marry his first wife because they were still married in the eyes of God. Probably the show's most overtly evil character, Orson's mom was fun to watch. Dixie obviously had a lot of fun with the role.

Dana Delaney as Katherine in Season 4-6. She'd lived on the street in the past and returned and clashed with almost everyone. Of all the new Housewives, Katherine had the best integration into the show. I also enjoyed her Season 6 going crazy arc when Mike dumped her for Susan, but the late-in-life lesbian sendoff she got at the end of Season 6 was stupid.

The Bad:

Edie's new husband in Season 5. I don't remember the actor. He secretly wanted revenge on Susan and Mike for a car accident that killed his wife and kid. I hated this character. His revenge plot was drawn out and convoluted, and his storyline mainly involved Teri Hatcher and her annoying kid, which made it even worse. That whole season was a dud.

Drea De Matteo as Angie in Season 6. A former environmental terrorist on the run from the terrorist mastermind played by John Barrowman. She made bombs and bomb ass Italian food. Angie was the weirdest addition ever to DH. I remember Season 6 starting off strong, but it went off the rails midway through. This season also had The Fairview Strangler on the loose.

Vanessa Williams as Renee Perry in Season 7+8. Lynette's bitchy best friend from college. I hardly remember her character or storylines. I think she got married at the end of the show.

R222 When BJ was introduced, she said she and her late husband married quickly after meeting, and he died quickly after their wedding. Later in the season there's this episode where the ladies find love letters from another woman to BJ's dead husband. Everyone jumps to the conclusion that he got them when he was married to BJ. She has this long, drawn-out solo scene at his mausoleum where she comes to terms with the betrayal. (They were married for 5 minutes.) Then they notice the dates on the letters and they're from years before BJ had even met him. It was all so incredibly stupid. Unless I missed something, I think it's near the top of the list of the dumbest DW plot.

R196 I don’t do windows and I don’t do comedy.

[italic]Good Times[/italic] killed off the wrong James Evans and we are still paying for it to this day.

[quote] Judith Ivey was even worse. There was no point to her character. She was just some bored millionaire who wanted a hobby so she invested in Sugarbakers so she could work there.

Doing so also showed what a lousy businesswoman Julia was.

It's sad that the last DW episode was a homage to Gone with the Wind. And a really bad one at that.

Making Scarlett black and Prissy white in one of the flashback scenes was the low point of the entire series. Even compared to the rest of the episode.

Yes, r56, we suck cock.

JUST. LIKE. YOU.

I always loved this skit from The Edge about Designing Women. Sums up the changes from the last few seasons.

More like they’re projecting Jennifer fucking Aniston’s complete lack of talent onto a bunch of women who are infinitely more talented and watchable then she even when dealing with substandard scripts.

Than

There are rare times when the replacement can prove to be far more successful than the original, as was the case with Diana Rigg replacing Honor Blackman in "The Avengers." Rigg's Mrs. Peel was Steed's most popular partner and her departure from the show some years later would prove to be a karate chop from which it could not recover. That said -- and I realize I'm in the minority here -- I did feel that Linda Thorson as Tara King turned out to be a better replacement than audiences gave her credit for (not better than Rigg, of course, just good in her own right) but alas her presence was not enough to save the show from cancellation.

Dick Sargent's earlier sitcom, "One Happy Family," didn't last long enough for replacements. It was on Decades a while back. If you watch it, you'll see why it didn't last.

R173 disagree. The Powell kids were less reticent and cutesy, they had better chemistry, and they had a bit of bite to them. I liked that Jamie & Sarah were always squabbling even though they were so different, but both looked down on their brother - that’s a very realistic dynamic.

Alexander Polinsky (now called Niven) who played Adam Powell is now a voice actor for many cartoons. He also occasionally still acts for film, and put in one of my favourite performances ever in a war film as Medical Officer Gould in SAINTS & SOLDIERS, opposite cute LDS actor Corbin Allred.

[quote]Sargent was and longtime close friend of Montgomery's. He had been offered Darrin originally but had turned it down.

He couldn't do "Bewitched" originally because he was already committed to a sitcom called "Broadside," which lasted only one season. "Broadside" starred Kathleen Nolan (from "The Real McCoys"; she was also the original Wendy in Mary Martin's "Peter Pan" on Broadway and in the two live telecasts), and Sheila James, who played Zelda on "Dobie Gillis." When Dick York left "Bewitched" because of his health problems, Sargent was Elizabeth's first choice to replace him.

Thanks, R237. Damn, it's like you were reading my mind just now. I was sitting here wondering why Sargent would have turned the part down and then you posted your response.

[quote]Dick Sargent's earlier sitcom, "One Happy Family," didn't last long enough for replacements. It was on Decades a while back. If you watch it, you'll see why it didn't last.

It may not have been very good, but it did have the distinction of featuring Cheerio Meredith in a supporting role.

R236, most people disagree with me and I get it. I liked the parents too. Didn't care the Powell mother or grandfather. They made Charles less likable and they made Buddy into a fucking moron!

Melrose Place: Daphne Zuniga's Jo replaced Amy Locane's character Sandy and was a huge improvement. However Zuniga left after season 4 and her replacement, Brooke Langton's Sam, while better conceived than Sandy, was rather dull.

[quote]Thanks, R237. Damn, it's like you were reading my mind just now. I was sitting here wondering why Sargent would have turned the part down and then you posted your response.

You're most welcome. I remember all this minutia because I have nothing else to do with my life except discuss decades-old TV shows, much to the chagrin of R56.

Most writers who can write well did not want to write for shows with children because they would be pigeonholed into doing nothing but that, and even fewer wanted to work in first run syndication because the money wasn’t there.

I realize everyone has their own opinions,but I just can't see how anyone could prefer Sargent over York. York could not only play comedy superbly (his reactions were priceless), but also showed Darrin's sweet side (Anybody remember the episode where he realized Samantha would always stay young, while he would grow old?). Sargent always seemed pissed off, and was never believable as Samantha's love interest. He should have been cast as Sam's gay brother.

I was kinda bummed when they wrote out Dr. Levin for Dr. Burns on Melrose Place. I can' t stand Jack Wagner.

Two from The Andy Griffith Show were horrendous. Cranky Emmett the Fix-It Man was brought in to replace lovable Floyd the Barber. Horrible, but not as bad as Warren Ferguson replacing Deputy Barney Fife.

The new deputy didn't last long, no doubt because the character didn't work.

Sharon Gless on Cagney and Lacey was one of the best. You completely forgot two women preceded her.

Crystal Bernard and Sheryl Lee Ralph were great on It's a Living.

[quote]Sharon Gless on Cagney and Lacey was one of the best. You completely forgot two women preceded her.

Screw you, R248.

R85 can’t relate to that at all. Loved Furley and I liked Terri a lot too. Terri’s first season was by far the best and funniest season of the show.

Another thing I appreciated — and I’ve mentioned this before — was that Terri and Janet always seemed like real friends (maybe because they were IRL). Janet always had such a contempt for Chrissy (esp in the last season), and Cindy whatever.

Meredith MacRae was the third and best Billie Jo Bradley on Petticoat Junction. Jeannine Riley and Gunilla Hutton preceded her.

Lori Saunders was the second Bobbie Jo replacing Pat Woodell.

I'll never understand how people can hate Julia Duffy on Designing Women, but like Judith Ivey. At least Allison was occasionally entertaining, if not a great fit for the show. B.J. brought literally nothing to the plate. That last season was pure torture from start to finish.

Desperate Housewives lost something the season Edie was killed. Dana Delaney was boring and the late in life lesbian thing was ridiculous.

Ted McGinley was a great addition to Married With Children. Very different from David Garrison, but that's exactly what the show needed at that point and it also allowed Amanda Bearse to lighten up a little have a some fun. I guess that's one show McGinley didn't send to an early grave.

Allison was an obnoxious fucking cunt. She had all of Suzanne Sugarbaker’s flaws and none of her virtues. At least BJ Poteet was fun to hang around.

[quote] Ted McGinley was a great addition to Married With Children. Very different from David Garrison, but that's exactly what the show needed at that point and it also allowed Amanda Bearse to lighten up a little have a some fun. I guess that's one show McGinley didn't send to an early grave.

And he proved himself to be less homophobic than Ed O’Neill.

The writing was better in s6 (Duffy’s season) though that’s not saying a lot. However the character of Alison had no likable qualities and Duffy had no chemistry with the other actresses. Ivey at least seemed like someone who would get on fine with other women.

Pacific Princess cruise director Julie McCoy was replaced by her younger sister, Judy McCoy.

Julie McCoy seemed like she’d be more at parties 🎉 🥄

Andy Griffith Show had a tone of replacement characters, mostly with bad results.

After season five, Deputy Barney Fife (Don Knots, who left to do films) was replaced by Deputy Warren Ferguson (Jack Burns) and Warren was bad.

Gomer Pyle (Jim Nabors, who got a spin off Gomer Pyle, USMC), the dim-witted service station attendant was replaced by his cousin, Goober Pyle (George Lindsey) , which left most viewers very disappointed.

The replacement of a slew of townsfolk, e.g., barber Floyd Lawson (Howard McNear), Mayor Pike (Dick Elliott), and town drunk Otis Campbell (Hal Smith) with city clerk Howard Sprague (Jack Dodson), handyman Emmet Clark (Paul Hartman), and Mayor Stoner (Edward Baer) marked the end of convivial jawing at Floyd's barbershop, replacing it with high-strung, whiny complainers.

Season 1's "Lady Druggist" Ellie Walker (Elinor Donahue) was replaced in season 3 by school teacher Helen Crump (Aneta Corsaut) as Andy Taylor's love interest. Ellie was a good foil for Andy, while Helen was bland and angry. (There was a nurse girlfriend between them.)

The worst replacement of the show is, of course, Andy Taylor with the cousin of dubious origin, Sam Jones (Ken Berry), to soldier on with Mayberry story lines. Sam, who also calls Aunt Bea, Aunt Bea) appears in Mayberry seemingly out of nowhere and Aunt Bea tends to him and his son. Mayberry RFD was the kiss of death.

Don Knotts and Jim Nabors were the show and it sucked without them.

Did Mayberry RFD get cancelled because it was bad or was it one of those shows that fell victim to CBS’ rural purge?

R261, rural purge.

R261, according to Wikipedia, it was the latter:

[quote]"Mayberry R.F.D." (which stands for Rural Free Delivery) was popular throughout its entire run, but was canceled after its third season in CBS's "rural purge" of 1971.

"Mayberry R.F.D." was in the top 10 its first two seasons and No. 15 in its third and final season, but still wasn't spared from the rural purge.

Again, I'm in the minority because I really liked "Mayberry RFD" and actually preferred it over Andy Griffith.

Andy Griffith was an asshole in real life. The stories about his drunkenness are legendary.

Jodie Foster's brother was on Mayberry RFD.

The only one of the replacement characters on Andy Griffith Show that I disliked was Warren Ferguson as the Barney replacement deputy. Annoying as hell. His shtick was not the least bit funny.

The others replacement characters were decent. Yes, I preferred Gomer over Goober. Yes, I preferred Floyd the Barber over Emmitt the Fix-It Man. Yes, I preferred Ellie the drugist over Helen Crummp the school teacher. But I just sort of viewed them as part of the mix of townspeople. You like some people better than others.

I liked Mayberry RFD. Ken Berry may not have been Andy Griffith, but centered the show nicely. I really liked Arlene Golonka as Sam's girlfriend Millie.

Without a doubt, the saddest replacement of a character in TV history was the unexplained departure of the smoking hot Tito the Lifeguard after season 1 of Pee Wee's Playhouse...to be replaced by the very average (to me) Ricardo the soccer player for the rest of the series.

I secretly lusted after Tito like nobody's business. He was always shirtless, and he had what was to me the perfect body: lean, muscular (but not too jacked and not too shredded), naturally smooth, and brown-skinned.

In the pre-internet days of the 80's, before we had all the explicit porn we could possibly ever want at our fingertips, the sight of a hot, shirtless guy on TV was still a bit of a novelty and something to look forward to...and I really looked forward to seeing Tito every Saturday morning.

My budding libido was devastated when it became apparent in season 2 that he'd been replaced by Ricardo. Fuck that guy.

Where is Tito now?

Ted McGinley as the photographer on the love boat. It should I put that boy in a speedo. The ratings would’ve gone through the roof. Instead we had to watch an ugly doctor and a fat captain get women. Ridiculous.

James LeGros as Mark Albert on Ally McBeal. They brought him on to replace Billy (Gil Bellows) but the character was a smug cartoon with an immediate crush on Ally. They had no chemistry. It didn't work. Audiences wanted her with Billy. But he was dead. Oops.

Then after Lucy Liu aka Ling left, they brought in Christina Ricci to play Richard's new love interest Liza Bump....but it was weird. She was an annoying caricature who played up her youth even as she infantilised Richard and made him suck his thumb. They married the duo off in the finale but...yeah. Weird.

After Lex died in Smallville though they brought in Tess Mercer played by Cassidy Freeman, and she was amazing. Really rose to the occasion. So sometimes replacements work.

R3, Heather Locklear didn't replace anybody on Melrose. Amanda was just added to the cast. And yes she was great.

R252 so true - Edie was always pushed to the background even in promotional materials but she rounded out the cast so well.

I really liked Dana as Katherine but once they decided to put Mike back with Susan, they trashed Katherine's character. It was so dumb. The lesbian thing was just embarrassing. You'd think Marc Cherry could use better judgement than that. Katherine was not convincing as a lesbian at all.

John Stamos on ER started out okay but became really lame and weak tea and just ugh. They needed to replace Goran V and the guy who played Ray (name??), who were of course replacements for Noah W and Clooney....that show kept bringing in replacements and ran out of steam.

These three are the worst companions a girl could ever have!

Best:

Adam Scott and Rob Lowe - added at the end of the second season of Parks and Recreation.

Megan Draper was no Betty Draper...most fans absolutely loathed her. Jane Siegel Sterling, on the other hand, was a hoot and brought out the fun side of Roger. (Granted, Betty Draper and Mona Sterling were still on the show...just in reduced roles.)

Julia Duffy and Allison were much better than Delta Burke and Suzanne.

The show only ever really worked in season six.

Legends of Tomorrow has had two instances of character replacement in which the same actress played both characters.

In a way, Amanda replaced Rhonda on Melrose Place though the two characters were both on the final batch of episodes of season 1 with Rhonda being pushed even further into the background and written off. Beginning of Season 2 Amanda moves into the complex and takes Rhonda's now vacant apartment.

Rhonda and Terrence were in their own little tv show. I don't think they ever interacted with anyone besides Matt.

I'm one of those viewers who had no issues with Megan Draper and I can't figure out why she annoyed so many Madmen viewers. She wasn't a Betty replacement.

I liked Megan a shit ton more than Betty. Plus that apartment!

🎶 Zou bisou, bisou 🎶

It was the teeth...

r222, I rewatched Designing Women recently, and discovered it was never all that great but it was certainly memorable. Burke was the driving engine of that show, and Jean Smart the MVP. Them both leaving at the same time was a devastating blow. They blamed Julia Duffy, and I agree 100% her character is horribly and inconsistently written, but I'll up it a notch. I think the writing for the show is not good in Season 6; Potts is beginning to ham it up. Dixie Carter was always overrated. Hooks is saddled with an even worse character than Duffy, but then it was so thinly drawn (she's Charlene's sister who's a rube but somehow qualified to do the books but will say outlandish things; she's Charlene but not Charlene!). I think that was a gift to Hooks, who just went big and warm with the role. She knew it was shit, and rose above it. I wonder if Duffy knew it was shit or not, but there was no way for her to connect with audiences, because Allison wasn't warm. She was often there to be a plot device, saying something tone deaf so Julia could make a speech or Mary Jo could give outsized liberal shock.

I found myself feeling bad for Duffy this last time watching it because I don't think there's anything she could have done. Hooks survived it, too, but not because Carlene fit the show at all. Truth is that they needed to move heaven and earth to get Jean Smart back, but I doubt that was going to happen (and it's no accident that, of all of them, the one who wins awards and works constantly is Jean Smart).

I wonder if Jan Hooks regretted joining the show. It was probably decent money but after doing acclaimed work on SNL it must have hurt to be associated to a show in decline.

Dick Sargent was horrible. A real one-note actor and given that some of the later shows were thinly re-written versions of early ones, his inability to bring much to the role is obvious. He wasn't very good in anything else.

Sandra Gould was horrible. They should have gotten a new neighbor entirely or simply wrote out the character.

A dark day in television history:

Jeremy was cute and Jewish.

Brian was ugly and a typical WASP.

Lily Tomlin is replacing Anna Faris on Mom. Can't wait!

Allison was much more in the spirit of early Suzanne.

R288, That first kid, Jeremy was a nightmare on set, so they had to get rid of him. His parents were pushy stage parents but the kid wasn't interested and didn't enjoy doing the show. I don't think he ever acted again.

[quote]A dark day in television history

The character of Chris Partridge was so inconsequential, the producers might as well have replaced him with a sock puppet.

R288 When I was a kid the Partridge Family gave me a phobia that I would be replaced by someone cuter and blonder. That was until they came up with the horrendous idea to add Little Ricky from next door to replace the aging Partridge kids. His only saving grace was that Nita Talbot was his mother.

R291 Jeremy Gelbwaks was a biter.

I felt sorry for Julia Duffy having to play such a poorly written character as Allison. She is actually an enormously gifted comic actress--her Stephanie Vanderkellen on "Newhart" (another show for which she was a replacement character--the first season had the unmemorable Jennifer Holmes as the equally unmemorable character Leslie Vanderkellen, Steaphine's cousin) was absolutely hilarious. Although her multimillionaire father forced her to work as a maid at the Stratford Inn, Stephanie was completely uninterested in her work, and her apathy and selfishness were funny every single time because of her brilliant comic timing.

[quote] I secretly lusted after Tito like nobody's business.

So did I.

He had to leave the show because there was, well, there was “an incident.”

[quote]I wonder if Jan Hooks regretted joining the show. It was probably decent money but after doing acclaimed work on SNL it must have hurt to be associated to a show in decline.

In retrospect maybe, but Designing Women was a top ten hit show when she joined. The turmoil with Delta and her departure made plenty of news, and there was a lot of buzz surrounding Jan and Julia joining and wondering what the show would be like.

Delta Burke actually hosted Jan's second to last show on SNL.

The kid who can't sing at R293 looks like young Patrick from "Lucy Mame" wearing a dark wig.

Loved Julia Duffy’s guest appearances on “Looking” and she seems like a real cool lady based on her social media.

Judith Ivey also did the best with the conception of the character (didn’t Linda Bloodworth-Thomason partially write the character based on Ann Richards?) but the writing failed her.

I think LBT had several shows going on during the last 2 seasons of DW so she was obviously spread too thin.

R196, I don't think Maude (not Bea, but Maude) was as invested in Mrs. N.

She felt Florida NEEDED her.

Funniest line was when Florida was bringing groceries to the kitchen via the front door.

Walter: use the back door!

Maude: Walter!

Walter: it's closer to the kitchen!

Florida: tell that to (referring to Maude) the NAACP

Most of the characters added on the later seasons of Melrose Place were duds. Jamie Luner as Lexi was probably the best of them. She added some much needed spice to the show.

I always felt for Julia Duffy, too. It says a lot about her talent that I still sort of liked Allison in spite of her being written as a monster. I'm not sure if I'm alone here, but I started getting used to her and warming to her by the end of her season and then she was gone. It was like they almost started figuring out what to do with her, but it was too late and the audience had already spoken.

Jan Hooks was great, too, and at least she had the benefit of playing a warmer, more likable character.

Julia also had the more difficult position to fill. It was almost like she was set up for failure.

Someone above said Don Knotts left TAGS to pursue a film career. That's not the whole story. Griffith and Knotts both signed five year contracts when the show began. As it approached time to renew, Griffith told Knotts that he wasn't going to re-sign, which would have meant the end of the show, so Knotts went looking for other opportunities. He ended up signing a long-term contract with Universal. When Griffith changed his mind at the last minute and re-signed, he was pissed when he found out Knotts was no longer available. Knotts wasn't happy with how things had played out either. He did make several guest appearances on Matlock, the private detective show Griffith did later.

TAGS began with a backdoor pilot episode on The Danny Thomas Show.

R303, Knotts did about six appearances on TAGS after officially leaving. The one that I remember most is when Barney comes back for a class reunion. He plans to pop the question to long-time girlfriend Thelma Lou, but finds out she has already married someone else.

When Knotts left, the whole character of Andy Taylor changed. He changed from the easy-going sheriff to someone who was always pissed off and annoyed.

Yannick Bisson stars as Det. Murdoch (or is an Inspector now?) in the long running and internationally popular Canadian show Murdoch Mysteries but he wasn't the first to play the part. The show was preceded by a three part miniseries from the same production company and Murdoch was played by Peter Outerbridge. Outerbridge was starring in a different show and wasn't available when the decision was made to create the series.

Outerbridge as Murdoch:

^ If I didn't make it clear, when the series was created, the producers wanted Outerbridge and offered him the role first. He just couldn't juggle his schedule to make it work.

^ If I didn't make it clear, when the series was created, the producers wanted Outerbridge and offered him the role first. He just couldn't juggle his schedule to make it work.

I rarely liked replacements but two that I did were Gloria Reuben and Maria Bello in ER. Neither lasted though.

Stephanie replaced Mike and Gloria on All in the Family.

There were quite a few replacement actors on "Fame" over its six seasons, far too many to name actually, so here were a few of my favorites:

* Jesse Borrego as Jesse, a hot-headed but talented immigrant, in season 4;

* Nia Peeples as Nicole, a book-smart singer and dancer, in season 4;

* Carrie Hamilton as Reggie, a wild hippie-like character, in season 5;

* Loretta Chandler as Dusty, a church girl with a knockout voice, in season 5;

* Michael Cerveris as Ian, a wannabe rocker from England, in season 6;

Janet Jackson was also introduced in season 4 as Cleo, a shy girl with an unrequited crush on Leroy, and though she did fine in the role, she only lasted a season. Cynthia Gibb was also introduced in season 3 as Holly, a dancer, and though Gibb's acting was fine, she was clearly not a dancer and was barely able to pull off that facet of the role. I think the absolute worst replacement was Kate Hannah (sister of Daryl) as Paige in season 5. She simply never clicked and was mercifully gone by the start of season 6.

I guess Cleo had no gaydar.

R8, I actually loved Alley on Cheers. Not necessarily better than long - but just as good and her own thing entirely.

[quote]When Knotts left, the whole character of Andy Taylor changed. He changed from the easy-going sheriff to someone who was always pissed off and annoyed.

That's because that cunt Helen Crump wouldn't put out.

[quote] June Lockhart never really had much to do on any of her series. Mostly she was just a concern troll.

[quote] "Lassie, have you seen Timmy.?"

[quote] "I'm worried about Penny and Will."

[quote] "Do you think that's a good idea, Bobbie Jo?"

R207, I can't stop laughing...🤣🤣

The Diff'rent Strokes kids had three housekeepers. Revolving door of housekeepers, just like on Maude.

The problem with Megan in Mad Men was her acting, she was terrible compared with Betty, she was at the level of the creepy kid on bad acting, and had no chemistry with Don.

But wasn't that sort of the point . Don married Megan because she was young and beautiful (at least to him), because he could - not because they had chemistry. And their marriage fell apart because they couldn't overcome the lack of chemistry. Don was internally conflicted and often went against what he really wanted for himself.

Heidi (Debbe Dunning) replaced Lisa (Pamela Anderson) on Home Improvement after Pamela left to do Baywatch.

I'm probably in the minority, but I liked Beverly Ann (Cloris Leachman) on The Facts of Life as the replacement for Charlotte Rae.

What about A Different World? That show seemed to be all about replacements. I think at first it was involuntary when Lisa Bonet and Marisa Tomei left. But then they replaced just for replacement sake. I think they tried to create a feeling of college with students/actors constantly coming and leaving.

The season 2 additions and retooling of the show was successful. The new students they brought on after that, especially the last couple of years of the show were not so great. You could tell Jada Picket had some talent, but she was just a walking cliche. Part of the problem is they wanted to have their cake and eat it too. They brought in new students, but did not want to let go of the core cast from season 2, so the cast was too big to really spend enough time on the new characters to flesh them out.

Is someone doing their thesis on Designing Women in this thread?

Friday Night Lights did well when it came to the replacement characters in season 4. I liked the East Dillon characters more than the Dillon characters like Jason Street.

Friday Night Lights did well when it came to the replacement characters in season 4. I liked the East Dillon characters more than the Dillon characters like Jason Street.

Lily Tomlin replaced Grant Shaud (Miles) on Murphy Brown.

And then there’s Tyne!

R312, Diane and Rebecca were apples and oranges; I don't Rebecca and Sam ever had sex did they?

Rebecca and Sam fucked. Recreational sex at first, then procreational.

As much as I love A Different World, it suffered a similar problem as Glee, trying to do at least two shows under one title. You had the Dwayne & Whitley show, plus the show about college kids.

MASH is an example of a show where the change in characters actually made it more interesting. Wow there were many replacements they were all interesting in their own way.

Cannot recall - did Ralph Macchio replace a kid on EIGHT IS ENOUGH, or was he just another additional one?

All I do remember is that his character was like 13 or 14 and constantly smoking. Like chaining that shit. Where he got the money I have no idea.

Miss Kay Lenz was replaced by Season Hubley as the constantly dying love interest on Medical Centre. Chad Everett suffered so and is causing me HUGE grief from his ASS. No Scrubs. We are just getting this show now. Kay Lenz was the best. How dare they try to pass off that other girl as the dying one that Chad falls in love with? We are not resigned. I can't approve.

Cigs were like $2 /pack back then not $17 lol.

I know we forget!

In the early 70s, cigarettes were a quarter a pack and there were vending machines selling them everywhere you can imagine.

[quote]The worst replacements on SVU were Michaela Manchus and Adam Beach (who was hired to help slowly phase out Munch's role as Fin's partner and role on the show). Both were really terrible and thankfully didn't last long.

Michaela McManus had one of the weirdest exits from a show I've ever seen. She was replaced in the middle of an episode with a throwaway line. The detectives are supposed to meet her on the courthouse steps and they find instead Cabot who says that Greylek was called back to Chicago to resume her previous government job. That was it. She is never seen or heard of again but she remained in the opening credits for the rest of the season.

A series just disappears in the middle of an episode? It's not done like that. There had to have been some kind of behind the scenes drama. I'd love to know what.

^ A series lead disappears. Sorry.

R334 ok, so even more to my point. Forgot about those vending machines — and that they were in restaurants! So weird.

IIRC, r335, it wasn't drama so much as the showrunner feeling her character didn't work for the show (they made her really aggressive as I recall, and it turns out they didn't want it). Doing it mid-show was their idea of giving her some goodbye, since she wasn't getting a sendoff by death, but by transfer, and there was nothing emotional needed, since she hadn't really connected with the other characters.

I wish they had just joined up the cash to pay for Stephanie March full-time, and then lezzed her out with someone who looked like Mariska circa 2000. The lesbians would explode.

[quote] Doing it mid-show was their idea of giving her some goodbye, since she wasn't getting a sendoff by death, but by transfer,

But she had no goodbye and no sendoff whatsoever. She just vanished in the middle of the episode. Which also meant they had to pay two actresses to play the character of the of the ADA in that show. Very fishy. Something went on behind the scenes.

^Happens to the best of us.