While unfortunate,it’s not uncommon to switchcast membersor characters during the middle of the show’s run. Any number of reasons can warrant an unexpected pivot in a new direction, with health issues or untimely deaths being circumstances no one can plan for. Shows likeCheersdealt with multiple character replacements, notably introducingWoodyHarrelson’s Woody to replace the passing of Coach actorNicholas Colasanto.
However,not all character replacements go so smoothly.The chemistry of a cast is an intangible force to tinker with, and a show already in production doesn’t have the luxury of time when planning its next move. The following shows serve as an example of what to avoid when swapping characters on a successfulshow.
10Vanessa Cellucci for Donna Gable
‘Kevin Can Wait’ (2016-2018)
WhenKevin Can Waitpremiered, it looked to be a standard family sitcom following the lives of retired police officer Kevin Gable (Kevin James) and his wife Donna Gable (Erinn Hayes) as they faced the typical problems of raising a family. That’s why it surprised many when it was announcedHayes’ character Donna would be killed off before the start of the second season.Coming in as her replacement would be Vanessa Cullucci (Leah Remini), an ex-rival turned partner in Kevin’s security firm.
The King of Queensreunion perked viewers' interest, but the unexpected decision to remove a prominent cast member in such a fatal way turned off a portion of the audience who enjoyed Hayes’ performance.According to James,the plot ofKevin Can Waitoriginally had him as a widower, and after feeling the show didn’t have “drive,” the creative team pivoted to their original plan. The change in female leads didn’t extend the life of the new sitcom, and CBS canceledKevin Can Waitafter 2 seasons.
Kevin Can Wait
9Michael Scott for Robert California
‘The Office’ (2005-2013)
Michael Scott (Steve Carell) faithfullyled the employees at Dunder-Mifflinwith his wisdom and inappropriate impressions for 7 seasons, but Carell had a movie career waiting for him, and on-screen, Michael was ready to settle down. After Michael fulfilled his two weeks' notice, Robert California (James Spader) was not far behind to steer the ship. The transition from Carell’s style of a broader expressive performance to Spader’s subdued energywas an unwelcome change to the dynamic audiences were accustomed to.
It was a bold move that was at least an effort not to insert someone doing a watered-down version of Carell’s schtick into the mix, but it was possibly an overcorrection in the other direction. The closest Spader had to experience in comedy was his turn as Alan Shore in the comedy-drama hybrid,Boston Legal, butThe Officewas a very different animal from a sly courtroom series. Once Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) took the boss’s seat, the status quo returned untilThe Officefinally sent the camera crew home.
The Office
8Paul Hennessy for Jim Egan and C.J. Barnes
‘8 Simple Rules’ (2002-2005)
8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughterwas designed as a vehicle of sorts forJohn Ritteras Paul Hennessy, an overprotective father of teenaged girls that included a pre-Big Bang TheoryKaley Cuoco. When Ritter suffered a fatal heart attack before season 2,the series carried on by killing off Ritter’s character and shifting focus to his widow, Cate Hennessy (Katey Sagal). To fill out the cast,James Garnerwas added as Cate’s father, Jim Egan, andDavid Spadejoined as her nephew, C.J. Barnes.
It’s unclear how long8 Simple Ruleswould have lasted in its original design, but the shift from a light-hearted family sitcom to a series about a family picking up the pieces after a death was an abrupt one.Ritter’s death was handled respectfully,and the cast is very talented, but audiences didn’t connect to the new incarnation of the sitcom, leaving ABC to cancel8 Simple Rulesafter two more seasons.
8 Simple Rules
7Mike Flaherty for Charlie Crawford
‘Spin City’ (1996-2002)
Spin Cityhad a strong ensemble castwith talented performers likeSuccession’sAlan RuckandFriday Night LightsConnie Brittonsharing the sound stage, but the sitcom was primarily a vehicle forMichael J. Foxas deputy mayor Mike Flaherty. When health developments from a Parkinson’s diagnosis ended Fox’s time on Spin City,Charlie Sheenstepped in as replacement Charlie Crawford. Spin City didn’t fall apart when Sheen started, butthe chemistry wasn’t quite the sameand the sitcom was canceled after 2 more seasons.
“Fox’s comedy style has a much higher energy to his delivery, while Sheen looks more comfortable hitting his mark and delivering the joke.”
Sheen wasn’t bad on Spin City and even had decent chemistry withHeather Locklearas marketing campaigner Caitlin Moore, but it wasn’t the show audiences signed up for. Fox’s comedy style has a much greater energy to his delivery, while Sheen looks more comfortable hitting his mark and delivering the joke. Sheen went on to have massive success in the sitcom space withTwo and a Half Men, and inversely, if Fox had taken over Sheen’s part, who’s to say it would have worked? (It would have worked.)
Spin City is currently unavailable for streaming or purchase in the U.S.
6Cody Lambert for Jean-Luc Rieupeyroux
‘Step by Step’ (1991-1998)
Step by Stepwas a more realistic (by sitcom standards) version ofThe Brady Brunch.A remarried couple, Frank Lambert (Patrick Duffy) and Carol Foster Lambert (Suzanne Somers), find themselves overwhelmed when each of their three children from their previous marriage is forced to live under the same roof. Season one saw the introduction of Cody Lambert (Sasha Mitchell), Frank’s nephew, who lived out of his van in the driveway. The character was a fan favorite, butadomestic violence chargewould see Cody written out of the show’s fifth season. Filling the gap left by Cody was Jean-Luc Rieupeyroux (Bronson Pinchot), Carol’s old French friend from beauty school.
Cody was a cartoonish character, but he still felt wildly more grounded than the over-the-top Jean-Luc.It’s not a criticism of Pinchot, whose 8-season run on the sitcomPerfect Strangersas Balki Bartokomous was still recent in viewers’ memories, but the concept didn’t click and felt immediately odd. The experiment only lasted for one season, but by that point, ABC was ready to call it quits before CBS saved the show for a seventh and final season.
Step by Step
5Bill McNeal for Max Lewis
‘NewsRadio’ (1995-1999)
NewsRadiohad one of the mostimpressive ensemble casts in sitcom history,but Bill McNeal (Phil Hartman) as the pompous on-air talent was a highlight of the NBC sitcom. Hartman’s tragic murder after the fourth season led to the hiring ofJon Lovitzas Max Lewis, the new anchor for WNYX. Lovitz was a friend of Hartman’s, and the decision was made to try one more season with someonethe cast considered close.
Lovitz brought a different energy than Hartman did, and it was clear no one was trying to swap one for another, but the chemistry never felt the same after Hartman’s death. The double-edged sword of a fantastic ensemble is when one piece goes missing, the rest don’t tend to run as well. The ratings were never high forNewsRadio, butthe loss of Hartman was too hard to recover from, and the series would be canceled at the end of its fifth season.
4J.D. for Lucy Bennett
‘Scrubs’ (2001-2010)
For 8 seasons, the sitcomScrubsfollowed J.D. (Zach Braff) and hisdetailed fantasiesas he began his career as a doctor. Season 9 woulddrastically reshape the show, turning Sacred Heart from a teaching hospital to a medical school and introducing a large group of new cast members. Lucy Bennett (Kerry Bishe) took over narration duties from an exiting Braff, who would sparingly return in a mentor capacity.
Nearing the end of season 8, the general feeling was it would be the show’s last,so atouching finalewas airedto send off the characters. WhenABC decided to renew the show for another season, adjustments such as cast replacements and a refocused direction for the show were attempted to revitalize the long-running sitcom. Viewers found the changes too much to bear, even with returning characters like Turk (Donald Faison) and Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley), andScrubswas canceled after season 9.
3Bo and Luke Duke for Coy and Vance Duke
‘The Dukes of Hazzard’ (1979-1985)
Cousins Luke Duke (Tom Wopat) and Bo Duke (John Schneider), along with cousin Daisy Duke (Catherine Bach), wereThe Dukes of Hazzard. Each episode would have the Duke boys running moonshine while finding new and inventive ways of staying one step ahead of the law.The Dukes of Hazzardwas a huge hit, bringing in sizable ratings, but Wopat and Schneider were frustrated with what they felt was non-payment of royalties they were owed from merchandise sales.The two actors would not return to set for season 5 ofThe Dukes of Hazzard,and rather than the matter being resolved, producers introduced two new characters, Coy Duke (Byron Cherry) and Vance Duke (Christopher Mayer).
“…Wopat and Schneider were frustrated with what they felt was non-payment of royalties they were owed from merchandise sales.”
The solution to recast didn’t go unnoticed by fans,with the dynamic of Coy and Vance being mirror images of Luke and Bo’s personalities.The abruptness of the show leads missing, along with weak writing explaining Luke and Bo had left to race in NASCAR, caused viewers to flip the channel. By the end of season 5, Bo and Luke returned to take back their parts, butThe Dukes of Hazzardwould have easily been canceled if cooler heads hadn’t prevailed.
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2Eric Forman for Randy Pearson
‘That ‘70s Show’ (1998-2006)
While Eric Forman (Topher Grace) wasn’t the official leader of his group of friends, they did spend most of their time in his basement.That ‘70s Showhad many popular characters, such as Donna Pinciotti (Laura Prepon), but the show’s primary focus was on the youngest Forman child. It made it all the more surprising that when Grace, along withAshton Kutcheras Michael Kelso, decided to leave theThat ‘70s Showafter season seven, the series continued without them. Kutcher would appear sparingly in season 8, but to fill the gap Grace left, they introduced Randy Pearson (Josh Meyers).
Meyers was considered to possiblyreplace Grace as Eric,but producers thought against it and created a new character that would share similar attributes to Eric and Kelso. Randy would pick up a romance with Donna, further signifying the character he was meant to replace, butviewers couldn’t get invested in Donna moving on from Eric.The chemistry didn’t recover from the addition of a prominent character so late in the show’s run, and the eighth season ofThat ‘70s Showwould be its last.
that 70s show
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1Fox Mulder for John Doggett
‘The X-Files’ (1993-2018)
Special Agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) insisted in the hit sci-fi drama,The X-Files, that the truth was out there, and by the end of season 7, Duchovny was ready to leave the show and find it. A combination of being unhappy with the stagnation of the show, a possible movie career, and a dispute over royalties ledDuchovny to not renew his contract after the completion of season 7.Brought in to replace Mulder as a new partner for Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) was John Doggett (Robert Patrick).
Although the dynamic of Scully and Mulder is the lifeblood ofThe X-Files, the character of Mulder is the heart of the show.Mulder often drove the plots with his dogged quest for the truth behind alien conspiracies, and Doggett was a more traditional FBI agent. The concept would shift Scully into the role of the believer while Doggett was the skeptic, but the premise didn’t satisfy viewers who couldn’t see past the absence of Mulder. Duchovny would later reprise his role in projects such as the2008 film,The X-Files: I Want to Believe, but the series never found the same footing after his departure.
The X-Files
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