As far as television viewing goes, viewers become especially familiar with the faces of characters since they spend a longer duration of time watching them, as opposed to a movie. That being the case, it’s harder for TV shows to make significant changes without it being obvious to the audience.
This includes noticeable changes like re-casting characters, which is an inevitable situation that many series run into, especially those that span multiple years. Casting changes can be due to many things, ranging from scheduling conflicts, to actors simply not being able toconnect to the characters that they’re meant toportray.
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While re-casting a character mid-way through a series being made might be a painfully obvious change to fans of the show, sometimes it surprises viewers by improving the character. Sometimes, new actors take on the role understanding what the character should do for the story. It makes the character feel more alive, and it usually improves the dynamics or chemistry between them and the other characters of the show. Here are five examples that illustrate just how much better characters can be with the right actors, which shows that sometimes risking an obvious change is worth it.
5Aunt Viv inThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
This iconic 90s serieswas a staple of the television of the decade. But despite being so successful, not all the actors felt like they were getting the amount of credit they deserved. Janet Hubert, who played Aunt Viv, the family matriarch, felt as though the role wasn’t one that allowed her talent to shine. She wanted the character to have a stronger presence in the show, which certainly wouldn’t have made sense given that the series was centered around Will Smith’s character. When producers refused to meet her demands, the role of Aunt Viv was recast in season four. Shewent on to be played byDaphne Maxwell Reid.
When originally asked about the recasting, Will Smith had suggested that Hubert was fired for her “entitled” attitude on set, which led to a long, drawn-out dispute between the two of them. When Hubert was later given the opportunity to speak on the matter, she revealed that in the third season she would be expected to accept a salary cut and a contract that would have prevented her from taking other roles while the show was being made. Given that Hubert was financially responsible for a family, shedidn’t find the deal fairand declined it, only to find out later that the character was being re-cast.
Despite the clear drama around casting Aunt Viv, Reid went on to give a fantastic performance of the character. She was very focused on capturing the character and had undeniable chemistry with James Avery, who played her husband in the series. Though it may have taken a while to get there, the role ultimately developed more of a presence in the show by making this change.
4Reggie inRiverdale
Though there is certainly far less drama involved in this example, it was still are-casting that stood out to the audience. In the first season ofRiverdale, Reggie, one of the prominent athlete characters to accompany the main characters of the show, was played by Ross Butler. However, at the time, Butler was also working on the popular series,13 Reasons Why. Butler felt that13 Reasons Whywould be a more prominent role in his career and decided to step away fromRiverdaleto fully pursue the potential of his character.
As a result, from season two to the present, Reggie has been played by Charles Melton. Beginning in Melton’s first season in the role, the character hasa much stronger presence in the series, serving as Archie’s rival. This isn’t necessarily because makers liked Melton better, but because his schedule allowed him much more time to commit to the role than Butler’s did. Because of his stronger presence developing, fans have grown partial to Melton’s depiction of the character.
3Daario Naharis inGame of Thrones
Throughout its eight years of being made, theGame of Thronesseries experienced several cast changes, for a multitude of reasons. However, the most obvious casting change can be seen in Daario Naharis’s character. Originally played by Ed Skrein in season three, Daario wasre-cast to be played byMichiel Huisman in season four onward. What made this switch so obvious is how drastically different the two actors him looked. Not to mention, once Huisman took over the character, Daario had a bigger part in the series, making him more of a noticeable presence among the multitude of characters.
Because Skrein’s position in the role was so short-lived, many fans questioned what called for the re-casting. Several assumed that it was due to the actor working on other shows at the time, but he later revealed thatit was more due towhat he described as “political” complications. Many fans have deemed the recasting decision as rushed, which would explain the stark visual differences between the two actors playing the part. Yet, Huisman’s version of the character went on to perform as a more appealing love-interest for Daenerys, and his look seemed to better fit the role too.
2Laurie inThat 70s Show
Unlike any of the other characters on this list, Laurie was re-cast, in many ways, for the sake of the actor portraying her. Laurie was originally played by Lisa Robin Kelly. Despite already havinga few roles under her belt, it was the role of Laurie that really went on to bring Kelly’s name into the limelight, but with her rise to fame came the downfall of her physical and mental health. Kelly became enveloped in a struggle with substance abuse, which ultimately led to legal battles, family tragedy, and an early death in 2013. When Kelly’s personal life began to suffer as a response to the fame, creators of the show felt it best to let her go.
As a result of this decision, Laurie’s character was excluded from the show for a while, untilshe was later recastto be played by Christina Moore. Moore, having a considerably extensive background in acting for comedy roles, was an appropriate choice to recast as Laurie.
Throughout Kelly’s representation of her, Laurie served as a stark contrast and source of conflict for her brother, Eric, which was good in the beginning of the show. However, as Laurie going on to beauty school was written into the show to explain Kelly’s absence, Moore later stepping into the role happened at an appropriate time in the character’s storyline. Though Moore had a different style of capturing the character, itserved as a sort of evolutionof who Laurie was. As a result, by the end of the series, Laurie had achieved a full character arc in the show, despite not being a primary character.
1Meg inFamily Guy
Perhaps the most iconic re-casting on the list, the evolution of Meg actually made the character gain more popularity. Meg was played by Lacey Chabert in the first season, and some episodes of the second season. Despite having a devoted following of fans from the beginning,the success of the showwasn’t enough for Chabert to abandon her personal life, which she would ultimately pick over the role. While recording the first season ofFamily Guy, Chabert was also in school and found it extremely complicated to balance her education and her acting career. As a result, she decided to step away from her acting work to focus all of her effort on learning.
This would lead to the recognizable voice of Mila Kunis assuming the role of Meg. Already popular from her role as Jackie inThat 70s Show, Mila Kunis taking on the voice of Meg wasinstantly welcomed by fans. Since then, it has been her name most commonly associated with the role, though the series has made several jokes and nods to the re-casting situation. The change ultimately led to happy endings for both actors. Kunis perfectly captured Meg’s character, and Chabert continued her acting career when she was ready. This just goes to show that, even in the film industry which is so structured and financially motivated, sometimes things just work out how they’re meant to.
