7 TV Characters Who Were Suddenly Recast Out of Nowhere

TV recasts are always shocking whenever they occur, and these seven major ones were completely out of nowhere. While characters are given life by their writers, the actors turn written words into flesh and blood. As a result, recastings don’t always work out, as Liam Hemsworth has found very quickly in Netflix’s The Witcher, but then sometimes, it works so well you can barely remember the original, as Sarah Chalke’s late introduction on Roseanne proved.

Fundamentally, it’s often the little details that the actors put into their performances that make the characters so tied to their original actors. Imagine if Captain Kirk had been replaced after a season of Star Trek, or Bryan Cranston had handed over Walter White to another. It’s just not conceivable: but sometimes, it’s out of everyone’s hands for reasons that aren’t always immediately clear.

7) Laurie Forman in That ’70s Show

The first of many sitcoms on this list is That ’70s Show, which made the surprising decision to recast Laurie Forman. Lisa Robin Kelly played Eric’s older sister throughout the show’s first three seasons. Laurie was absent from season 4, although Kelly did return in a guest appearance in season 5.

However, Laurie was played by Christina Moore when she returned in season 6 before the character was written out of the show. Sadly, Kelly’s personal struggles with alcoholism led to her departure from the show.

6) Darrin Stephens in Bewitched

Another one of the most famous TV recasts of all time occurred in Bewitched, where the actor who played Darrin Stephens was replaced after season 5. Dick York played Samantha’s husband through 1969, with him then being replaced by Dick Sargent for the rest of the show. This was because York sustained a back injury on another project, with this leading to multiple delays and on-set issues throughout season 5.

5) Jimmy Olsen in Lois & Clark

Tons of different actors have portrayed Superman characters throught the years, yet very rarely are there multiple portrayals of a character in the same continuity. Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman did this by replacing Jimmy Olsen actor Michael Landes with Justin Whalin after the first season. This is because production thought that Landes looked too similar to Superman actor Dean Cain, leading to Whalin’s sudden addition.

4) Daario Naharis in Game of Thrones

Ed Skrien originated the role of Daario Naharis on Game of Thrones, giving him a major role in one of the most popular TV shows of all time. So, it was surprising that a show of this scale recast him in season 4. Michiel Huisman took over the role, and while HBO never commented on why Daario was recast, Skrien has said that “politics led to us parting ways” (via EW). However, he never elaborated on what this meant.

3) Becky Conner in Rosanne

Sitcoms are one of the most common grounds for major recasts, and this rule was again proved multiple times during the run of Rosanne. Becky Conner was originally played by Lecy Goranson through season 5 of the show. Goranson was replaced by Sarah Chalke in season 6. This sudden switch was made due to Goranson’s desire to attend college. However, it gets weirder.

In season 8, Goranson came back as Becky when her college schedule permitted. When it didn’t however, Chalke played the character. The show was constantly switching back and forth between Becky actresses throughout the season, with it even becoming a running gag within Rosanne that there were two Beckys. Chalke later played Becky for the entirety of season 9, but Goranson returned for the revival series.

2) Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher

Not often is the main character of a massive serialized show recast, yet Netflix’s The Witcher is the most shocking case where this has happened. Netflix’s adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s book series starred Man of Steel actor Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, and fans of the franchise loved his performance. Cavill portrayed Geralt in the first three seasons of The Witcher, until he was suddenly replaced by Liam Hemsworth in season 4.

Henry Cavill hasn’t definitively commented on why he decided to leave The Witcher after season 3. However, showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich has said that his departure was a “symbiotic decision,” with Cavill wanting to seek out other roles. Since the actor is a huge fan of The Witcher, rumors of Cavill’s disagreements with the show’s direction circled news of the recast, although these have never been confirmed.

1) Aunt Vivian in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

One of the most notable TV recasts of all time is still one of the most shocking: Aunt Vivian in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Aunt Viv was played by Janet Hubert from the beginning of the show all the way through season 3. When season 4 started, however, fans were surprised to see that Viv was now portrayed by Daphne Maxwell Reid.

This recast led to major whiplash for the show, as Vivian’s looks and personality were completely different. Viewers weren’t offered an official explanation as to why Aunt Vivian was recast back when the switch initially happened, making it even more shocking.

Rumors circulated that Hubert was fired from The Fresh Prince, with Will Smith’s comments about Hubert being jealous of his success being evidence for this (via Vanity Fair). However, it was eventually revealed that Hubert was given a contract stating that she couldn’t work on any other projects for the remainder of her time on The Fresh Prince. The actress didn’t want to make this deal, causing her to leave the show.

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