10 Iconic TV Characters Who Survived Much Longer Than Planned

Things don’t always go to plan when developing long-form TV shows, but, sometimes, changes made to shows during production are actually beneficial to some characters. Over the years, many iconic and notable TV characters – some of whom we can’t imagine being on our screens – weren’t originally intended to stick around for as long as they did. Some were supposed to be killed off, fired from their roles, or were simply supposed to be bit-roles, but their popularity, performances, and development made it necessary for them to be retained.

It’s hard to imagine some of TV’s most loved series without these central characters, so we’re very glad that all embarked on adventures for much longer than they were originally planned to. Can you picture Breaking Bad without Jesse Pinkman? Or Stranger Things without Steve Harrington? Both were planned to die in the first season of their respective shows, but both have since become mainstays of their series. Throw in the likes of Cheers’ Frasier Krane, The Walking Dead’s Carol Peletier, Lost’s Jack Shephard, and more, and this list becomes seriously surprising.

Some honorable mentions include the likes of Glee’s Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch), who originally couldn’t commit due to another pilot releasing, Once Upon a Time’s Captain Hook (Colin O’Donoghue), who was planned for only a few episodes, The Office’s Andy Bernard (Ed Helms), who originally only signed for ten episodes, and The West Wing’s Jed Bartlet (Martin Sheen), the President of the United States. All stayed in their shows for longer than planned, and all, and more, helped make their shows as successful as they are.

10) Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad

During its release between 2008 and 2013, Breaking Bad became one of TV’s most critically-acclaimed series, and Aaron Paul’s performance as Jesse Pinkman was routinely a high point. Jesse survived the dramatic events of the five-season series, despite originally being planned to be killed in a botched drug deal in season 1’s finale. This would have been used as a way to drive Walter White’s (Bryan Cranston) story forward, as he would have been wracked with guilt. The chemistry between Paul and Cranston forced series creator Vince Gilligan to change his mind and keep Jesse around, and we’re eternally grateful.

9) William “Spike” Pratt in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

With his Billy Idol-style blond hair, black leather coat, and soulless wit, Spike (James Marsters) became one of the most popular characters in Buffy the Vampire Slayer after his debut in season 2’s “School Hard.” Marsters was originally supposed to appear in only five episodes before being killed off, with Angel (David Boreanaz) killing him being a crushing event for Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar). However, his popularity led to him becoming a series regular, transforming into an ally and lover to Buffy, while he even appeared in the spinoff, Angel, and there were plans for his own spinoff movie.

8) Hitchcock and Scully in Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Dirk Blocker’s Michael Hitchcock and Joel McKinnon Miller’s Norm Scully became fan-favorite members of Brooklyn’s 99th precinct over the eight-season run of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Despite being bumbling, incompetent, lazy, and greedy, Hitchcock and Scully were also kind-hearted and, often, hilariously essential to the smooth running of the 99. Surprisingly, they were only planned to stick around for four episodes of the police procedural sitcom, then following in the footsteps of Daniels – who didn’t make it past the pilot. Blocker and Miller were promoted to main stars following Chelsea Peretti’s departure in season 6, and remained until the emotional series finale.

7) Frasier Crane in Cheers

Portrayed by Kelsey Grammer, Frasier Crane first appeared in Cheers season 3’s premiere, “Rebound (Part 1),” and stuck around to the finale, received his own similarly-popular spinoff, and embarked on a less-successful revival in 2023. Following her break-up with Sam Malone (Ted Danson), Frasier was introduced as a new romantic interest to Diane Chambers (Shelley Long), and he was only supposed to be around for a few episodes before Diane left him. Grammer’s remarkable performance convinced producers to keep him around, however, and he has since become one of TV history’s most iconic characters.

6) Lafayette Reynolds in True Blood

HBO’s True Blood was based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries novel series, and the second book in this series, Living Dead in Dallas, opened with the death of Lafayette Reynolds. Nelsan Ellis’ performance in True Blood season 1 received critical acclaim, however, so it was decided that he would not be killed off in season 2’s premiere as was originally intended. He was instead used to strengthen and expand the story of Tara Thornton (Rutina Wesley), his cousin and Sookie Stackhouse’s (Anna Paquin) childhood best friend, and he became a central character in his own right.

5) Steve Harrington in Stranger Things

Joe Keery’s Steve Harrington started his Stranger Things journey as something of a villain, and this was originally supposed to be the core of his character throughout season 1, with some heinous acts ensuring he would be irredeemable before he was killed off in season 1’s finale, “The Upside Down.” Keery’s likability and his captivating and charismatic performance, however, urged the Duffer brothers to continue to develop Steve long after season 1. He has become one of the series’ most important characters, which will surely continue in the upcoming Stranger Things season 5.

4) Harley Quinn in Batman: The Animated Series

Harley Quinn was originally created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm as a one-time character for Batman: The Animated Series in episode 22, “Joker’s Favor.” She was created as a funny henchwoman to the Joker, but her surprise popularity among fans led to her becoming a recurring character in the DC Animated Universe, and eventually making her way into DC Comics and live-action. Harley Quinn has since become one of DC’s most prominent characters, but she surely wouldn’t be as prevalent today had she only been in one Batman: The Animated Series episode.

3) Carol Peletier in The Walking Dead

In the current timeline of The Walking Dead franchise, only three members of the original group of survivors in Atlanta survive: Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus), and Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride). Carol, however, was originally supposed to die in The Walking Dead season 3, keeping more in line with her suicide at the prison in The Walking Dead graphic novels, created by Robert Kirkman. T’Dog (IronE Singleton) was killed in her place, and Carol has gone on to become a central member of the surviving group, even embarking on a European adventure Daryl in his self-titled spinoff.

2) Andy Dwyer in Parks and Recreation

Chris Pratt’s portrayal of musician Andy Dwyer in mockumentary sitcom Parks and Recreation received huge praise, despite being just a guest star in season 1. Andy was originally intended to leave the series after season 1, ending his story with his break-up with Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones), but Pratt’s hilarious performance convinced producers to keep him around. To ensure this, Parks and Recreation’s creators had to come up with ideas to connect Andy to the government-focused storylines of later seasons, including marrying him to Parks Department assistant April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza), contributing to one of TV’s most iconic romantic partnerships.

1) Jack Shephard in Lost

As one of the greatest TV shows in history, Lost transformed its cast members into household names, and Matthew Fox was no exception thanks to his portrayal of Oceanic Flight 815 survivor and doctor Jack Shephard. Fox played Jack throughout the series – his being the first face we see after the plane crash and the last face we see in the series finale, “The End.” Surprisingly, however, Jack was originally planned to die in Lost’s premiere, “Pilot (Part 1),” taking the place of Flight 815’s pilot, Seth Norris (Greg Grunberg), who was the first survivor killed by the Smoke Monster.

When Jack Shephard was intended to be killed in Lost’s premiere, series co-creator J. J. Abrams envisioned Michael Keaton in the role. However, since Keaton wasn’t interested in a full TV series role, Fox assumed the role when it was decided Jack would actually survive. Jack’s death would have created a shocking moment in the series premiere, but producers felt audiences would resent the series if we grew to like Jack just for him to die. In hindsight, we can’t imagine Lost without Matthew Fox as Jack Shephard, so we’re very glad he stuck around past the pilot.

It surely would have been great to see Walter White wracked with guilt over Jesse’s death, or see how Tara and Sookie dealt with Lafayette Reynolds’ death, or have witnessed Michael Keaton’s interpretation of Jack Shephard in Lost. However, we’re very happy these characters didn’t get removed from their shows before their time. They needed time to grow and change over years, elevating many of them into some of TV’s most iconic, popular, and fan-favorite characters. The landscape of TV today simply wouldn’t be the same if they’d been removed before they had a chance to become so prominent.

Which TV characters are you glad weren’t removed when they were originally intended to be? Let us know in the comments!

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