10 Shows That Changed Actors Mid-Series

By Claire Spellberg @c_spellberg

Published Nov. 14, 2017, 9:00 a.m. ET

Did our favorite TV shows think we wouldn't notice?Photos: Everett Collection ; Illustration: Dillen Phelps

***Dallas***
In 1984, the Ewing family matriarch got a major makeover when producers replaced Barbara Bel Geddes (left) with Donna Reed (right). Bel Geddes suffered a heart attack in 1983, and Reed stepped in to play Miss Eleanor Ewing for the eighth season of *Dallas*. By Season 9, Bel Geddes had fully recovered, and she reassumed the role until 1990, when she retired from acting. The drama doesn't end here, though: after Bel Geddes reassumed the role, Reed sued CBS for breach of contract. The company settled out of court and awarded Reed $1 million.
[Where to Stream *Dallas*]Photos: Everett Collection

***Riverdale***
Fans of the CW series were shocked to learn that fan-favorite Reggie Mantle was recast between Seasons 1 and 2. Ross Butler (left) played the football bro in Season 1 of *Riverdale*, but when his other project, *13 Reasons Why*, received a second season order, Butler announced that scheduling conflicts prevented him from continuing on as Reggie. To replace him, execs cast Charles Melton (right), a lesser known actor who's helped to steam things up in Season 2. Don't worry, there's no bad blood here: the OG Reggie applauded producers for choosing another Asian-American actor and insists that he supports Melton all the way.
[Where to Stream *Riverdale*]Photos: Netflix; Everett Collection

***The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air***
Three years into the show's run, *The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air* recast Daphne Maxwell Reid (right) in the role of Aunt Vivian. The original Vivian, Janet Hubert-Whitten (left photo: top right), was fired after a reported feud with the show's star Will Smith, and with the new cast mate came a new Vivian. Beginning in 1993, Vivian became a homemaker, turning away from her high-powered PhD job and the no-nonsense attitude that defined the character under Hubert-Whitten's tenure.
[Where to Stream *The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air*]Photos: Everett Collection

***Arrested Development***
Ann Veal wasn't the most important *Arrested Development* character, but she was around for long enough to become a running punch-line, so she deserves a place on this list. In the Season 1 finale "Let 'Em Eat Cake," Ann is played by Alessandra Torresani (left). However, in each subsequent appearance, Ann is played by Mae Whitman (right), and it's under Whitman that the show really leans into Ann's blandness.
[Where to Stream *Arrested Development*]Photos: Netflix; Everett Collection

***Bewitched***
From 1964 to 1969, Dick York (left) played Darrin, the mortal husband of protagonist (and witch) Samantha. York left the show after five seasons because his severe back condition prevented him from completing the responsibilities of the role (the show features a lot of physical comedy, often at Darrin's expense), and producers immediate recast Dick Sargent (right). Sargent played Darrin until the show ended in 1972. Perhaps we could say that *Bewitched* is a tale of two Dicks.
[Where to Stream *Bewitched*]Photos: Everett Collection

***Bette***
If there's any shows on this list that you haven't heard of, we'd bet that it's this one. *Bette* loosely followed celebrity Bette Midler's personal life, but even with Midler's star power, it only lasted 16 episodes at CBS. In the pilot episode, Lindsay Lohan (yup, that LiLo) plays Midler's 13-year-old daughter Rose, but the *Parent Trap* actress only made it one episode before Marina Malota (right) took her place in the cast. According to the show's Wikipedia page, Midler wanted the series to be shot in LA (the pilot was shot in New York), and because Lohan wasn't able to commute between her family's home in New York and the set in Los Angeles, CBS execs had to recast the role. In a weird twist, CBS didn't reshoot the pilot with Malota; they aired the Lohan pilot and hoped viewers wouldn't get too confused when a new Rose graced their screens in episode 2.
[Where to Stream *Bette*]Photos: Getty; Google Images

***Shameless***
Last week, viewers tuning into the *Shameless* Season 8 premiere were met with a shock: Liam, the youngest Gallagher sibling, was recast without any warning. The new Liam is Christian Isaiah (right), a 9-year-old who joins the cast just as his character is being given his first real story line. Isaiah is taking over the role from twins Brandon and Brenden Sims (left), who have alternately played Liam since Season 3. Before the Sims' tenure, twins Blake and Brennan Johnson played the then-infant, and the Johnson twins are still featured in the show's opening credits.
[Where to Stream *Shameless*]Photos: Showtime

***Roseanne***
While many of the shows on this list made no mention that their characters suddenly look different, *Roseanne* constantly joked about the shifting identity of daughter Becky, played by both Lecy Goranson (left) and Sarah Chalke (right). Goranson played Becky for Seasons 1-5, but in 1993 she left Hollywood to attend Vassar College. Chalke replaced Goranson in Season 6, but after two year, Goranson returned to reprise her original role. However, Goranson wasn't available for every episode, so she and Chalke appear alternately as Becky throughout Season 8, prompting a slew of jokes from the Conner family about their elusive daughter.
[Where to Stream *Roseanne*]Photos: Everett Collection

***Boy Meets World***
It was difficult not to notice the recast of the sarcastic Morgan Matthews during Season 3 of the family comedy. For the series' first two seasons, Morgan was played by Lily Nicksay (left photo: second row, far left), but the character inexplicably disappeared after Season 2 and returned in the middle of Season 3 played by a new actress, Lindsay Ridgeway. Like *Roseanne*, *Boy Meets World* makes light of Morgan's long disappearance, with Ridgeway joking that it was "the longest timeout she ever had!"
[Where to Stream *Boy Meets World*]Photos: Everett Collection

***The Waltons***
It's not often that a series recasts its main character, but in 1977, *The Waltons* did just that when producers replaced Richard Thomas (left) with Robert Wightman (right) in the role of John-Boy. The oldest Walton child, John-Boy is compelled to enlist in WWII after the Pearl Harbor attacks, and when he returns, he looks a liiiitle different. Thomas played pre-war John-Boy for five seasons before passing the baton to Wightman, who played the role in Seasons 8 and 9. However, Thomas returned to the Walton family in the three reunion movies that were released in the 1990s.
[Where to Stream *The Waltons*]Photos: Everett Collection

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Sometimes, our favorite television shows think that they can pull the wool over our eyes by swapping out an actor mid-series. We’re not talking about a Doctor Who-type shift where the character change is written into the show’s DNA; we’re talking about shows that, for one reason or another, replace one actor with another and pretend like nothing happened.

For soap opera fans, this kind of actor shifting is nothing new. But for the rest of us, swapping out a beloved actor for someone else inspires fan reactions that are none too positive. No matter how subtle the change or how insignificant the character, fans always notice when their favorite characters suddenly look… different, and it takes a while before we’re fully ready to welcome the new additions.

If you’re curious about the series that have dared to make this controversial decision, we’ve got you covered. Here are 10 shows changed actors mid-series, much to the ire and confusion of their fan bases.

Where to Stream The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air