Sometimes a TV show can make big cast shifts
and not suffer too many consequences, but others aren't so lucky. These major TV shows just couldn't recover
from the loss and replacement of a major character, or the actor who played them. Dallas had its fair share of character replacements
during its run from 1978 to 1991, as any show that airs for 14 seasons inevitably does. But one that still stands out with fans to
this day is the role of Miss Ellie Ewing. Barbara Bel Geddes originated the part and
played it right up until 1984, when she left in order to have a quadruple bypass heart
surgery. At the time she was replaced by Donna Reed,
and fans were not into it. In fact, fans were so not into it that six
months later, when Bel Geddes had recovered, she was asked back onto the show. Reed didn't go down without a fight, though
— she tried to sue and halt production. In the end, the judge didn't agree with her
and the series carried on. Bel Geddes continued playing Miss Ewing for
the remainder of the series, bringing life to the character for over 300 episodes. When Suits hit airwaves in 2011, critics had
positive but somewhat mixed reviews on the premise, which turned the tired legal drama
format on its head with the introduction of Mike Ross, a wannabe lawyer without a degree,
and Harvey Specter, the hotshot attorney who mentored him. Shot in Toronto, the series wound up being
a massive hit for the network, and was considered the last of its blue-skies era. "Hey, you ready for this?" "Yeah, I am." However, that all ended in 2017, when Patrick
J. Adams and Meghan Markle, who played Mike Ross and his love interest Rachel Zane respectively,
announced they were leaving the show after seven seasons. At that point another original series star,
Gina Torres, also exited, leaving the cast down three members. As a result, the show brought on Dulé Hill
and Katherine Heigl, while upping Amanda Schull from recurring to full-time status in season
8. However, the new mix of characters didn't
resonate as well as the old school ones, and the show wrapped for good in season 9. It seems like networks have been trying to
recreate the soapy primetime success of Desperate Housewives ever since that show went off the
air in 2012. ABC thought it came close with the 2013 entry
Mistresses, which failed to earn critical praise but still snagged a second-season renewal
following its steamy first-season summer run. Fans continued to bake in the hotness of it
all the following summer, but when the show was renewed for a third season, ABC revealed
it was moving production from Los Angeles to Vancouver. That was bad news for star Alyssa Milano,
who couldn't be that far from her family. Milano stepped away as a result, and the show
recruited Jennifer Esposito to fill that void with her Calista Raines character. That lasted one season and then Esposito also
left the series in order to pursue other projects. Surprisingly, the show was renewed for one
more season, but without Milano fans just didn't seem that into it and the series was
axed for good after a very dramatic season 4 finale. It's no secret that Julie Benz did not want
to exit Dexter. After she was killed off in the show's fourth
season, she admitted to reporters that she, quote, "bawled" and said it was the worst
thing to ever happen to her in her career. It seems as though fans felt the same way. While the decision was purely a creative one,
the salt in the wound for passionate viewers came in season 5 when Julia Stiles was cast
as Lumen Pierce, a new love interest for Dexter. The character lasted the entire season, and
finally exited ahead of season 6. For many it was a turning point, especially
as they watched the show go on to cast other guest stars, like Colin Hanks and Yvonne Strahovski,
to fill the void. Then, writers eventually went so far as to
almost pair Dexter up with his adoptive sister Deb. Now, with the belated Showtime revival on
the way, fans are hoping that the series finally doles out a much more satisfying series finale. Chemistry is particularly important when casting
a family sitcom, so fans were a little concerned when Julia Butters left American Housewife
as the youngest Otto child ahead of its fifth-season premiere. Butters brought a notable charm to the character
of Anna-Kat Otto, so much so that when Quentin Tarantino saw her on his screen he cast her
as serious young actress Trudi in Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. That gig wound up being a game-changer for
the young actor, because all kinds of subsequent offers came in and she left the ABC series
to pursue them. In turn, American Housewife snatched up Giselle
Eisenberg, fresh from her four-season run on the CBS sitcom Life in Pieces. While Eisenberg is undeniably talented, it's
been hard for fans to adapt to the change following the show's return in 2020. "Yeah...kids change." All the witty meta jokes in the world won’t
convince viewers to keep watching. The season 5 finale ended up being a series
finale -- ABC canceled American Housewife in 2021. It's no secret that the children on Tim Allen's
Last Man Standing changed pretty drastically over the show's run. Amanda Fuller joined the project in season
two as Kristin Baxter, replacing Alexandra Krosney, who originated the role. Then there's the fact that four different
actors have played the part of Kristin's son Boyd as the character has aged over the years. But it was Molly Ephraim's exit from the series
following season six that really threw Last Man Standing fans for a loop. As middle child Mandy, Ephraim had her share
of meaty storylines that made her a show fixture. But when ABC canceled Last Man Standing in
2017 and Fox revived it for a seventh-season run, Ephraim didn't go with it. She had signed up for new projects, and was
unable to return. Molly McCook was cast in her place, and although
the series lasted three seasons on Fox before its cancelation in 2021, the character was
just never the same. Now this is a story all about how the casting
on Fresh Prince got turned upside down. Fans everywhere are familiar with the behind-the-scenes
strife that went down between Will Smith and original Aunt Viv actress Janet Hubert, who
played the role for three notable seasons before refusing to renew her contract under
what she considered to be a bad deal. As a result she exited the show, and she was
replaced by Daphne Maxwell Reid — an actor who was originally considered for the role
but refused to audition because a TV show starring a young rapper didn't sound like
her thing. "There are a lot of sick, demented perverts
out there." "Greetings, all." Although The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air went
on for three more seasons with the new Aunt Viv, there was no replacing Hubert's comedic
timing. Later, when Smith got the gang back together
for the 2020 reunion, he and Hubert sat down for the first time to finally iron things
out. The result was the two Aunt Vivs meeting for
the very first time, as many fans wondered what the show could have been had Hubert stayed
on after all. When the sixth season of this comedy kicked
off in 1969, viewers were left twitching harder than Samantha and her magical nose when Emmy
nominee Dick York was suddenly gone as Darrin Stephens. In his place was Dick Sargent, and fan speculation
as to what happened kicked into overdrive. As it turned out, York had previously injured
his back pretty badly while shooting a movie, and the pain led him down a dark path of prescription
pills. Eventually he realized he had to leave the
show, and his career never really recovered. As for Sargent? He stayed in the role until the series finale
in 1972. Many fans felt the series wasn't the same,
though, and it's worth noting that although Sargent won a Most Irreplaceable Replacement
TV Land Award in 2006, he was never nominated for an Emmy Award like his predecessor. Have you heard the one about the two Beckys? When Roseanne kicked off its first iteration
back in 1988, it was actor Lecy Goranson who originated the role of Becky, the eldest child
to Dan and Roseanne. Fast forward to season five, though, and Goranson
had enrolled in college, and as a result she was only available to film part-time, usually
for a phone conversation. The following year producers wanted Becky
back in a more permanent role, so they recast her with Sarah Chalke. That was fine, but things got complicated
when Goranson briefly returned in Season 8 after finishing school. The following year Chalke was back in the
role, and "the two Beckys" became a running thing that frustrated some viewers. To their relief, both actors were asked back
for the Roseanne revival in 2018, but only Goranson returned to play Becky. Producers hired Chalke to instead play a character
named Andrea, who asked Becky to be her surrogate in a clever wink to the whole situation. For five and a half seasons, Nashville fans
followed Connie Britton's superstar character, Rayna Jaymes, as she balanced motherhood,
singing, and reconnecting with her one true love, Deacon Claybourne. But that all came crashing down when Britton
shocked fans and exited the series in 2017 with a devastating storyline that left her
family all alone. It turned out Britton was ready for a change,
but she was having a hard time letting go of the people she worked with. So when CMT revived Nashville for a fifth
season after ABC axed it at the end of its run in 2016, Britton decided it was finally
time to move on. After the fictional singer's death there were
plenty of other characters to root for, and the show may have ultimately survived. But then the writers introduced Kaitlin Doubleday
as Jessie Caine, a new love interest for Deacon, and loyal fans were definitely not happy. The series took a bit of a dive, and season
6 ultimately wound up being the last. Throughout its eight-season run, House had
a history of replacing characters to switch up the storyline and keep things fresh, but
Season 7 is when the casting situation really got out of control. That year, Olivia Wilde took a leave of absence
from her fan-favorite gig as Thirteen to film Cowboys & Aliens, while original actor Lisa
Edelstein announced her departure as Dr. Lisa Cuddy. Considering the shakeups, it seemed pretty
clear to longtime fans that the series was nearing its expiration date. To try and inject new life into the show,
producers hired Odette Annable and Charlyne Yi to play the latest fellows alongside Amber
Tamblyn, but the new crew never quite lived up to the original cast, and as season 8 was
in progress, Fox announced that it would also be the show's last. Today Beverly Hills 90210 is also known as
TV's most famous zip code. But before the show earned that status, its
original cast had to win over primetime fans with its older actors and soapy storylines. Enter Jason Priestley and Shannen Doherty
as the famous Walsh twins, Brandon and Brenda. From the start, fans were into their chemistry
with the show's other original cast members, but behind the scenes it was a different story. Reports of on-set tension between Doherty
and the rest of the cast — specifically Jennie Garth — surfaced, and in 1994, Doherty
was axed from the show for good. That year she was replaced by Tiffani Thiessen,
who had her own fanbase from her days as Kelly on Saved by the Bell. But not all fans were into the new character,
Valerie Malone, a family friend of the Walshes. It was clear Val was meant to replace Brenda,
but Saved by the Bell fans weren't sure how to receive this new, adult version of the
actor. Meanwhile, the character had her moments,
but she was no Brenda, and the tone of the series changed with her casting. She stayed on for most of the rest of the
series, but to this day you can ask any 90210 fan which character they relate to most, and
you probably won't find many Valerie stans out there. Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Looper videos about your favorite
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