This is a thread where we can all discuss ....... CAST CHANGES! Our feelings on cast changes, which were good, which were bad, which were the most memorable and so on.

Here's my list of some of the most famous cast changes in sitcom history:
1. The Great Darrin Switch on "Bewitched." After five seasons as the mortal husband Darrin to Elizabeth Montgomery's Samantha, Dick York left the series due to a back injury (which brought on drug use). Darrin stayed, but would be played by Dick Sargent for the last three seasons of the show.

2. All the Changes in the 4077 of "M*A*S*H." First Henry and Trapper leave and are replaced by Potter and B.J. Then Frank leaves and is replaced by Winchester. And Radar leaves, only to be replaced by, a promoted Klinger. Throughout these changes, the series remained popular and high rated.

3. Diane Leaves "Cheers" and Rebecca Joins. After five seasons of the popular comedy, Shelley Long left "Cheers" for her movie career (one that didn't go so well). When they replaced her with Kirstie Alley, the show ended up lasting six more seasons.

4. Three Blonde Roommates for the Price of One on "Three's Company." Everyone now knows about Suzanne Somers wanting more money for her role as the dumb Chrissy Snow. She was forced to make cameo appearances from the telephone during the fifth season, while Jenilee Harrison played Cindy Snow, her cousin and Jack and Janet's new roommate. She, too would be gone when Terri Alden, a nurse, replaces Cindy as the latest (and final) blonde roommate.

Alright. Let the discussion begin. And remember, it doesn't have to be about my list, just about any cast change you want to talk about.

Polly Holliday aka Flo on Alice left for her own spinoff and was replaced by Diane Ladd and then by Belle. (Whatever her name was) lol

Polly Holliday aka Flo on Alice left for her own spinoff and was replaced by Diane Ladd and then by Belle. (Whatever her name was) lol
That Jolene lady. :lol:

John Amos' character being killed off on Good Times. The worst move ever by a sitcom. :mad:

Polly Holliday aka Flo on Alice left for her own spinoff and was replaced by Diane Ladd and then by Belle. (Whatever her name was) lol

I never understood why the felt Flo needed her own show. And after she left and her show failed, Polly Holiday didn't want to go back to "Alice" considering it to be a step back.

It's been years since I've seen a Belle or Jolene episode. I've just seen the DVD with the six Flo episodes. If I remember correctly, Belle was kind of funny. Didn't she have a different name for herself?

As a kid, my favorite cast changes occured in "My Three Sons." First Bub left and was replaced by Uncle Charley. And then Mike left and was replaced - in the family - by Ernie, the neighbor. I loved that show. I haven't seen it in years though. :(

I never understood why the felt Flo needed her own show. And after she left and her show failed, Polly Holiday didn't want to go back to "Alice" considering it to be a step back.

It's been years since I've seen a Belle or Jolene episode. I've just seen the DVD with the six Flo episodes. If I remember correctly, Belle was kind of funny. Didn't she have a different name for herself?

As a kid, my favorite cast changes occured in "My Three Sons." First Bub left and was replaced by Uncle Charley. And then Mike left and was replaced - in the family - by Ernie, the neighbor. I loved that show. I haven't seen it in years though. :(
I made a thread a long time back regarding the story behind the Flo fiasco. Polly was on Entertainment Tonight and they mentioned what occurred. I copied and pasted the story on the ALICE board. I will see if I can find it.

This is an easy question for me. The Great Darrin Switch of 1969 will always be a part of pop culture and debated forever. Dick York was and will always be the ONLY Darrin Stephens in my book. Nothing against Dick Sargent, whom I liked in other roles, but he was no Darrin. The chemistry DY shared with Elizabeth Montgomery was so genuine, and they really looked and acted like a young couple in love. With DS, there was absolutely no chemistry. By that time, it was becoming more and more juvenile because the focus was shifting more to the kids.

On the Mary Tyler Moore Show, I missed Mary's weekly adventures with her best friend Rhoda. Once Valerie Harper left to star in her spinoff, that special dynamic was gone. Sure, MTM guested a few times on Rhoda and Valerie Harper turned up a few times again on the parent show, but it just wasn't the same.

I also really missed Gregory Sierra and his character Chano on Barney Miller. I know he left to do another show but I think Chano was one of the most interesting characters on the show and more could have been done with him. I go into more detail on the Barney Miller board about how they could've developed Chano if he'd stayed the whole run. Don't get me wrong...I liked Steve Landesburg/Dietrich too, but was prepared to dislike him at first since he basically took Chano's place along side the other 5 regulars at the 1-2.

On charles in charge there was a big cast change. Exit the pembrokes enter the powell family. Everyone of the cast from the 1st season left except Scott Baio and Willie Ames. I like the pembroke cast better than the powell cast.

3. Diane Leaves "Cheers" and Rebecca Joins. After five seasons of the popular comedy, Shelley Long left "Cheers" for her movie career (one that didn't go so well). When they replaced her with Kirstie Alley, the show ended up lasting six more seasons.

Also on Cheers, Woody replaced Coach.

In my opinion M*A*S*H was the most successful with cast changes.

Others are:

Saved By the Bell-later years different kids
Boy Meets World-later years different kids
Facts of Life-kids changed after first year
Golden Girls-their kids were always different
Good Times-James left and couldn't be replaced
Andy Griffith-Barney left and couldn't be replaced
Munsters-a second Marilyn but hardly anyone noticed or cared
Charlies Angels-Jill left and Kris stepped in, Sabrina left and then came Tiffany and then Julie

That 70's Show-Daughter Lauri was replaced by a different actress then disappeared from the show.

Happy Days- After Ron Howard left the show he was replaced by Ted McGinley. Big mistake the show should have ended right then.

Gomer Pyle- Crpl. Boyle left and was replaced by Slater, who was promoted from PFC to Crpl. No explanation for Boyle's departure.

Suzanne was Fired replaced by Miss Barnes

Roseanne - Becky cast changes was unneeded in my opinion they could have just used the first Becky in special appearances instead of the 2nd Becky and then the alternating Beckys in the later episodes
Crystal leaving the show for whatever reason, I liked her character so having her leave was unfortunate IMO.

Mamas Family - The original NBC cast changes to the Syndicated cast, left to many questions and seemed like a different show all together to me. Iola was the worst change IMO.

Family Matters - Richies friend was annoying cant remember his name but he acted like a punk

Cosby Show - Olivia and Pam ruined the show for me

Growing Pains - Krissy, since she was added in the early seasons it wasnt as bad as some shows that add kids to make it better, was a decent addition

There's the Chuck Cunningham Syndrome. It's when one of the children in a sitcom family disappears forever, like Chuck Cunningham who was played by at least 2 actors. Season 1 of HD, Richie is a middle child and makes references to it. One of my favorite episode is the one where he borrows the abnormal psychology book and thinks he's crazy.

Other cast changes:
Additions:
Full House: Becky, the twins, Steve, Gina
Family Matters: Steve Urkel, Waldo, Three J
Sabrina the Teenage Witch: Valerie, Mr. Kraft, Ms. Quick, Brad, Dreama, Morgan, Roxy, Josh, Miles
Step by Step: Cody, Flash, Rich, Jean-Luc, Lily
Brady Bunch: Cousin Oliver
Happy Days: Chachi, Jenny Piccolo, KC, Ted McGinley's character, Ashley & her daughter, Arnold, Al
Boy Meets World: Topanga, Morgan #2 (Lindsay Ridgeway), Mr. Turner, Eli, Angela, Jack, Rachel

Deletions:
Full House: Steve
Family Matters: Judy, Rachel
Sabrina the Teenage Witch: Jenny, Valerie, Libby, Brad, Dreama, Mr. Poole, Mr. Kraft, Ms. Quick, Miles, Hilda, Zelda, Josh
Step by Step: Cody, Flash, Jean-Luc, Penny, Carol's mother
Happy Days: Richie, Ralph, Arnold, Al, Ashley & her daughter, Chuck
Boy Meets World: Morgan #1 (Lily Nicksay), Minkus, Mr. Turner, Eli

Deletions:
Full House: Steve


He should have stayed and Jesse and Becky's kids should have disappeared. I hated those kids.


Sabrina the Teenage Witch: Jenny, Valerie, Libby, Brad, Dreama, Mr. Poole, Mr. Kraft, Ms. Quick, Miles, Hilda, Zelda, Josh


Some of those sucked and some were ok. Dreama was fine. That girl couldn't act anyway. Not a Josh fan, but dang, he was A LOT better than Aaron.

Not a Josh fan, but dang, he was A LOT better than Aaron.I agree. I actually hate much of the cast changes on Sabrina. From what I hear, most of the female changes are because Melissa Joan Hart and her mom, Paula Hart, felt the female was overshadowing Melissa. When the show changed from ABC to WB, WB wanted to get rid of what was considered high school, so out were Harvey, Brad, Ms. Pool, Dreama, and Mr. Kraft. Josh was kept since he was in college. Fans complained so much that Harvey was brought back.

Some cast changes are needed or enjoyed like getting rid of Carol's extended family on Step by Step or making Topanga a full time character on BMW. But, some are just so wrong, like all the cast changes on Sabrina, Cousin Oliver on Brady Bunch, and Mr. Cancelled Show himself, Ted McGinley on Happy Days.

Deletions: Full House: Steve

Steve left because Scott Weinger was going to college. And he wasn't one of their kids, and didn't vanish into thin air like the others you mentioned.

As a kid, my favorite cast changes occured in "My Three Sons." First Bub left and was replaced by Uncle Charley. (
Bub didnt really "leave" the actor who played him, William Frauley (Best known as Fred Mertz) DIED

Bub didnt really "leave" the actor who played him, William Frauley (Best known as Fred Mertz) DIED

He was fired from the show first - for his failing health - and then he died shortly, thereafter. I've even heard that he didn't like his replacement William Demarest and he'd come to the set just to aggrivate the man.

That second part could have just been made up. But he left the show in the middle of the 1964-65 season and died in 1966.

oh ok....I can see that happening....personally, I liked uncle Charley better than Bub :lol:

oh ok....I can see that happening....personally, I liked uncle Charley better than Bub :lol:

Wow. You like Uncle Charley better than Bub? Um, you're officially on my ignore list. Starting ..... now!

Just kidding, obviously. :)

I grew up with the N@N reruns and those were mostly the Bub years. So I have a fondness for Bub. And boy, they didn't try to introduce something new to the show. Charley was VERY similar to Bub, only he had more hair, lol.

I suppose its because when I first saw the show way back in the 60s Uncle Charley was on it. I barely remember Bub, as i was only 4 when he left the show (and I only saw a few eps with Bub when the show was shown in syndication years later )

And if you think me prefering Uncle Charly was bad, I also prefered Col Potter to Col Blake, on M*A*S*H! :p

On "Matlock",when it moved to ABC from NBC,except for Andy Griffith and Clarence Gilyard,Jr.(who played Conrad-he left before the final season to play Trivette on "Walker Texas Ranger-)all the rest of the cast of the NBC series was dropped,as was the NBC theme,and a whole new supporting cast took over.On "Perry Mason" when Ray Collins(Lt.Tragg) got sick and later died,he was replaced by Wesley Lau(who played Tragg's colleague Lt.Anderson).Then,for some reason at the end of the 1964-1965 season(the last episode the Lt.Anderson character was in was the last show of the 1964-1965 season 1965's "The Case of the Mischievous Doll"),Wesley Lau left the series,and was replaced by Richard Anderson,who played Lt.Tragg's successor,Lt.Steve Drumm in the 1965-1966 season,of "Perry Mason".

cast changes for the better:
Ellen. Holly and Anita leaving by the beginning of season 2 and replaced by Paige, Joe, Audrey and later on Spence made the show better
Facts Of Life: Removing Cindy, Sue Ann, Nancy and Molly and adding Jo made the show much better.
Angel: the show came into it's own when Doyle was replaced with Wesley, and the subsequent additions of Gunn and Fred

The Hogan Family: Valerie Harper was fired after season 2 (with her character being killed off by the producers) because of backstage drama and Sandy Duncan replaced her.

And if you think me prefering Uncle Charly was bad, I also prefered Col Potter to Col Blake, on M*A*S*H! :p

Them there is fighting words in Adam Town. :)

Henry Blake is my favorite character in the whole show, so of course I like him more than Potter. But also, I've never liked Harry Morgan in much of what he's done. He's the reason I stayed away from "Dragnet" for so long, lol. I can't put my finger on it, but there's just something about him that irks me, lol. So maybe if Col. Potter was played by someone else, I may have liked him more than I do. We'll never know.

There's one instance where I saw the replacement first and then saw the original and prefered him. And that show is "Married...with Children." When I first watched the show, it was during season five, when Jefferson was married to Marcy. I assumed he was in the show from the beginning. I remember watching the pilot for the first time and asking my dad who that guy with Marcy was. When he told me that was her then husband, Steve, I thought it was just for that pilot episode. However, after watching more reruns I got to like Steve more.

How's about the substitute cast changes.

Such as in "Family Affair." Sabastian Cabot, who played Mr. (Giles) French from the beginning of the show, fell ill in the first season and was replaced for nine episodes by John Williams, who played his brother Mr. (Nigel) French. Then Sabastian returned and stayed for the rest of the run.

Or in "Gunsmoke" during, I believe it was the 17th season (though I could be wrong) Milburn Stone was sick and was replaced for a few episodes by Pat Hingle.

In "Saved by the Bell" Tori replaced Kelly and Jessie in a number of episodes in the senior year. It was a little different because in the Kelly/Jessie episodes there was no mention of Tori and in the Tori episodes there was no mention of Kelly/Jessie.

In "The Wild, Wild West", the guy who played Artimus Gordon was sick and missed, around 8 or 9 episodes. Jeremy Pike was his replacement for a few episodes and in others, I believe James West went solo. But I've not actually seen the fourth season, so I'm just going by what I read at TV.Com.

I prefered Potter cause he wasnt just a patsy, he added a new dimension to the show, a "regular army" man, who wasnt evil, and was willing to let the Drs have fun, but, was a leader who reeled them inwhen they went too far. I thought the dynamic between him and the Drs was more interesting because, unlike Blake, he was at LEAST as smart as they were, and didnt let them run him around by the nose.
I always prefered Steve to Jefferson

I prefered Potter cause he wasnt just a patsy, he added a new dimension to the show, a "regular army" man, who wasnt evil, and was willing to let the Drs have fun, but, was a leader who reeled them inwhen they went too far. I thought the dynamic between him and the Drs was more interesting because, unlike Blake, he was at LEAST as smart as they were, and didnt let them run him around by the nose.
I always prefered Steve to Jefferson

That's the thing I liked about "M*A*S*H". They didn't replace their characters with carbon popies of those who left. They were different, new characters. B.J. was still Hawkeye's sidekick and Winchester was still the jerk of "The Swamp", but they still managed to be different from Trapper and Frank.

I've always said that if I was in a M*A*S*H in real life, I would prefer Potter as the Colonel. I would feel safer with him in command. However, for a comedy show, I prefer Blake. Plus I liked Blake's relationship with Radar better than Potter's relationship with Radar (even though that was a nice relationship, too).

My sister, who prefers the later cast, likes how Potter and BJ didn't cheat on their wives like Blake and Trapper did. I kind of like that too. There was too much cheating going on in the early years, lol.

Roseanne - Becky cast changes was unneeded in my opinion they could have just used the first Becky in special appearances instead of the 2nd Becky and then the alternating Beckys in the later episodes
Crystal leaving the show for whatever reason, I liked her character so having her leave was unfortunate IMO.

Mamas Family - The original NBC cast changes to the Syndicated cast, left to many questions and seemed like a different show all together to me. Iola was the worst change IMO.

Family Matters - Richies friend was annoying cant remember his name but he acted like a punk

Cosby Show - Olivia and Pam ruined the show for me

Growing Pains - Krissy, since she was added in the early seasons it wasnt as bad as some shows that add kids to make it better, was a decent additionAbout "Mama's Family"-I liked it better when it became syndicated.The NBC shows were okay,but were a bit mean-spirited.When it went to syndication,they toned down the Mama character a bit,so she was a little bit nicer to Naomi and Vint(and they were a bit nicer to her)Was Iola even MENTIONED in the NBC shows?And where did Vint's kids,Sonja and Buzz go? As far as "Family Matters"goes,why did they add that 3J kid (or whatever his name was )to the cast,and Eddie's jealous and not very nice girlfriend?They were just more "excess baggage "characters.