Sometimes, when a TV show makes a cast change, it can work out good or bad.

Can you recall any you approved or disapproved of?

For instance, after one season, 'Hope and Faith' made an actor change for the role of family daughter Sydney.

Most people on SO disagreed with the idea and preferred Nicole Paggi, but I actually liked the show a lot more when Megan Fox got the role.

I already liked the show- it had Kelly Ripa from 'Live' and Ted McGinley, who made me laugh on 'Married... With Children'- but now the show had an element of eye candy (Megan is around my age).

Besides, making a change can help one's career- look at what has happened to Megan's career since then.

I preferred Nicole Paggi myself. I thought she just looked more liked the other actors and since they were portraying a family that seems kinda important. For what its worth I think Nicole is attractive too!

I don't watch Happy Days (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/forumdisplay.php?f=12) episodes not starring Ron Howard.

Bewitched: I was not a fan of the 2nd Darren
Different Strokes: That little red headed kid Sam and his mother Dixie Carter were not very good changes
Fact of Life: Loved they changed it to focus on only 4 girls w/ Ms. Garrett
Mamas Family: The first version with Buzz and Sonjia were better, IMO

Disliked:
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The - When they casted Daphne Maxwell-Reid as the 2nd Vivian

Family Matters - When they casted Judy Ann Elder, the 2nd Harriet in the 2nd half of the final season of Family Matters. It looked as if Carl divorced Harriet and an entirely different woman there.


Liked:
Hill Street Blues - When they casted Sgt. Jablonski (Robert Prosky) to fill in the void left by the death of Sgt. Esterhaus (Michael Conrad). Jablonski did an adequate job of filling in the void left by Esterhaus, b/c he didn't try to "be" Esterhaus and he brought his own warmth to the show.

Cheers - Woddy Boyd for Coach Pantusso. While Coach was kinda warm, Woody (Woody Harrelson) brought his own sillyness to the show and did a excellent job filling in the void left by Coach (the late Nicolas Colasanto). Also, I preferred Rebecca's (Kirstie Alley) neurotic persona over Diane's (Shelley Long) somewhat snobbish persona. Also Rebecca sometimes blended better w/ the cast than Diane did.

Married with Children - Jefferson for Steve. While Steve was more of the straight man to Al and his shenanigans, Jefferson came off as more of the Robin role to Al's shenanigans and did one heck of a great job with it.

Disliked:
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The - When they casted Daphne Maxwell-Reid as the 2nd Vivian

Family Matters - When they casted Judy Ann Elder, the 2nd Harriet in the 2nd half of the final season of Family Matters. It looked as if Carl divorced Harriet and an entirely different woman there.


Those would be my picks too, for the same reason.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The - When they casted Daphne Maxwell-Reid as the 2nd Vivian

That's my pick as well.

Disliked:

The absolute lamest replacement ever has to be John Astin as Riddler on Batman. That role was tailor-made for Frank Gorshin and Astin totally ruined it.

Jack Burns trying to replace Don Knotts on The Andy Griffith Show

Peggy Rea trying to replace Micheal Learned on The Waltons



Liked:

Years ago I disliked Gale Gordon as John Wilson on Dennis the Menace but after watching the show again I've changed my mind. Joseph Kearns was the definitive Mr. Wilson but Gale wasn't too bad.

Although I prefer the Ropers, I thought Don Knotts was great as Mr. Furley

I prefer Don DeFore and Whitney Blake as George and Dorothy Baxter on Hazel but thought that Ray Fulmer and Lynn Borden as Steve and Barbara Baxter were good also.

donna reed as miss ellie on dallas christina moore on that 70s show

My all time worst list would include:

Replacing Richard Thomas as John Boy on the Waltons.. I cannot watch those episodes the show should have ended with the departure of Richard Thomas.

When Married with Childen brought in "7" the extra kid that was dumped on them by relatives.. the show went down big time after that I also did not like the new dog they got after the dog that played "Buck" died.

The Brady Bunch addition of "Oliver"

Little House.. the addition of James and Cassandra

Dick Sargent as Darrin .... Dick York was the best Darrin



Charles

Sometimes, when a TV show makes a cast change, it can work out good or bad.

Can you recall any you approved or disapproved of?

For instance, after one season, 'Hope and Faith' made an actor change for the role of family daughter Sydney.

Most people on SO disagreed with the idea and preferred Nicole Paggi, but I actually liked the show a lot more when Megan Fox got the role.

I already liked the show- it had Kelly Ripa from 'Live' and Ted McGinley, who made me laugh on 'Married... With Children'- but now the show had an element of eye candy (Megan is around my age).

Besides, making a change can help one's career- look at what has happened to Megan's career since then.
In my opinion, Nicole Paggi was the much better actress. She looked like she could be Faith Ford's daughter, they looked so much alike. Megan Fox didn't look anything like her. And I think that Sydney was not likeable at all after Megan started to play her. She was a completely different person (I mean Sydney was, not just the actress.) And I think Nicole was much prettier than Megan.

I liked it when Mila Kunis replaced Lacey Chabert on Family Guy as "Meg".

Mr. Lucas and Granger's replacement in Are you being served. The replaceement of Barney with Floyd's nephew Warren. The lost of ritchie in King of Queens

Eight Is Enough - Betty Buckley, as Sandra Sue "Abby" Abbott Bradford, replacing Diana Hyland, who played Joan Bradford. Even though Diana Hyland was the mom on EIE and was on for a few episodes. They didn't tried to replace her with another actress to play the mom. They gave Tom Bradford a new wife and a much younger woman at that. The chemistry between Dick Van Patten and Betty Buckley was good and one of the best older husband with much younger wife couple on TV. They were convincing as though they were actually married. The show gave a realistic approach to the children adjusting to a new stepmother and she did not tried to be their mom. Abby was more of a friend to them. More of a mother figure to Nicholas. Betty gave some powerful performances as Abby. Some emotional scenes with her were powerful.

Good casting change on the part of the producers.

Disliked:

Peggy Rea trying to replace Micheal Learned on The Waltons


I totally agree, Charles!


Also on my dislike list:

Chuck Coleman, Jeff Billings, and the high school gang replacing the junior high school gang on The Wonder Years ... and Paul's and Winnie's roles were reduced, at that!

Come to think of it, I think it was a writer, not a cast, change that made The Wonder Years less interesting during the high school years with Neal Marlens and Carol Black being replaced by a guy named something like Greg Beeman. (Of course, while I say it was "less interesting during the high school years", I still would have preferred one more season to wrap up the series by having the gang graduate high school, regardless of the quality!)

DISLIKED:

That '70s Show - When Topher Grace and ashton Kutcher left after S7 (though Kutcher still made sporadic appearances in S8 and Grace would make an uncredited appearance at the series finale), they brought in Josh and Samantha in S8 and it was just awkward.

Nurses - With the exits of Marcus Flanagan and especially Stephanie Hodge, in came Loni Anderson. With her arrival the show not only went into extreme slapstick mode, but the show became too focused on Loni Anderson majority of the time.

Petticoat Junction - Though I'm not too big of a fan of this show, I did think that casting June Lockhart, who replaced the late Bea Benadaret (died earlier in 1968) was another awkward moment. Even changing the last part of the lyrics in the theme song showed just how awkward it was.

donna reed as miss ellie on dallas christina moore on that 70s showi forgot to say that these were 3 changes i disliked

I did not like when Rose McGowan came on the show Charmed when Shannon Doherty left.

McGowan wasn't bad on the show but it was never the same without Doherty.

I'll start with what I didn't like:

'Emily of New Moon', when Susan Clark (Aunt Elizabeth) left the show, Linda Thorsen (Cousin Isabel) and John Neville (Uncle Malcolm) replaced her. I didn't like them.

'Empty Nest', I didn't like it when Marsha Warfield joined the cast and Lisa Rieffel left, same when Kristy McNichol left.

'The Cosby Show', didn't like Erika Alexander and her character's friends.

What I did like:

'The Hogan Family' - Sandy Duncan was a good replacement for Valerie Harper (I think she got a raw deal).

'Petticoat Junction' - June Lockhart brought a friendly pressence that Bea Benederet had.

'Happy Days' - liked Roger & Flip Phillips, Jenny Piccalo, and cousin K.C.

'MASH' - liked B.J., Charles and Potter.

One Jimmy Olsen for another (Lois and Clark): I liked the first guy, but after awhile, the second guy grew on me. Still like the first guy better, so this wasn't good or bad.

Anna Belknap replacing Vanessa Ferlito on CSI:NY. :thumbsup: Vanessa was obnoxious and so was her character.