Dolph Sweet died during the shooting of "Gimme a Break", but what if the producers just decided to keep the chief character? Who would play him?

For some reason I feel Carrol O'Connor could've reprised the role of Chief...but that's just me.

charles durning

I find this to be a very interesting topic. It seems that, by this stage in the game, we were passed the days when they would replace an old actor with a new one. The vast majority of the time, when an actor's contract would end or the actor would die, they would terminate the character and adapt the story around that reality. As far back as 1982, the actor who played Mr. Hooper from "Sesame Street" died. They wrote the character's death into the story. Even before that, the actor who played Grandpa Walton on "The Waltons" died and they built his death from a heart attack into the script. However one exception (which happened even after the death of the chief) was on "Different Strokes". The actress who played Mr. Drummond's second wife left the series and they replaced her with a different actress. However, they show was clearly on its last legs by this stage in the game.

Had Dolph Sweet passed on after a few episodes or even one season, I could see another person doing the role, but he made a very indelible impression.

Had Dolph Sweet passed on after a few episodes or even one season, I could see another person doing the role, but he made a very indelible impression.


I will have to agree with you that, after five years of one actor, it would have been hard for somebody else to sell him self in the part.