https://popculturereferences.com/which-tv-replacement-character-was-the-biggest-upgrade/

Obviously, a regular thing in episodic television is characters leaving the show and thus other characters being brought in to replace them. It is a common thing, and the best shows tend to have REALLY good replacements (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MorePopularReplacement). M*A*S*H, for instance, replaced two beloved characters after Season 3, Trapper John and Colonel Blake, and their replacements, BJ Honeycutt and Colonel Potter, were amazing, perhaps better than the originals. However, as good as BJ and Potter were, Trapper and Blake were ALSO really good, ya know? So even if there WAS an upgrade, it wasn’t substantial. Similarly, Diana Rigg’s Emma Peel was clearly the best partner to John Steed on The Avengers, but Honor Blackman’s Cathy Gale was excellent, as well.

Thus, I’m looking for the biggest improvement in a replacement character. The original character has to have at least appeared in one season before being replaced.

I’m going with Peter Graves’ Jim Phelps replacing Steven Hill’s Dan Briggs on Mission: Impossible. Hill wasn’t BAD, but Graves added a great deal more star quality to the role as Phelps.

That’s my pick. How about you?

Stephanie Vanderkellen (Julia Duffy) replaces Leslie Vanderkellen (Jennifer Holmes) on Newhart.

Jim Ignatowski (Christopher Lloyd) replaces John Burns (Randall Carver) on Taxi.

Christine Sullivan (Markie Post) replaces Billie Young (Ellen Foley) on Night Court.

Paige Clark (Joely Fisher) replaces Anita (Maggie Wheeler) and Holly (Holly Fulger) on Ellen.

Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) replaces Mark Brendanawicz (Paul Schneider) on Parks & Recreation.

Against my own judgment I decided to click the first link. I then saw that the links for the shows mentioned were nothing but clickbait to take you to Amazon. I have an intense hatred for Amazon so it was a waste of my time.

As for the actual question....


Traylor Howard (Natalie) replacing Bitty Schram (Sharona) on Monk. This my favorite upgrade ever. I didn't mind Sharona, but I enjoyed the show even more with Natalie.

Ken Curtis (Festus) replacing Dennis Weaver (Chester) on Gunsmoke

Ron Masak (Sheriff Mort Metzger) replacing Tom Bosley (Sheriff Amos Tupper) on Murder, She Wrote

Woody and Rebecca replacing Coach and Diane on Cheers.

Uncle Charley and Ernie replacing Bub and Mike on My Three Sons.

Lori Saunders as Bobbie Jo Bradley (Season 3) and Meredith McRae as Billie Jo (Season 4) replacing the actresses that went before them on Petticoat Junction.

Brian Forster replacing Jeremy Gelbwaks as Chris Partridge on The Partridge Family.

Cheryl Ladd replacing Farrah Fawcett on Charlie's Angels.

Nancy McKeon replacing "The Lost Girls" on The Facts Of Life.

Steve Franken as Chatsworth Osborne Jr. replacing Warren Beatty as Milton Armitage on Dobie Gillis.

"The Professor and Mary Ann" replacing "and the rest" on the "Gilligan's Island" theme song.

....and best of all...


Dick Sargent replacing Dick York as Darrin on Bewitched.

Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) replaces Mark Brendanawicz (Paul Schneider) on Parks & Recreation.

Technically it was Adam Scott and Rob Lowe that replaced him, but agree, it worked out better for the show.

More recent show - Audra McDonald joining The Good Fight, replacing Erica Tazel, after the first season.

But the show's finale was controversial, and the writers fouled up the series as a whole, with a poorly written Ron DeSantis reference, unrelated to the starring actors though.