Actors: Tim Dunigan, Dirk Benedict
There’s nothing better than the A-Team coming to your rescue. Now you may be scratching your head and saying – wait a minute. Dirk Benedict was ALWAYS the Faceman I knew. And you’d be right except for the pilot. Actor Tim Dunigan was the original smooth-talking con known as Lt. Peck.
The reason? Tim Dunigan was far too young to be a veteran of the Vietnam War and looked even younger on camera. Series creator Stephen J. Cannell finally got his way, and Dirk Benedict stepped into the role.
(NBC/NBCUniversal/Getty Images) (Image via IMDB)
Actors: Julie Newmar, Lee Meriwether, Eartha Kitt
Wanna get a DC comics nerd all hot and bothered? Ask them who a better TV Catwoman was in the 1960’s. Newmar was known for her sultry turn as the Cat due to her statuesque form that made her a larger-than-life sex symbol.
However, she was replaced in the movie version by Lee Meriwether and appears as a love interest on the show. However, when Newmar left the show, the scrumptious Eartha Kitt stepped in and filled the role admirably. RAWR!
Actors: George Morgan, William Christopher
You’d absolutely be right to say that you only know one Father Mulcahy, who was played in the series by William Christopher. However, what you may not realize is that a different actor, George Morgan, was originally slated to be Father Mulcahy.
For whatever reason, M*A*S*H executives were quiet about it, and Morgan was replaced with Christopher. The only thing not replaced? George Morgan’s picture in the opening credits with William Christopher’s name.
Actors: Shannon Chochran, Linda Purl
When we first meet Pam Beesly’s mom, it’s in season two of The Office when Helene visits her daughter during the episode "Sexual Harassment". Pam’s mother was played by Shannon Cochran as a more or less a quick, minor character. Writers didn’t plan to go to this depth again. Until Jim and Pam got married--and Chochran wasn’t available.
Enter Linda Purl, the new Helene Beesly, whom Michael Scott ends up dating during a hilarious season six storyline. Thank goodness for Jim and Pam that the relationship ended, because neither of them wanted to call Michael "Dad".
Actors: Lecy Goranson, Sarah Chalke
In one of the most memorable TV switcheroos, Becky Conner got changed mid-series. In season 5, actress Lecy Goranson decided to go to college. The writers decided to write her out by having Becky elope with her boyfriend. Sarah Chalke stepped into the role in season 6 when the writers brought the couple home.
Chalke continued in the role until season 8, when Goranson became available to play the character part-time. So, the Beckys continued to change. There were lots of one-line gags about Becky looking different, and eventually, both actresses showed up for the reboot, The Conners. Goranson took back the Becky role and Chalke took another.
Actors: Kelly Jean Peters, Candice Azzara, Sally Struthers
Many people don’t know that All in the Family first went to ABC--where Norman Lear brought his sleeper hit. In the first pilot, Archie Bunker’s daughter Gloria was played by Kelly Jean Peters and Michael a.k.a. Meathead was played by Tim McIntire. ABC rejected the pilot, citing lack of chemistry between them.
Lear tried again with a second pilot--this time casting Candice Azzara as Gloria and Chip Oliver as Michael. ABC was still not happy and passed on the show, selling it to CBS. Lear shot one last pilot, casting Sally Struthers as Gloria and Rob Reiner as Michael, and the rest is television history!
Actors: Dick York, Dick Sargent
A tale of two Dicks led to this highly talked about Bewitched switch. Dick York was originally the beloved Darrin Stephens, a mortal married to his witchy housewife, Samantha. He carried on in the role for five seasons. However, abruptly in season six, Dick York was replaced by Dick Sargent--without explanation to fans or showrunners.
Audiences wondered why Darrin had been replaced. The truth is actually far tamer than fiction--York had been injured early in his career and was addicted to painkillers. After an on-set collapse, York was replaced by Sargent, and his career never recovered.
Actors: Barbara Bel Geddes, Donna Reed
In a series full of questionable characters doing questionable deeds, Miss Ellie was the matriarch, moral center, and voice of reason for the Ewing clan. However, in season eight of Dallas, Miss Ellie's original actress, Barbara Bel Geddes, was replaced by Donna Reed, and fans went crazy with rumor and speculation.
Was it salary demands? Backstage fights? Actually, Bel Geddes left the show for medical reasons--she had heart surgery and couldn’t continue on with the show at that time. However, after one season, Bel Geddes recovered and was ready to work again, which meant that Reed got the boot, which led to a nasty legal battle between her and the show.
Actors: Pamela Sue Martin, Emma Samms
In a show filled with drama and hijinks already, replacing the main character of Fallon Carrington Colby turned out to be a huge ordeal. Originated by Pamela Sue Martin, she was a staple of Wednesday night drama until season four. Martin left, wanting to pursue new things.
At that time, Emma Samms (formerly of General Hospital fame) stepped into the rol,e and the character was spun-off into a series called The Colbys. Cancellation sent Samms back to Dynasty, where other characters had already come and gone.
Actors: Mark Hamill, Grant Goodeve
While you know him as Luke Skywalker, Mark Hamill also spent a short amount of time playing David Bradford on Eight is Enough. He was cast in the pilot and ready to play David Bradford, the most rebellious of the kids.
Before he could flip his trusty lightsaber on, Hamill was replaced by Grant Goodeve, as the pilot wasn’t exactly what Hamill wanted, and a car crash gave him an out. Good thing that Hamill had a little movie called Star Wars to focus on!
Actors: Janet Hubert-Whitten,Daphne Maxwell Reid
On The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Will Smith saw himself starring opposite Janet Hubert-Whitten for three seasons before a sudden change happened. Citing personal reasons, Hubert stepped away from the show, but the rumor mill went bonkers with the news that Aunt Viv and The Fresh Prince had serious run-ins on set.
It took a full 27 years before Will Smith and Janet Hubert-Whitten would speak again, at which point Hubert disclosed an abusive marriage during season three shooting. Daphne Maxwell Reid stepped into the role of Aunt Viv, and people adored her.
Actors: Lou Ferrigno, Ted Cassidy
This is one of those shows where two actors played the same character but no one was replaced or fired. Actor Bill Bixby played scientist Dr. David Banner who was exposed to high levels of gamma radiation.
However, when the mild-mannered Dr. Banner gets mad, then that anger triggers a transformation into a 7 ft green creature called the Incredible Hulk. In his Hulk form, the character was played by bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno.
Actors: Clayton Moore, John Hart
In this action-packed series from the '50s, a Texas Ranger who is left for dead, found by a Native American, and returned to health, wears a mask in order to challenge the lawless people of the American West. The series ran for 9 years and over 5 seasons. Clayton Moore was THE ultimate masked Lone Ranger, riding high atop his trusty steed Silver, yelling “Hi-yo Silver, away!"
However, a nasty contract dispute between Clayton Moore and the producers led to Moore being replaced by actor John Hart. Audiences weren’t keen on that switch and no one accepted Hart as “The Masked Man” for the last season. Producer George Trendle sold the rights to Jack Wrather, who immediately rehired Moore to take his rightful place in the saddle.
Actors: Wayne Northrop, Drake Hogestyn, Josh Taylor
In one of the longest-running soap operas of our time, Roman Brady’s character was originated in 1981 by actor Wayne Northrop. As the retired police chief of fictional town Salem, Roman encountered his share of conspiracies, spying and dubious encounters with ex-wives through his family business--the Brady Pub.
However, for reasons unknown, Roman was recast and Drake Hogestyn took over the reigns of the feisty John Black/Roman Brady. During this time, the series climbed out of a ratings slump due to a fantastic storyline and the hot, new actor. Oddly enough, Northrop returned to the series as “John Black” and Drake Hogestyn remained as Roman. Fast forward 20 years, and the character is now played by Josh Taylor, and Northrop plays a different character altogether. Only in the soaps, folks!
Actors: 13 different actors
Dr. Who is a science fiction television program broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The program is about the Time Lord (a.k.a. The Doctor), who is an alien that appears to be human. He explores the universe in a time-traveling spaceship called TARDIS, which looks like a blue British police box. As with all time-traveling aliens, the Doctor works to eliminate unsavory foes in the universe, save civilizations from being wiped out, and help people in need.
Since the beginning of the series, there have been 13 actors credited with being The Time Lord and a host of "guest doctors" as well. Here are the actors and their tenure: William Hartness (1963-66), Patrick Troughton (1966-1969), John Pertwee (1970-1974), Tom Baker (1974-1981), Peter Davison (1982-1984), Colin Baker (1984-1986), Sylvester McCoy (1987-1989), Paul McGann (1996), Christopher Eccleston (2005), David Tennant (2005-2010), Matt Smith (2010-2013), Peter Capaldi (2014-2017), and the lone woman, Jodie Whittaker, who has played The Time Lord since 2018.
