When theDoctor Whoproduction docket became too toilsome for William Hartnell to address , the show offset came up with the musical theme of The Doctor ’s " regeneration " so they could replace him — and they ended up using it to keep the show go with a new role player every few seasons for 60 years !
TV actors gettingreplacedbetween seasons is a fairly common occurrence. Sometimes, the show ignores it and pretends they’re still the same person, but other times, they write it into the show, whether it’s a tongue-in-cheek joke or a dramatic twist.
Here are 15 wild and funny ways TV shows acknowledges the fact they recast a key character:
1.THE SWITCH: On Season 1 ofThe O.C.,Shailene Woodleyplayed Kaitlin Cooper. However, for Season 3, she wasreplacedby Willa Holland because she “hadn’t gone through puberty yet” and “they needed a girl who had a body…that was different than [Shailene’s].”
THE EXPLANATION: On Season 3, Episode 12, Kaitlin returned home from boarding school after a growth spurt.
2.THE SWITCH: OnUgly BettySeason 1, Jowharah Jones had a recurring role as Nico Slater, Wilhelmina’s daughter, who went back to boarding school in Paris. When Nico made a surprise reappearance in Season 4, she wasplayedby Yaya DaCosta.
THE EXPLANATION: After Marc, Wilhelmina’s assistant, discovered she was hiding Nico in her apartment, he attributed her new appearance to a nose job.
3.THE SWITCH: OnRoseanne, Lecy Goranson played Becky Conner for Seasons 1–4, but she waswritten off(by eloping with Mark) in Season 5 so Lecy could go to college. Then, Becky returned for Seasons 6–7 played by Sarah Chalke. However, for Season 8, the two actors alternated the role around Lecy’s college schedule.
THE EXPLANATION: The show joked about the two Beckys several times. For example, when the family went toDisneyWorld in Season 8, Episode 17, Roseanne jokingly acknowledged that it was a great week for Sarah to be playing Becky.
In theRoseannereboot (which later becameThe Connors), Lecy reprised the role of Becky, but Sarah guest-starred as Andrea, who asked Becky to be her surrogate.
4.THE SWITCH: Nicollette Sheridan originally played Alexis Carrington Colby in theDynastyreboot. However, when shelefttowards the end of Season 2 to spend time with her mother, who was terminally ill,Elizabeth Gillies— who already starred as Alexis’s daughter Fallon — put on facial prosthetics and temporarily took over for her.
THE EXPLANATION: Alexis’s son, Adam,pushedher into a fire. Then, he took her to a hospital and arranged for plastic surgeons to give her a “new face” modeled after Fallon’s.
5.THE SWITCH: Having Elizabeth in two main rolesprovedto be a production challenge, so forDynastySeason 3, Elaine Hendrix took over the role of Alexis.
THE EXPLANATION: At the end of Season 3, Episode 8, Alexis — who’d been abroad until she returned to the US with another new face the previous day — made a surprise appearance as the final witness in her ex-husband’s murder trial. She kept her face obscured until she got to the stand, where she made her grand reveal.
6.THE SWITCH: After playing Morgan Matthews for two seasons onBoy Meets World, Lily Nicksayreportedlyleft because she was no longer interested in acting. She was replaced by Lindsay Ridgeway.
THE EXPLANATION: In Season 3, Episode 14, Morgan returned from a long absence, which was jokingly explained away as an incredibly long timeout in her room.
On the series finale of the spin-offGirl Meets World, both actors reprised the role of Morgan.
7.THE SWITCH: OnSense8, Aml Ameen originally played Capheus Onyango, but hereportedlyleft ahead of Season 2 over creative differences and disagreements. In the Christmas special between seasons, Toby Onwumere made his debut as the new Capheus.
THE EXPLANATION: In the first episode of Season 2, Capheus’s friend Jela acknowleged that he was looking different.
8.THE SWITCH: William Hartnell originated the role of The Doctor during the original run ofDoctor Who. After three seasons, heleftthe show because, due to his developing arteriosclerosis, the grueling production schedule was too much. He alsodisagreedwith producers over the show’s direction. Patrick Troughton took over the lead.
THE EXPLANATION: Script editor Gerry Davis and producer Innes Lloydinventedregeneration — the process by which Time Lords like The Doctor can cheat death through a complete biological renewal. He kept his knowledge and memories but regenerated into a new body with a new personality. Throughout the show’s original run and the reboot, The Doctor has regenerated many times.
Here’s the full clip of the First Doctor’s regeneration:
9.THE SWITCH: Jazz Raycole played Claire Kylie for one season ofMy Wife and Kidsbefore shereportedlyleft because her mother objected to a pregnancy storyline involving one of Claire’s friends. Jennifer Nicole Freeman replaced her.
THE EXPLANATION: In Season 2, Claire’s dad, Michael, joked that there was something different about her that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.
10.THE SWITCH: For the six seasons thatLast Man Standingaired on ABC, Molly Ephraim played Mandy Baxter. After the network canceled it, she moved on to new projects. However, the show was picked up by Fox, so theyreplacedher with Molly McCook.
THE EXPLANATION: On Season 7 Episode 1, Mandy’s husband Kyle said she was mad because he couldn’t figure out what was different about her.
11.THE SWITCH: Early inCrazy Ex-GirlfriendSeason 2, Greg broke up with Rebecca by singing “It Was A Shit Show” and left West Covina to study business at Emory Universitybecauseactor Santino Fontana signed on for other projects while the show’s renewal was still up in the air. In Season 4, he was replaced by Skylar Astin.
THE EXPLANATION: When Greg returned to West Covina midway through Season 4, Rebecca literally and metaphorically saw him as a completely different person, which represented how he’d changed and grown.
12.THE SWITCH: After four seasons of playing Anna-Kat Otto onAmerican Housewife, Julia Buttersleftthe show to pursue different opportunities. Giselle Eisenberg took over the role for the final season.
THE EXPLANATION: In the opening of Season 5, Anna-Kat’s mom, Katie, broke the fourth wall to joke about how “kids change.”
13.THE SWITCH: OnThe Baby-Sitters Club, Xochitl Gomezleftthe role of Dawn Schafer after Season 1 forDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. She was replaced by Kyndra Sanchez.
THE EXPLANATION: On Season 2, Episode 1, Dawn joked that she felt “like a whole new person” after her summer vacation.
14.THE SWITCH: Rowan Blanchard played Jackie Geary for Seasons 4–5 ofThe Goldbergsbutpassedon Season 6. She was replaced by Alexis G. Zall, who also reprised the role in Season 10.
THE EXPLANATION: In his narration for Season 6, Episode 2, Adam Goldberg explained that his girlfriend had changed a lot after spending her summer away at NYU.
15.And finally, THE SWITCH: OnThe Fosters, Jake T. Austinleftthe role of Jesus ahead of Season 3 after learning his part was going to be significantly reduced, and he didn’t want it to hold him back from other opportunities. Noah Centineo replaced him.
THE EXPLANATION: In the Season 2 finale, Jesus was in a car accident. In Season 3, Episode 10, he finally came home. The surgeries he had to get resulted in his new face.
