Here’s Why These Actors Were Replaced In Their Famous Roles

It doesn’t take an obsessive, detail-oriented fan to notice when a main actor has been replaced on a TV show. And surprisingly, this has occurred more often than you might remember.

Actors leave or are fired from TV shows for a variety of reasons, including conflicts with other cast members, and other personal problems. If you’ve ever wondered why your favorite star was removed from their hit show, here’s the reason why…

Penny Hofstadter – The Big Bang Theory

The Big Bang Theory was a hit show that lasted twelve seasons with characters and actors beloved by fans. So it may come as a real surprise to fans that the Kaley Cuoco, who played the bubbly Penny, wasn’t initially cast in the role. Cuoco auditioned and was deemed too young by producers.

In an unaired pilot, the leading woman’s character was originally named Katie, who lived with Leonard and Sheldon (and not across the hall), and she was going to be played by Amanda Walsh. A year later however, the casting staff called Cuoco to audition again for Penny. Smart move.

Laurie Forman – That ’70s Show

Laurie Foreman on That ‘70s Show was Eric’s older sister and his father Red’s favorite child. She was portrayed in seasons one through three and season five by the late Lisa Robin Kelly, and then by Christina Moore for season six.

Moore took over for Kelly after she was fired from the show. Later, Kelly told ABC News that “she was guilty of a drinking problem” and was unfit to continue working on the show at the time.

Carol Willick – Friends

For only a single episode of Friends, the ex-wife of Ross, Carol, was played by actress Anita Barone. Her role was extremely important in the storyline of the show, as Ross found out he was going to be a dad to the yet-to-be-born Ben during that episode.

Barone opted out of the role in order to pursue more full-time acting gigs, which may have been a poor choice due to the residual income the show still generates. Jane Sibbett replaced her as the new Carol.

Becky Conner – Roseanne

Rebecca “Becky” Conner Healy is the oldest daughter of Dan and Roseanne Conner, and is the sister of Darlene, DJ, and Jerry. Roseanne was a hit show in the ’90s and was recently rebooted, and is now called The Conners, which brought back most of the characters.

Lecy Goranson, the original Becky, left Roseanne to go to college after the fifth season and was replaced by Sarah Chalke. Later, Goranson returned, was replaced by Chalke again, and came back again for the reboot.

Black Canary – Arrow

On the comic book show Arrow, Black Canary was originally played by Jacqueline MacInnes Wood for the pilot episode flashbacks. In that episode, Sara Lance, the character’s real name, is lost at sea and believed to have drowned when the boat sinks.

Due to scheduling conflicts and Lance’s expanded role within the Arrow universe, Wood was eventually recast when it was decided that more Black Canary was good for the show. The role went to Caity Lotz.

Frank Costanza – Seinfeld

When character on a show has a different actor portray the role, it’s sometimes very clearly the right move. Believe it or not, on the legendary sitcom Seinfeld, the role of Frank Costanza, George’s father, wasn’t always played by Jerry Stiller.

Originally, actor John Randolph played the role, who first appears in the fourth season episode “The Handicap Spot.” The show first aired with Randolph in the role, but once it was clear that Stiller’s approach and rapport with Estelle Harris was much funnier, the part was recast. It was arguably the best recasting in sitcom history.

Meg Griffin – Family Guy

This one is a bit unique, since Family Guy is an animated show, so it would be a little easier to notice a rescasting since one actress sounds very different from another. The Griffin’s daughter Meg was originally voiced by Lacey Chabert, who supposedly was too busy with school and Party of Five to continue.

She was replaced by now huge star Mila Kunis after the first season, which was way back in 1999. Amazingly, Family Guy is still churning out new episodes and Kunis is still the voice behind the scapegoat of the Griffin family.

Darrin Stephens – Bewitched

On Bewitched, Dick York initially played the role of the husband for five seasons, but the show replaced him with Dick Sargent so that York could recover from chronic back pain problems. This did not go over well with fans.

Bewitched was the second-rated show in the country during its first season, was in the top ten for its first three seasons, and ranked eleventh for seasons four and five. Then upon York’s departure, and it was never rated that high again.

Jackie Geary – The Goldbergs

The character Jackie Geary, also known as Adam Goldberg’s love interest on throwback comedy The Goldbergs, was recast after five seasons, which upset many fan of the show. Rowan Blanchard was replaced by Alexis G. Zall, leaving fans to wonder why that happened.

Initial rumors arose that the recast was the decision of the producers, but Blanchard was the one who passed on the season. The show semi-cleverly played off the switch by claiming that Jackie went camping and came back a “new person.”

Morty Seinfeld – Seinfeld

For Seinfeld, it wasn’t just George’s father that had a different actor, but Jerry’s also. Morty Seinfeld is one of the more beloved side characters in the show. That can be attributed to Barney Martin, who played the part of the Florida retiree to great comedic effect.

The character was briefly portrayed by Phil Bruns way back in the first season. However, it was a short stint, as he was replaced because show creators Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David wanted a character that was more like a crotchety older man would behave.

Sarah Braverman – Parenthood

Maura Tierney was never officially on the hit show Parenthood. But actually, the News Radio and ER actress was originally cast as Sarah Braverman in the pilot episode, but it never aired.

Tierney ended up withdrawing due to health reasons and was replaced by Gilmore Girls’ Lauren Graham. In a sweet twist, Graham ended up finding love in real life with Peter Krause, who portrayed her brother Adam Braverman on the show.

Allison Stark – ‘Til Death

Incredibly, on the sitcom ‘Til Death, the daughter of Eddie and Joy was recast three times throughout the course of the show. After the first three swaps, the show actually started acknowledging the change of actresses in the story.

Krysten Ritter of Breaking Bad and Jessica Jones’ fame, played Allison for the first two seasons and Laura Clery subbed in for her in seasons three and four. Lastly, Lindsey Broad and Kate Micucci both also played the role in the fourth and final season.

Catwoman – Batman

Julie Newmar made the tough decision to leave her role of the villain Catwoman on the ’60s classic Batman in order to pursue a role in the film Mackenna’s Gold. As a result, Eartha Kitt was brought in to take over for the third and final season.

Eartha Kitt’s portrayal of the role is pretty historic as she became one of the first black women to achieve mainstream TV success. Later on, Kitt revealed that she needed a lot of help at the time, and “like a starving cat,” she had to find a way to power through.

Kate Kane – Batwoman

The producers of this series were thrown for a loop when Ruby Rose announced she wasn’t coming back after only one season. The show scrambled to find a replacement for Rose’s character and ended up creating a brand new character named Ryan Wilder instead. Javicia Leslie scored the lead role for the second season, which premiered in early 2021.

Initially, there were rumors that Rose couldn’t handle the demanding schedule. In October 2021 however, Rose posted on Instagram about the rough working conditions she said she endured, as well as the many injuries that she and others had sustained on set.

Myrcella Baratheon – Game of Thrones

On the popular show Game of Thrones, Princess Myrcella Baratheon was presumed to be the daughter of King Robert Baratheon and Queen Cersei Lannister. However, as with her brothers, Joffrey and Tommen, her real father turned out to be Jaime Lannister, which is a major running plot point in the show.

Aimee Richardson played the role until she was replaced by Nell Tiger Free in the fifth season. Supposedly, Richardson didn’t even know about the recasting until a San Diego Comic-Con panel ahead of the fifth season.

Kaitlin Cooper – The O.C.

Now she’s a pretty big star, but before that, Shailene Woodley originally played Kaitlin Cooper on the steamy drama The O.C. before her role was handed to Willa Holland. The character had a recurring role in the first three seasons before becoming a regular in the last season.

Josh Schwartz, the creator of the show, explained that they replaced Woodley because the version of the character that they were going to bring back was older than Shailene would’ve been able to achieve on her own.

Vivian Banks – The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

On the ’90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the character of Vivian Banks, or Aunt Vivian, was Will’s maternal aunt. She was portrayed by Janet Hubert during the first two seasons and the majority of the third, but was replaced by Daphne Maxwell Reid for the rest of the series.

It turns out that Hubert didn’t get along with lead actor Will Smith, and made that very clear to anybody who would listen. She was quoted as saying she’d never do anything again with a *bleep* like Will Smith, which may not have been the best move considering where his career has taken him.

Daario Naharis – Game of Thrones

The next Game of Thrones character was recast with the show creators not really caring about lookalikes. Ed Skrein initially portrayed one of Daenerys Targaryen’s loyal men Daario Naharis, but was replaced by the totally different-looking Michiel Huisman.

Skrein appeared for three episodes in the third season of the show before taking off on his own accord. Apparently, Ed is the one who decided to abandon the hit show in order to film one of the Transformers movies.

Ryan Vogelson – Last Man Standing

On the Tim Allen sitcom Last Man Standing, Ryan Vogelson didn’t have the best moral compass or history, but he made an effort to support his family. He got Kristen pregnant in high school and then skipped town only to turn back up to be a part of the baby’s life.

The musician Nick Jonas, of all people, played Ryan in the first season of the show. He was later replaced by Jordan Masterson, who looks nothing like Nick, but is still playing the role into season nine.

Dolores Pasternak – Two and a Half Men

On Two and a Half Men, Dolores Pasternak was Jake’s teacher, who suspended him because he gave her the finger. Charlie started dating her and not only did she lift the suspension, but she also began giving Jake good grades even though he didn’t deserve them.

Missi Pyle was the original Miss Pasternak and actually portrayed the character in every episode except for one, when Alicia Witt subbed in. Later, Pyle returns without explanation for the series finale.

Reggie Mantle – Riverdale

When fans think of Reggie from the hit show Riverdale, they now likely associate the character with Charles Melton, but he wasn’t always the actor behind the role. Melton and Camila Mendes, another actress in the show, dated in real life, too.

In the first season, Reggie was actually played by Ross Butler, who decided not to return to the show. There was speculation that he was too busy portraying Zach Dempsey in the second season of the Netflix show 13 Reasons Why.

Mandy Milkovich – Shameless

In the popular show Shameless, the Milkovich family is looked down upon by the dysfunctional Gallagher family, which is saying a lot. This clan is known for being racist, homophobic and violent, among several other less-than-stellar traits.

In the first five episodes of the first season, Mandy was played by Jane Levy, who left for a starring role in the sitcom Suburgatory. Emma Greenwell then took on the role until she was written off during the sixth season.

Dickon Tarly – Game of Thrones

Add another recast to the Game of Thrones score. Samwell Tarly’s older brother Dickon Tarly was fiercely devoted and loyal to his family. He was the favorite of his parents, Lord Randyll Tarly and Melessa Tarly, much to the envy of lovable misfit Sam.

The character didn’t come about until the sixth and seventh seasons, and even then was only around for five episodes. Even though the character was small, viewers may notice the recast as Tom Hopper replaced Freddie Stroma, who had a scheduling conflict.

Rickard Karstark – Game of Thrones

If you’re have a hard time remembering characters on Game of Thrones, you’re not alone, as so many actors have been replaced. The show made the decision to give the boot to Steven Blount, who played the minor character Richard Karstark, after the first season.

The crew replaced him with John Stahl starting in the second season, but either didn’t give it much thought or didn’t care. The character’s hair and beard color went full-on gray, which wasn’t explained, though most people may not have noticed or cared.

Kristin Baxter – Last Man Standing

Like her love interest on Last Man Standing, the character of Mike’s oldest daughter, Kristin, was originally portrayed by Alexandra Krosney during the show’s first season. Considering she is one of the main family members, it was pretty noticeable.

Krosney was replaced by Amanda Fuller in the second season for creative reasons of the show. The creators wanted to progress the storyline, and have the age difference between the two actresses display the character getting older.

Alura – Supergirl

In another mom switch-up, Supergirl went through a relatively big recasting during the third season, when Smallville star Erica Durance replaced Laura Benanti. The original actress left the show because of her theater schedule.

Andrew Kreisberg, the executive producer, fully supported Durance as the replacement. He was sure that she would continue the “proud tradition of legacy actors joining our shows and creating new and exciting takes on classic DC characters.”

Beric Dondarrion – Game of Thrones

Here is another Game of Thrones character on this list and there are plenty more of them to come later on. David Michael Scott portrayed the mysterious Beric Dondarrion for one whole episode before Richard Dormer replaced him.

This character was known to be the Lord of Blackhaven and the head of House Dondarrion. He was actually killed a few times, but through magic, was brought back to life a few times, which is a big deal for a show that kills off characters as often as Game of Thrones does.

Toby Cavenaugh – Pretty Little Liars

Potential spoilers ahead, but the character of Toby Cavenaugh in Pretty Little Liars has gone through a lot. First, he was seduced by his step-sister Jenna so she could blackmail him, but eventually, he became a cop and found love with somebody outside the family.

In the pilot episode, Toby was actually named Toby Marshall and was played by James Neate. Then, Keegan Allen took over the role as Toby Cavenaugh, while Neate went on to star in The Man in the High Castle.

Ann Veal – Arrested Development

Arrested Development had no shortage of great running jokes. One of the best was that George Michael’s girlfriend Ann was overlooked by everybody because she’s so bland and unmemorable. That’s why it’s so great that even the original Ann actress Alessandra Torresani was replaced by Mae Whitman.

Whitman explained in an interview that the initial plan was to replace Ann several times to keep the punchline going. Then they stuck with her, which she jokingly said, “felt like a real insult.”

Jesus Foster – The Fosters

Before Noah Centineo landed a huge role in the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before film series, he had replaced Jake T. Austin on The Fosters. This switch of actors occurred in the third season of the show.

Austin gave a bit of a harsh explanation about his reason for leaving the show. He stated that he was only asked to return for three episodes and wasn’t going to be able to work on anything else, so he decided to leave.

Jason DiLaurentis – Pretty Little Liars

On the drama Pretty Little Liars, Jason’s character was the older half-brother of Alison DiLaurentis, Spencer Hastings, and younger half-brother of Melissa Hastings and maternal cousin of Charlotte DiLaurentis. That’s a bit of a complicated family tree.

Parker Bagley secured the original role of Jason during the first season, but was replaced when the show returned for the second season. Drew Van Acker took over from there with a clearly different face and new floppy hair, too.

Robin Hood – Once Upon a Time

The legendary heroic outlaw was originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in lots of literature and film. Per various accounts of Robin Hood, he was a skilled archer and swordsman.

In the Once Upon A Time variation, Tom Ellis played Robin Hood for a single episode during the second season. Ellis couldn’t return due to scheduling conflicts, so he passed the baton to Sean Maguire.

James Kent – True Blood

James Kent is a vampire that appears in the last two seasons of the steamy HBO thriller True Blood. He was portrayed by Luke Grimes in the sixth season, who was then mysteriously replaced by Nathan Parsons for the seventh season.

Supposedly, Grimes left the show because he wasn’t comfortable playing a homosexual character. Per multiple reports, the writers and cast members were taken aback and upset by his decision.

Three-Eyed Raven – Game of Thrones

This character is another inexplicable recasting for the Game of Thrones franchise. The Three-Eyed Raven was the last greenseer, which means he could perceive the past, present, and future through visions and time travel with ease.

Max von Sydow took over from Struan Rodger in the sixth season. However, Rodger had only appeared as the character in the fourth season. Sadly, von Sydow passed away in 2020, but the show had already ended by then.

Mason Verger – Hannibal

On the show Hannibal, Mason was the main antagonist of the second and third seasons of the show and had the same role for both the original book and the film remake before the show existed.

Perhaps Mason’s self-cannibalism was too much for Michael Pitt, the original actor, as he literally ate off his own face in the show. After Pitt stepped away after the third season, he was replaced by Joe Anderson.

Pamela Burkhart – That ’70s Show

On the nostalgic hit comedy That ’70s Show, Jackie’s mother appears in the first season and then disappeared all the way until season six, Pam Burkhart, Jackie’s mom, was originally portrayed by Eve Plumb. After the long hiatus, Brooke Shields stepped in to become the new Pam.

Pam always had a strained relationship with her daughter Jackie for various reasons, so the change of casting made some sense. Shields stuck around for one episode in the seventh season as well, but her character didn’t make the cut in the eighth and final season.

The Night King – Game of Thrones

There are a ton of actor switch-outs in Game of Thrones mentioned in this list, as you’re well aware of at this point. The terrifying villain known as the Night King returned with a different look in season six and it wasn’t just the animation that caused it.

Richard Brake earned credits as the original Night King, but he was eventually replaced by Vladimir Furdik. Interestingly enough, Furdik had previously played the first White Walker that was originally slain by Jon Snow.

Bobby Draper – Mad Men

On Mad Men, several child actors played the role of Don Draper’s middle child throughout the series, but we’re only going to name a handful of them. Mason Vale Cotton, Jared Gilmore, Aaron Hart, and Maxwell Huckabee all had their turns to be Bobby Draper.

The funny thing is that Kiernan Shipka retained her role as Sally the whole time. Shipka actually said that there were nicknames for each Bobby, such as Bucket Head Bobby and Slurpee Bobby.

Mateo Solano Villanueva – Jane The Virgin

This could be a spoiler, but Jane The Virgin has been over for quite some time and you’ve now been warned. The title character who is known for her celibacy, has a son named Mateo who came to be from accidental artificial insemination.

When the marketing materials for season four were released, fans noticed a new face for Mateo, who was now played by Elias Janssen. Joseph Sanders, who previously had the role, was apparently too busy with school to continue.

Helene Beesly – The Office

Helene Beesly, better known as Pam’s mom on The Office, we first meet early on when Shannon Cochran played the role. The show wanted to bring her back to the show later on, but Cochran was on a theater contract and unavailable as a result.

They decided to recast the role with Linda Purl, who doesn’t look much like the original mother. You probably have the image of her awkwardly getting together with Michael Scott burned into your mind forever.

Capheus Onyango – Sense8

On the sci-fi show Sense8, the character of Capheus Onyango works as a driver in Nairobi, Kenya to raise money to pay for his mother’s HIV/AIDS medication. He discovers he’s one of eight members of a group of sensates, or people who are linked emotionally and mentally.

Sense8 replaced Aml Ameen, the initial Capheus, with Toby Onwumere in the midst of the second season. This was reportedly because of a conflict between Ameen and director Lana Wachowski that got worse as filming continued.

Greg Serrano – Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

The comedy-drama Crazy Ex-Girlfriend actually had its recasting situation work a bit better than others on the list. The first Greg Serrano, played by Santino Fontana, left when his relationship with Rebecca ended, which coincided with Fontana going back to theater work.

The show then brought Greg back for ten episodes in the fourth and final season. However, he was played by Skylar Astin, and the show explained how perceptions change over time, so perhaps looks do too.

Angie Jordan – 30 Rock

On the hit comedy 30 Rock, Tracy Jordan’s wife, Angie, was played by Sharon Wilkins in her initial appearance, which was one non-speaking cameo. In all subsequent episodes, she was portrayed by Sherri Shepherd and had a more substantial role.

She’s revealed to be a bombastic and domineering woman who demands a lot of her husband. Tracy eventually reveals that he never actually cheated on her, and that his supposed affairs are all for show.

Marilyn Munster – The Munsters

The Munsters are a family made up of a father who looks like Frankenstein’s monster, vampires and a werewolf. The odd one out is Marilyn, who is just a normal girl with “unfortunate looks” according to her family.

Marilyn was initially played by Beverley Owen, who decided to move to New York to be closer to Sesame Street writer Jon Stone, her partner. She was cut by the studio when she broke the news and replaced by Pat Priest.

Lothar Frey – Game of Thrones

Yes, we’re back with another Game of Thrones character recast. Lothar, of House Frey, was often referred to as “Lame Lothar” due to the pronounced limp he had in his left leg.

The show replaced Tom Brooke with Daniel Tuite, which may not have been a big deal if not for an event Brooke took part in earlier. Tom was recognized by fans as the one who killed Robb Stark’s pregnant wife, Talisa Stark at the Red Wedding.

Chris Partridge – The Partridge Family

At the start of The Partridge Family, the role of Chris was played by Jeremy Gelbwaks. When he was replaced, the story the studio told was that the Gelbwaks family moved out of town, but that wasn’t the main reason he was let go.

It came out that the main reason was that nearly every cast and crew member had a problem with his behavior, as the child wasn’t ready to work. Brian Forster played Chris from the second season until the end of the show’s run.

Jenna Wade – Dallas

Morgan Fairchild played Jenna Wade on Dallas for a single episode in 1978, and then she was replaced by Francine Tacker for two episodes in 1980. The character then went off the radar for several years before making a return.

When Jenna popped back up in the show in 1983, she was played by Priscilla Presley, the wife of Elvis. Priscilla was the third and final actress to hold the job all the way through 1988, when Dallas phased Jenna out.

Lily Tucker-Pritchett – Modern Family

In the first two seasons of Modern Family, Lily was played by two twins named Ella and Jaden Hiller. The duo ended up being replaced by Aubrey Anderson-Emmons from the third season on through its eleventh and final season.

Executive producer Steve Levitan noted that the twins were too young to have a say in what they were doing, so maybe they didn’t love being on set to do one scene a bunch of times. Perhaps they just wanted to be normal kids.

Lionel Jefferson – The Jeffersons

All in the Family‘s spinoff The Jeffersons premiered in 1975. George and Louise’s son Lionel’s role focused more on his family life and his relationship with Jenny Willis. They marry and have a daughter, but eventually decide to divorce.

The character was originally portrayed by D’Urville Martin for two unaired pilots, but Mike Evans got the main gig. Lionel was later played by an unrelated Damon Evans, but Mike Evans eventually returned to the role.

Lois Lane – Adventures of Superman

Phyllis Coates played Lois Lane in a movie called Superman and the Mole Men, and that role carried her over to the 1952 show Adventures of Superman. She only made it through the first season of the show before making other commitments.

When Coates decided not to return, the crew found a replacement. Noel Neill, who had played the character in other theatrical serials, slid into the role and remained until the series was eventually cancelled after six seasons.

Selyse Baratheon – Game of Thrones

Yet another Game of Thrones recast and yet another member of the Baratheon family to fall victim to a switch-up. This time, Sarah MacKeever was supposedly a stand-in for the role of Selyse, Stannis’ wife, before being replaced in the second season.

Tara Fitzgerald stepped in to be the wife of Stannis Baratheon, the Lord of Dragonstone and one of the claimants to the Iron Throne. It’s another highly questionable replacement, as the two women look next to nothing alike.

Morgan Matthews – Boy Meets World

Lily Nicksay got the first opportunity to portray Morgan Matthews, the little sister with a lot to say, on Boy Meets World. It was a mutual decision between her parents and the producers for her to leave the show after the second season.

Starting in season three, Nicksay was replaced by Lindsay Ridgeway, who maintained the role through the end of the show. Ridgeway joked that she had “the longest time-out ever” during her initial appearance.

The Mountain – Game of Thrones

You’re probably rolling your eyes by now, but be prepared to roll them some more because this isn’t even the last recast for Game of Thrones. The show recast Gregor Clegane, better known as the domineering and terrifying barbarian known as The Mountain, three times.

Conan Stevens, the initial actor, had scheduling conflicts in season two, so Ian Whyte took over for him. Hafthor ‘Thor’ Bjornsson, the most memorable of the bunch, was next up and replaced Whyte in season four.

Naomi Bennett – Private Practice

Dr. Naomi Bennett is a character on the Grey’s Anatomy spin-off Private Practice. She was portrayed by Merrin Dungey in a backdoor pilot Grey’s Anatomy episode, but was replaced by Audra McDonald prior to the show’s first season.

Reportedly, the switch was due to a lack of chemistry between Dungey and Taye Diggs, who played Sam, Naomi’s estranged husband. The recast was hard for executive producer Shonda Rhimes, who is close friends with Dungey.

Teenie Henrickson – Big Love

Tancy, also known as Teenie, probably didn’t fool many fans when the actress behind the role was switched out on Big Love. Both actresses had red hair, so at least that’s more of a similarity than a lot of these recasts.

Bella Thorne replaced Jolean Wejbe, who supposedly started to look too mature for the role. Either way, Thorne was told by the producers to make the character her own, and not to try and mimic Wejbe’s character.

Trudy Monk – Monk

Trudy was the deceased wife of Adrian Monk who managed to have a role in all eight seasons through flashbacks. Adrian’s attempt to solve the case of her murder was the show’s longest-running plot arc, as her death left him devastated.

Stellina Rusich made it two seasons as Trudy before she was replaced by Melora Hardin. Hardin held the role through the season eight finale, although yet another actress portrayed a younger Trudy in a flashback, too.

John-Boy Walton – The Waltons

Considering that the show The Waltons is seen from the point of view of John-Boy, it’s a pretty bold move to replace the actor who played him with somebody else. That didn’t stop the creators of the series from doing exactly that.

Richard Thomas initially portrayed the character through more than half of the series’ run. Robert Wightman subbed in thereafter as John-Boy, who was the eldest of seven children in the iconic TV family.

Tommen Baratheon – Game of Thrones

Finally, the last Game of Thrones recast and also the last name on this list. Another Baratheon to have multiple actors behind his character, this child went through a lot of messed up stuff during his time.

Callum Wharry played the role of Joffrey’s younger brother Tommen for the first and second seasons before being replaced by Dean-Charles Chapman when the job became more demanding. Chapman then carried the torch from seasons four through six.

Loyal fans of television shows, often pick up on the tiniest of details that casual viewers might miss, but it doesn’t take a super fan to notice when actors have been replaced. There are a surprisingly high number of shows that have replaced characters without much, if any, explanation.