Yes, throughout television history, producers have replaced their original actors, sometimes mid-series, with new ones.
It’s what I like to call “Two-Faced Monster Syndrome,� a distant cousin to “Missing Character Syndrome,� in which a major character disappears without ceremony or explanation (see Richie’s brother on “Happy Days,� or Judy Winslow, on “Family Matters�). Both are a mite insulting to the audience, as they assume we won’t know what’s happened.
This is most common when a pilot for a show becomes a series, a la “The A-Team� (I bet you didn’t know that Dirk Benedict was not the original Face. And I bet you didn’t care).
It also happens a lot with relatively minor or new characters. Take, for example, two recent casting changes. First, Page Kennedy, who played Caleb Applewhite a.k.a. “Mr. Chains and Shackles� on “Desperate Housewives� was fired after only a couple of appearances in the role (he makes his last appearance in this Sunday’s episode).
Then, Shailene Woodley, who played ignored Cooper sister Kaitlin on “The O.C.� went from “Missing Character� candidate to a two-face, when she was replaced with actress Willa Holland.
There are always reasons for this. Maybe the original actor had personal issues or a contract dispute. Or maybe he or she hadn’t been on the show for a while, and had moved on by the time the show’s producers needed him or her again.
Whatever the reason, it’s always disorienting, and even a bit irritating. Yet, this strange phenomenon is an undeniable part of television history. Below are some of the more egregious two faces on television, starting with the most well known.
1. Darrin, on “Bewitched�: Who doesn’t know that Dick Sargent replaced Dick York on this beloved old sitcom? It’s maybe the best-known switch and one of the cleverest: actors with the same first name, who bore a vague physical resemblance to each other? Who would know the difference? Well, we know now.
2. Becky, on “Roseanne�: Lecy Goranson and Sarah Chalke switched off playing eldest daughter in the working class sitcom. First, it was Goranson. Then Chalke. Then Goranson came back, leaving Chalke in the dust.
She may have lost that role, but Chalke has the last laugh now. She’s on critically acclaimed sitcom “Scrubs.� And what have we heard from Goranson lately? Not much.
3. Jan Brady on “The Brady Bunch Variety Hour�: Like the multiple Darrins, most people know that the original Jan, Eve Plumb, declined to participate in this spin-off of the sitcom “The Brady Bunch.� The replacement actress was Geri Reischel. The show was a dud. And Eve Plumb has secretly felt superior ever since.
4. Laurie, on “That 70s Show�: Ok, not up there with Darrin, Jan or even Becky. But the show did replace original Laurie Lisa Robin Kelly with Christina Moore a few seasons ago. Moore is gone, now, but the recasting of the role was one of many signs that the show was going downhill. It’s still on, and officially at the bottom of said hill.