Recasting is a common process in the world of TV and film franchises, but it's no less jarring to the senses when a favorite actor is given the boot (or leaves the show) in favor of another. The recasting decision can go one of two ways – highly profitable from both a critical and ratings standpoint, or ill-received by the audience.

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Sometimes, recasting decisions on TV sitcoms are so blatantly obvious that they stick out like a literal sore thumb. Here's 10 of the roughest – a collection of tumultuous decisions that left fans in shock.

Kristin Beth Baxter (Last Man Standing)

Actress Alexandra Krosney took on the role of single mother Kristin Baxter in the first season of Last Man Standing, but the role would be recast by the time season 2 kicked off. To many fans, it was a jar to the system to see such a dramatic physical shift between the two characters. Part of the reason is that replacement actress Amanda Fuller appeared more mature and better suited for stories about the family dynamic.

In truth, this recasting decision was a wise one. As charming as Alexandra Krosney was in the role, it was Fuller who would bring a stronger and more believable presence as the mother of young Boyd.

Becky Conner (Roseanne)

Original Roseanne actress Lecy Goranson brought a sense of weight and realism to the role of young Becky Connor, a teenager going through the trappings and mistakes of teenage years under her parents' roof. However, season six would see a bizarre game of flip-flop between her and replacement actress Sarah Chalke.

Goranson left the show to pursue personal interests while Chalke took over the role for two seasons. Goranson would then return to the show while Chalke picked up a few episodes due to scheduling conflicts, before once again taking over the role for the final season. Odd, to say the least.

Harriette Winslow (Family Matters)

Actress Jo Marie Payton got her start as Harriette Winslow on Perfect Strangers before the showrunners decided to create the TGIF spin-off Family Matters in 1989. For years, Payton played one of America's most favorite moms – a hard-talking, no-nonsense, yet loving and sensitive career and family woman.

Things took an abrupt turn in the final season when the role was recast to Judyann Elder, which may have been caused by internal conflicts in addition to Payton's real-life divorce at the time. To this day, there's no clear indicator as to why she decided to leave the show midway through the final season.

Vivian Banks (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air)

One of the most obvious and abrupt recasting decisions in the history of TV sitcoms has to be the character of Vivian Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Original actress Janet Hubert knocked the role out of the park during the show's initial seasons, but reports claimed that she and Will Smith simply did not get along enough for her to continue.

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The role was recast to Daphne Maxwell Reid in 1993, signaling a major shift in the character from a high energy woman with great comedic timing to a more calming and constructive household mom. Both actresses did a fine job, but the switch-up was rough on Fresh Prince fans.

Tommy Kelsey (All In The Family)

All In The Family was known for recycling actors across many character roles throughout its run, but few got the runaround as many times as bar owner Tommy Kelsey. Initially, the character was played by Bob Hastings (the voice of Commissioner Gordon on Batman: The Animated Series) with fill-ins by actors Brendan Dillon and Frank Maxwell.

In fact, Maxwell's take on the role was the final time Kelsey appeared on the series. The story revolved around Archie buying the bar after Kelsey decides to retire and sell the business, which ended up triggering the launch of the spin-off series Archie Bunker's Place.

Laurie Forman (That '70s Show)

The story of Laurie Forman's recasting is a tragic one by every imaginable degree. Original actress Lisa Robin Kelly seemed to epitomize the recklessness of her character in real life, and substance abuse issues on set led to her being fired and replaced by actress Christina Moore for season 6.

The character would largely be written out of the show after that, putting an end to her on-screen story arc. Unfortunately, Lisa Robin Kelly would go on to have multiple run-ins with the law before dying in her sleep at a California rehab facility in 2013.

Frank Costanza (Seinfeld)

Seinfeld fans adore the late Jerry Stiller's performance as George Costanza's combative and overbearing dad Frank. Responsible coining such memorable pop culture phrases as "Serenity now," Stiller remained with the show until the end of its run.

However, the character's origins were quite different in comparison to the role most fans knew. He was first played by veteran actor John Randolph (National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation), and his behavior was much more warm and friendly than the neurotic oddball played by Jerry Stiller.

Charlie Harper/Walden Schmidt (Two And A Half Men)

The phenomenal success of Two And A Half Men can be traced directly to the on-screen chemistry between Charlie Sheen and fellow actor Jon Cryer. Sheen's portrayal of the lazy, womanizing drunkard Charlie Harper is the stuff of legend, but his real-life antics ended up getting him kicked off the show.

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The move turned out to be disastrous for fans when Ashton Kutcher was cast as Walden Schmidt, the replacement for Charlie. While Charlie and Walden were different characters, Kutcher was specifically cast to fill the sitcom's protagonist role once held by Sheen. However, the controversy ended up bumping the show's ratings up considerably.

Lionel Jefferson (The Jeffersons)

Mike Evans was hilariously entertaining on All In The Family as Lionel Jefferson, a young black man who loved his next-door neighbor Archie Bunker, despite his ignorant and bigoted views on race. Evans brought fantastic comedic timing to the show, especially when teasing Archie without him realizing that the joke was on him.

When the spin-off series The Jeffersons debuted in 1975, Evans stayed for the first season before making a quiet exit to pursue his writing career on Good Times. Actor Damon Evans was brought in to fill the role both regularly and sporadically for the rest of the show's run, though the two actors are not in fact related.

Meg Griffin (Family Guy)

It's hard to imagine anyone except Mila Kunis in the role of bottom-rung family member Meg Griffin, but she was not the first actress to take on the role. Seth MacFarlane's sister Rachael voiced the character in the original pilot episode before Lost In Space actress Lacy Chabert took up duties between 99 and 2000.

The recast was fortuitous, especially since Kunis has a natural energy and ability to play a neurotic and insecure character plagued with social anxiety issues. Her sense of humor goes a long way to making Meg Griffin come alive, especially during banter with her terrible father Peter.

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