In the world of TV, there are a number of reasons why things might not work out for the actors involved. Sometimes it’s a scheduling conflict, differences in creative ideas, or two or more people just not liking each other very much. Whatever the case may be, producers sometimes have to call an audible and make a quick replacement.
The reasons for the changes are completely indiscriminate -- from the biggest shows on TV to relatively small series, no actor is above the show itself, and ultimately, the show must go on.
The casting changes we’ve seen can be very obvious, where the replacement looks nothing like the actor who was there before them, while other times the audience will barely notice.
Showrunners can never tell if the audience will accept the changes without much fuss, so it’s always a bit of a risk to replace an actor, especially if they are popular with their viewers.
In today’s internet age, it’s hardly possible to keep the reasons for an actor’s exit a secret, and we can learn some of the murkier reasons why actors were let go from their roles.
Here are the 15 TV Actors Who Were Replaced For Unexpected Reasons.
Lisa Robin Kelly on That 70’s Show
That 70’s Show was a massive hit that ran for eight seasons on FOX and launched the careers of several of its stars. Actress Lisa Robin Kelly played the oldest sibling of the Forman family, Laurie, who was mostly an unlikable antagonist figure in the show.
Unfortunately, Kelly’s life was filled with struggles and substance abuse problems, and an ongoing drinking problem was the main reason she was asked to leave the show midway through the third season.
She returned for a few episodes in the fifth season but was replaced by actress Christina Moore in the sixth. Things only got worse for Kelly after that, with a string of arrests, a miscarriage, and a divorce from her husband.
Sadly, Kelly passed away in her sleep in 2013 while attending rehab.
Luke Grimes on True Blood
The hit HBO series True Blood, based on a books by Charlaine Harris, received positive reviews from fans a critics alike, garnering a Golden Globe and Emmy Award throughout its run.
One of the most controversial moments came in the shows sixth season, when a character named James was introduced as the romantic interest of Jessica.
The problem came when the storyline had James’ character revealed as bi and pursuing a relationship with popular character Lafayette.
Grimes was not comfortable playing a gay character and left the show, replaced by Nathan Parsons. Grimes’ decision did not go over well with his former co-stars, including Lafayette actor Nelsen Ellis who said: “you make a statement when you do something like that.”
True Blood finished up its run in 2014 and Grimes’ career has continued with seemingly little fallout from his decision to leave the show.
Charlie Sheen on Two and a Half Men
Charlie Sheen is no stranger to controversy -- in fact, he’s one of the stars who often spends more time in it that out. Sheen’s wild antics and off the cuff interviews have earned him a polarizing reputation, and his hit show Two and a Half men was not exempt from it.
After making disparaging comments about the show’s creator, Chuck Lorre, and entering rehab, CBS and Warner Brothers Television decided to terminate his contract in 2011.
Sheen was replaced by That 70’s Show alum Ashton Kutcher, and the controversy helped boost the rating for the show for a time thereafter.
Sheen was reportedly making $2 million per episode, making him one of the highest paid actors in TV throughout his time with the show. Sheen’s character was cut out and the series ended its run in 2015 after 12 seasons.
Conan Stevens and Ian Whyte on Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones is a story full of ruthless criminals and scary figures, and Gregor Clegane “The Mountain,” stands out as a terror among them all.
Standing over 7ft tall, Gregor is a true monster, but his role was played by three different actors throughout the show. First, Conan Stevens played him in the first season, and his most memorable scene was in the jousting tournament where he beheaded his horse after losing to Loras Tyrell. Stevens would leave the show to act in The Hobbit.
The second actor to play Gregor was Ian Whyte in season 2, but he had the least amount of screen time of the three. Whyte would play other roles on the show such as Wun Wun, and two huge White Walkers.
Icelandic strongman Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson was then cast and is easily the most memorable of the three in the role.
Janet Hubert-Whitten on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The original role of Aunt Vivian in the massively popular The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was played by Janet Hubert-Wilson, and her departure stands as one of the most bitter on the list.
Her exit came amid some well documented problems with co-stars Will Smith and Alfonso Ribeiro, whom she accused of being childish and doing “heinous, horrible things” to her.
After the third season, she was replaced by Daphne Reid, who played Vivian for the rest of the show’s run. Hubert-Whitten has said much about her time there, stating that Smith is an egomaniac and that Ribeiro told people she was crazy and nobody wanted to work with her.
Smith, for his part, has said that she was difficult to work with. She has said she would never take part in a reunion but has since eased her stance on the matter, but it has not materialized.
Aml Ameen on Sense8
Sense8 was a Netflix original created by the Wachowski, who now go by their trans identities Lilly and Lana, and focused on a psychic connection between eight strangers.
One of the stars was Aml Ameen, who played Capheus "Van Damn" Onyango, a Kenyan driver working to provide medicine for his ailing mother.
The controversy came during the filming of season 2, when Ameen was replaced with actor Toby Onwumere amid rumors of transphobic behavior on set.
This rumor was squashed by co-star Jamie Clayton, and it was later revealed that the ambiguous “creative differences” was the reason. Clayton seemed to support Wachowski’s decision, saying that now “characters can shine the way they were meant to.”
Ameen himself has never commented on the matter, but it may have been a case of one person just not fitting in with a group, as Onwumere was well liked by the entire cast.
Erin Hayes on Kevin Can Wait
Kevin Can Wait is a CBS sitcom starring Kevin James and, formally, Erinn Hayes. Hayes’ character, Donna Gable, was cut out of the show after the first season.
This was a totally unforseen move, even for Hayes herself. The two stars had good chemistry and audiences liked them, so the decision was originally thought to be over something dramatic.
However, executive producer Rob Long said that it had nothing to do with Hayes herself. “The goal was to give Kevin's character a real drive and a real predicament involving how a family comes back together “after tragedy,” he stated.
It should be noted that Hayes was replaced by James’ former King of Queens co-star Leah Remini, so that naturally raised some eyebrows. There appears to be no lasting animosity from either Hayes or anyone else, making this a rare case of mutual peace after a replacement.
Shannen Doherty on Beverly Hills 090210
Beverly Hills 90210 was a huge deal in the early '90s, achieving pop culture phenom status and launching the career of many of its stars. Shannen Doherty, as Brenda Walsh, was one of the lead actors on the show, but has a history of having difficulty getting along with others on set and a penchant for conflict.
Her former co-star Tori Spelling, daughter of showrunner Aaron Spelling, said in a Lifetime interview in 2015 that she asked her father to fire Doherty after a number of incidents on set with her and other cast mates, including a fistfight between Doherty and Jennie Garth that had to be broken up.
Her character wasn’t recast but was written off, and actress Tiffani Amber Thiessen of Saved By the Bell fame was hired to be the big female character Valerie Malone.
The ladies of 90210 have since patched things up and put the past behind them.
Ed Skrein on Game of Thrones
One of several replacements on the hit HBO show, and the most noticable, is the character of Daario Naharis. The swaggering mercenary and love interest of Daenerys Targaryen was recast with Michiel Huisman in season 4 of Game of Thrones.
This was easily the most noticeable replacement because the two men look nothing alike, nor are their portrayals of the character close. On a show lauded for its casting choices and character likenesses, Skrein stood out as underwhelming to many fans, and Skrein said that he was fired from the role “over politics.”
While he didn’t elaborate, it’s not a stretch to think that all of the bad feedback from his performance had some part in the decision.
He has since stayed positive and his career has been going well since, as he co-starred in Deadpool and is in the title role of The Transporter Refueled.
Alicia Goranson on Roseanne
Longtime fans of the show Roseanne know that the character of Becky was suddenly recast in season 5, with actress Alicia Goranson replaced with Sarah Chalke.
The reason for this was because Goranson, who was 18 at the time of the departure, decided to pursue her education at the prestigious Vassar College in New York.
The producers worked around the move for a while, with Becky written as eloping with her boyfriend to explain her physical absence, and having her appear in phone conversation scenes since she was out of state.
In the following season, the producers wanted to bring the character back, but since Goranson was still in college and determined to finish, Chalke was brought in to take over the role.
Interestingly, both actresses are now a part of the new Roseanne reboot currently airing.
Pert Kelton on The Honeymooners
One of the most iconic TV comedies in history is the classic series The Honeymooners, but many people don’t know that it is based on a series of recurring skits from star Jackie Gleason's Cavalcade of Stars. These skits ran from 1951-1952 before going to CBS in 1955.
The role of Alice Kramden, the much more grounded wife of Ralph, was played in these sketches by actress Pert Kelton. Kelton ended up being one of the many victims of the Hollywood Blacklist of the 1950’s amid McCarthyism.
When Gleason took the show to network TV, the role of Alice was given to Audrey Meadows. Kelton was supposedly targeted for removal before the sketches finished, but stayed on due to Gleason himself being resistant to the hysteria gripping the industry at the time.
She appeared very sparingly in movies and and in TV shows after the 1950s.
Jazz Raycole on My Wife and Kids
My Wife and Kids was a comedy series that ran for five season on ABC from 2001-05. Co-created, produced, and starring Damon Wayans, the show enjoyed a relatively small but loyal audience throughout its run.
Fans will recognize that the family’s middle child, Claire, was played by actress and dancer Jazz Raycole in the first season, but was replaced by Jennifer Freeman, who kept the role from then on.
Many fans wondered what could have happened, and it was later revealed that Raycole was removed from the show at the request of her mother, who had issues about a storyline where a character on the show becomes pregnant.
Raycole was only 12 at the time, so content concerns are totally understandable for young minds. Her removal hasn’t hurt her, and she’s been working in TV steadily ever since.
Alessandra Torresani on Arrested Development
Few shows have gone through the turmoil and uncertainty of the critically acclaimed comedy Arrested Development. Its first run was from 2003-2006, after which its cancellation was met with widespread disapproval.
Netflix picked up the series again in 2013 and is still going today. One of things that stands out in the show is the fact that character Ann Veal, a borish high school love interest of Michael Cera’s George Michael, was played by Alessandra Torresani only in the season one finale and was replaced by Mae Whitman for every appearance thereafter.
In one of the strangest recasts, the original plan was to have the character, who was used only occasionally, played by a different actress in every appearance as a joke about how forgettable she is.
They ended up keeping Whitman after the plan of casting every time didn’t go through.
Dixie Carter on Diff’rent Strokes
If you weren’t around for the early '80s to watch Diff’rent Strokes, you missed one of the most popular shows of the decade. It put star Gary Coleman into huge mainstream success and crossed over into several other '80s sitcoms.
The character of Maggie McKinney, love interest of leading character Mr. Drummond, was replaced during the last season. Originally played by Dixie Carter, the role was recast and given to Mary Ann Mobley in the final season.
Although Carter was only there for a single season, she and breakout star Coleman reportedly disliked each other immensely and she considered her experience on set to be unpleasant.
Carter kept things classy, though, and refused to say anything about her time on the show after that. Carter would go on to enjoy a successful career in TV.
David Duchovny On The X-Files
One of the most popular and memorable series from the '90s was the FOX sci-fi hit The X-Files. Launching the careers of stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, the series went on for seven seasons before Duchovny had enough and quit the show.
When talking about his decision, Duchovny cited the general pressure and craziness associated with quick fame, and the toll it took on his mental health.
“It's such a big change in someone's life ... It's not the way human beings should live, right?,” he stated. He also felt that he needed to get out of the role of Mulder and explore drastically different parts as an actor.
His character was abducted in season 7 and actor Robert Patrick of Terminator 2 fame was brought in as Scully’s new partner, but fans didn’t warm to him much and missed Duchovny in his iconic role.
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Can you think of any other TV stars who were unexpectedly replaced? Sound off in the comments!