10 TV Shows That Recast A Major Character After The Pilot

Summary

• Unaired pilots have led to important recasts that vastly improve iconic TV characters.
• Replacements like Emilia Clarke as Daenerys redefine the portrayal of iconic roles.
• Talented actors like Alyson Hannigan were the second choice to bring beloved characters like Willow to life.

Several major TV shows featured a certain actor in the pilot episode that was recast for the rest of the series. This may have been an unaired pilot shown to network executives before the show officially aired — many TV show spinoffs that never aired met their end at this stage. An early pilot like this allows producers to see what they have so far and decide if the series is worth pursuing, or if some changes need to be made before filming the rest of it — such as finding an actor more suited to the character.

Some TV recasts were even better than the actor they replaced, whether they happened immediately after the first episode or later in the show. The secret pilots that general fans never see have immense value when it comes to perfecting the show, as many of the characters in question were doubtlessly meant to be played by the final actor. The result is iconic TV characters it would be impossible to recast who changed the face of the industry.

10 Game Of Thrones (2011-2019)

Tamzin Merchant As Daenerys Targaryen

Tamzin Merchant’s on-screen personas in fantasy and period dramas like Salem, The Tudors, and Carnival Row make it possible to see why she was initially cast as Daenerys for Game of Thrones. Merchant has since revealed that she was uncomfortable with some of the requirements of filming and even tried to back out beforehand but was convinced to give it a shot by others (via Entertainment Weekly). Merchant had this to say:

“I think it’s a testament to Emilia Clarke for making that role iconic—she was obviously excited to tell that story, and she was epic and excellent. But for me, it wasn’t in my heart to tell it.”

However Game of Thrones ended, everyone is glad that Emilia Clarke was the one to play the Mother of Dragons for its decade-long run. Clarke’s iconic performance is one of the pillars of the milestone fantasy series, delivering many unforgettable moments in Daenerys’ rise to power in Essos as she plans to make a bid for the Iron Throne. Daenerys is not the only character to be recast after the unseen pilot: Michelle Fairley also replaced Jennifer Ehle as Catelyn Stark.

9 Full House (1987-1995)

John Posey As Danny Tanner

Full House is inseparable from the ensemble cast that portrayed the Tanner family, and Bob Saget was always the first choice to play Danny Tanner. However, for a moment, the producers thought they would have to let go of this dream. Danny was recast for Full House multiple times purely because of Saget’s fluctuating schedule. When it was believed that the role would need to be played by someone else, Full House went to relative newcomer John Posey, who filmed a pilot with the child actors who played the Tanner children.

When Saget’s The Morning Program was canceled and his schedule opened up, Posey was dropped from Full House and a new (very similar) pilot was filmed. Full House became one of the most famous family sitcoms of all time, while Posey went on to appear in various popular shows, including Better Call Saul, How to Get Away with Murder, and Teen Wolf. However, Posey and some of his would-be Full House co-stars were apparently disgruntled by him suddenly being fired.

8 Gossip Girl (2007-2012)

Florencia Lozano As Eleanor Waldorf

Eleanor Waldorf and Lily van der Woodsen, the respective mothers of Blair and Serena, the two main characters of Gossip Girl, are both important figures in the series. Both make the treacherous waters of New York high society an intergenerational affair, as they are wrapped up in their own drama that inevitably affects their teenage daughters. In the first episode of the series (not an unaired pilot), Eleanor is played by Florencia Lozano.

After the first episode, Lozano was replaced by Margaret Colin, said to be because Lozano looked too young to have a daughter Blair’s age (via MovieWeb). Colin’s sharp performance as Eleanor became a memorable part of Gossip Girl, and most would agree that she was right for the role. Colin is also a better-known actress, and studio executives were probably happy with the extra publicity she would bring.

7 Pretty Little Liars (2010-2017)

James Neate As Toby Cavanaugh

Similar to Eleanor Waldorf, Toby was played by James Neate for his brief appearance in the first episode of Pretty Little Liars, when the main group sees Jenna and her stepbrother arrive at Alison’s funeral. The reasons for him being replaced by Keegan Allen are unclear, but Toby’s role in the series was always fluctuating. For instance, Allen revealed (via Teen Vogue) that he was only supposed to be in six episodes of the series before his character was killed off, true to the books’ storyline.

Allen’s performance possibly gave rise to the fan campaign to keep Toby in the series for the long run.

Allen’s performance possibly gave rise to the fan campaign to keep Toby in the series for the long run. Toby then ended up being Spencer’s main love interest, something else that wasn’t in the Pretty Little Liars books. Given how Toby’s role evolved within the production of the first season, it is not surprising that a recast happened at some point.

6 Family Guy (1999-Present)

Rachael McFarlane As Meg Griffin

The true first episode of Family Guy, titled “Death Has A Shadow,” mostly follows the plot of Seth McFarlane’s unaired pilot. His sister Rachael McFarlane voiced Meg Griffin for this unseen episode. Presumably, McFarlane lent her voice to the project just to help her brother pitch it, and Meg was properly cast once the series picked up. However, this was the beginning of the longstanding tradition of the creator’s sister voicing an absurd number of side characters in Family Guy.

Meanwhile, Meg was recast again after Family Guy season 1. Lacey Chabert amicably left the show because she was still in high school at the time and was forced to choose between projects to allow time for her studies. Mila Kunis was then cast as Meg and is now the actress most famously associated with the role. The consensus is that Kunis voicing Meg was overall the right choice for the show going forward.

5 True Blood (2008-2014)

Brook Kerr As Tara Thornton

True Blood also had to recast Tara to allow Rutina Wesley to become one of the cornerstones of the show. Some scenes featuring Brook Kerr as Sookie’s childhood best friend in the unaired pilot are available online, allowing fans to compare the performances. No official reason was given for recasting Tara, with it being vaguely said that Kerr left the budding adult vampire series due to “creative differences.” The many similarities between the original pilot and the one fans got suggests that it was only re-filmed because of the recast.

Showrunner Alan Ball also said (via The New York Times) that Wesley was cast because she “was the first person who showed [Tara]’s vulnerable side.” Given the limitations of her role in the first episode, accomplishing this in the eyes of the creator is impressive for Wesley to have done. Wesley remained a part of the True Blood cast until the end, launching her TV career into other major series like Queen Sugar and The Last of Us.

4 Man With A Plan (2016-2020)

Jenna Fischer As Andi Burns

Matt LeBlanc took another shot as a post-friends sitcom in Man with a Plan, in which he stars as a contractor adjusting to life as a stay-at-home dad. Another sitcom veteran, Jenna Fischer, played LeBlanc’s Adam’s wife Andi in the unaired pilot. After that, she was replaced by Liza Snyder, who remained in the role for its four-season run. Producers might have thought having two huge sitcom stars was a recipe for success, but later concluded that it was the opposite.

Fischer reportedly lost the role after the pilot when test audiences reacted negatively because “Pam wouldn’t marry Joey” (via Deadline). She revealed in an interview that she was told: “I don’t believe Pam would marry Joey. The chemistry doesn’t work between these two.” This is perhaps one of the most explicit examples ever of the double-edged sword of having played such an iconic role when audiences can’t separate the actor from the character. Either because LeBlanc was attached to the show first or had been a comedy icon for longer, he stayed on board while Fischer was let go.

3 Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005-2008)

Mitchel Musso As Aang

Mitchel Musso almost added another popular character to his resume in the 2000s environment of Disney Channel and Nickelodeon’s parallel content. Musso is famously Oliver, one of Miley’s two best friends in the classic Disney Channel series Hannah Montana. Pre-Hannah Montana, Musso was in the running to voice Aang for Avatar: The Last Airbender and recorded the original pilot alongside Mae Whitman as Katara, then called Kya (via Entertainment Weekly).

During the Hannah Montana era, Musso did some great voice acting as DJ in Monster House and Jeremy in Phineas and Ferb, showcasing his talent in this area. However, he was still replaced by Zach Tyler Eisen for Avatar: The Last Airbender. Most fans of the original animated series don’t have many complaints about its cast or storytelling, demonstrating that recasting Aang was probably in the best interest of the show.

2 Gilmore Girls (2000-2007)

Alex Borstein As Sookie St. James

Alex Borstein as Sookie, the head chef at the Independence Inn in Gilmore Girls, might have been fun to see. Borstein was already known for Family Guy, and far in the future, would dazzle and provoke endless laughter as Susie, Midge’s no-nonsense manager in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Despite her comedic talent and potential to shine in this role, Borstein was unable to get out of another contract, leading Gilmore Girls to recast Sookie as the then-comparatively unknown Melissa McCarthy.

This role helped launch McCarthy’s career, while Borstein was already an established star.

This role helped launch McCarthy’s career, while Borstein was already an established star. Based on Borstein’s harsher performance in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, it’s easy to see how McCarthy was better for Sookie’s warm and supportive personality. Suffice it to say, both actresses have led enormously successful careers, no matter the outcome of Gilmore Girls.

1 Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)

Riff Regan As Willow Rosenberg

Alyson Hannigan is another actor inextricably associated with an iconic role; in her case, the powerful witch in the making Willow in the milestone fantasy show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Hannigan’s performance ranges from Willow’s most timid and awkward moments to the intensity of Dark Willow. It also includes the groundbreaking depiction of her relationship with Tara, a major moment for LGBTQ+ representation in mainstream media.

Riff Regan filmed a Buffy the Vampire Slayer pilot before Willow was recast. Producers reportedly didn’t feel like Regan was a fit for the character or the series; Willow then ended up being Hannigan’s breakout role. TV allows for major changes like this because pilots are shown before a network orders a full series, which leads to some casting choices that fans are now grateful for and characters they couldn’t imagine being played by anyone else.

Source: Entertainment Weekly, MovieWeb, Teen Vogue, The New York Times, Deadline