6 Times TV Shows Replaced Their Characters and Acted Like It Was No Big Deal

The Baby-Sitters Club's Dawn joins Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's Aunt Viv, Game of Thrones' Daario and more characters who were recast in the middle of the show.

By Cydney Contreras Oct 15, 2021 10:00 PMTags
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It's easy to forget that actors are in fact acting when they do a great job portraying a certain character, but there's no better reality check than a good recasting.

Time and time again, viewers at home have been reminded that TV shows are mere acts of fiction. In Game of Thrones, fans were transported back to the 21st century when they spotted a Starbucks coffee cup, a relic of the modern ages, in a scene of the HBO series. It happened once again in the finale, when people saw not one but two water bottles underneath Samwell Tarly's chair.

But one of the bigger goofs that fans are able to spot is a scheduling conflict. Most recently, it happened when The Baby-Sitters Club's Xochitl Gomez was replaced with Kyndra Sanchez in season two, which premiered on Netflix Oct. 11.

According to Netflix's March press release, Gomez booked a "cool new job" as America Chavez in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and production happened to overlap with filming for the sophomore season.

So, Sanchez has seamlessly stepped into the role and, so far, reviews are positive. One Twitter user even remarked, "It took me like 3 episodes from s2 of the babysitters club to realize they recasted dawn, she's still my best girl tho." 

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Check out the gallery below to see which of your favorite stars inherited roles from other actors!

The Baby-Sitters Club's Dawn

In March, Netflix announced Xochitl Gomez exited the series because of a "cool new job," paving the way for Kyndra Sanchez to take on the role of Dawn.

Game of Thrones' Daario Naharis

It was initially reported that Ed Skrein was replaced by Dutch actor Michiel Huisman because of a prior obligation, but the actor later said that set "politics" were the reason for his exit

The Fosters' Jesus Adams Foster

Jake T. Austin announced he quit the show following the season two finale, leading fans to believe his character was killed in a major cliffhanger. But in the season three premiere, Noah Centineo took on the role of Jesus.

Riverdale's Reggie Mantle

In the first season of RiverdaleRoss Butler portrayed jock Reggie Mantle, but after nabbing a role on 13 Reasons Why, the actor decided to step away from the roleCharles Melton was then cast in his place and eventually stole the hearts of even his biggest critics, who were apart of the #NotMyReggie movement.

Arrested Development's Ann Veal

As part of the gag that Ann Veal is boring and forgettable, the writers decided to replace Alessandra Torresani with Mae Whitman in season two. But, as the Good Girls actress recalled in 2018, she was just too good for the role. "They were originally going to keep replacing the actress that played Ann, just so you were always on your toes," Whitman revealed to People's Couch Surfing podcast. "And then they stuck with me, which I feel like is a real insult. They were like, ‘No, no, you're making the whole not-memorable thing work, we'll just go with that.'"

Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's Vivian Banks

This is perhaps one of the most infamous re-casting of all time. After playing Aunt Viv for three seasons, Janet Hubert was unceremoniously replaced with Daphne Maxwell Reid. Then, in 2020, Will Smith and the rest of the cast, including Hubert, sat down to discuss the change in an HBO Max reunion special. After 27 years, Smith and Hubert made amends, with the actress saying she truly felt mistreated by the actor, who then apologized for his actions. To revisit that conversation and get some closure for Aunt Viv, read our story here.

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