15 Shows that Replaced Actors and Hoped We Wouldn’t Notice

Casting TV shows isn’t just a complicated process at the beginning of the project. Sometimes actors quit or get fired partway through a season which usually forces the studio to either write them out or replace them with a different actor. Here are some shows who decided to keep the character and replace the actor, and just hoped we wouldn’t notice.

1. Fresh Prince of Bel Air

Matriarch or not, the Fresh Prince of Bel Air decided to replace Vivian Banks three years into the show. Janet Hubert played the role from 1990 to 1993, and then Daphne Maxwell Reid stepped in from 1993 until the show ended in 1996. Supposedly Will and Janet had some “issues” so when it came to renegotiate contracts, she was out.

2. Last Man Standing

Tim Allen’s show Last Man Standing didn’t just replace one character between season one and season two…they replaced three. A new showrunner named Tim Doyle was brought on and some of the original cast was let go for “creative differences.” They just recast and kept on going as if nothing happened.

3. Family Guy

Family Guy is one animated show that slyly swapped voiceover actors. Meg Griffin was originally voiced by Lacey Chabert, who ran into some time conflicts with school and Party of Five. Mila Kunis was brought on after the first season.