In Roger Zelazny’s Amber Chronicles, Corwin is the protagonist in the first five novels and is then replaced by his son, Merlin, for the next five.
Yet another Brit murder show… In Grantchester handsome crime solving vicar Sydney Chambers was replaced by handsome crime solving vicar Will Davenport. The later was introduced in a couple of episodes with the former before the torch was passed. The next handsome crime solving vicar came on the show without any overlap so no torch was passed.
A Different World, the Cosby Show spin-off would appear to fit the bill. The show was going to showcase Lisa Bonet as the star. After the first season, when Bonet got pregnant in real-life, rather than work that into the show, her character was written out and she eventually returned to the Cosby Show.
A Different World continues on with Jasmine Guy and Kadeem Hardison as the leads. They were both there in the first season and carried the torch for the remainder of the series run.
I thought of another example. Good Times of the 1970s originally featured the parents as the lead actors played by John Amos and Esther Rolle. When Amos leaves the show, his character is killed off and neither recast nor replaced as Jimmie Walker’s J.J. character had made the move from breakout star to main attraction.
Then when Esther Rolle leaves the series, Ja’Net DuBois’s family friend Willona character fills in as the matriarch figure. Rolles would eventually return but at that point, the shark had landed the jump and the show’s best days were clearly behind them.
Not a lead character, but do lieutenants Tragg and Anderson count on the old Perry Mason? Certainly, I’d think Tragg by far the more remembered, but that may be my own bias.
Did they work together, with the latter eventually replacing the former?
I know they worked together sometimes, but not usually, as Tragg wasn’t in many eps in their overlapping season, as I recall. Anderson was brought in do police work that Tragg used to (fill in his role in the show) because the actor was having health problems that would eventually lead to him leaving the show (though he was still credited). My memory is that in Tragg’s last appearance, we have Anderson going to him for advice.
Thank you.
Ken Berry appeared in several episodes of The Andy Griffith Show as Sam Jones. When Griffith left, Berry became the star of the spinoff Mayberry RFD. Many of the actors from the first show remained.
As best I can tell, they overlapped in one episode: Season 7, Episode 16: “The Case of the Capering Camera”. A spicy episode for a handoff!
I’m pretty sure they are both in Season 6, ep 4 “The Case of the Double-Entry Mind” from IMDB credits. And this transcript has them both appearing, it looks like, though I find it hard to follow since it’s not like script, but more subtitle-y, not labeling who says what. I believe the were even both in Andy’s first appearance in 05x04. That’s not why I’m sure if he really counts as a torch-pass - they did all they could to keep Ray Collins on the show, even when he was only in a handful of episodes a season.
Legends of Tomorrow had several cast transitions that might qualify - the ship’s captain was initially Rip Hunter, with Sarah Lance as a crew member - but after Rip left, Sarah became the Captain. “Ray Palmer” and “Firestorm” were main cast for the first several seasons, and overlapped two seasons with “Steel,” who remained in the role of “most special-effect-requiring superpowered team member”
How about Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) being replaced by Will Bailey (Josh Molina) on the West Wing? They spent about half of Season 4 together before Sam left.
Does the “passer” have to me one of the main cast? In All in the Family the neighborhood bar was passed from Kelsey to Archie.
We watched it, and it’s quite an entertaining little noir. And the two of them do appear together in one scene to arrest a suspect, and they each get a line. So, somewhere in the neighborhood of torch passing.
The episode did also feature Virginia Christine in a main role, better known as Mrs. Olsen from the Folgers commercials.
I’m tempted to say Mulder and Scully. Mulder is the true believer and Scully is the ultra-sceptical, science-based one, but eventually, after Mulder leaves, Scully finds herself becoming the more open minded one when Doggett becomes her partner.
I think an argument could be made against ‘successful’, but I agree that Scully definitely becomes the Mulderesque one in the pair when Doggett comes on.
How about the TV show Becker, where Reggie was effectively replaced with Christine? If I’m reading IMDB right, they were in 4 episodes together before Reggie left the show, and Christine ended up taking over the diner.
In the 1940s there was a popular series of films about a detective called The Falcon, (a rip-off of The Saint).
The star of the first three films was George Sanders. Tiring of the role, he was persuaded to return for a fourth film in which his character was killed off, and his brother took over the identity, played by his real-life brother. The series ran for another 9 films after that one.
But I don’t remember any passing of the torch, just one taking over after the other died…but I could be wrong.
edited to add: I was wrong. They adventured quite a bit in that movie, and the original didn’t die until near the end of the film.