# Scripted TV shows that changed entire main cast **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 28, 2017, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scripted-tv-shows-that-changed-entire-main-cast/797509 "2017-09-28T12:54:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scripted-tv-shows-that-changed-entire-main-cast/797509/1 "2017-09-28T12:54:55Z")
I’ve been watching through **ER** and it’s reminding me of how much turnover there was of the main cast. By the penultimate season, there was not a single main character remaining from the first season. As far as I can tell, the only characters that appeared regularly throughout every season were the nurses (who are secondary characters). Are there any other scripted TV shows that experienced an entire main cast change? Not necessarily all at once, and excepting pilots. The only others I can think of besides **ER** are soap operas and **Law & Order**. … That said, on a side note I must say that **ER** was remarkably consistent with actors and characters. There are actors who only appeared in one or two scenes in a given season but that actor would continually reappear throughout the entire 15-year run. Often there are multiple seasons between appearances, and reappearances sometimes don’t even come with lines, they’re just walking around in the background. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scripted-tv-shows-that-changed-entire-main-cast/797509/2 "2017-09-28T13:06:32Z")
_CSI_ rotated out most of its cast. George Eads was the only cast member who stayed with the series throughout its run. And then he didn’t appear in the finale. Greg Morris was the only cast member who was a regular on _Mission: Impossible_ for the entire series. Most of the cat on _MASH_ was turned over during the series. Alan Alda was the only cast member who appeared in every episode. ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scripted-tv-shows-that-changed-entire-main-cast/797509/3 "2017-09-28T13:24:51Z")
I think ‘Being Human’ lost all of the original cast ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scripted-tv-shows-that-changed-entire-main-cast/797509/4 "2017-09-28T13:27:07Z")
Well, Dr. Who, of course, has done it 10 or 11 times now. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scripted-tv-shows-that-changed-entire-main-cast/797509/5 "2017-09-28T13:56:04Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Most of the cat on _MASH_ was turned over during the series. Alan Alda was the only cast member who appeared in every episode. Every episode? Yes, especially since one episode took place in a Korean “hut” and featured only Hawkeye interacting with a Korean family. Margaret was there the entire time, though. Klinger was introduced as a recurring joke very early on, but was there from season 1-11. Still, they also win the award for best replacements. I think every single replacement was superior to the original. I prefer: Charles over Frank Potter over Blake BJ over Trapper - debatable, though. Nothing over Radar - Early Radar was fun, baby-Radar was annoying ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scripted-tv-shows-that-changed-entire-main-cast/797509/6 "2017-09-28T14:10:50Z")
_Temperatures Rising_ had two complete turnovers of the cast. Only Cleavon Little was in all three seasons. _The Joey Bishop Show_ went through several incarnations of supporting cast; Joey Bishop (obviously) was the only one who remained, and his character, though keeping the same name, changed from a press agent in LA to a talk show host in NYC. _Toma_ was a cop show that had modest success. But after the first season, lead actor Tony Musante didn’t want to continue, so they cast Robert Blake in the role. Blake insisted he didn’t want to be a replacement, so the character was changed a bit and renamed Baretta. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scripted-tv-shows-that-changed-entire-main-cast/797509/7 "2017-09-28T15:06:40Z")
The British series Misfits replaced the entire cast over the course of series 3 and 4. Extending to animated shows, The Transformers completely redid the cast after the movie (aside from bringing Optimus Prime back at the end of season 3) - Galvatron was arguably the same person as Megatron, the same doesn’t apply to the rest of the cast. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scripted-tv-shows-that-changed-entire-main-cast/797509/8 "2017-09-28T15:33:59Z")
_Power Rangers_ would replace a couple characters every season. I think it eventually got to the point where the whole cast would change every year. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scripted-tv-shows-that-changed-entire-main-cast/797509/9 "2017-09-28T16:19:07Z")
“The Walking Dead,” since day one. Only three from the first episode remain and one of them was missing for a few seasons. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scripted-tv-shows-that-changed-entire-main-cast/797509/10 "2017-09-28T17:45:24Z")
Three’s Company replaced Chrissy and her replacement Cindy with Terry. And the Ropers were replaced by Mr. Furley. Charles got a whole nother family to be in charge of, leaving only Scott Baio and Willie Ames from the original cast. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scripted-tv-shows-that-changed-entire-main-cast/797509/11 "2017-09-28T18:31:57Z")
Saturday Night Live is scripted, right? ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scripted-tv-shows-that-changed-entire-main-cast/797509/12 "2017-09-28T18:55:53Z")
_Midsomer Murders_ ended up with an entirely different cast than they started with. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scripted-tv-shows-that-changed-entire-main-cast/797509/13 "2017-09-28T18:59:41Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > _CSI_ rotated out most of its cast. George Eads was the only cast member who stayed with the series throughout its run. And then he didn’t appear in the finale. > > Greg Morris was the only cast member who was a regular on _Mission: Impossible_ for the entire series. > > Most of the cat on _MASH_ was turned over during the series. Alan Alda was the only cast member who appeared in every episode. Nitpick- wasn’t Peter Lupus on\*\*\* Mission: Impossible\*\*\* for the whole run, too? ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scripted-tv-shows-that-changed-entire-main-cast/797509/14 "2017-09-28T19:04:13Z")
The second season of _Operation Petticoat_ (not to be confused with _Petticoat Junction_) replaced all but three of the main characters from the first season. Speaking of _Petticoat Junction_, I think only two actors - Linda Kaye Henning and Edgar Buchanan - were in every season. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scripted-tv-shows-that-changed-entire-main-cast/797509/15 "2017-09-28T19:04:36Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Nitpick- wasn’t Peter Lupus on\*\*\* Mission: Impossible\*\*\* for the whole run, too? He was written out for part of two seasons, then came back due to fan demand. But I don’t think there were any seasons he had no episodes in at all. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scripted-tv-shows-that-changed-entire-main-cast/797509/16 "2017-09-28T19:06:30Z")
I think Mariska Hargitay is the only person left from season 1 of _L&O: SVU_, but Ice-T has been there since season 2. _Ellen_ turned over almost the whole supporting cast from season 1. The only one kept was Arye Gross, who seemed like the weakest character to me; but, if they’d kept Maggie Wheeler, she wouldn’t have been available to appear as Janice on _Friends_, and she deserved some kind of special Emmy for that recurring character. It’s gotta be tough to appear in just a few episodes per season of a long-running show, and keep the character so consistent. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scripted-tv-shows-that-changed-entire-main-cast/797509/17 "2017-09-28T19:10:11Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Every episode? Yes, especially since one episode took place in a Korean “hut” and featured only Hawkeye interacting with a Korean family. > > Margaret was there the entire time, though. Klinger was introduced as a recurring joke very early on, but was there from season 1-11. William Christopher was also on the show for every season. But George Morgan played Father Mulcahy in the pilot episode. After that, Christopher was a recurring guest star like Jamie Farr. He became an official cast member in the fifth season. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scripted-tv-shows-that-changed-entire-main-cast/797509/18 "2017-09-28T19:13:09Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > _CSI_ rotated out most of its cast. George Eads was the only cast member who stayed with the series throughout its run. And then he didn’t appear in the finale. Wasn’t Greg there the entire time? His role ON the show changed, but I think he was present throughout all the seasons > [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > _Power Rangers_ would replace a couple characters every season. I think it eventually got to the point where the whole cast would change every year. But, IIRC, only the first two seasons are called “Power Rangers” the rest all have some kind of subtitle associated with them, which makes them an entirely different show. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scripted-tv-shows-that-changed-entire-main-cast/797509/19 "2017-09-28T19:17:08Z")
> [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](#): > > I think ‘Being Human’ lost all of the original cast > [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > The British series Misfits replaced the entire cast over the course of series 3 and 4. Skins also replaced the entire cast. And they did it twice. (The show is about students at a sixth-form college in Bristol and follows them for the two years they are at the school. In six seasons, they showed three generations of students going through college.) And Shameless replaced almost the entire cast. When it started, it focused on Frank Gallagher and his children but over the years, all of the children left and, while Frank was there throughout, he wasn’t always the focus, and didn’t even appear in some episodes. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scripted-tv-shows-that-changed-entire-main-cast/797509/20 "2017-09-28T19:26:47Z")
> [@TimeWinder](#): > > He was written out for part of two seasons, then came back due to fan demand. But I don’t think there were any seasons he had no episodes in at all. The difference is, even as far back as the first season they’d do episodes where Lupus wouldn’t actually show up; but he was still a castmember, and so his name would still appear in the credits. But when The Powers That Be were effectively out to replace him with Sam Elliott, Lupus wouldn’t even show up in the credits of such episodes. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scripted-tv-shows-that-changed-entire-main-cast/797509.md?page=2)