# TV Series That Turned Over Their Entire Cast **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 9, 2009, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-that-turned-over-their-entire-cast/509471 "2009-09-09T20:45:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-that-turned-over-their-entire-cast/509471/21 "2009-09-10T00:28:08Z")
Guess I forgot people who were in shows named after themselves. Another example is I Love Lucy, the Lucy Show, Here’s Lucy and Life with Lucy. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-that-turned-over-their-entire-cast/509471/22 "2009-09-10T00:56:06Z")
I’m pretty sure the UK cop series [The Bill](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084987/) retired its last original actor this year (Graham Cole who played PC Tony Stamp). The show has been on the air since 1984. ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-that-turned-over-their-entire-cast/509471/23 "2009-09-10T01:13:53Z")
I was thinking _Sliders_ but I think Rembrandt ‘Crying Man’ Brown hung on to the end. If he did the he was the only one left. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-that-turned-over-their-entire-cast/509471/24 "2009-09-10T01:17:00Z")
A slight hijack, and I don’t want to derail this thread, but it made me imagine what a scifi show like _Star Trek: Voyager_ would be like if, by season 8 or 9, the entire cast had rolled over. For that premise at least, it would have made some bit of sense. My initial thought for the OP was _Earth: Final Conflict_, but then I remembered that there may or may not have been one or two cast members left, I’d just stopped watching by then. (See above for real answer on that one) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-that-turned-over-their-entire-cast/509471/25 "2009-09-10T01:21:17Z")
_Babylon 5_ might sort of qualify: Some of the characters stayed around as characters, but in different positions (for instance, Sheridan got replaced by Lochley as commander of the station, but he then became President of the Alliance). The penultimate episode has a scene where the last of the old guard are leaving the station, and look in the window at C&C, where all of the new guard are standing at attention watching them go. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-that-turned-over-their-entire-cast/509471/26 "2009-09-10T01:27:13Z")
How would that make sense in _Voyager_? How could you replace all the dead people when you’re that far away from home? My first reaction was M_A_S\*H, but of course that’s not quite correct; Hawkeye, Hot Lips, and Klinger were all in the first season, I believe. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-that-turned-over-their-entire-cast/509471/27 "2009-09-10T01:50:27Z")
> [@Meltdown](#): > > \*\*Law & Order \*\*is the classic example. The last original cast member, Steven Hill, vacated his position as D.A. Adam Schiff back in 2000, and it’s still on the air. As others have pointed out, Steven Hill wasn’t in the pilot episode, which makes Chris Noth’s departure the final rotation for the original cast in starring roles (though several cast members have returned in guest spots or spin-off series). _Airwolf_ had a complete cast turnover in Season 4 when it transitioned from CBS to USA. _My Three Sons_ had a complete cast change out except for Fred MacMurray and Stanley Livingston (Chip, the youngest and dumbest of the three brothers) leading Spy Magazine’s Bill Flanagan to speculate about the possibly murderous backstory in the Douglas household. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-that-turned-over-their-entire-cast/509471/28 "2009-09-10T02:13:35Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > How would that make sense in _Voyager_? How could you replace all the dead people when you’re that far away from home? Because you’ve got a much larger theoretical crew than you ever see on the show, so it’s not a big stretch to have Janeway die in Season 1 (please), be replaced by Chakotay, who dies in Season 2 and is replaced by Captain Paris, the last surviving line officer, who dies in Season 4 and is replaced by Captain Johnson, who was an unseen Engineering officer (ie, uncast) before being promoted after the Great Death of Season 2, and so on. Also adding more crew like Nelix - Gamma Quadrant natives who join the crew, which ultimately begs the question of “Gee, why are we still heading for Earth when a significant portion of the crew didn’t come from there?” Or like Seven of Nine, Humans rescued from the Borg. Makes a lot more sense to me than the constant abuse that ship took without ever losing any of the top officers. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-that-turned-over-their-entire-cast/509471/29 "2009-09-10T02:14:07Z")
NYPD Blue comes close, only Medavoy and Sipowicz lasted all 12 seasons. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-that-turned-over-their-entire-cast/509471/30 "2009-09-10T03:09:33Z")
Are any of the original cast of Sesame Street still on the show? ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-that-turned-over-their-entire-cast/509471/31 "2009-09-10T03:11:51Z")
Actually, there is a (sort of) cast member whose has stayed virtually the entire time at _Saturday Night Live_ - Don Pardo, the announcer (who is now 91 years old). He has done the announcing for every season except one. Of course, Lorne Michaels has also been the executive producer of the show for all except five years. ---
**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 10, 2009, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-that-turned-over-their-entire-cast/509471/32 "2009-09-10T03:17:20Z")
**Toma** , though it renamed itself **Baretta** ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-that-turned-over-their-entire-cast/509471/33 "2009-09-10T03:37:37Z")
> [@](#): > > Are any of the original cast of Sesame Street still on the show? Of course. Bert, Ernie, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Kermit, Oscar… ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-that-turned-over-their-entire-cast/509471/34 "2009-09-10T04:23:45Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > As others have pointed out, Steven Hill wasn’t in the pilot episode, which makes Chris Noth’s departure the final rotation for the original cast in starring roles (though several cast members have returned in guest spots or spin-off series). No, it doesn’t, so long as Dann Florek remains on SVU, which he does at least for the upcoming season. Scrubs is set to turn over a majority of the cast with this ill-advised upcoming season. It doesn’t seem destined for greatness. Ellen Degeneres first sitcom, the one with the infamous coming out, “Ellen” changed names (It was originally “These Friends of Mine”) and lost most of the cast after the first season. By the midway point of its 14 year run, MADtv had divested itself of the entirety of its original cast. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-that-turned-over-their-entire-cast/509471/35 "2009-09-10T05:00:59Z")
Would \*Meet the Press \*be considered a “series”? It’s been on the air since 1947, having turned over its people many times. ---
**Author:** ![audit1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@audit1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audit1)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-that-turned-over-their-entire-cast/509471/36 "2009-09-10T05:35:54Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Are any of the original cast of Sesame Street still on the show? Bob Mcgrath (Bob) and Loretta Long (Susan) have been since the beginning. ---
**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 10, 2009, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-that-turned-over-their-entire-cast/509471/37 "2009-09-10T05:42:48Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > My first reaction was M_A_S\*H, but of course that’s not quite correct; Hawkeye, Hot Lips, and Klinger were all in the first season, I believe. Hawkeye and Hot Lips were characters from the movie, so, yes, they were in the series from the start. (Not sure if Hot Lips was from the book, as I only read the sequel, being unable to find the original.) Klinger’s first appearance was the fourth episode. However, if you consider ‘cast members’, rather than ‘characters’ and include the movie, the series lost its last original cast member when Radar left in season seven, Gary Burghoff being the only actor to appear in the movie and the series. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-that-turned-over-their-entire-cast/509471/38 "2009-09-10T09:20:18Z")
> [@Amp](#): > > I was thinking _Sliders_ but I think Rembrandt ‘Crying Man’ Brown hung on to the end. If he did the he was the only one left. He was the only one left. This is lampshaded in the final scene. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-that-turned-over-their-entire-cast/509471/39 "2009-09-10T09:46:59Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Are any of the original cast of Sesame Street still on the show? OOOH! Good thought. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-that-turned-over-their-entire-cast/509471/40 "2009-09-10T10:10:09Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Are any of the original cast of Sesame Street still on the show? > [@audit1](#): > > Bob Mcgrath (Bob) and Loretta Long (Susan) have been since the beginning. As has been Caroll Spinney, the puppeteer for Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-that-turned-over-their-entire-cast/509471.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-series-that-turned-over-their-entire-cast/509471.md?page=3)