I’ll name some characters who were replaced by a different character or same character/different actor on TV shows. Which did you like better? (You can just take the poll or leave other replacements.) Cheers
Rebecca
Coach (he was stupid and sweet while Woody was stupid and obnoxious)
Sharona
Dick York
Aunt Clara
Charlene or Carlene (both were funny actresses)
Sarah Chalke (as actress, though I thought Lecy more looked the part)
Bewitched: Dick York; I don’t remember Clara vs. Esmerelda
Roseanne: Lecy all the way. Not even close. Sarah improved as an actress tremendously, but in the Roseanne years she sucked, and worse, the character turned brain-dead, going from a smart, snarky kid to an air head.
MAS*H: Rare case where the main characters’ replacements win in every stretch – BJ, Potter and Winchester for the win! OTOH, I preferred Sgt. Zale to Sgt. Rizzo.
MASH- I liked Potter, Winchester, and Trapper. (BJ was too goody two shoes; Frank was actually a great character but I agree with Larry Linville’s diagnosis that there was nothing more they could do with the character.)
ADDITION
Married With Children
Steve versus Jefferson
(I say Steve all the way)
Aside:
I liked the fact that unlike most shows Will actually noticed when Nicky went from baby to 3 years old overnight. (One of the breaking the fourth wall moments.)
Cheers As annoying as Dianne was, Rebecca devolved rapidly into a pathetic loser. Sam needed someone better to play off. Coach was a better buddy than Woody.
Monk Tough call, but I’ll go with Sharona.
Bewitched Dick York, and Aunt Clara was definitely better than Esmerelda.
Designing Women Charlene
Roseanne Lecy, but of course she had a lot longer to establish and grow the character.
MAS*H Definitely Potter and Winchester, edge to B.J.
ADDITION Mary Tyler Moore
Phyllis vs. Sue Ann as the acid-toungued friend.
Definitely Sue Ann over Phyllis. I always thought Betty White was wasted as Rose because because she plays the acid bitch better than any of the actresses on that show. (One of my favorite moments was when she played the seemingly sweet old lady in Lake Placid and tells the policeman she’s annoyed with
If I had a dick, this is where I’d tell you to suck it.
Even in her late 80s she’s still got it as she proved on Ugly Betty (as a version of herself) and My Name is Earl (as the “witch lady”).
Cloris Leachman is barely containing herself when she doesn’t give a villainous character a vaguely German accent (though she was great as Lois’s mom on Malcolm in the Middle).
When the first Chris Partridge got bounced from The Partridge Family, he came to my elementary school. My first brush with celebrity. I always wondered if Jeremy watched those accounts of Bonaduce beating up a tranny hooker and thought “Dammit, that could’ve been me!”
I like Sarah Chalke on Scrubs, but I thought she was awful on Roseanne. Lecy all the way.
Cheers, I liked Rebecca and Woody.
MASH, I liked Potter and BJ, don’t have an opinion with regard to Burns/Winchester
Bewitched, York all the way.
A few more replacements…
Star Trek TNG
Crusher or Polaski
Star Trek DS9
Jadzia or Ezri
and I suppose I also have to list… Star Trek Voy
Kes or 7 of 9
and for the less Trekky side of things… Babylon 5
Sinclair or Sheridan
Ivonova or… crap, I haven’t watched b5 in over a decade… that one played by Tracy Scoggins
Star Trek TNG: Crusher or Polaski - pretty sure it’s spelled Pulaski, but I could be wrong. I liked both for different reasons. I guess Pulaski gets the edge because she was more of a curmudgeon and Diana Muldaur is awesome. C’mon, Rosalind Shays!
Star Trek DS9: Jadzia or Ezri - Jadzia. Not even close. Could not stomach Ezri and her cutesy bootsy self. God. Plus the writers were so fascinated with their new little creation that they wasted several episodes of the last freaking season all on her, when this was gonna be the last few episodes we’d ever get with our beloved Terok Nor pals.
Star Trek Voy: Kes or 7 of 9 – Oh DEFINITELY Kes. I’m sure I’ll be in the minority here, but Jennifer Lien was all kinds of awesome in her quiet, powerful way. Best female voice on TV outside of the UK, too.
I disliked the replacements on Bewitched. Dick Sargent’s “Darrin” was just to mad all the time. He always looked like he had a “bug up his ass.” With Dick York’s “Darrin” you felt he and Samantha’s relatives were at odds but in the end there was a love between them.
Clara was also much better than Esmerelda. As was the first Mrs Kravitz.
I disliked Woody 'cause he was just stupid. There was never a reason for this. At least Coach had the “he was hit on the head by too many baseballs.” If I recall his “gimick” was thowing himself in such a way into a legit pitch so that he could get walked to first base.
You got the feeling on Cheers, that Coach was the only one that actually liked Diane. (I think Diane would’ve been a better character had she actually been an intellectual instead of a poser.)
The replacements for “Designing Women” were also pretty bad.
Sue Ann and Georgette, while not direct replacements for Phyllis and Rhoda were still good. I think MTM had the best overall cast in TV history.
I think some replacements did serve a purpose. Cheers, got better because Shelly Long left and they had to develop the other characters. Had Long stayed the series would’ve stagnated. Same for MAS*H and “Married With Children.” By those actors leaving they allowed the series to go into new directions.
I was buds with Radames Pera…also know as Kwai Chang Caine as a boy in Kung Fu.
But before that, I went to school with Wednesday when the ADdams Family was still in prime time! She came over to my house to play and got into my mom’s makeup.
I’m not a die-hard fan of Monk, but I’ve watched a couple episodes this week on demand, and I love Natalie. I don’t remember the previous girl (I don’t know if I had ever even seen the show prior to the past couple years), but I can’t imagine I’d like Monk’s sidekick any more than I like Natalie.
Potter, Winchester for sure. BJ and Trapper were about equal. I think Trapper could have been developed a lot more over the years. It’s a shame he left.
Cheers:
Rebecca
Babylon 5:
Sheridan. He’s way better on all levels.
Here is a new one:
X-files: Mulder vs. John Dogget/Monica Reyes
Mulder, without a doubt is the best thing on the show. They should have made the finale at the end of season 7.