I’m with you. I never cared much for Sharona, but I love Natalie.
I’ll add House MD to this list.
I don’t really care for the ducklings, especially 13. And Kumar is gone! I prefer the original 3 (babe, surfer dude and token–sorry, that’s what we over here figure House would call them).
Full House–adding those stupid boy twins (when the stupid girl twins were bad enough) made a bad show that much worse. So, for this one, I never liked the original cast or the additions they made.
I loved Dick York–Sargent was just angry and annoyed. I couldn’t figure out why Samantha would have married him.
I like the second cast of MASH well enough, but thought the first cast was more biting and the writing was better.
The Jan they got for the Brady Bunch Reunion (either time) was horrid. IMO, Jan was the best actor of all those kids. And there was no reason to add Oliver.
Cosby Show–adding that little brat (not Rudi–the other one) was a huge mistake. Pretending that they suddenly had 5 kids when the first few seasons they had had only 4 was also a mistake (but the actor who played her was good).
I also preferred Diane to Rebecca, but I did like the chemistry between Rebecca and Sam. Woody was ok.
You’re right, eleanorigby. Dick Sargent just seemed…mean. Dick York was more perplexed and sometimes annoyed but always adorable.
Oh, I HATED Olivia (new girl on Cosby Show).
But I actually preferred Rebecca to Diane. I don’t know why. Diane just really got on my nerves.
Dietrich (Steve Landesburg) replaced Fish. But they did appear in a few episodes together, so some may argue there was a transition. FWIW, I liked Dietrich better. Nick was not replaced (I think even his desk was left permanently unused).
NCIS: Kate vs. Ziva. Ziva wins, hands down. And the new director is miles better than Jenny
Night Court: Mac and Christine were better than the original clerk and defender. But I’m torn between Selma and Roz. Both good in their own ways.
Andy Griffith Show: Gomer over Goober. And need we even mention Barney’s replacement?
Pulaski? Not only no, but hell no! The character sucks, the actress sucks, the whole season was tainted by her presence.
Night Court: Roz and Mac and Christine all the way.
B5: Sheridan and Ivanova, no question.
Bolding mine:
Hardly the first few seasons. Sondra (the oldest daughter, who was a sophomore at Princeton) was first seen in the tenth episode of the first season. Though it’s true that in the pilot, the Huxtables said they only had four kids. But like many pilots, things changed and by the tenth episode there were definitely five kids.
Rebecca and Coach on Cheers.
I’m another who vastly prefers Natalie to Sharona on Monk.
I know Larry Fishburne has only been on half a season on CSI, but I already like him better than William Petersen. I’ve never been a loyal viewer, but I’ve started watching more regularly now.
To be fair, they didn’t just waste time on her. They also wasted an episode by playing baseball with Vulcans. Jadzia wins, but I did like that Ezri acted as neurotic as a counselor would. Just think, if Ezri has stayed on her starship, she would have been given a seat on the bridge next to the Captain and would have been eligible to bypass the officers with command and combat experience in rank.
Fucking God damn I hate TNG the more I have to think about it.
Here’s another show:
The Larry Sanders Show - Brian over Darlene as Hank’s assistant. Darlene probably had some funner moments, but Brian got hotter guys.
Durwood/Darwin/Doofus 1. Dick York, being mentally fragile IRL, brought an edge to the character. Dick Sargent wasn’t funny, he just looked like Dick York.
Second Becky. Chalke’s a better actress (and way cuter), though my wife disagrees and points to an episode when First Becky and a friend get drunk. However, I always enjoyed how they played on it, especially the later opening credits where the two of them are shown.
Diane. However, I’m prejudiced because Shelley Long made a series of furniture ads in Chicago before she was famous and I had a massive crush on her. In retrospect, neither of them were funny, and the show would be better without them.
Aunt Clara was brilliant. Esmerelda was pretty good.
Crusher, because I always had a thing for that look. But Pulaski had it, too, and I married a woman who, in retrospect, looks like her, as in, “Hey kids! See that blind lady on Star Trek? Compare her appearance with photos of your mom when she was younger. You can see why I fell in love.” And when she was a kid she was a dead ringer for a young Morgan Brittany. I have wondered what she saw in me for 30-some years, but know better than to ask.
Ziva. Does anybody have to ask?
Jadzia. Almost asked her clone to marry me when she was blue that she was turning 21 and wasn’t even engaged, much less married. So imagine Terry Farrell if she were old-country Greek. :eek:
Selma. Roz was great, and I may be prejudiced because of Selma Diamond having one of the best exchanges in “My Favorite Year.” I’d quote it, but I’d prefer you saw the movie.
They actually were supposed to look alike? I mean, they even had to change the opening animation and everything.
Well…I thought so. I wouldn’t mistake one for the other now that I’m familiar enough but if you’re new to the show and you saw two episodes, you might not realize it was a new Dick.
To answer some of the newer choices:
- NYPD Blue: Caruso’s Kelly over Smits’s Sifuentes or uh whoever Schroeder played.
- Night Court: Roz, Mac and Christine. In fairness, the others only had one season, I think; the show didn’t really get into its groove until later on.
More possibles:
Coupling – Jeff over Oliver. Doy.
NewsRadio – not a fair choice, but of course, Bill over Max. Frankly I’m sure Jon Lovitz would agree.
Three’s Company – Chrissie over Terri and, uh, whatever the other chick’s name was. I did like that Terri wasn’t supposed to be as stupid as the others, though.
Murder One – Daniel Benzali over Anthony LaPaglia. Too bad Benzali imploded or whatever the heck happened to him. That show was one of the true “too advanced for its time” series. Nowadays having a single arc carry over throughout a whole season is old hat, but then everyone was bitching about it being too serialized.
Sidebar:
There’s an interesting difference in the Darren switchover and several of the other character replacements in this thread: in most of the cases, the new actors were playing different characters rather than trying to take over a role.
I’m suddenly wondering, aside from Dr. Who (where the lead character’s differences are explained away as being entirely new regenerations / lives and (often) personas), what other shows besides Bewitched have had their main or second lead character being portrayed by a new person? I’m not talking about someone like Becky on Roseanne or the mom on Fresh Prince, but one of the biggest stars of the show?
Rebecca and Woody, but only because I didn’t start watching the show regularly till they were in it.
Jadzia, no contest. She’s my second hottest TV character ever.
Ivanova - she’s my first hottest, and, like Jadzia, really tough and a little bit messed up.
Sheridan, just about.
Mulder, of course! It was his show! Only wrong’uns would choose Doggett - he was a decent character and very well acted, but his storylines were dreadful. Same with Scully/Reyes.
Likewise with Jeff. Funnily enough, I had just added those characters into this post as an additional replacement to consider, but for some reason I couldn’t post.
For the other shows, I either have no preference or haven’t seen the show.
My addition:
Due South - old Ray or new Ray? Old Ray just about wins it for me, but they’re both damn good and it was a novel way of changing the actor.
One that hasn’t been mentioned: On The Jeffersons, the old (and returned) Lionel or the new Lionel.
Hands down, the old – and quite handsome Lionel – Mike Evans (who lent his name to the youngest family member on Good Times (and development talents to that show in general, which was why he left TJ for a while)).
Of course, that could have been because I had a chance to get to know him on All In The Family, where he was laidback, happy-go-lucky and michevious (at least when it came to yanking Archie’s chain).
Oh, the old Lionel for sure! He was so cute. Also loved the way he’d make sarcastic remarks to Archie that would fly above his head.
Diane Chambers - I liked Rebecca better at first, but as others have said the character became too much of a mess too quickly.
Woody - A multipurpose character. He wasn’t just another sweet dumb guy, he was a young stud that directly challenged the old stud.
Dick York as Durwood - no contest.
Blake - I guess I’m in the minority for thinking he seemed more like a real person than Potter did.
Frank - He was funny, and an actual antagonist. The show got boring when Houlihan, Winchester, and Hawkeye were all on the same side.
Trapper - It would have been interesting to see Trapper carry the banner for antisocial horndogs while Hawkeye became more and more respectable, and how their relationship would be affected. Instead we got Hawkeye and B.J. out-self-righteousing each other.
Steve - he was pulled between Al and Marcie, creating conflict. Jefferson was just Al’s younger, better-looking, even dumber sidekick.
Sue Ann - I like Chloris Leachman, but Betty White helped create one of the all-time great supporting characters of TV.
Mulder - Robert Patrick was fine, but it had always been David Duchovny’s show. Maybe if Doggett and Scully had been able to have an actual working relationship there might have been a chance, but when she was sidelined and he was teemed up with vaguely spooky girl, there was no way.
The First Doctor - yeah, the character was an untrustworthy old curmudgeon and the actor flubbed his lines, but I still find something compelling about him.
Donna - Rose was great when she wasn’t sobbing or being all mooneyed or trying to look badass carrying a gun bigger than she was, which leaves about three episodes. Martha had promised and the actress is smoking, but she turned into Rose lite. Donna was awesome. She actually tracked down the doctor in order to become his companion but refused to fawn over him.
Barney - Is there any question? Huh? Huh? Huh?
Really? IMO they look nothing alike–Sargent is taller and leaner; their hair is different, not to mention their faces etc.
Re the Cosby and their 4 kids–I didn’t realize it was at the end of the first season. The segue into having 5 kids was poorly done. And it wasn’t just in the pilot that they say they have 4 kids. At one point in one of the shows, Claire turns to Cliff and says “why did we have 4 kids?” and he replies, “because we didn’t want 5.”
And yet, there was Sandra.
I can’ t remember the show (it was popular in the 80s) but Kristy McNichol became the Prodigal Daughter (IMS). It was a sitcom with the Dad from Soap (I think). Empty Nest? Not sure–anyway, the show got better with McNichol.
Middle. There are 24 episodes in the first season; Sondra shows up in #10.
That was the pilot. 
And if you go by the pilot, we’d be calling Theo “Teddy” and Cliff’s full name would be “Clifford” instead of “Heathcliff.”
D’oh, I wanted to mention this! 
Originally, I liked new Ray better. He was fun and spazzy, and I loved his reactions to everything Fraser did (“Are you UNHINGED?!”). But watching the early seasons again, I love old Ray. What sealed it for me was the deal he cut during the basketball game with Don Zucco in “The Deal” in the first season. That whole episode was so great.
More with Babylon 5: G’Kar’s revolving door of assistants. One died off-screen in a freak airlock accident, IIRC, another was thought killed in the bombardment of the Narn homeworld but turned up years later in prison, and and the third was the random Narn dude that Sheridan rescued in Season 2 who would turn up from time to time until he became one of G’Kar’s groupies (I think he ended up with G’Kar’s job)
And of course, Captain Ivonova’s replacement was Captain Lochley. Or, depending on if you mean character or job, in which case she was replaced as XO by the long-suffering Lieutenant Corwin (Seriously? Sheridan gets to be President, Sinclair gets to be Jesus, and Ivonova gets her own ship, but you can’t even promote him past Lieutenant despite having him basically run the station for all of Season 4?:smack::D)
The omnipresent security guard: Lou Welsh or Zack Allen?
Zathras, or Zathras?
Oh, and of course, the B5 techs. We have NotMorden, the pretty French tech lady, and then Lt. Corwin.
Talia Winters or Lyta Alexander?