The Replacement Actors: A Brief TV History

We finally received word this week about how Ashton Kutcher will factor into the latest season of Two and a Half Men. There's no doubt that he will have a hard time filling the "winning" shows of one Charlie Sheen's Charlie Harper. For all of his off-camera antics, Sheen was perfect for his role as the womanizing, alcohol-swilling, good-time loving protagonist. Kutcher's character is thinly described as an internet billionaire with a broken heart. Only time will tell if he can fill such big shoes.
 However, that got me thinking about what happened in other television shows when big-time characters were suddenly killed off or replaced in an established, popular series.

Judy Winslow, Family Matters

 Perhaps one of TV's most mysterious disappearances is the youngest daughter of Carl and Harriet. Judy was irritating as a character to me. She had no depth, her story lines were ridiculous, and she provided less pizzazz than Urkel himself. After the first few seasons and the growing role of Steve Urkel, the producers saw no reason to keep Judy on and therefore she became a TV relic to be memorialized in reruns. She wasn't replaced and Family Matters ran for several more years with a glitch.

Brenda Walsh, Beverly Hills, 90210

 Brenda was nice and then got mean. She loved Dylan, befriended Kelly and danced with David but that wasn't enough to keep her off screen alter-ego, Shannen Doherty from feuding and fighting with her castmates. At the end of the fourth season, they decided to send Brenda to London to study acting and she was replaced with family friend Valerie Malone (Tiffani-Amber Thiessen). The show continued for six more seasons and remains an icon for teen dramas.

Vivian Banks, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
 The character Vivian was there the entire six seasons; the actress not so much. Janet Hubert had been Vivian in the first three seasons and after tense negotiations before the fourth season, she left the show. She was replaced by Daphne Maxwell-Reid. To be honest, I'd rather they just said Vivian left than be replaced. Hubert's Vivian was sassy and vivacious and Maxwell-Reid was much too subdued to be a viable replacement. The show last a few more seasons but it wasn't the same.

Mary Camden, 7th Heaven
 Mary left for her grandparents in Buffalo, NY after the first five seasons, but it was really Jessica Biel's desire to get off the family drama train which drove this departure. At that point, the show had become so milquetoast it wasn't noticeable. However, for Biel transitioning wasn't as easy, so she returned in several episodes in the following seasons.

While there are several other departures and disappearances framing television history, these are some of the most popular in recent memory. Here's hoping Ashton Kutcher can add new life to Two and a Half Men.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/08/03/cbs-charlie-sheen/