In the world of the small screen, the roles of characters manage to reach out and touch audiences in a heartwarming way. This is done through the stories the show writers form around the surface but primarily comes from the actor who portrays the character.
In the course of life things abruptly change all the time, which sometimes can result in actors walking away from a project that is already seasoned in, leaving a gaping hole in the production. This can either be reworked with a write-off of the character entirely or a recast. Recasts have a history of being successful, but there have been sometimes when the recast of a beloved character fell flat on its face. Here are five times recasting a character just didn’t really work.
Jason Dilaurentis (Pretty Little Liars)
Parker Bagley only lasted a season before being unceremoniously replaced by Drew Van Acker, despite being cast and hyped up as a prominent character when Pretty Little Liars first debuted. Van Acker "works more for where we're heading with that story," Marlene King said at the time.
Although King stands behind the choice to recast, Bagley’s Jason was compelling and seemed to have many layers, in comparison to Van Ackers's portrayal of the character. Van Acker is also solely used as a plot device, as he jumps in and out of the story throughout the seasons. Bagley overall gave a stronger performance and really embodied the role of a haunted boy reeling from the murder of his kid sister.
Jesus Adams-Foster (The Fosters)
Jesus left for boarding school after season 2 ended, and when he reappeared in season 3 at the halfway point, he was abruptly portrayed by Noah Centineo. Jake T. Austin, a member of the original cast, posted on social media, saying, "I'm honored to have been a part of such a revolutionary series, but I personally want to let you know that my time on the program has come to an end. It has been a pleasure being a member of your family, so thank you."
The recast seemingly came out of nowhere to fans and left many very angry due to the attachment they had to T. Austin's portrayal of the character. There are rumors as to why he left the show some saying he got kicked off due to a string of bad behavior, but T. Austin himself says he left because he wanted to take on more mature roles.
Mandy Milkovich (Shameless)
The first season of Shameless featured Jane Levy as Mandy Milkovich, but she left before the second. Emma Greenwell was thus chosen for the role, and she later appeared in 32 episodes as Mandy. Levy’s portrayal of the character was beloved by fans and the show has received pushback for the choice to recast the role.
Levy’s portrayal showed her to have more friendships with other characters on the show like Ian (played by Cameron Monaghan), however, Greenwell's Mandy only seems to have a relationship with Lip (played by Jeremy Allen White) and the disconnect between her and the rest of the cast is hard to not feel.
Reggie Mantle (Riverdale)
It was revealed that Ross Butler would be leaving the character of Reggie prior to the freshman finale of the program owing to other commitments, it was reported (including 13 Reasons Why). Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, the show's creator, remarked at the time, "We adore what Ross did with the role, [but] we couldn't use him nearly as much as we would have liked. We're looking for a new Reggie because we want to have more of him on the show because he's Archie's rival and Ross isn't available." Although there were enormous intentions to play up the Archie/Reggie rivalry, Charles Melton (American Horror Story) was chosen as a replacement. Despite looking almost identical to Butler, Melton's portrayal of the character feels like someone completely different from the rival the show intended him to be.
Liam Gallagher (Shameless)
Touching on Shameless again, from Season 3 to Season 7, Brenden and Brandon Sims alternated as Liam Gallagher on the television series. Then, Christian Isaiah took their position, portraying Liam up to the 2021 series conclusion. The recast was drastic, and it felt like producers thought fans wouldn't notice the change in the actor. Again with such a drastic change like this the tone and vibe of the character underwent a massive shift, and it just did not feel like Liam anymore. Recasting a role like this was an interesting choice, however not one of the smartest moves, due to the audience watching the character of Liam grow up on the screen. The void left by this change is undeniable.