Summary

For some telecasting show , the show does n’t go on for long enough to see a change in the central cast , but for others , there ’s a significant dispute between the actor from the start of the show versus the ending . Sometimes , this is a conscious option , as the realness of making a TV serial means that characters will arrive and go , and there must be flexibility in the story arc and root . However , if the cast changes are an unexpected requirement , it can affect the quality of the show .

worker leave series for many reasons ; scheduling difference , a desire to branch out , or because they ’re ask to pull up stakes . Writing a graphic symbol out of a show can be a complex task , as how they exit will occur to delimit their character and draw into interrogation all of their retiring actions throughout the serial publication . However , if done well , the new fibre will be just as important and engage as the originalsand will aid the show enroll a new epoch .

The realness of making a idiot box series means that characters will do and go , and there must be flexibility in the story arcs and themes .

Mandy in Shameless, Reggie in Riverdale, and Winston in New Girl

Recasting an worker on a TV serial does n’t mean that a character is gone forever , and sometimes , the new player brings a overbold take on the role .

10Skins (2007 - 2013)

One of the first shows that explored the harsh realities of teenage life.

Skinswas an experimental look at the way adolescent were living in the early 2000s , and by using new " generation " of characters to focus on every few season , it toed the tune of being an anthology . However , every season ofSkinstakes station within the same universe and deals with topic of what it ’s like to get along of age in the modern epoch . It ’s an splendid exercise of a serial publication that knows being about teens limit the number of seasons , and so it lean into the redevelopment of characters and convert the way the show work every few geezerhood .

9Once Upon A Time (2011 - 2018)

Every fairy tale, and its characters, came to life in Stoorybrooke, Maine.

The nature ofOnce Upon A Timewas that characters amount in and out of the master hurl or drop off the show entirely . Villains rarely stayed longer than a seasonor half - time of year arc . This was because whatever fag tale the show was imbibe from would determine the tone of voice and mold the new characters of that season . Season 1 tells a complete narrative with a large but finite cast of characters . Once the show needed to start reinventing itself , it made full use of the opportunity that introducing fresh storey and their characters provide .

8MASH (1972 - 1983)

A sitcom set during the Korean War that lasted longer than the war itself.

Not only had much of the mold change by the final season ofMASH , but the note of the show had evolved as well . The series started as a comedy serial define during the Korean War , butthe longer the show went on , the more difficult it was for the creators to not interact with the realness of being at warfare . Severalactors onMASHleft the showbecause of scheduling engagement or because they need to explore other chance .

However , in the background of a taut - rumple foot camp , these absences are all the more noticeable , as are the entrances of new arrivals . These shifts were explained as a consequence of the variety in command in the military and were always treated with the weighting of the post . Hawkeye ( Alan Alda ) remained a invariable throughout the series , but the gist of mislay friend and being out from home take a toll on the character as the show went on , andMASHdrew tending to these changes instead of tangle them under the rug .

7Cheers (1982 - 1993)

Everyone may have known their names, but the number of new characters made it hard to keep track.

fortuitously forCheers , Sam ( Ted Danson ) , the charismatic bar owner and essential part of the serial on the show until the end , but the characters that leave behind him behind were n’t insignificant . When Diane ( Shelley Long ) result in season 5 , it was a harsh snow but she was supplant by the gifted Kristie Alley as Rebecca Howe . Along with Rebecca , Woody ( Woody Harrelson ) joined in time of year 4 , and Frasier ( Kelsey Grammer ) . While Frasier would also stop up leaving for his spin - off , Frasier , these extra character prevent the bar interesting over the years and cave in Sam a reason to keep go it .

6Glee (2009 - 2015)

A series about the trials and tribulations of being members of a high school glee club.

Gleefaced the same problem that many shows about gamy shoal do : how to manage the move from high school to college without losing all the main characters . In time of year 4 , they had to have certain character move on and discover new opportunities elsewhere , but at the same time , they introduced a novel generation of student who learned to enjoy the mirth night club . Though seasons through 3 are the strong of the serial , the show still exercise hard to make the interview connect with the new students and keep the stories of the older characters relevant .

Ryan Murphy recently revealed on a Glee podcast that he believes Glee should have ended after Cory Monteith ’s passing , and he is dead right-hand .

5Law & Order (1990 - )

The show that reinvented the crime procedural.

Law & Orderhad a great run to begin with , as well as multiple successful spin - offs , likeLaw & Order : SVU . However , the serial ’ return in 2022 has shown how capableLaw & Orderis of reinvent itself . When it premiered in 1990 , the construct of showing both the police body of work and the sound transactions that encompass a criminal casing was groundbreaking . Although this data format seems predictable today , that ’s only becauseLaw & Orderperfected the formula .

Being on the melodic phrase for so long makes it unacceptable for every character to stick around for the total meter . The latest thunderclap from the show is thatSam Waterson is leavingLaw & Orderafter 20 year . His character , DA Jack McCoy , has been a mainstay of the cast , but the series has allot with shakeups before . Also sleep with for its many guest stars and show from famous actors , Law & Orderis the variety of show that can be pick up at any point , no matter who ’s on the blind .

4Friday Night Lights (2006 - 2011)

One man must lead multiple high school football teams to victory.

Coach Taylor ( Kyle Chandler ) and his class are the heart ofFriday Night Lightsbecause he will do anything for his player and want the victory for them as much as for himself . After season 3 , many of the players and students that the audience was rooting for from the scratch line were coming to the conclusion of their gamy school careers . This led toa monumental geological fault in seasons 4 and 5 to focus on a rival eminent school squad where Taylor starts work .

Though not every original character is lost , many new I are brought on . They are the next multiplication of football stars in the area , and the series pivots to make these freshman the heroes of the show . Notably , one of these players is Vince , played by a young Michael B. Jordan . Thanks to unattackable actors like Jordan , the displacement in narration focal point is pulled off so seamlessly , as well as the writers who created an even better underdog level than in season 1 .

After season 3 , many of the players and student that the audience was settle down for from the start were come to the end of their high school careers .

Lea Michele as Rachel in Glee with the Glee cast

3House (2004 - 2012)

A curmudgeonly doctor has a revolving team of interns.

Dr. House ( Hugh Laurie ) steadfastly claims that he hates his patients , the interns , and everyone at the infirmary where he works , but he loves solving medical mysteries . It ’s those medical secret that kept audience come back to watchHousethroughout the seasons , as well as the mainstay of Laurie as the title character . Besides Laurie and a few other major characters , most doer left the show by the final season , particularly the interns House work on with .

In time of year 4 , he went to extreme lengths to pick a raw batch of doctors to determine from him . It was an organic room to face a new group of characters to worry about and made it find as though they earned the hearing ’s respect . Part of the series ' reasoning for the many hoi polloi who waltz around in and out of House ’s life is the nature of a instruction hospital , as well as his demeanor . Continuously , House pushes away those who care about him most , urinate it comfortable for characters to take their leaveonce they ’ve had enough of his attitude .

2ER (1994 - 2009)

One of the longest-running procedural dramas of its time.

ERkick - started the career of several original cast member , include George Clooney , who played Dr. Doug Ross . Though current television shows have brokenER ’s 15 - season - long run , it ’s still a noteworthy feat for a adjective , specially consideringhow unrecognisable the mould was by the last season . Many current infirmary shows have a circle to owe toER , especially how the show handles introducing new fictional character . While not every addition was a pure fit , some carried the show through the late age when the series was flag .

Season 8 of ER saw the death of one of the series ' most popular and beloved main characters : Dr. Mark Greene . Here ’s why he was killed off .

1Grey’s Anatomy (2005 - )

The series with one of the biggest death tolls and traumatic accidents on television.

With time of year 20 about to premier , Grey ’s Anatomyhas hung on to only two of its original mould members , butplenty of characters who have n’t been around for the entire show have made their mark . A important loss for the series come inEllen Pompeo’sGrey ’s Anatomyexit , as she played Meredith Grey , the principal fiber for 19 seasons . Grey - Sloan Memorial Hospital will feel different without Meredith , but so many character have died or leave throughout the series that it was n’t an unexpected turn of events .

to boot , it ’s the nature of a procedural show , especially a aesculapian drama , that there will be large cast changesevery few season . Grey - Sloan is a commandment hospital that develop a new stratum of intern every few years . This format helps keep the character kinetics fresh and naturally introduces additional dramatis personae members . Though some of the loss onGrey ’s Anatomywere toilsome to grapple with when they were rooter - favorite characters , the fledgeling have always endeared themselves to the audience quickly .

A collage image of three shots of Anthony Edwards as Mark Green in ER - created by Tom Russell

Grey’s Anatomy original cast, Meredith Grey, Law & Order original cast

A promotional image of the nine main cast members of the first generation of Skins for Season 2 in front of a wall of graffiti

Alan Alda’s Hawkeye, Harry Morgan’s Potter, Mike Farrell’s BJ, and David Ogden Stiers' Winchester in MASH season 9Alan Alda’s Hawkeye, Harry Morgan’s Potter, Mike Farrell’s BJ, and David Ogden Stiers' Winchester in MASH season 9

Sam, Coach, Carla, and others smiling at a bar in Cheers season 1

The cast of Glee dressed in white and black and are singing emotionally

Matt, Tim, and Smash in Friday Night Lights

House and Kutner sat together looking confused in House M.D.

Ross, Greene, Lewis, and Benton in ER Season 1