The Baby-Sitters Club's Dawn
In March, Netflix announced Xochitl Gomez exited the series because of a "cool new job," paving the way for Kyndra Sanchez to take on the role of Dawn.
Game of Thrones' Daario Naharis
It was initially reported that Ed Skrein was replaced by Dutch actor Michiel Huisman because of a prior obligation, but the actor later said that set "politics" were the reason for his exit.
The Fosters' Jesus Adams Foster
Jake T. Austin announced he quit the show following the season two finale, leading fans to believe his character was killed in a major cliffhanger. But in the season three premiere, Noah Centineo took on the role of Jesus.
Riverdale's Reggie Mantle
In the first season of Riverdale, Ross Butler portrayed jock Reggie Mantle, but after nabbing a role on 13 Reasons Why, the actor decided to step away from the role. Charles Melton was then cast in his place and eventually stole the hearts of even his biggest critics, who were apart of the #NotMyReggie movement.
Arrested Development's Ann Veal
As part of the gag that Ann Veal is boring and forgettable, the writers decided to replace Alessandra Torresani with Mae Whitman in season two. But, as the Good Girls actress recalled in 2018, she was just too good for the role. "They were originally going to keep replacing the actress that played Ann, just so you were always on your toes," Whitman revealed to People's Couch Surfing podcast. "And then they stuck with me, which I feel like is a real insult. They were like, ‘No, no, you're making the whole not-memorable thing work, we'll just go with that.'"
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's Vivian Banks
This is perhaps one of the most infamous re-casting of all time. After playing Aunt Viv for three seasons, Janet Hubert was unceremoniously replaced with Daphne Maxwell Reid. Then, in 2020, Will Smith and the rest of the cast, including Hubert, sat down to discuss the change in an HBO Max reunion special. After 27 years, Smith and Hubert made amends, with the actress saying she truly felt mistreated by the actor, who then apologized for his actions. To revisit that conversation and get some closure for Aunt Viv, read our story here.