10 Potential TV Castings We’re SO Glad Didn’t Happen

10. Pamela Anderson As Dana Scully (The X-Files)

Kicking off with a weird one, and a rare example of studio meddling being a universally positive move. When Chris Carter wrote the original first script, Pamela Anderson was the only woman on his mind; the script was specifically written for her.

This draft focussed more on her struggling to be taken seriously, the sexism and misogyny in the FBI and Scully’s supermodel looks. A mixture of discrimination, blonde jokes and the glass ceiling saw her promising career derailed when she was paired with Spooky Mulder on The X-Files.

Fox (the studio, not Mulder) didn’t think Pamela Anderson was the right person for the project though, and insisted on Carter auditioning other actresses. Once he saw a different Anderson, Gillian, read for the role, he changed his tune immediately.

The script was retooled to be grittier, focussing on Scully’s medical training and tenacity. Scully became less of a caricature, and evolved into one of the most well rounded characters in sci fi television history.

Gillian Anderson’s brilliant deadpan delivery proved to be the perfect partner with David Duchovny’s dry sarcasm, and the pair developed one of the best dynamics on television.