10 Movie Roles You Didn't Know Were Recast On TV

3. Buck Russell - Uncle Buck

Uncle Buck
Universal Pictures/CBS/ABC

Part of the problem with recasting any character, is the expectation that comes with such a decision, especially if there are particularly tough boots to fill. Step forward, Buck Russell.

One of the great comedy movies of the decade, starring one of the all-time great comedy actors in its titular role, directed by one of the all-time great directors, 1989's Uncle Buck is a picture that's beloved to this very day.

Directed by the iconic John Hughes, with the legendary John Candy on headline duties, the film centres on irresponsible, erratic, boozing Buck Russell as he gets tasked with looking after his brother's three young children. Candy is on fine form here, and his time as Buck stands as one of the most memorable turns of his exceptional career.

While many will remember Uncle Book the 1989 picture, far few will remember either of the two attempts to turn the film into a TV series.

Just a year after the movie's release, CBS brought in Kevin Meaney to headline an Uncle Buck TV show. Rather than Buck looking after the trio of kids due to his brother and sister-in-law being out of town, this small screen offering killed off the children's parents, placing them under the legal care of Buck. So poorly received was this series, it didn't even manage to air all of its first season before it was axed.

Skip ahead to 2017, ABC this time opted to resurrect the Uncle Buck IP for TV. With Mike Epps in the title role, the series was cancelled barely a month after it premiered.

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