10 Best Actor Replacements On TV Shows
4. Lamorne Morris Replaced Damon Wayans Jr. - New Girl
The pilot episode for Fox's sitcom New Girl counted among its ensemble cast Damon Wayans Jr., who played one of protagonist Jess' (Zooey Deschanel) roommates, Coach.
However, when Fox decided to take the show to series, Wayans' other sitcom project, Happy Endings, had already been renewed for a second season, and so Wayans made the decision not to return in a full-time capacity.
Despite initial plans to recast Coach and reshoot the pilot, it was eventually decided to simply have Coach duck out in the very next episode, where it was also revealed that he was only subletting the apartment from the real roomie, Winston (Lamorne Morris).
The transition was basically butter-smooth, with Lamorne Morris giving an uproariously funny performance as Winston while quickly cementing his superior chemistry with the rest of the cast.
But in something of a happy ending for everyone, Wayans did return to play Coach as a series regular throughout the third and fourth seasons once Happy Endings was cancelled, alongside other periodic appearances.
Ultimately Coach was simply better suited to being a supporting character while Winston truly felt like he belonged front-and-center for the long haul.