10 TV Characters Who Were Perfectly Cast (The Second Time)

Much like Carol Willick earlier in this collection of recast blasts from the past, Ann Veal of Arrested Development fame was actually first brought into the sitcom world by another star for a brief appearance before becoming much more fleshed out and memorable in the hands of another performer.

First swinging onto the brilliant Mitchell Hurwitz show with Alessandra Torresani at the helm, the original Ann produced the type of monotone performance we'd later come to expect of the often overlooked personality in the first season's finale. However, Torresani was soon shifted on and replaced by the expertly dry Mae Whitman for the rest of the character's arc on the show.

In Whitman's hands, the just sort of there figure brilliantly played up to the fact that Michael Bluth simply could not remember she existed and also acted as an excellent foil to the all-round Bambi on ice that was her boyfriend George Michael.

In another universe, Hurwitz had planned to have the part of Ann played by another actor every season, leaning into her lack of memorability as the years went by. But the alternative gave us the gift of Whitman's joyous portrayal, making being forgettable something of an art form.