10 TV Shows That Recast Major Characters (For The Better)

There's perhaps no more interesting or creative example of a character being recast than Becky Conner in Roseanne.

The Conner sibling was originally played by Lecy Goranson for the show's first five seasons, after which she quit to attend college and was replaced by eventual Scrubs star Sarah Chalke.

Now, Chalke's performance as Becky wasn't inherently better than Goranson's, but it made the show inherently funnier because the writers decided to milk Becky's change in appearance for every drop it was worth.

Throughout the Chalke years, numerous jokes were made about Becky's "odd" appearance and "absences" for extended periods of time, much to both the audience's and the cast's clear amusement.

Goranson eventually returned to the part in season eight with Chalke still filling it when she wasn't available, until taking the part over in earnest when Goranson quit "for good" before season nine.

But in the recent Roseanne revival, Goranson returned to the part once more, while Chalke was re-introduced as an entirely new character.

There's surely an alternate universe where Goranson simply played the part for the entirety of Roseanne's run, and it clearly wouldn't have been this funny.

For the laughs, the hot potato recast was totally worth it.