Best replacement actor on a film franchise or long-running tv series

[Godzilla2099]

Dirk Benedict's Role as Templeton "Faceman" Peck from the A-Team. Originally played by Tim Dunigan in the Pilot Episode

[AnakinFlair]

Erica Durance for Laura Benanti as Alura on Supergirl. While Laura Benanti was great as Aunt Astra, her Alura was rather stiff and boring. Maybe that was intentional, but Erica Durance brought a lot more energy to Alura.

That's not quite fair, though. The Alura we saw on the show when it was Benanti was a computer hologram that just LOOKED like Alura. That was meant to come off flat. The only time we really saw Benanti as Alura (outside of the dream episode) was the opening moments of the first episode. Whereas Erica Durance actually got to play the real Alura over several episodes. So I would only call that recasting necessary instead of better. But I did like seeing Erica Durance again.

[Papa Moai]

Michiel Huisman as Daario in GOT. Ed Skrein seems like a cool dude but his Fabio looks and exaggerated smarminess made it impossible for me to take the character seriously. Huisman made the character feel like a real person while maintaining the charm and cool bad boy attitude.

[Jim Kelly]

Soap operas have had a lot of replacement actors. Hard to decide Sarah Michelle Gellar or Alicia Minshew as Kendall Hart on AMC? Terry Lester or Peter Bergman as Jack Abbott on Y&R? Wayne Northrop or Drake Hogestyn as Roman Brady on DOOL?

[Ntnon]

Justin Whalin over Michael Landes as Jimmy Olsen. He looked younger, and had more of an air of comic relief making that swap a good change.

And, while not quite the same thing, Stargate SG-1s cast was better than Stargates was. Though that could be warped by more screentime and character evolution.

Michael Gambon was probably a better - more active - Dumbledore than Richard Harris, though it was still a sad change.

[caj]

Terry Lester or Peter Bergman as Jack Abbott on Y&R?

I personally think Bergman is the best soap opera recast of all time. My Mom didn't think that All My Children's Cliff Warner could fill the huge shoes of Terry Lester, who had created one of the most dynamic characters ever to appear on Y&R. But Bergman came in and made the part his own in no time.

Bergman's co-star Melody Thomas Scott (Nicki Reed Newman) is responsible for putting the idea of casting him as Jack Abbott. She strongly suggested to her husband Ed Scott, who was Executive Producer of Y&R at the time, that Bergman would be perfect for the role. Bergman had just been let go at AMC and he more than proved he could handle playing Jack at his audition.

[Jim Kelly]

I really liked Bergman on AMC. Toward the end of his run they had him in a mixed race relationship which attracted a backlash from some viewers and the producers quickly dropped the story, so I wonder if that's why he left. I also liked Lester as Jack Abbott on Y&R, but I was happy to see Bergman make the role his own--very different from his Dr. Cliff Warner. I felt like this was his ultimate revenge on the haters.

When Tad Martin first showed up on AMC he was played by two different young actors, who were okay but not especially note-worthy. Tad ran away from home when he was played by John E. Dunn, but he came back home played by Michael E. Knight who owned the role. Thanks to Knight, Thaddeus James Martin became a major AMC character (only leaving a few more times for the sake of Michael E. Knight's acting career).

[tv horror]

Viggo Morgenstein as Aragon instead of Stuart Townsend.

[Lee Stone]

Lynda Carter taking over as Wonder Woman after Cathy Lee Crosby.

Diana Rigg's Emma Peel on The Avengers.

[Cyke]

If Patrick Troughton crashed and burned as the Doctor, it would've been the end of the franchise as we know it. He didn't realize it at the time, but a good 50 years of the future rested on his ability to take over from William Hartnell, as well as the ability to sell regeneration to the audience to allow Doctor Who its longevity.

[caj]

When Tad Martin first showed up on AMC he was played by two different young actors, who were okay but not especially note-worthy. Tad ran away from home when he was played by John E. Dunn, but he came back home played by Michael E. Knight who owned the role. Thanks to Knight, Thaddeus James Martin became a major AMC character (only leaving a few more times for the sake of Michael E. Knight's acting career).

Agree. Knight allowed the writers to take Tad and make him quite a dynamic character. I mean, who could forget him romancing both mother and daughter at the same time (Marion and Liza Colby).

[Scott Taylor]

Hmm, Pat Priest or Beverly Owen? Such a difficult question.

[gwhh]

You stole my idea

Ted McGinley/Jefferson D'Arcy

[Sammael]

I liked Tasha Yar, but most people would side with Warf. Not long running at the time as series goes though.

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Woody for Coach on "Cheers"

Oh yeah. When I saw Cheers for the first time I was introduced to the Woody Boyd character as one of the cast and immediately took a liking to him.