The Show Must Go On

When Batwoman returns to the CW for its second season, it will be without star Ruby Rose (who played Kate Kane and her alter ego, the titular cowled crimefighter). Rose reportedly asked to be let out of her contract at the end of the first season’s filming and the producers complied.

But, instead of simply bringing in someone new to take over the role of Kate Kane, the producers decided on something a bit riskier, and cast Javicia Leslie as a totally new character, Ryan Wilder, who takes up the mantle of Batwoman following Kane’s disappearance (and becomes the de facto new lead of the show in the process).

Now, this is an unusual move for a series—but not an unprecedented one. Let’s look back at a few notable examples from pop culture’s past, of shows that managed to soldier on (with varying degrees of success) after the sudden departure of their lead and/or title star, thanks to some quick, but not always creative, recasting.

Spin City (ABC 1996–2002) 

• Original star: Michael J. Fox (1996-2000)
• Replacement: Charlie Sheen (2000-2002)

Michael J. Fox’s struggles with Parkinson’s disease resulted in him having to exit his sitcom Spin City after playing Mike Flaherty, the Deputy Mayor of New York, for four seasons. Fortunately for the showrunners, someone stepping into a role vacated by someone else is built right into the DNA of elected officials.

And so, with Fox’s exit from the show in 2000, came Charlie Sheen’s arrival as his literal replacement, Charlie Crawford, New York’s new Deputy Mayor. Sheen’s character slipped right into place and Spin City continued spinning for two more seasons, before ending its run in 2002.

Profiler (NBC 1996-2000) 

• Original star: Ally Walker (1996-1999)
• Replacement: Jamie Luner (1999-2000)

After three seasons of playing Dr. Samantha Waters, gifted criminal profiler and unfortunate object of a serial killer’s obsession, Ally Walker decided to exit Profiler due to its increasingly unpleasant subject matter (Dr. Waters was a member of the fictional FBI Violent Crimes Task Force).

Surprisingly, NBC decided to bring the generally low-rated show back for a fourth season by introducing a new profiler to the VCTF team, Rachel Burke (played by Jamie Luner). While CSI and other similar shows are usually more ensemble-based and can easily adjust to cast shake-ups, Profiler was very much all about Ally Walker and her character. Pivoting away from that didn’t help its already-slumping ratings, and it was cancelled at the end of Luner’s first season.

Valerie/Valerie’s Family/The Hogan Family (NBC/CBS 1986-1991) 

• Original star: Valerie Harper (1986-1987)
• Replacement: Sandy Duncan (1987-1991)

When Valerie Harper was fired from her self-titled sitcom due to holding up production of its third season with contract demands, NBC’s decision to keep the show going—by replacing Harper with a new star playing a new role—was unprecedented at the time.

So when the family-based sitcom finally returned for season three, it had a new name (Valerie’s Family) and it was revealed that Harper’s character had been killed in a car accident. With Valerie’s husband struggling to raise their three boys on his own and still maintain his career as a pilot, his sister Sandy (Sandy Duncan) opts to move in and help run the household.

Audiences were very accepting of these sweeping changes, and the show actually enjoyed a bump in the ratings. It ended up running for four “post-Harper” seasons (six in total), with the last three under its final name change, The Hogan Family.

The Dukes of Hazzard (CBS 1979-1985)

• Original stars: Tom Wopat/John Schneider (1979-1982, 1983-1985)
• Replacements: Christopher Mayer/Byron Cherry (1982-1983)

Following a contract dispute and claims of not get proper compensation for product endorsements, The Dukes of Hazzard stars John Schneider (Bo Duke) and Tom Wopat (Luke Duke) staged a walk-out ahead of filming for the fifth season of the then-hit CBS series. With no resolution in sight, producers needed to scramble to get some episodes in the can and on the air, so they quickly hired two actors—handsome, blond Byron Cherry and buff, dark-haired Christopher Mayer—to join the show as Duke cousins Coy and Vance.

The new Dukes were literally (and obviously) just stand-ins for Bo and Luke. There was nothing unique about them at all—in fact, some scripts that had already been written just reassigned Bo and Luke’s dialogue to Coy and Vance.

The new Dukes didn’t go over too well with fans and the show quickly started sinking in the ratings. CBS managed to renegotiate with Wopat and Schneider and they made their return at the end of season five. But by then, the damage had been done. The show never regained its popularity, and after two more seasons of slipping ratings, it was finally cancelled in 1985.

2019: The Women Who Made My Year

In looking back at the high points of entertainment for me in 2019, I quickly realized that it was all about the women. So, as 2019 quickly races to its end, here’s a little shout-out to a few of the fine females who helped keep me entertained through the ups and downs of the year.

The girls of K-Pop

I finally fell down the K-Pop rabbit hole late last year when I came across the video for Yes or Yes, the then-new single from the Korea-based pop power group Twice, and I’ve been happily in a K-Pop freefall ever since.

And the K-Pop girls of 2019 did not disappoint, with Twice, Red Velvet, and Somi all releasing catchy and infectious singles that had me involuntarily singing along in my own butchered version of the Korean laguage. But it was the debut single from a new K-Pop girl group released early in the year that eventually become one of my favourite singles of the year. Dalla Dalla by Itzy hit all of my pop music pleasure points – and topped it off by conveying a great message about embracing everything that makes you different from others.

 

Rachel Skarsten (as Alice in Batwoman)

While Batwoman is the latest CW series to showcase a DC Comics hero, it’s the villain who keeps stealing the spotlight. Rachel Skarsten is delivering it all as the deliciously unbalanced Alice, Batwoman’s arch-nemesis (and also SPOILER: her long-lost, presumed dead twin sister).

Skarsten’s Alice is less like her literary namesake, the girl who went through the looking glass and journeyed to Wonderland, and more like a very off-kilter Mad Hatter. And when she slips from her cold-blooded psycho Alice mode and we glimpse the shattered and abandoned young girl she still is on the inside, it hits harder than a metal batarang.

Jennifer Lopez (as Ramona in Hustlers)

Jennifer Lopez’s film career has been rather low-key as of late – seeming like almost more of an afterthought, at times. Which is understandable since being “J. Lo” is a 24/7 job unto itself. But our own Jenny From The Block stepped up to the pole in 2019 to remind us that when she wants to, she can own that big screen.

As Ramona, the queen bee of the New York stripper scene and Hustlers head hustler, La Lopez reminded us all what a boss she is, crackling with energy, spirit, determination and a proficiency with pole dancing that was just beyond.

Honourable Mentions

Jane Hawk (from Dean Koontz’s The Night Window)

Dean Koontz introduced Jane Hawk in the 2017 novel The Silent Corner, where the ex-FBI agent uncovers a conspiracy of epic proportions that’s linked to the death of many people, including her husband. Across four more novels, Hawk proceeded to wage a one-woman war to bring down the bad guys and protect humanity at all costs. Her arc wrapped up with 2019’s The Night Window, which saw the debut tale of one the best new heroines in years reach its satisfying conclusion.

Nancy Drew (The CW)

I mean, duh…obviously.

The Real Housewives (Bravo) 

Yes, these shows are mostly filled with garbage people (except you, Denise Richards!) but then again, I’m a garbage person too.

Have a Happy New Year everyone!