Empire: Discussion Thread

[Faulkner]

That is the question...

[te.]

Honestly, I don't see Empire lasting beyond season 7 at this point - partly that I think the cast will price themselves out at that point, plus Fox has sold their studio to Disney and are focusing more on live programming. They should just write Jamal out, if Jussie isn't in prison when the series finale airs they might extend a hand out for him to appear then, but probably not.

 

As someone said, Mario's character can be a de facto replacement for Jamal or they can just give Cookie and Lucious another gay black man to manage that becomes like a "son" to them.

[Juliajms]

They would have had to though if something happened to one of these actors.  Empire can change story lines, but you can't have GoT without Dany and John for example. Once Tywin died the show would have been lost without Cersei.

[Faulkner]

I think about how Andy Whitfield died during Spartacus. There are those cases when the only answer with a lead character is to recast or shut the whole production down. You can’t do Spartacus without Spartacus. But I wonder if the show would have continued if Whitfield died after a Season 3 or 4 instead of Season 1. Probably not. Starz et al would have probably said, we have enough in the bank to exploit in terms of licensing, so let’s call it a day. I’m sure a lot of factors come into play.

Edited February 23, 2019 by Faulkner

[Khan]

 

Lord, we've taken "Empire" so off the rails, lol.

[Khan]

But seriously.  I don't view primetime series the same way as I do daytime ones.  In daytime, you could recast virtually any role, and depending upon how successful that recast is with the audience, you could keep going without skipping a beat.  (IDK why that is -- certainly, with the shows running every weekday, you wouldn't think it to be the case -- but recasting even multiple times works more often than it doesn't.)  In primetime, however, it's a bit more complicated.

 

Right now, I'm trying to think of a situation where recasting a role on a primetime series was met with audience approval.  I know there are viewers out there who would argue, for example, that Jack Coleman paled next to Al Corley (as Steven on the original DYNASTY); that Emma Samms was no match for the original Fallon, Pamela Sue Martin; and that Dana Sparks was a lousy recast for FALCON CREST's Vickie, who'd been played at the beginning by Jamie Rose.

 

ETA: And let's not forget Donna Reed succeeding Barbara Bel Geddes on DALLAS.

 

Going beyond primetime soaps, however, the consensus seems to be, again, recasting central (or even supporting) characters rarely works.  Examples include, of course, Dick Sargent for Dick York on "Bewitched" (as well as the two actresses who played neighbor Gladys Kravitz), Daphne Maxwell Reid for Janet Hubert on "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," Judyann Elder for Jo Marie Peyton on "Family Matters," and Damon Evans for Mike Evans on "The Jeffersons."

 

In fact, about the only recast I can think of that worked was Sharon Gless replacing Meg Foster as Christine Cagney, on "Cagney & Lacey."  And that worked most likely because C&L was so low-rated during its' first season that the switch went mostly unnoticed.

 

ETA: I never count the two Beckys on "Roseanne," because I still contend that Lecy (now Alicia) Goranson and Sarah Chalke played two entirely different characters with the same name.

Edited February 23, 2019 by Khan

[Vee]

Sarah Chalke.

[Faulkner]

I’ve always struggled to accept recasts, even on daytime. (That is, unless the recast is the first performer I saw in a role.) Something is always lost unless the original actor was incompetent. It’s easier for me to think of a recast as a new character.

 

But interestingly, now that I think of it, Jamal would be the easiest major character in that cast to replace IMO. Andre would be tough with the balance of buttoned-up corporate dude and mental illness that Trai navigates so well, and Hakeem is basically Bryshere. 

[Khan]

 

Oh, [!@#$%^&*].  My bad.  LOL.

[Soapsuds]

Since Jack Coleman was mentioned and would be a good choice...I was thinking recast Jamal with Pamela Sue Martin. 

[Khan]

I will say this much: if they choose to write out (or kill off) Jamal, filling that spot with another gay, black man would be a bad idea, regardless of how much Lee Daniels personally wants gay, black men represented on his show.  To me, it'd be almost like saying gay, black men are interchangeable, for lack of a better word.

[DRW50]

The only primetime recast that worked for me was Meredith MacRae as Billie Jo on Petticoat Junction. While she was a world apart from the trashier version of the character they had with Gunilla Hutton and whoever the other one was, I thought she was a beautiful woman with real screen presence and a lovely singing voice as well. 

 

The woman who was recast as Bobbie Jo was also decent enough in her bubbly supporting role.

 

The only problem I had with the MacRae recast is that there was all kinds of unintended chemistry between her and Mike Minor, and I spent the last years of the show convinced Steve and Billie Jo were having a secret affair. 

Edited February 23, 2019 by DRW50

[Vee]

"The role of Jamal Lyon will now be played by Lee Daniels."

[Khan]

 

Did Tyler Perry ask for too much money?

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[ReddFoxx]

Cookie: I know Jamal done lost his mind marrying some old ass man. That man is older than us, Lucious! That's just nasty!

 

Sorry, had to get that out, rofl. As far as recasts go I think viewers might be more accepting when the reason why the previous actor was fired are so public. Plus, Jussie is an adequate actor, but he's not so great where anyone else would not be accepted as Jamal (unless they are Charity Rahmer unskilled).