ALL: Re-casts that changed a storyline?

[Days22]

Yeah but Dane couldnt act worth a darn and was a hugeee turn off to the show imo.

and speaking of none acting. RKK turned Bo into the cheesiest mofo on Days. Bad times. And no. Bo and Billie were not anything special.

[P.J.]

GL's Blake from Elizabeth Dennehy;s vaguely humorless and uptight version to Sherry Stringfield's scheming sexually charged dynamo.

ATWT's Tom---from Justin Deas' anti-establishment goof ball to Gregg Marx's sexy legal eagle to Scott Holmes' self-righteous prig.

ATWT's Emily---Melanie Smith was a softer, sex kittenish schemer. KMH's Em grew into a heartless, amoral bitch.

But on some level, all recasts change the interpretation of the character. Sometimes it's good...sometimes not.

[robbwolff]

Susan Keith's Cecile was tame and bland when the character debuted but I swear she had transformed into a schemer before Frangione took over the role.

[Vee]

The Jessica recast on OLTL was meant to dramatically change the character, IMO, and it did, but not always in the way they'd hoped.

It was obvious what they had intended from the beginning, where we saw an 'edgier' Jessica (now played by Bree Williamson) beat the hell out of a vending machine, take charge of an accident scene and trip breezily into Antonio's strong arms. The hair, makeup, attitude, clothes were all a bit more mature. Erin Torpey quit, they wanted to give the character a bit more sex - fine, we saw that coming. The problem was, first, that Bree's attempts to play an 'edgier' Jess at the time fell very flat, and then the pairing with Antonio, which was so gross from the outset, ended up dominating her storyline for years. After just a few weeks in the role she defaulted to a classical soap archetype, the damsel in distress with the occasional touch of feistiness, a plaything for supervillains and bad guys, everyone from Mitch Laurence to the Music Box Killer to Tico Santi. After recasting the role with fanfare, the major lesson OLTL had apparently taken away from the experience was that Jessica was now fair game to be a generic soap heroine - when she wasn't crazy and in heat, she was barefoot, pregnant and kidnapped.

Jessica stayed that way basically to the end of the show, with only her DID and her alters making the character vary at all, veering between crazy whore and pregnant, endangered madonna. It destroyed the character. And it wasn't all Bree Williamson's fault, because Bree Williamson can act when she is given strong material. It was a choice the lazy writers and execs at OLTL (along with Brian Frons) made, as though the recast had cleared their way to make the character fit into a standard box, along with Michael Malone's obsession with Antonio Vega and his desire to grow the young Jessica into a sort of classical adult heroine that instead mutated into a very bland damsel. Jessica never was really Jessica again, she was just a collection of all the things wrong with modern soaps.

[Soapsuds]

I would add Lily from Martha to Heather...Lily became a sexy bitch....lol.....who decided to work for a living...

[P.J.]

I wouldn't say sexy---definitely more sexual, cold and controlling, at least at first. I still remember being shocked she mailed Emily's vindictive letter exposing Jennifer's paternity(?) to Hal.

[heffer]

When Nicholas Walker took over the role of Max on OLTL, the character was given a new face and softer,romantic personality. Of course, when James DePaiva resumed the role, the plastic surgery was forgotten and he became the womanizing cad he had always been.

[edgeofnik]

She was a schemer, right before NF took over the role, but NF brought an incredible amount of sexual energy, strength and depth to Cecile. I kind of remember the story had to do with "secret" chapter of Mac's book, which was the Sandy Cory introduction. I remember SK being almost comical when she was trying to scheme her way to look at the chapter. NF upped the ante in so many ways and it was really unexpected.

[Titus Andronicus]

Days started up the Pawn storyline in November 1985, with Robert Poynton playing the bandaged man. Drake Hogestyn would take over the role once he unmasked in January 1986.

There are a few interviews with Hogestyn that state he auditioned for the part in December 1985. Something must have changed as the story started. Poynton might have always been intended to be temporary - he did speak onscreen on a couple of occasions and was allowed to stand up straight beside Steve - but I have a feeling that Days realized that they could turn it into something bigger than what it started out as.

[sivad40]

Y&R's Victoria-from Heather Tom to Amelia Heinle.

Y&R's Kelly- Cynthia Watros to Cady McClain

[dragonflies]

I can't believe no one mentioned Liza from AMC. Complete and utter change not to mention majorly de aged

Ridge on B&B, no way would TK's Ridge ever wear a scarf lol

Kendall Hart(Slater) on AMC. Complete 180 from the SMG version

[cassadine1991]

Y&R's Mackenzie and Billy.recasts

[Cheap21]

I wouldnt say neither of those recasts changed the direction of a storyline as all happened at last a year after the role was vacant. There was no storyline to be changed as they weren't stepping in the middle of one that the characters were involved in.

I also defintely wouldnt say they did a complete 180 with AM as Kendall. In fact it was the opposite. Kendall and Erica had made peace when she left town but when AM joined the show, its like they rebooted the character back to where she was a year before she left, fighting and feuding with Erica. The character regressed back to where she was storywise with Erica.

I'll add Jonathan Jackson's return as Lucky on GH. The show was writing Lucky as some pathetic loser when it came to his relationship with Liz, whom they were moving forward with Nikolas. When JJ returned, the story shifted to emphasize Lucky as the victim and they slut-shamed the hell out of Liz to prop him. I doubt the story would have went that route if GV remained

Also, Adam Gregory as Thomas on B&B. DTB was dropped in a hot minute when they decided they were going to do that Taboo story. They needed a man who could be believable with KKL's Brooke. Sort of a reverse of the question as they recasted before the story began so the story changed the actor playing the character

Timothy Gibbs as Kevin on OLTL. Kevin Stapleton was popular in the role and played him with charm and humor as the show wrote he and Cassie as a strong romantic duo. JFP came along and replaced him with her FOJ and the show decided to write that awful affair story

[Vee]

They rebooted Kendall for at least a year or two upon the recast. And it worked, because Alicia was great. But then they finally evolved her character and Erica's - a little too much in the long run, IMO. I was glad they could finally love each other, but at times they were a bit too cozy.

[cassadine1991]

Weren't some of the storylines dropped due to Adam Gregory's religious beliefs?

I remember how they completely changed Lucky's character back when JJ reclaimed the role, if only that happen when DT reclaimed the role of Billy

What about Brenda Epperson and Shari Shattuck as Ashley when Eileen left and then reclaimed the role