I was chatting with some friends on this topic recently and thought it might be an interesting topic...(I checked around in this forum to see if it had been discussed previously and didn't find anything directly on topic, so if I missed it, my apologies.)

I often have a hard time accepting recasts, period, especially if I was particularly attached to the previous incumbent. But dang, sometimes the recast is so awful the character just becomes Dead To Me. And sometimes, the recast almost makes you forget the previous actor entirely. Every show has to recast sometime, and some do it better than others.

So, a couple of my Best/Worst Recasts:

BEST

Alicia Minshew as Kendall on AMC. I loved SMG in the role, and maybe wouldn't have worked quite as well if Kendall hadn't been offscreen for a long time before showing up with AM'[s face, but she is IMO perfect in this role.

Ellen Dolan replacing Hilary Bailey Smith as Margo. Again, not better, but WORKED well for me (unlike the terrible and mercifully brief Glynnis O'Connor recast of Margo). Actually, ATWT has done well with (most of) the Margo recasts, and with Tom recasts too.

WORST

Susan Batten replacing Allyson Rice Taylor as Connor on ATWT. So awful, so wrong, so jarring it was character-destroying. It was the last straw for me with ATWT, which is saying something given how bad the show was then (1997).

Graham Winton replacing Michael David Morrison as Caleb on ATWT. Yeah, I know MDM died suddenly and the show was in a bind. But with the recast, the character went from fiery intensity to bland suckiness. I could never EVER believe that Julie would have gone for GH's blah Caleb, not in a million years or for a million bucks.

(Heh, it's probably because I loved ATWT *so* much for a while there that the recasts on that show seemed particularly horrendous to me.)

The gold standard for terrible recasts: Christina Chambers as Marty Thornhart on OLTL.

I think one of the best is Peter Bergman as Jack on Y&R. I loved Terry Lester in the role and was very resistant to a recast, but PB completely made the role his own. I would also consider Jess Walton replacing Brenda Dickson as Jill to be an excellent recast - I didn't like Deborah Adair in the role, but JW has surpassed BD - which is helped by the fact that she's a better actress, of course, but BD's first run as Jill was pretty impressive and her second was memorable high camp, so I think JW's accomplishment is impressive.

Conversely, I could never accept anyone but Lane Davies as Mason on SB, no matter how well suited to the role either Terry Lester or Gordon Thompson were. So sometimes, it doesn't matter (for me) if the actor is a good fit - LD just was Mason to me. Maybe if the show had stayed on the air I'd eventually have come round.

I think recasting the Asian Mia Korf with strawberry blond Kassie DePaiva as Blair on OLTL ranks as one of the most daring recasts.

Two of the worst on GH were Natalia Livingston replacing Amber Tamblyn as Emily and Jacob Young replacing Jonathan Jackson as Lucky. In both cases, it was as if they went for pretty, generic, older versions of two extraordinarily talented and unique child actors.

Hi - very longtime lurker, new poster.

I think this might be an unpopular opinion but I could never warm up to Liz Keifer's version of Blake. For me, Sherry Stringfield WAS Blake. Even though Liz has been playing the role for a very long time (and longer than Sherry Stringfield), I could never warm up to her version. I just basically think of her as a completely different character. Sherry was sophisticated and had that great "whiskey" voice. It is probably the two disparate looks that were jarring to me but I can honestly say I have not liked one minute of Liz's portrayal all these years. And certainly, this most recent incarnation of Blake is not doing Liz any favors. Its as though they don;t know what to do with the character, we never see her interact with her children and she flits from one "career" to the next.

Of course, YMMV and I am sure there are many who love Liz. But I could never forget Sherry.

I never accepted LK as Blake, either. I thought something essential was lost in that recast. It's interesting because SS wasn't the first Blake and she wasn't in the role all that long, but she left an indelible impression on the part.

Another possibly unpopular opinion:

I never was able to accept Kelly Menighan (sp) as the recast of Melanie Smith's Emily on ATWT. Hated her portrayal from Day One when she showed up in a bathing suit. Something essential and sympathetic (neurotic and shrill instead of vulnerable and sensual? she became different, unlikable, kind of bitch?) was lost in that recast for me and I too had to just pretend she was a completely new character ... didn't work too well though. I never once rooted for Em after KM took over, not even when she was raped by Evil Diego.

BEST My All-time FAVE
Robert Kelker-Kelly as Bo Brady. He absolutely sizzled. In fact, I still prefer him to Peter Reckell. I lost all interest in Bo when Peter Reckell returned.

WORST
Kent Masters-King replaced Victoria Rowell as Dru on Y&R.

LOL. I remember her when she took over for Molly on ATWT when Lesli Kay left. Thankfully, her exit was short in coming .

Clearly we need to discuss the recasting of Greenlee Smythe du Pres Lavery on AMC. Poor, poor Sabine Singh. A bad recast to be sure. But the girl was still playing the part when the "Return of the Real Greenlee" promos started. That was harsh, man.

I was always fond of Julie Pinson as Billie Reed on Days. Liked her way better than Lisa Rinna.

I was always jarred by recasts that happened when one actress left and the next started with no offscreen time. But my favorite one has to be when AW replaced Cali Timmons with Judi Evans as Paulina. IIRC it was at a party or something and all the sudden {poof} JE is Paulina in the same red dress CT was wearing the day before.

I was so pissed SoapNet quit airing AW before I got to see that again.

More reasons to fire the casting director:

Melody Anderson (AMC) Natalie Hunter
Sandra Nelson (YR) Phyllis Summers
Ashley Jones (BB) Bridget Forrester
Judith Chapman (YR) Gloria Fisher
Nicholas Walker (OLTL) Max Holden

GH has pulled similar jarring moves recasting Carly. There's a lot of disagreement about Tamara Braun, whom I really did not like in the role. I think most people agree that poor Jennifer Bransford was a disaster. Laura Wright, IMO, is doing good work, but in part because her performance is obnoxious - which I think Carly is.

Not sure what I'm saying, except any discussion about soap recasts has to include the revolving door of Carly actresses on GH.

For all-time disasters (and I didn't even see it), I would think the short-lived tenure of Charity Rahmer as DOOL's Belle would qualify. Wasn't she on for something like a week before they fired her for sheer ineptitude?

Speaking of Leslie Kay, that reminds me: she belongs on the Best Recasts list, for her replacement of Colleen Dion as Felicia on B&B. She is such a huge improvement and does so much with so little. Of course, her character is being wasted and ignored, but that's a rant for the B&B thread.

I was just going to post about poor Jennifer Brandsford. Utterly wrong on every level. But to TIIC credit (when do we get to write that!), they quickly realized it and scuttled Carly off canvas long enough to find a recast that works. And as much as I hate Carly, I think LW is doing a really good job.

Lesli Kay was a decent Lois recast on GH, but Rena Sofer was so indelible in the role that I was kind of sorry the character was brought back. Kay seemed a little too physically fragile to me to really be Lois.

Worst: Charity Rahmer as Belle Black on DOOL. What more needs to be said?

Well, aside from Tammin Sursok (Colleen Carlton, Y&R)...

Hatpin, you beat me to the Jack recast! That was probably the best recast I have ever seen. What I found amazing was that their voices were so similar. It was truly remarkable. The first PB scene had Jack returning from a short trip, I think, and someone said something to the effect of you're back, to which he replied, "and better looking too" which was so in-character for Jack. I was won over on his first day.
On the other hand, I have to politely disagree with you about Jill. It took me well over 10 years to accept Jess Walton. I loved Brenda Dickson as Jill both times she had the role. The first time she created Jill. Then after Deborah Adair, (who wasn't so bad, but played Jill extremely differently from the way Brenda Dickson played her), Brenda Dickson came back into the role and instead of picking up where Brenda Dickson left off, she picked up from where Jill left off, playing Jill in such a way that to me it was like a third actress was playing Jill. And I mean that as a great compliment. Jill had been through a lot while Brenda Dickson was away. Jess Walton is undeniably a very good actress, and I like her (now), but she'll never be the "real" Jill to me. When Brenda Dickson was Jill I rooted for Jill over Mrs. Chancellor. After she left the role I rooted for Mrs. Chancellor over Jill. And still do. One more thing, when Brenda Dickson came back to the role, they had a scene which was written for the way the character was played by Deborah Adair and Deborah Adair was back for a day or so, just for a certain character interaction. Then out again. It was so perfect.

It took me years to accept JW, but now I really love her as Jill and I do think she's a more skilled and nuanced actress than BD. But again - took years. Jill/Phillip/Kay was the first soap story I was invested in - it also took me years to stop seeing Kay as a horrible villain who deserved eternal misery. I will never forget the episode where Jill went to see Phillip and found his stripped hospital bed - that was how she found out he was dead. She just killed me.

See, if I go on about BD's early days, it's harder. I didn't love her second run, partly because I really didn't like Jill's metamorphosis into the show's villain. Maybe if BD had played it straight through I could have accepted it. What I like about JW is that her Jill is so layered and complex that I can believe that the idealistic young woman who loved Phillip so much might have grown into this woman, after living through what Jill's lived through.

If that all makes any kind of sense at all.

The most unfortunate recast was Dennis Parlato as Roger Thorpe. DP was a great Clay Alden on Loving and Michael Grande on OLTL, but stepping in for Zaslow under those circumstances was hopeless.
Victoria Wyndham as Rachel on AW has to be among the best. I don't know if Strasser could quite pull off the Mac-Rachel love story as well.

Best recast? Probably for me Mary Beth Evans as Kayla on Days, few people even remember she's a recast now. She's a great actress, totally inhabits the role of Kayla and went on to become part of one of the top super couple's of the 80s and her on-screen wedding got Days it's highest ever ratings; so she's a pretty nifty recast in my book.
Whoever said worst recast as Christina Chambers for Marty I totally agree with you! It would be neck and neck with Charity Rahmer who played Belle on Days but there was only about a week of Charity and we had to suffer months of Christina.

Not unpopular with me, I never liked LK's Blake, but loved Stringfield's. (Crap, I called her Springfield in another thread). The Blake/Ross dynamic was never the same. The whole reason those two characters worked as a pairing was lost once LK took over.

BEST:
MA as Jack, Days
RKK as Bo, Days
MBE as Kayla, Days
DH as Roman, Days
JE as Paulina, AW
KDP as Blair, OLTL
DG as Kevin, OLTL
KS as Maxie, GH
PB as Jack, Y&R


WORST:
All the Carlys, GH
All the Luckys, GH
NL as Emily, GH
LK as Lois, GH
The actor who took over for NF as Joey, OLTL
TSJ as Todd, OLTL
RH as Paul, ATWT
MV as Jack, Days
The cdn actress who played Jennifer, Days
CR as Belle, Days
The actress who played Phyllis after MS, Y&R
The actress who played Ashley in the mid-90s before Eileen Davidson came back, Y&R
The current Lily, a recast, but by an actress who used to play her, Y&R
LK as Blake, GL
MB as Marina, GL


I'm probably forgetting a whole bunch.

I hated her as recast Lois, but I'm not sure I would have liked anyone in the role. I agree Rena Sofer was so indelible in the role, it was just impossible for me to see anyone else as Lois. I dislike recasts of non-core characters in general though unless it's an immediate thing like with Zander. If the character isn't a legacy character from a core family, I don't see the need for a recast, finish up the story and be done.

HatpinI think it's interesting how often they have recasted Carly and how each one has garnered fans. I've never liked Carly but for a brief period when she and Sonny first got together. I was offline through most of SBr's run, and was shocked to get online and realize people actually liked Carly. At the time, I just thought the reason fans liked her was Sarah Brown, because people thought she was such a good actress. That's obviously not the case, three recasts later. While I hate Carly, I do think she's still a popular character. Something about the character strikes a chord in people that is powerful enough to hold on to for four actresses.

I've liked few recasts where the original actor made any kind of impression on me (I liked people like Wally Kurth as Ned, but the original Ned made no impression on me so I don't even consider him a recast). Most of the examples are from the late 80s/early 90s, when I was in school and couldn't watch every day and so wasn't as attached -- I was ok with Jensen Buchanan as Vicky and recast Bo, though I preferred the earlier versions during that time period.

I have never liked recasts when I felt like the original (or most notable) portrayer was extremely talented or brought something incredibly unique to the role - like Rena Sofer as Lois, Jonathan Jackson as Lucky, Roger Howarth as Todd or Matt Ashford as Jack.

Julie's definitely my favorite Billie, in spite of all the dreck she was given. I hope she gets some good stuff at ATWT.



And Steve Wilder was another huge step down from there.

They did something similar with Babe on AMC. Alexa Havins went to hug her mother one minute and {poof} when they pulled back, new actress. Who's not all that good.

I agree with everyone who said PB was a great recast on Y&R. I've loved him since he was Cliff on AMC. Hands down. Best recast.

They did the same thing with Days' Jack. One minute Mark Valley was in a prison shower, the next minute, when nuJennifer taps him on the shoulder, {poof} it's Steve Wilder. I think I remember the promos slyly saying that Jack "becomes a new man!"

For best, I have a whole bunch, but I'd have to add ATWT's Van Hansis, who replaced Jake Weary. The two actors looked similar enough, and Van has done some fine work in the role. He's gonna go really far, I think.

One worst I have is not one I personally found bad, but know that other people did: Brandon Beemer as Shawn Brady on DAYS. Jason Cook was the true Shawn to me, but I never had the problem with Brandon that others did.

Another worst would have to be Spencer Grammar as Lucy Montogomery on ATWT. Peyton List was the Lucy to me.

Finally, Mackenzie Swatterheite as Nikki Munson on ATWT. Just seemed so milquetoast in her portrayal. Nothing like the wonderful Jordana Brewster.

Anyone after Michael Zazlow as Roger Thorpe on GL
I love Gina Tongoni's Dinah though.

The block of wood that replaced Justin Hartley on Passions. A great, grey character was traded in for ambien.

Worst:

Jensen Buchanah as Marley and Vicky on AW. Don't even get me started with this. She played Marley as the Singing Nun. She played Vicky as what Marley used to be. Marley was written out because Jensen Buchanan refused to keep playing dual roles, even though Marley was a crucial part of Vicky's character makeup. Marley left and Vicky became Marley, robbing AW of the brilliant spitfire Vicky was supposed to be. Then as one more slap in the face, AW brought back Ellen Wheeler as Marley, had Marley gain a new face and a few inches in height from a fire, and turned Marley into a psycho bitch.

Have any of you ever seen the Mary recasts on Ryan's Hope? They were all poor, but Kathleen Tolan, damn damn damn. She was Joan Crawford, not Mary Ryan. She totally demolished one of the show's most popular characters.

Let me add to the worsts.....

Austin Peck as Austin Reed on Days. Austin was never an interesting character, but Patrick Muldoon did it better. (I've heard rumors that AP is much better on ATWT, though)

And for the bests....

Anne Heche AW as Vicky/Marly
Robert Kelker Kelly as Bo Brady

As for the best recast ploy.....
I did think the recent re-recast of Philip Kiriakis back to the original actor Jay Kenneth Johnson, using a face transplant (due to war wounds incurred in Iraqistan) was hilarious. Particularly since it healed so fast included the loss of a few inches and people he hasn't seen in years still recognize him.

It's interesting to think how many long-established soap stars in a single role are recasts: Robin Strasser as Dorian (third and fifth Dorian), Victoria Wyndham (third Rachel, AW), Erika Slezak (third Viki, OLTL), Don Hastings (second adult Bob Hughes, ATWT), Colleen Zenk Pinter (third Barbara Ryan, ATWT), Julia Barr (second Brooke, AMC), Leslie Charleston (second Monica, GH), Genie Francis (second Laura, GH) and Melody Thomas Scott (second Nikki, Y&R). Oh, yeah, Matt Ashford (third Jack, DOOL). Of course, all of the above have to be classed as successful.

O2Sean, I completely agree with you regarding Jensen Buchanan as Vicky/Marley on AW. I have never understood why that actress is held in such high esteem anyway. I thought she was dull as dirt on OLTL and, while the writing was against her, she was equally uninteresting on GH. I thought she completely wrecked Vicky/Marley, not to mention Ryan/Vicky and the Jake/Vicky dynamic. I know she had popularity in the role, but I thought she turned Vicky into a standard-issue soap heroine. And of course, her refusal to play a dual role, and JFP's willingness to accommodate her, ruined Marley as well. It was particularly sad after Ellen Wheeler and Anne Heche had been so extraordinary playing the twins.

doguncle, that's exactly what I call her to this day, "the 2nd Nikki"! LOL, glad I'm not the only one who thinks of her this way. Maybe because I floved the 1st Nikki who reminded me of someone I knew.

As to Sharon on Y&R, I think there were 3 pretty quick recasts as Bill Bell was looking for his vision of Sharon. I've detested the one that finally got the role from her first day. I liked the one who gave Nikki a handmade bracelet that she made, then Nikki snubbed her for it. I thought that that Sharon looked great with JM who she was cast to be coupled with.

Best:GL
I've watched GL for almost 30 years, and when Peter Simon took over Ed Bauer from Mart Hulswit, I was all WTF? Who is THIS guy?But by the end of his first week on the show, I was convinced.
Peter Simon was and always will be Ed Bauer.Makes the way TPTB treated him all the worse.Morons.
Worst:ATWT
No offense to the actress, but Lindsay Frost's Betsy Stewart after Meg Ryan's? Yawn.

And in the "What WERE They Thinking? department-GL trying to replace Michael Zaslow with ANYONE.And while we're at it-the unfeeling way he was summarily dismissed when they KNEW he was ill? Shame on them.

Edited because it's always a good idea to get someone's name correct.

First worst that comes to mind is Nicole Forrester as Cassie on GL. I tried to give her a chance (as I do all recasts) but she is just painful to watch.

Yes. One of the most vibrant characters was reduced to crap with that re-cast. Killing off Fox before the move to DirecTv was a mercy killing .


Also, as wooden as Adrian Bellani was as Miguel, he was at least eye candy. The new guy? Terrible. The recast Paloma ain't any good either.

Best:
Judith Light as Karen Wolek on OLTL


Worst:
Amelia Heinle as Victoria Newman on Y&R

And since when does plastic surgery (the explanation given for Marley's new look) add inches to your height and hair?



Did the same thing with Daniel.

Worst--After Kirk Geiger (rape trial era Kevin) on OLTL, ALL of the Kevins on OLTL, until. . .
Best: ( I forget the actor's name, but he was the one paired with Cassie and he was excellent, until. . .
Worst: At the peak (or trough) of the "Friends-of-Jill" era, he was needlessly and inexplicably replaced with the uber-dour Tim Gibbs, who was a wonderful actor, but completely wrong for the role. Didn't help that the writing turned him into a jackass

Oh, yeah, that's right. I didn't think about him because I like this Daniel the best. Just goes to show, bad recasts come to mind easier than good recasts.

I only watch Y&R and B&B. I wonder if other shows do this particular kind of recasting?

Not usually, not unless the actor in question is REALLY bad and not clicking with the audience.

That's why there were about three Kevins within one year on OLTL.

Y&R Worst: Shari Shattuck turned the heroic Ashley Abbott into a whiny bitch. Man, was she awful!

On AMC, I give AM props for Kendall. She hasn’t made me forget SMG, but I see the qualities that both performers have brought to the role. I don’t usually dig at kids, but does anyone remember the second Starr who was on before Kristen Alderson. She just stood there while Blair would shout “My Little GurLLLLLLLLLL”. Also on OLTL, I liked all of the main actress that played Tina, but I don’t know what they where thinking putting Kelli Maroney in the role from RH, that was bad.

Gotta give props to RKK’s Bo from DOOL, and Cady McClain’s Dixie from AMC. Robin Mattson was also great as Janet Green #2.

My worst recast is currently on screen in the form of Justis Brodding as Sarah on OLTL. Really the little girls that played her in the 90’s had more energy, spirit, and style.

Ew, yeah, she's horrible. LW's Cassie always had a bit of the 'wrong side of the tracks' about her that really meshed well with her sister Reva, the daughter of a maid and a wild child herself. Now I can barely keep my eyes open long enough from sheer boredom to see any sort of sibling connection NuCassie has with Reva.

But first and foremost? Heather Rattray as Lily, ATWT. And I feel really sorry for Noelle Beck because she's about to engender the same WTF gag reflex.

But speaking of Lily, Martha Byrne is and always will be the only Lily so she has to be Best recast. Another doozy - Lindsey McKeon's Marah Shayne. Just no. But hey, now would be a great time to bring back Original Marah in the form of Ashley Peldon. She's like early twenties now, so that would be perfect.

More worst:

Bonnie Dennison as Daisy, GL - Brittany Snow really set a bar. Plus, she should be older than 16 by now!!
John Bolger as Phillip Spaulding, GL - What were they thinking???
Signey Coleman as Annie Dutton, GL - I FLOVED Cynthia Watros' crazy ass Annie.
Brian Gaskill as Dylan Lewis, GL - There is no Dylan other than Morgan Englund. Period. The guy claiming to be Dylan is part of some sick joke being perpetrated on the audience.
Ann Hamilton as Mindy Lewis, GL - There are no words.
Daniel Pilon as Alan Spaulding, GL - Again, wrong on so many levels.
Jennifer Gatti as Keesha Monroe, Y&R - This one completely blew my mind, since Keesha #1 was played by a Puerto Rican actress named Wanda Acuna and was involved with Nate. While I do not know the genetic makeup of JG, she sure didn't look like a Keesha. That was quite jarring.

I currently despise GL despite it being the first soap I ever watched, and my mom & grandma were viewers from way back as well, so I guess I might be picking on them, but I don't really give a damn.

Every now and then it seemed like Bill Bell would get a bee in his bonnet regarding a character and he would recast like a maniac until he found what he was looking for. I always thought it was odd that he would occasionally have so much trouble making that judgement during the audition process.

BooNasty0121, I agree with your GL bad recasts. Sounds as though you have a family connection to GL,just as I do.
My long standing belief is that there are two roles you Should. Not Ever.Recast. MZ's Roger Thorpe and GA's Phillip Spaulding.

Also agree with you on ATWT's Lily.I predict a short stay for the new actress. Not her fault.

Good GL recast? Mallet and Dinah.

She must be considered for some kind of Recast Queen award, because she was also great and memorable as Heather Webber #3 (GH) and Gina #2 (Santa Barbara).

ATWT did this quickie recasting stuff at least four times in the last year that I can remember. Hi, Dallas!

Santa Barbara switched Mason's (I think it was Lester and Thomson, could have been Davies and Lester) and AMC switched Mike Roys (Hugo Napier and Nicholas Survoy (sp)) mid-episode, IIRC.
I though Ron Raines was a good Alan recast on GL, while Robin Mattson was such a good recast that, when AMC brought Kate Collins back as Janet, it rurned the original portrayer into a bad recast. Of course, the writing and reverting Janet back didn't help.

She was also a recast Delia on Ryan's Hope for a brief time - but that one comes under the "Worst Recasts" heading, IMHO.

Worst recast on Dark Shadows:
Betsy Durkin as Victoria Winters. Of course you could also count the whole 1991 remake as a bad recast. I do.

Gotta love Bethany Joy Lenz (whatever her name is now) as Michelle Bauer. I'm amazed at tons of these recasts y'all are mentioning. I mean, I guess I knew that Robin Strasser played Rachel before Victoria Wyndham but it just seems insane that there was ever anyone else. (It also seems insane that Strasser was ever anyone but Dorian Lord.)

Speaking of One Life to Live. Nathan Fillion. Joey Buchanan. There is no substitute.