Does anyone ever sit and wonder what might have happened if their favorite characters from their favorite shows had been axed before they really gained the kind of traction that made them famous? Surprisingly there are a lot of characters out there that weren’t intended to be in their respective shows for as long as they were, and some that were designed to fade out in a very quick manner. Some weren’t meant to last for more than a season, and others weren’t meant to last for more than an episode, which is amazing since there’s not a lot that a person can tell about a character in a single episode. In every show however there are certain characters that just don’t impress people as much as others do, and there’s a distinct lack of faith in some characters that makes it clear that they might not be kept around for that long. But others that eventually become fan favorites have been slated for an early termination up until it’s been discovered that they actually have something that fans like and are therefore spared because to get rid of them at that point would be a huge mistake given that fans will stop watching a show if their favorite characters get the boot a little too quickly. Sometimes an unfinished character arc really can ruin a show.
Here are a few TV series regulars that were originally not intended to last.
5. Steve Urkel – Family Matters
Seriously, Urkel was not meant to be a series regular since that’s not how the character was planned. But looking back now it feels as though Family Matters might not have been able to lean into the comedy as much as they did without Steve in the picture since otherwise, the show was more dramatic than funny most times considering the issues that they dealt with so often. Steve added a dynamic that was rather annoying at times but was still necessary since it gave the show a sense of balance that probably wouldn’t have been evident had he been kicked off before he was really allowed to become a developed character.
4. Arthur Fonzarelli – Happy Days
How could Happy days possibly survive without the Fonz, right? That’s a question I’ve been asking myself as well since, despite the fact that he wasn’t really the main character, he was one of those that people came to expect every now and then since he brought a bit of an edge to the story that wouldn’t have been there with the rest of the cast. Let’s face it, the cast was made up of a bunch of people that were dramatic, a little funny, and definitely wholesome, but if that had been the whole show it would have been a little boring after a while. The Fonz pepped things up in a way that made sense considering that he was the one element in the story that was harder to control.
3. Andy Dwyer – Parks and Recreation
Does this one even make sense? Andy was apparently only supposed to last for six episodes and then he would have been gone. The fact is that the show probably would have continued to be funny without him, but to introduce the character and then send him off feels as though it would have been kind of insulting. Plus, would Chris Pratt’s chance at stardom been quite as successful if he hadn’t been cast as a regular? That one’s debatable really since there’s no way to tell if his run in the MCU or in the Jurassic World movies would have been quite as possible had he been cut from this show. It’s an interesting thought though.
2. Luke Danes – Gilmore Girls
Sometimes it all comes down to chemistry since if two people have that kind of link on screen it’s usually best to run with and see how it works moving forward. If it’s just a momentary flash in the pan it could be that it’s not worth pursuing and it’s best to write a character off. But if there is something then it might be worth continuing. Luke had a definite link with Lorelai on the show so it was determined that he would stick around for a while and make a go of it. Those decisions feel as though they’re being made in a split second when things tend to happen, but sometimes they come out for the better.
1. Jesse Pinkman – Breaking Bad
How big of a mistake would this have been? Jesse’s story had such a huge impact on the overall story that cutting him out would have put it all on Walt and boy, wouldn’t that have been awkward. The mere thought of not having Jesse there until the end is enough to give a lot of fans the shakes as they try to contemplate the very idea. Thankfully that wasn’t the case since he did make it out of the first season alive, unlike it was planned to begin with, and ended up influencing the rest of the story moving forward.
Keeping key actors in a TV show can make a huge difference.
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