When it comes to television, getting a pilot greenlit by the network is usually good news
for everyone involved.
Unfortunately for these stars, though, their appearances in the first round of filming
for an eventual hit show didn't pan out because they were replaced before their series went
into full production.
Whether it was professional conflicts or personal matters, these actors lost what became pretty
iconic small screen roles, despite filling them first.
Here are some TV characters who were recast after the pilot.
The Incredible Hulk
Lou Ferrigno became a household name thanks to his successful run as the mean green monster
in the classic '70s TV series, but it was originally Richard Kiel who'd signed up to
star as the Hulk.
The eventual James Bond villain was hired to film two movies of the week that were to
serve as the pilot for the proposed series.
However, Kiel, who was blind in one eye, was uncomfortable in the full contact lenses that
the part required, and also didn't like the green body paint.
Producers also felt that Kiel didn't fit perfectly in the part, since even though he was over
seven-feet tall, he didn't boast a bodybuilder physique.
The role was eventually given to Ferrigno, but Kiel's turn is still briefly visible in
the scene in which Hulk saves a young girl from drowning.
Danny Tanner
Full House almost had a different dad.
John Posey was initially brought on to play the role of Danny Tanner on the popular sitcom,
but he was replaced by comedian Bob Saget after filming the pilot.
Posey had just two credits to his name when he signed on for the pilot and said he was
actually on his way from Atlanta to Los Angeles to work on the series when he got the call
saying he had been replaced.
Show creator Jeff Franklin wanted either Saget or Paul Reiser from the beginning, but they'd
both been tied up with other potential shows.
"Neither Paul nor Bob were interested.
We went through a casting process, we ended up casting a complete unknown."
When Saget became available, however, Franklin decided to give Posey the ax.
"I just, I don't know, as soon as I created this character, I thought of Bob."
Posey still went on to have a very successful career as a small screen guest star.
However, he's nowhere near as well-known as the man who became America's dad on the beloved
sitcom.
Sookie St. James
Before she became such a big screen sensation, Melissa McCarthy was perhaps best known for
her role as the sweet Stars Hollow chef Sookie St. James on Gilmore Girls.
However, the actress almost wasn't chosen to wear Sookie's signature smock.
In the series' unaired pilot, comedic actress Alex Borstein originally appeared in the role,
but had to back away due to her contract with MADtv.
Borstein still got to appear on the show, just in a much smaller role.
Instead of playing Sookie, the actress made a couple of cameos as the sharp-tongued harp
player Drella, and then reemerged as the family's stylist Miss Celine.
Willow Rosenberg
Buffy the Vampire Slayer's original pilot has actually surfaced, which means that fans
can go back and watch the original Willow Rosenberg in action to see why another actress
was brought in to play her.
Alyson Hannigan would famously go on to take over the part, but it was Riff Regan who starred
in the short pilot creator Joss Whedon [made for the network in a bid to get the show picked
up.
The network had a few issues with the pilot, and one of the big points was Regan, who played
a much more quiet and subdued version of the character than the one fans would come to
know in the show's full run.
Daenerys Targaryen
Emilia Clarke's portrayal of Khaleesi is a major part of why Game of Thrones is one of
the most popular shows on TV, but she wasn't the first actor brought on to play the part
of the Mother of Dragons.
That honor instead went to Tamzin Merchant, an English actress known for her role in The
Tudors.
While we don't know exactly why Merchant was let go after the pilot, Game of Thrones showrunners
Dan Weiss and David Benioff have been pretty open in their discussions about the shortcomings
of the original pilot, which had to be almost completely re-shot so that it could eventually
become such a massive cultural phenomenon.
"So, thank you."
Catelyn Stark
Daenerys wasn't the only Game of Thrones role to be recast after the pilot.
Actress Jennifer Ehle was initially set to play Stark family matriarch Catelyn, but she
ended up dropping out of the role, which eventually went to Michelle Fairley.
Ehle stepped away from the role because it involved a seven-year contract and, at the
time, her daughter was just a few months old.
The show's producers ended up having Fairley reshoot all of the scenes involving Ehle,
and the rest is history.
Jenna Maroney
Jane Krakowski earned four Emmy Award nominations for her role as 30 Rock's resident diva Jenna
Maroney, but it turns out that the character was originally supposed to be a little different.
Creator Tina Fey originally cast her former Saturday Night Live co-star Rachel Dratch
in the role, but the part was given to Krakowski after NBC saw the show's unaired pilot.
Dratch's version of the role was still Liz's best friend and the star of The Girlie Show,
but the series would've originally focused more on sketches.
Dratch was later told the series style was moving more toward that of a sitcom, meaning
that they needed an actress who could fit that bill.
Naturally, she was upset about the decision.
"When you think about planning your SNL exit, you don't think, 'I know, I'll leave and the
have a big public face plant."
But Dratch did go on to hold a number of other roles on the show, including the overwhelmed
cat wrangler Greta, the Happy Days-obsessed cleaning lady Maria, and the imaginary Blue
Man.
Sarah Braverman
After becoming America's hippest mom Lorelai on Gilmore Girls, Lauren Graham again captured
the hearts of small screen audiences everywhere as Sarah Braverman on NBC's Parenthood.
However, ER star Maura Tierney originally occupied that role before having to drop out
under terrible circumstances - after filming the pilot, she learned that she had breast
cancer.
The show's producers tried to accommodate her treatments by pushing back production
and sending the show's premiere to mid-season, but, in the end, it was too much for her and
she had to leave the show.
In her place, Graham was brought on to take over the part, and after Tierney recovered,
she went on to nab an award-winning role on the hit Showtime series The Affair.