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Announcements Mar 22, 2026 at 9:38 PM

Has any show successfully introduced a whole new cast

Posted by madameaquarius11

I often notice in long running sitcoms towards the end they will introduce new characters who in theory will be the new cast so that way the old cast can leave and they still will have a show and has that ever worked because the only two I can think of is the office and the secret life of the American teenager and they did not work
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snakeskin1982 Mar 22, 2026 +1382
Doctor Who
1382
LuinAelin Mar 22, 2026 +301
Yeah For Doctor who it's not only accepted anymore it's expected
301
fionapickles Mar 22, 2026 +111
It’s not really that it’s expected, it’s that it’s the concept of the show. They’re going to do it whether people expect it, don’t expect it, want it, or don’t want it.
111
woahThatsOffebsive Mar 22, 2026 +94
But thats the point, it wasn't originally the concept of the show. They didn't start doctor who with the expectation of having different doctors, that was a choice they made once the first doctor was getting older, and struggling with the role.
94
HiTork Mar 23, 2026 +30
Yeah, many other shows would have just recast and go on like nothing happened (and this still is the modus operandi in this situation usually). Dr. Who is arguably the best example in film and TV where a character getting recast has an actual in-universe explanation. It likely wasn't necessary and as I said, isn't the norm in recasting, but they went with it. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is another example of this happening, and like Dr. Who, was born out of necessity rather then being intentional (in this case, the death of the lead Heath Ledger).
30
Quirderph Mar 23, 2026 +14
Even there being a series of different companions was basically happenstance for behind-the-scenes reasons.
14
donttrustthellamas Mar 22, 2026 +12
They change the Doctor, but not always the companions, and vice versa.
12
EyewarsTheMangoMan Mar 22, 2026 +29
They always change them eventually though. Maybe not every season, but everyone is replaced eventually
29
GenGaara25 Mar 22, 2026 +52
Even just taking into account the revival: Series' 1, 3, 5, 8, 11, and 14 have entirely different main casts to one another.
52
racer_24_4evr Mar 22, 2026 +43
It’s crazy how much people love Rose, and her original run was only two series.
43
swanny246 Mar 22, 2026 +13
A few of those seasons did have companions that crossed between though. The only complete cast clean slates were series 1, 5, 11 and the 60th anniversary (arguably)
13
GenGaara25 Mar 22, 2026 +6
Those are the only clean breaks, but my point is still correct. By the time of those series, both the Doctor and companion had changed since the last series in the list. * S1: 9 & Rose * S3: 10 & Martha * S5: 11 & Rory * S8: 12 & Clara * S11: 13 & the Fam * S14: 15 & Ruby No repeats. Totally different main casts from each other.
6
georgecm12 Mar 22, 2026 +548
ER. By the end, the only remaining main character from the beginning was John Carter, and even he had left and come back. (As important as nurses are, I'm excluding them, as they were always supporting characters on ER.)
548
hiplobonoxa Mar 23, 2026 +136
the show of theseus.
136
ihatekopites Mar 23, 2026 +16
Triggers ER room
16
big_sugi Mar 23, 2026 +3
American readers will almost all not get the reference, but that’s a great pun.
3
Awh018 Mar 23, 2026 +12
Yeah one of the great scenes is at the end when 2 of the current doctors go to George Clooney’s character’s new hospital, and not only do they not know him they only know like 1 of the people he even asks about.
12
ChartreusePeriwinkle Mar 22, 2026 +87
Julianna Margulies was absolutely a main character. But she doesn't make it the whole series.
87
georgecm12 Mar 22, 2026 +68
I was thinking of characters like Malik and Haleh, who did make it through the entire series, but they are definitely support/background characters.
68
celica18l Mar 23, 2026 +11
Malik and Haleh were some of my favorite characters.
11
NatrixHasYou Mar 23, 2026 +16
She was in it for six seasons, and still was not in more seasons than she was in (7-14), plus one episode in season 15. That show has a *massive* cast over its 15 seasons.
16
Delicious-Union1521 Mar 22, 2026 +330
Degrassi did it every few seasons
330
CaroylOldersee Mar 22, 2026 +41
Was just gonna say Degrassi; did the original Degrassi also change out the cast like New Generation?
41
TootieSummers Mar 22, 2026 +42
The original didn’t last long enough to really bring in new characters plus it had a “the end” movie for its characters. TNG ran for 16 or 17 seasons so they had to replace everyone a couple times over
42
Cross55 Mar 23, 2026 +11
No. The original followed largely the same cast from middle school to college. Notably Spike, who was an MC of the original, became a teen parent, and Next Gen started by following her kid Emma, before expanding out and focusing on MC's that came after her. (Like the younger siblings of characters or transfer students taking the spotlight more while the older cast is phased out through graduation or moving) And then Next Class just wrapped up whatever story was left and didn't really introduce any new characters. (Most of it was just sex drama by that point tho, hope you like polyamory and gay drama, cause they couldn't come up with anything else to focus on for 40 episodes)
11
csista Mar 22, 2026 +17
No. The original started with Degrasssi Junior High then evolved to Degrassi High. So it followed a bunch of kids who were roughly the same age through both shows, ending with a movie about the summer after graduation for the core group of teens.
17
Fallom_TO Mar 23, 2026 +3
The original was The Kids of Degrassi Street.
3
KTOWNTHROWAWAY9001 Mar 22, 2026 +9
Kind of, not really. They have a few focus characters, and in the early days are trying to find footing with some characters, some get dropped and disappear. Once it finds the core characters it sticks with them for the most part. Though some get dropped entirely, disappear into the background, which sucks. And some background ones get cycled in. An example of this is Michelle. She's in the entire original series, but for the first 2 and half seasons is only an extra. Then she gets some bits. Then by the end she is a main character, with big plot lines and is featured in many of the last 2 season episodes. The opposite to her is Melanie. Melanie is this naive younger girl who is trying to find her way in that setting. She goes from a main character in the first 2-3 seasons, usually getting featured quite frequently, to extra only for the remainder of the series. I mean the last 7 episodes she's in, she is just background and says nothing.
9
somuchfeels Mar 22, 2026 +6
Not really but they would circle characters in and out sometimes. And similarly to TNG, where someone’s younger sibling would become a more major character.
6
smokeydesperado Mar 23, 2026 +17
Skins UK also
17
LMBH1234182 Mar 23, 2026 +3
Uh oh, might be time to do a degrassi marathon again lol
3
kneeco28 Mar 22, 2026 +732
Law & Order
732
Juhnelle Mar 22, 2026 +238
SVU too. Benson and Finn are the only original main cast. They work in new detectives for so long you barely notice the change.
238
trivia_guy Mar 22, 2026 +148
Fin isn’t original. He came in the second season.
148
alurimperium Mar 22, 2026 +108
He replaced Dennis Duffy the Beeper King
108
PSCGY Mar 22, 2026 +47
No, he replaced Michelle Hurd.
47
thewholebottle Mar 22, 2026 +22
So there's a lot less Mayhem on SVU now.
22
adjust_the_sails Mar 23, 2026 +22
That’s right, dummy. You’ll be back.
22
sixtus_clegane119 Mar 23, 2026 +3
Also know for his best role Ryan Oreilly
3
theGarrick Mar 23, 2026 +8
And NCIS, haven’t watched it in a while but I’m pretty sure there’s only one original team member left.
8
Zarathustra420 Mar 23, 2026 +6
I couldn't really get over the difference once Stabler left. It's not that the show was suddenly bad, but it was just a different show. The familiarity that had been built up got washed away when he left, and they moved into the new office at the same time.
6
XtraCrispy02 Mar 22, 2026 +6
Also helps they never manage to keep a new detective around for more than 2 or 3 seasons, so you don't feel their absence when they leave
6
wartopuk Mar 23, 2026 +3
If Benson has been there since the beginning, it's not an all new cast.
3
SmallTimeGoals Mar 22, 2026 +30
I think McCoy’s first season (4 or 5) they brought in Van Buren and Briscoe and Kincaid as the second ADA, so Chris Noth was the only regular out of core cast that stuck around. That was the biggest shakeup the series had. I didn’t realize until way later when it was streaming on Netflix that there were non-McCoy episodes.
30
beemojee Mar 23, 2026 +17
"there were non-McCoy episodes." With L&O I go all the way back to when Michael Moriarty held McCoy's position (first four seasons). I really liked Moriarty and his character, Ben Stone. I was bummed when he left but then we got Sam Waterston so all was good. I can't even count all the cast changeovers I've seen on that show.
17
SmallTimeGoals Mar 23, 2026 +6
The first seasons were solid, but because I usually watched TNT reruns growing up, I swear they never replayed any of the Ben Stone episodes.
6
beemojee Mar 23, 2026 +5
Well there was an ugly breakup between D*** Wolf and Michael Moriarty so that might have had something to do with it.
5
dilligaf0220 Mar 23, 2026 +3
Moriarty became very political. And he was a bit of a drinker.
3
sargent_balls_lol Mar 22, 2026 +19
I think Stone did one season with Kincaid before he left and McCoy joined. The network complaint was that the show was a sausage fest, so Cragen and Robinette were axed.
19
DashArcane Mar 22, 2026 +9
Robinette leaving was a shame, I really liked Richard Brooks. And there was no sendoff, just poof! he was gone. I thought he and Moriarty had great chemistry although it would have ended in a year or two anyway because Moriarty was definitely not going to make it much longer than that.
9
barryclarkjax Mar 23, 2026 +8
He did come back once or twice as a defense counsel
8
sargent_balls_lol Mar 23, 2026 +9
Robinette was also on an episode of Chicago Justice, facing off against Stone’s son.
9
dougmcclean Mar 23, 2026 +3
Alumnus even got a senate seat out of it.
3
primal_slayer Mar 22, 2026 +422
Skins Id say....Greys Anatomy for the most part
422
aamirusmandus Mar 22, 2026 +58
Meanwhile Richard still hasn’t retired
58
Competitive-Desk7506 Mar 23, 2026 +22
He says he’s gonna retire and then doesn’t and atp I’m actually ok w it. Also Ben still being a resident.
22
theeMrPeanutbutter Mar 22, 2026 +47
Yeah, at the very least Skins series 3 pulled it off.
47
joeboo5150 Mar 22, 2026 +34
Grey's Anatomy only complies because it has like 80 seasons and people are dying of old age at this point.
34
that1prince Mar 23, 2026 +16
Also it’s essentially an evening soap opera. Soap operas never keep the same cast that long.
16
idk012 Mar 23, 2026 +3
Rip McSteamy 
3
Hefty_Divide9772 Mar 22, 2026 +62
The second generation of Skins managed it, although a lot of of that was due to Effie still being there. 3rd generation, not so much. 
62
ucjj2011 Mar 23, 2026 +10
Greys has 3 original cast members left - Meredith, Richard and Bailey.
10
Mobiletfa3 Mar 23, 2026 +7
Webber and bailey are the only full time ogs now a days so pretty much
7
mickeltee Mar 22, 2026 +95
NCIS is pretty much completely new.
95
Daikey Mar 22, 2026 +45
McGee is the only character left who was also in season 1, although he only became a regular in season 2
45
Bionic_Ferir Mar 23, 2026 +11
That's actually f****** crazy that they were able to weather that. I honestly thought people were only watching because of the characters/actors.
11
cthulularoo Mar 22, 2026 +11
Palmer was from season 1 too, but he wasn't a regular?
11
BLAGTIER Mar 23, 2026 +13
He was in the last 3 episode of season 1.
13
IAmRoboKnight Mar 22, 2026 +247
Power Rangers
247
Link_In_Pajamas Mar 22, 2026 +87
Yes, though the back to back departures of the old guard through out Turbo nearly killed it lol. Edit: not sure why this is being downvoted it literally was set to be canceled the season after Turbo due to how poorly the ratings were doing. The only reason Power Rangers kept going at the time is because the writers decided to have the final season be a swan song and went all out, which in turn was so well received it saved Power Rangers. This is incredibly easy to look up and verify.
87
moal09 Mar 23, 2026 +15
The actors didn't really want to leave either. They were essentially fired when they asked for more money. And before anyone calls them greedy, they were disgustingly underpaid for how successful that show was because it was a non-union show on a low budget, and the producers saw them all as replaceable. I think at least one of the actors gave the approximate amount they were making per year, and it was about what you'd make from an average low wage job. Meanwhile, Saban was raking in millions. The red, black and yellow rangers tried to fight for better pay together and were let go for the second season. The rest of the cast basically got the message and didn't try again or left on their own later.
15
IAmRoboKnight Mar 22, 2026 +15
No, you’re right! This is absolutely correct!
15
blackrangerpower Mar 22, 2026 +13
Probably one of my favorite answers here because even though each season (especially post Lost Galaxy) is a new team, it’s a a new cast with every season. With the same logic, I guess Super Sentai (RIP too) would be on this list.
13
mister-ferguson Mar 23, 2026 +8
Once an actor starts asking for more money... Mighty Morphn' pay-for-scale Rangers
8
Brbaster Mar 23, 2026 +3
Pretty much the whole genre of Tokusatsu is Like that to the point that Garo is one of the rare exceptions where it's expected that main cast stays for more than one season.
3
poopBuccaneer Mar 22, 2026 +363
Saturday Night Live
363
ArbysLunch Mar 23, 2026 +88
Kenan has been there longer than a lot of their viewers have been alive.
88
pikpikcarrotmon Mar 23, 2026 +59
And yet, that's still not half the time it's been on air. What's really wild is Lorne Michaels is 'only' 81. The dude has been the shepherd of multiple generations of new comedians and is still going.
59
kuhanluke Mar 23, 2026 +4
He was a wunderkind in 1975.
4
1fatsquirrel Mar 23, 2026 +26
I’m still tickled that the dude I would watch on SNICK continues to kill it on SNL
26
reallynotfred Mar 23, 2026 +8
I watched live when they announced the end of the Beluchi, etc. era. I was convinced it was another skit.
8
mistermuk Mar 22, 2026 +188
Friday Night Lights in season 4. Not a completely new cast, but they did a good job of mixing in the new people with the remaining cast from the earlier seasons
188
KrillinDBZ363 Mar 23, 2026 +28
I mean I would say this basically counts, for the majority of season 5 the only remaining main characters were the Taylor’s and Buddy.
28
ASlapdickProspect Mar 23, 2026 +5
and Riggins.
5
KrillinDBZ363 Mar 23, 2026 +7
Yeah but he only shows up in the last 4 episodes of that season, compared to the other 4 characters I mentioned who are in the whole season.
7
bfir3 Mar 23, 2026 +9
This is my favorite example because it wasn't just successful - seasons 4 & 5 are the best seasons of FNL by quite the margin for my money. Another good one with not a *completely* new cast is The Wire which adds a large contingent of new characters each season in order to examine the theme being explored that season. Plus it also features MBJ.
9
maxkmiller Mar 23, 2026 +5
My ranking is 1,4,3,5,2
5
Shepher27 Mar 22, 2026 +73
ER basically did it, but gradually
73
otcconan Mar 22, 2026 +68
Sean Murray is the last remaining original cast member of NCIS.
68
BLAGTIER Mar 23, 2026 +19
He joined part way through the first season and there were big episode gaps in his few appearances.
19
spongeboy1985 Mar 23, 2026 +36
He wasn’t in the show from the start and only appeared starting in episode 7 as a recurring character (8 episodes). He’s part of the main cast in season 2. Palmer (Brian Diezten) has been on the show almost as long and Fornell (Joe Spano) has been appearing since the first season. None of the main cast from season 1 remain on the show.
36
FightTBA Mar 22, 2026 +32
There’s several British shows that probably meet this. Midsomer Murders comes to mind.
32
Aardvark_Man Mar 23, 2026 +11
Death in Paradise can't have many that have been there the whole time, surely.
11
ghotiboy77 Mar 23, 2026 +3
Catherine and Selwyn are the only ones left i think
3
Linenoise77 Mar 23, 2026 +3
I mean honestly, ANY of the long running soap operas have as well. Stargate had significant cast changes (although you will find plenty of debate in its fandom as to its success), and while a separate show, Atlantis was in the same direct immediate continuity.
3
wafflestation Mar 22, 2026 +35
Grey's Anatomy only has like 2 of the original cast.  But its also had 20 seasons they kinda had to cycle alot of people in and out over its lifetime.
35
thatshygirl06 Mar 22, 2026 +30
Skins There are 3 generations and 7 seasons. Every gen has 2 seasons.
30
GarageStackDev Mar 23, 2026 +17
That math ain't mathin'.
17
thatshygirl06 Mar 23, 2026 +26
The seventh season was kinda like a wrap up? We see some of the characters years later as adults. It's different from the other seasons and I honestly never watched it
26
Bre603 Mar 23, 2026 +30
ER did this really well because they didn’t bring in a bunch of new people at once. They’d bring in like 2-3 new characters per season and most characters/actors stuck around for 3+ seasons. So there was always a handful of characters that felt familiar and by the time the (almost) entire cast from S1-3 were gone, it didn’t feel like a new cast. Also, it helps when a show has more than 6-10 episodes a season. I cannot stand that about most modern shows.
30
SmokeyMountain67 Mar 22, 2026 +111
The Crown
111
jillianmd Mar 22, 2026 +29
This one’s interesting and different from most of the other answers like Law and Order though OP did say new characters. This one fits more like Dr Who where the Doctor is still the Doctor but changes actors. I love all the cast changes for the Crown! Everyone put their own spin on it yet they were still seamlessly the same people. It was pretty incredible to watch.
29
thewholebottle Mar 22, 2026 +8
I agree! I do think Olivia Coleman got eaten alive by Gillian Anderson, which makes me sad. I love them both.
8
jillianmd Mar 22, 2026 +8
Wow I forgot all about Gillian Anderson in the show. Crazy how far it went from John Lithgow as Churchill to the Diana storyline.
8
thewholebottle Mar 23, 2026 +7
While we're here John Lithgow's Churchill was superior to Gary Oldman's. There, I said it.
7
jrodfantastic Mar 22, 2026 +205
The Wire, to some degree.
205
JugglingPolarBear Mar 22, 2026 +104
Season 4 is a great example of this, where the kids, Bunny Colvin, Prez and Marlo’s crew all take center stage. McNulty is barely in the season, and IMO it’s one of the best in the series
104
boyyouguysaredumb Mar 22, 2026 +64
Season 2 I feel like is an even better example
64
FantasticMrFluffy Mar 22, 2026 +64
S2 catches so much shit despite being arguable one of the most important
64
1CUpboat Mar 22, 2026 +57
Because season 1 was great, and season 2 is everyone’s introduction to the focus shifting each season. So everyone gets hung up on not seeing String and Avon out the gate.
57
TdoWino87 Mar 23, 2026 +14
First watch of season two is tough. After being introduced to so many characters in season one, along with all the layers of storylines thrown at you, to add in an entirely new cast of characters in an entirely new setting as well, asks a lot of the viewer. When I watched it again it is without a doubt up there as a top 2 season of the show.
14
thomase7 Mar 23, 2026 +10
It worked better as it originally aired, with time between each episode and a lot of time between each season. The characters from season one weren’t as fresh in your mind, and it takes a few weeks for the new characters to get introduced through the first few episodes of season 2 .
10
insan3soldiern Mar 22, 2026 +10
It's really cool though how much they set up Stringer's stuff for season 3.
10
Yermis73 Mar 22, 2026 +8
Its really impressive how they keep adding characyers and everytime they are so well written and thought out, especially the whole cast of kids, such a standout season of TV. Arguably the best ever.
8
SolaceinIron Mar 22, 2026 +27
Idk about successful, but the cast of Vikings was almost entirely different at the end of its run. It really fell off hard after season 4 though.
27
Bentonite_Magma Mar 22, 2026 +21
Being Human UK. Seasons 3 and 4 had whole different character sets. Also MI5/Spooks (the only recurring actor is Peter Firth).
21
iuabv Mar 23, 2026 +3
"Successfully" though.
3
cdbriggs Mar 22, 2026 +61
White lotus
61
Punkupine Mar 23, 2026 +34
Since this is an anthology series, not sure it totally counts. You could say the same thing about American Horror Story, Black Mirror, Twilight Zone etc
34
FistThroater Mar 23, 2026 +3
AHS is probably a bad example. New characters each season, but usually the same cast.
3
doghaircut Mar 23, 2026 +11
Well, if we're including anthology shows then we have to include Fargo and True Detective, and others.
11
vctrn-carajillo Mar 23, 2026 +3
Hell yeah. All seasons are great, even though they are not equally liked.
3
xONEtrackMlNDx Mar 22, 2026 +56
House, besides house. All new staff that held up to the previous
56
jonheese Mar 23, 2026 +30
Wilson too. Foreman was in all but one episode.
30
kuhanluke Mar 23, 2026 +14
Chase was in all but three and Cuddy was in every episode until the final season. Only Cameron really left, and even she is still in 130/176 episodes.
14
Fraggle_ninja Mar 22, 2026 +92
Misfits - wasn’t as good as previous seasons but they managed a whole new cast 
92
sobuffalo Mar 22, 2026 +27
I love how Robert Sheehan and Joseph Gilgun ended up on The Umbrella Academy and Preacher. Just a funny super-powered triangle.
27
Civixen Mar 23, 2026 +5
If you haven’t seen Joe Gilgun in Brassic yet, you should check it out! [I found all 7 seasons streaming on CBC Gem](https://gem.cbc.ca/brassic)! I loved him in Misfits and he anchors an amazing cast in this show that he also co-created about a bunch of small-time thieves, with a vibe similar to Guy Ritchie’s 2000 film Snatch, but set in Lancashire. I really enjoyed it (but fair warning that subtitles might genuinely help with a few of the thicker accents) and I’d venture to say that fellow Rudy fans will not be disappointed.
5
Doragan Mar 23, 2026 +3
I thought you meant Gilgun was also in Umbrella Academy there and was confused how I'd missed him!
3
Redeem123 Mar 22, 2026 +34
I think it actually ended up pretty solid. Rudy went from being a poor Nathan replacement to being one of the best parts of the show. And Rudy Too was maybe even better. 
34
AssCrackBanditHunter Mar 22, 2026 +8
Just in case you ever wanted to know what happened to Nathan or what his powers were after he swapped, here ya go https://youtu.be/cotYh_4AZGU?si=h4hpkt9Q31kzOuhg
8
doghaircut Mar 23, 2026 +3
I would not say this was successful. They did it but many people stopped watching, myself included.
3
inaripotpi Mar 22, 2026 +10
The Office doesn’t even try to replace anywhere close to its whole cast though? If you only mean one or a few people, there are many examples. Like Curb with Leon Black or the substitutes they had for Funkhauser after the actor passed. Urkel from Family Matters. Etc. Actual whole cast probably not unless counting anthologies or shows where a reset is part of the story like Squid Games’ second iteration of the death game or something.
10
ThrowingChicken Mar 22, 2026 +57
ER
57
ModeratorIsNotHappy Mar 22, 2026 +11
NCIS has none of the original cast by now.
11
bncts Mar 22, 2026 +37
House did pretty good. Of course some of the main characters stuck around, but the crew was mostly replaced.
37
-Faulty- Mar 22, 2026 +16
Yeah I think the competition arc did it pretty well. Definitely helps when the old cast members make cameos throughout though.
16
ElectricalDark8280 Mar 22, 2026 +11
I’ll watch Hugh Laurie act with anyone. He carries that show and it was fantastic.
11
ExtraGloves Mar 22, 2026 +4
Check the night manager
4
Business_Abalone2278 Mar 22, 2026 +30
For All Mankind covers decades and has cycled through two or three casts apart from a few long long lived exceptions.
30
wildfire393 Mar 22, 2026 +22
I don't think this is really true. Most seasons kill or retire a couple of characters and add a couple but the bulk of the main cast remains the same season to season. Ed, Dani, Margo, and Aleida have all been there for all four seasons (though admittedly Aleida did have a different actor playing her as a kid in season 1).
22
LB3PTMAN Mar 22, 2026 +4
If they go beyond season 5 it’ll probably just be Margo and Aleida if that.
4
tore_a_bore_a Mar 23, 2026 +6
Ed's gonna be a hologram or head in a jar futurama style.
6
ponydigger Mar 22, 2026 +17
house didn’t change the whole case but changed a large portion of it midway through its run.
17
doom1701 Mar 22, 2026 +8
While they kept the main character and sidekick, few shows went as hard into replacing the cast as Charles In Charge.
8
aomineNHK Mar 22, 2026 +7
Friday Night Lights(mostly)
7
readwrite_blue Mar 23, 2026 +7
Friday Night Lights NEARLY turned over the main cast in season 4, and it was arguably their best season.
7
CrankyOwl2123 Mar 22, 2026 +6
Death in Paradise
6
ledow Mar 22, 2026 +7
Not a sitcom but Death in Paradise is on about its sixth main detective and all the other police officers on it have changed at least twice each. The only ones who've stayed the same are the police commissioner and the woman who runs the bar, both quite incidental characters. You honestly can't go changing the actors, it ruins the show. I just watched the whole of House for the first time and it ruins it for me when half way through the show you lose most of the main characters and they spottily come back and forth over the next 4 series. Hell, I was really, really pissed off at Becker - I found what was (to me, a Brit) a niche American sitcom that I liked and then they ripped out the second-main character (the woman who runs the cafe) and just wholesale replaced her that same episode with another character doing the exact part she was doing (even taking over the cafe) and you never see her again. I realise there was probably some contract dispute or similar behind it, but it destroys the show for me. Even the bit where they change the actress who plays Carol in Friends annoyed me. But at least that was JUST ONE EPISODE with the old actress in, and she was awful and characterless at that point anyway. Imagine changing any of the other actors in that, halfway through, it would ruin it.
7
lifth3avy84 Mar 22, 2026 +7
Friday Night Lights did pretty well with it.
7
typehyDro Mar 23, 2026 +6
General Hospital and Days of Our Lives… Daytime soaps replace cast
6
MaverickDago Mar 23, 2026 +5
Strike back did it twice. Well once super successfully the second less so.
5
CaressMeDownSyndrome Mar 23, 2026 +6
The show Mom did this. By season 4, the only remaining members of the original main cast were Anna Faris and Allison Janney. By the show’s last season, only Janney was left.
6
KTOWNTHROWAWAY9001 Mar 22, 2026 +11
The Wire basically did this in Season 2. And I mean they did this every season to some extent, but S2 introduced a whole slew of new characters and you never see them again.
11
robbviously Mar 23, 2026 +4
RIP Ziggy
4
dilligaf0220 Mar 23, 2026 +4
RIP Ziggy's duck.
4
StarTicYT Mar 22, 2026 +11
Attack on Titan season 4. I remember when that first episode was airing, ppl genuinely thought they were watching the wrong show
11
sjphilsphan Mar 23, 2026 +4
Reading the manga felt the same way
4
NecroJoe Mar 22, 2026 +9
Mystery Science Theater 3000, when Mike replaced Joel, and Dr Forester and TV's Frank were replaced by Pearl, Bobo and Brain Guy (observer). They were done over the course of a couple of seasons, though, not necessarily all at once.
9
TunaNoodleMyFavorite Mar 22, 2026 +5
Perhaps I'm only gonna appeal to a small audience with this answer but: There's a long running South African soap opera called Generations that largely replaced it's cast deep into its run after contract disputes with the original cast members 
5
MargaretSparkle82 Mar 22, 2026 +5
Degrassi
5
cassieainsworth69 Mar 23, 2026 +5
Skins is the first thing that comes to my mind
5
TheWallE Mar 22, 2026 +13
The Walking Dead's main cast was pretty different by the end of the show, I think there were only 2 regulars from season 1 still there.
13
Jodenaje Mar 22, 2026 +7
Yeah by the end it was pretty much Carol and Darryl from Season 1. (Maggie didn’t make her first appearance until Season 2, I think.) Edit to add: I know it turned out that Rick was alive after all, but you didn’t know that until the very very end. He was effectively not a factor in the later seasons. I guess the argument could be made that Judith was there from season 1 if being in utero counts. 🤣
7
TootieSummers Mar 22, 2026 +13
People keep listing anthology series. An anthology series is supposed to have a different cast every iteration. Not what OP is asking about
13
iheartmycats820 Mar 22, 2026 +4
New Tricks. Literally ended with a completely different cast, but equally as fantastic!
4
DamiNThorne Mar 22, 2026 +3
Elite on Netflix did, the seniors graduated and new kids were integrated each season.
3
bchagan Mar 22, 2026 +4
Doctor who does it all the time.
4
wookiewin Mar 22, 2026 +3
Friday Night Lights fits here, imo.
3
Oceansize757 Mar 22, 2026 +3
I don’t watch it but doesn’t American Horror Story do it?
3
ivylass Mar 22, 2026 +5
The Crown.
5
mewikime Mar 23, 2026 +5
ER, NCIS, Law & Order, Byker Grove, Grange Hill, Degrassi: The Next Generation, Skins, Doctor Who, every soap opera that exists, Blue Peter, Countdown
5
stinatown Mar 23, 2026 +6
By the end of The Walking Dead I think there were maybe two characters from the beginning still around, out of dozens. The Leftovers S2 starts with an entirely new cast, but the cast from S1 comes back throughout the season. Reality probably doesn’t count but there was a big hubbub a few years ago when Real Housewives of New York fired all of the legacy housewives and came out with a totally new cast.
6
Derpykins666 Mar 22, 2026 +10
Doctor Who is really the only one I can think of. Almost every long running series loses traction after main cast members move on.
10
GravityTortoise Mar 23, 2026 +3
I can’t believe I did not think of Doctor Who
3
Octogenarian Mar 22, 2026 +29
Star Trek
29
John_Tacos Mar 22, 2026 +23
Those are different shows
23
Big-Soup7013 Mar 22, 2026 +6
For all mankind
6
emailunavailable Mar 22, 2026 +5
Spartacus on Starz kind of did that between season 2 (Vengeance) and 3 (War of the Damned). Of the 11 regulars in season two, six of them saw their characters killed off, leading to six new actors being added to the main cast for season 3 (two more were upgraded from recurring in S2 to regular in S3).
5
Adrenaline_Flux Mar 22, 2026 +8
Friday Night Lights
8
Cardchucker Mar 22, 2026 +3
Scrubs tried it in the last season of the original run but it didn't work.
3
mnfanjk Mar 22, 2026 +3
NCIS. Friday night lights. Law and Order SVU. GREY’s Anatomy Not really sitcoms but they did this. House had turnover too.
3
sxales Mar 22, 2026 +3
Death in Paradise Spooks Last of the Summer Wine
3
nernst79 Mar 22, 2026 +3
House did this about halfway through. Thwy sort of kept the old doctors around, but in a much more limited capacity, while primarily focusing on a new team.
3
DebraBaetty Mar 23, 2026 +3
Degrassi did a great job at it
3
MaximumTemporary217 Mar 23, 2026 +3
Misfits replaces them like a show of theseus
3
HiYoSiiiiiilver Mar 23, 2026 +3
NCIS
3
JimTheSaint Mar 23, 2026 +3
I think that "murder in paradise" has changed the cast a few times 
3
thomasonbush Mar 23, 2026 +3
MASH rotated out a lot of cast members. Alan Alda and Loretta Swit were the only regulars to last the entire run (Jamie Farr and William Christopher also were for the entire run, but started out as recurring rather than regulars).
3
Linenoise77 Mar 23, 2026 +3
MST3k had major switches in hosts, writing, and voice work, and is beloved across all seasons.
3
Beard_Hero Mar 23, 2026 +3
White lotus seems to be doing okay.
3
Harbinger90210 Mar 23, 2026 +3
Degrassi did it for like four decades until “Next Class” pretty much ended it.
3
Melkor404 Mar 23, 2026 +3
Fargo
3
Wrong-Vermicelli4723 Mar 22, 2026 +8
Doctor who , Law & Order, Grey Anatomy, Degrassi, Fargo, American horror story (kinda), and Star Trek 
8
trivia_guy Mar 22, 2026 +6
Fargo and AHS are anthology shows, every season is meant to be basically a miniseries that tells a separate story. (I think in both of them all seasons are set in the same universe though.) That’s not really changing cast in the way the OP means.
6
Underwater_Karma Mar 22, 2026 +4
Star Trek absolutely does not fit this subject. OP isn't asking about spin-off shows, and TNG even included several characters from the original series
4
OpticalInfusion Mar 22, 2026 +17
White Lotus with the exception of one or two returning characters features an all new cast of primary characters each season.
17
TootieSummers Mar 22, 2026 +24
This can be said about all anthology series
24
Homer_JG Mar 22, 2026 +19
It's an anthology show so doesn't really work for this exercise 
19
DanielPhermous Mar 23, 2026 +7
Doctor Who. Repeatedly.
7
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