Darrin Syndrome
Darrin syndrome is a term used to describe an event in which an actor leaves a
television show or
movie franchise with continuous history across episodes and is
replaced with another actor, with no in-story reason given for the change in appearance.
The term comes from the television show
Bewitched [
1] [
2] [
3], where the role of Darrin Stephens was played by
Dick York for five seasons, then at the beginning of the sixth season he was replaced by
Dick Sargent with no explanation whatsoever.
Due to this high-profile case of recasting, subsequent recasts involving key regular characters where the recast changes the entire tone of the program have frequently been compared to that of Darrin Stephens.
Bewitched â€" Apart from the replacement of Darrin from which this syndrome gets its name, this show has had several such examples. When
Alice Pearce died, the role of
Gladys Kravitz was taken over by
Sandra Gould.
Irene Vernon originated the role of
Louise Tate, which was taken over by
Kasey Rogers. Two actors also played Darrin's father Frank Stephens.
Dallas - Bobby's former love interest, Jenna Wade was played in one episode by
Morgan Fairchild, briefly by Francine Tacker, then by
Priscilla Presley when the character returned permanently for the 7th season. Digger Barnes was originally played by
David Wayne in the first season, then by
Keenan Wynn in the later seasons. When
Barbara Bel Geddes was forced to leave the show due to illness, Miss Ellie was played for one season by
Donna Reed although Bel Geddes later did return to the role.
Dynasty â€" All four of the Carrington children suffered from "Darrin Syndrome" at some point. Steven Carrington was played by
Al Corley from
1981 until
1983, and then by
Jack Coleman from
1984 until
1988. In the latter case, his change in appearance was initially explained by an industrial accident requiring plastic surgery, but this was apparently forgotten by the script writers fairly quickly, as several weeks later he was easily recognized by an old college friend who hadn't seen him in years. In
Dynasty: The Reunion Al Corley resumed the role with no scripted explanation for Steven's pre-surgery appearance returning - a reverse Darrin Syndrome.
The character of Fallon Carrington Colby was played by
Pamela Sue Martin from
1981 until
1984, and then by
Emma Samms from
1985 until
1989 in this show and its spinoff
The Colbys. When a plotline brought back a former lover of Fallon's, scenes from the first season were reshot with Samms, to be used in flashback sequences. The British Samms had never attempted to portray an American before, and her accent fluctuated wildly, especially in her first season on the show.
Amanda Carrington was originally played by Catherine Oxenberg. When she demanded a higher salary, she was abruptly replaced with Karen Cellini. In the first episode of the 7th season, a clip was reshot using Cellini instead of Oxenberg. No explanation was given for the change in appearance. Like her sister Fallon, Amanda's recast resulted in an abrupt loss of her British accent.
Finally, Adam Carrington was placed by Gordon Thompson from the 3rd season until the final episode. For the reunion movie Robin Sachs played Adam (a terrible recast with no pretense that the actors bore any similarity to each other) because Thompson was unavailable.
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air â€" The character of Vivian Smith-Banks (Will's aunt) was portrayed by
Janet Hubert-Whitten from
1990 until
1993, and then by
Daphne Reid from 1993 to
1996.
Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman â€" The character of
Jimmy Olsen was played by
Michael Landes in season 1 (1993-1994), and then by
Justin Whalin from seasons 2-4 (1994-1997).
Prison Break â€" Terrence Steadman was played by
John Billingsley in season 1 and will be played by
Jeff Perry in season 2 after Billingsley took a role in a new televison show,
The Nine. Because viewers rarely saw Steadman in season 1, the change is perceived to have little impact.
Roseanne â€" Daughter Becky was played by
Lecy Goranson until she left to go to college during season five. The character reappeared during season six played by
Sarah Chalke. Writers acknowledged this event by having the family watching a
Bewitched episode and Chalke mentioning her preference to the replacement character. An episode poked fun at the "new Becky" by showing a future D.J. played by
John Goodman rocking back and forth in the office of a psychiatrist repeatedly mumbling to himself, "She says she is the same but she isn't the same." Oddly enough, Goranson came back two seasons later, and then left to be replaced by Chalke yet again during the final season. At least once, both actresses actually appeared in the same episode.
Stargate SG-1 - Dr.
Elizabeth Weir was played by
Jessica Steen in the seventh season finale
Lost City. At the start of the eighth season, however, Steen was replaced by
Torri Higginson, who played Weir in the season premiere
New Order as well as in the spin-off series
Stargate Atlantis.
The O.C. - The character of
Kaitlin Cooper, Marissa's younger sister, was seen occasionally in the first season played by
Shailene Woodley. Near the end of the season, Kaitlin is sent off to boarding school and is not seen in the second season. In the middle of the third season, Kaitlin reappears and is now played by
Willa Holland, who will be upped to a series regular in the upcoming fourth season.
Another example from The O.C. is the character of
Trey Atwood, Ryan's older brother. During the pilot and another episode later in the first season, Trey is played by
Bradley Stryker. When he becomes a major character for the end of the second season, after his release from jail,
Logan Marshall-Green takes over the role. While Trey is not currently featured on the show, it is assumed that Marshall-Green will resume the character if Trey makes another appearance, as he did late in the third season.
007 (Official EON Productions film series only) â€" To date, six actors have played
James Bond:
Sean Connery,
George Lazenby,
Roger Moore,
Timothy Dalton,
Pierce Brosnan, and
Daniel Craig. Bond's friend,
CIA Officer
Felix Leiter, has been played by
Jack Lord,
Cec Linder,
Rik Van Nutter,
Norman Burton,
David Hedison (twice),
John Terry, and
Jeffrey Wright.
Robert Brown replaced
Bernard Lee as Bond's boss,
MI6 spymaster
M, without explanation. (When subsequent performers played M, their characters were acknowledged on-screen as being new people in the post.) Three actresses have played M's secretary
Miss Moneypenny:
Lois Maxwell,
Caroline Bliss, and
Samantha Bond. Additionally, several actors have played Bond villan
Ernst Stavro Blofeld over the years. (For a list, see
Blofeld portrayals.)
Back to the Future trilogy â€"
Marty McFly's girlfriend
Jennifer Parker was played by
Claudia Wells in the
first film, but was replaced by
Elisabeth Shue in the sequels. Additionally in the sequels,
George McFly, played by
Crispin Glover in the first movie, appears in the sequels only in
archive footage from the first film or played by another actor (
Jeffrey Weissman) in heavy makeup.
Batman movies â€" In the
Tim Burton/
Joel Schumacher series of films based on the
Batman comic books, three actors played the caped crusader:
Michael Keaton,
Val Kilmer, and
George Clooney . The character Harvey Dent was played by
Billy Dee Williams in the first film but by
Tommy Lee Jones in the third,
Batman Forever. (The new film
Batman Begins is a completely new franchise, therefore the character recasts in it are not considered examples of Darrin Syndrome.)
Star Trek movies â€"
Lieutenant Saavik was played by
Kirstie Alley in
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and by
Robin Curtis in
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles â€" In the three films,
April O'Neil was played by two different actresses. She was played by
Judith Hoag in the first movie, and then by
Paige Turco in the next two.
*
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome*
Cousin Oliver *
Fonzie Syndrome*
Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome
