It may seem that your favorite character from your favorite TV show was always part of the main cast, but that might not be the case. In fact, some of the most iconic TV characters were never meant to last more than one or two episodes until a behind-the-scenes decision changed their fate. The following are some famous examples that might have you looking at your favorite show's next guest star differently.
Jesse Pinkman (Breaking Bad)
It was not just three-time Emmy winner Aaron Paul's brilliant, empathetic performance as Jesse Pinkman that kept him in the Breaking Bad cast until the end. Creator Vince Gilligan had a pitch for the early demise of Walter White's (Bryan Cranston) student-turned-partner that shocked studio executives so deeply, that he scrapped the idea and, thankfully, kept the fan-favorite character alive.
Andy Dwyer (Parks And Recreation)
The lovably absent-minded Andy Dwyer was originally meant to appear in just six episodes from the first season of Parks and Recreation when he was still dating Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones). Michael Schur found future blockbuster leading man Chris Pratt just too funny not to keep around, leading to his series regular promotion and Andy's eventual romance with April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza).
Arthur "The Fonz" Fonzarelli (Happy Days)
The role that made Henry Winkler a star would eventually be the star of Happy Days. However, "Fonzy" was originally introduced as a small-sized character before the audience's rousing enthusiasm convinced producers to make his presence more frequent.
Frasier Crane (Cheers)
Kelsey Grammer's stint in the Cheers cast as Seattle-based psychiatrist Frasier Crane was originally meant to last only a few episodes. Yet, he became one of the NBC sitcom's most popular characters and went on to lead his own self-titled spin-off that was arguably as good as the original series.
Spike (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)
Spike started out as just another vampire for Sarah Michelle Gellar's titular hero to fight when he was first introduced in the second season of Joss Whedon's hit series. However, his subsequent popularity would ensure that James Masters got a regular role in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast and even became a love interest for Buffy.
Chandler Bing And Phoebe Buffay (Friends)
Before Matthew Perry and Lisa Kudrow were added to the Friends cast as Chandler and Phoebe, the sitcom was going to mainly focus on just four young New Yorkers. That was until the actors' natural charisma convinced creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman that they deserved starring roles instead of occasional appearances like they initially envisioned.
Carol Hathaway (ER)
If the pilot of ER were filmed exactly as it was originally written, it would been the first and last episode featuring Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies), who was initially going to take her own life. When test audiences made note of the nurse manager's chemistry with George Clooney as Doug Ross, the head writers kept her alive and on the show until Margulies left in Season 6.
Luke Danes (Gilmore Girls)
Diner owner Luke Danes was originally written as a woman, but creator Amy Sherman-Palladino did a gender swap when the network asked for more male characters. It was not until they noticed the chemistry between Gilmore Girls cast members Scott Patterson and Lauren Graham that their will-they-won't-they dynamic was incorporated into the dramedy.
Lafayette Reynolds (True Blood)
In only the second novel from Charlaine Harris' book series, The Southern Vampire Mysteries, Lafayette Reynolds is murdered. However, the psychic cook's onscreen counterpart (played by Nelsan Ellis) lived on in the HBO series adaptation (and one of the best horror TV shows on Max), True Blood, after developer Alan Ball realized how well the character fit in the world.
Castiel (Supernatural)
Played by Misha Collins (when possessing the body of Jimmy Novak), Castiel first appeared on Supernatural in Season 4 for what was intended to be just a three-season arc. Soon after, however, Collins was promoted to a series regular and the angel would remain a trusted ally to Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) Winchester.
Steve Urkel (Family Matters)
At first, ABC's spin-off of Perfect Strangers followed the lives of the Winslows, until the family sitcom's star family took a backseat to their nerdy neighbor, Steve Urkel. After Jaleel White's Season 1 guest spot rescued the show from cancellation, he made more appearances and was promoted to a series regular in the Family Matters cast in Season 2.
Andy Bernard (The Office)
Ed Helms' role as The Office character Andy Bernard was introduced in Season 3, which was initially conceived as his sole year on the mockumentary sitcom. However, creator Greg Daniels really liked the character and brought him back from anger management to be a permanent fixture of the Dunder Mifflin family.
Sgt. Fin Tutuola (Law & Order: SVU)
While most famous for a song about killing cops, rapper Ice-T's most famous acting role is, ironically, a police officer on Law & Order: SVU. Also ironic is the fact that Fin Tutuloa was originally conceived as a five-episode guest role in 2000, but would remain a regular part of the cast.
Jack Shephard (Lost)
Before Matthew Fox joined the Lost cast as Jack Shephard, the character was supposed to die in the pilot to establish that no character was safe in the survival drama. In fact, Michael Keaton signed on to play the role under this condition but dropped out when they decided to make him the lead because he did not want to commit to a series at the time.
Felicity Smoak (Arrow)
Based on the DC Comics character of the same name, Felicity Smoak was initially introduced in the first season of Arrow in a recurring role. Emily Bett Rickards would be promoted to series regular, however, when the role was promoted to Oliver Queen's primary love interest.
Steve Harrington (Stranger Things)
A prime example of a character who underwent a major personality change is Steve Harrington (Joe Kerry), who was initially introduced in Stranger Things' first season as some archetypal '80s high school bully with an expiration date. However, fans' unexpectedly positive response, thankfully, led to the character's revamping and ensured Keery would be a valuable member of the Hawkins crew.
Boyd Crowder (Justified)
Watching U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) and career criminal Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins) flip back and forth is one of the most addictive elements of Justified. Thus, we are thankful Boyd survived the pilot episode instead of being killed, like in Elmore Leonard's original short story, "Fire in the Hole," and that Goggins was promoted to series regular.
NoHo Hank (Barry)
Anthony Carrigan is easily one of the standouts of HBO's Barry cast for his performance as Chechen criminal NoHo Hank. It is no wonder his role expanded beyond Season 1 despite initial plans to kill him off.
The Armorer (The Mandalorian)
The Armorer (Emily Swallow) is one of the most fascinating and multi-layered characters from Disney+'s Star Wars Universe TV show, The Mandalorian. Her arc nearly ended with the first season in a scrapped scene that depicted her sacrificing her life.
Logan Roy (Succession)
No one could have succeeded in the role that Logan Roy played in HBO's Succession cast, but there could have been a major void left in his place had things gone as originally planned. Brian Cox's role was meant to die after Season 1, but instead survived and became one of the hit dramedy's most beloved characters.
Topanga Lawrence (Boy Meets World)
In creators Michael Jacobs and April Kelly's TGIF favorite, Topanga Lawrence was first introduced as that one weird girl in Cory Matthews' (Ben Savage) class. Soon enough, however, Danielle Fishel would be promoted to a series regular in the Boy Meets World cast after it was decided that the character would be Cory's love interest.
Gunther (Friends)
James Michael Tyler was merely hired on Friends as a background actor for scenes taking place at the Central Perk at first. In Season 2, however, the coffee shop manager was given the name Gunther, and the actor was promoted to a recurring supporting role that went on to appear in 185 episodes total.
Janitor (Scrubs)
The unnamed Janitor was originally conceived as a recurring role because it was going to be revealed at the end of Season 1 that he only existed in J.D.'s (Zach Braff) imagination. Creator Bill Lawrence decided to scrap that idea and make Neil Flynn a main part of the Scrubs cast after noticing the actor's improvisational skills, which ended beautifully for the character.
President Josiah Bartlet (The West Wing)
When Aaron Sorkin first conceived the idea for his Emmy-winning political drama, it was meant to focus primarily on the White House staff, with the President of the United States only showing up every so often or even not at all. Luckily, that changed and Martin Sheen's performance in NBC's The West Wing cast as Josiah Bartlet became one of the most beloved and inspiring highlights of the series.
Elijah Krantz (Girls)
Broadway theatre sensation Andrew Rannells first joined the cast of HBO's Girls as Hannah's formerly closeted college boyfriend Elijah Krantz in a very minor role before coming back occasionally during the first three years. By the dramedy's fourth season, creators Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner decided to add Rannells as a series regular and Elijah went on to become one of the series' most memorably funny characters.
April Ludgate (Parks And Recreation)
April Ludgate from Parks and Recreation is more than just a character who was not originally planned for a big role. There were no plans for her to be a part of the show at all until creator Michael Schur met Aubrey Plaza during the casting process and was so impressed with her talent that he invented a role just for her.
Aram Mojtabai (The Blacklist)
In the first season of NBC's The Blacklist, Aram Mojtabai was brought in by the FBI as a cyber crime consultant for what was only meant to be one episode. However, the writers responded well to actor Amir Arison's ad-libbing, started calling him back for more episodes, and made him a series regular in Season 2.
Summer Roberts (The O.C.)
Rachel Bilson had very little screen time in the first episode of The O.C. and her character, Summer Robert, was practically written as an unnamed friend to Marrissa (Mischa Barton). Creator Josh Schwartz found the actor's grasp on the character to be very compelling and her chemistry with Seth actor Adam Brody led him to write her a much bigger part for the coming-of-age drama.
Joshua Rosza (The Originals)
Steven Krueger was first brought in for a minor recurring stint on The Originals as Joshua Rosza. However, by season 5, the vampire character became a regular role in the hit supernatural drama.
Killian Jones/Captain Hook (Once Upon A Time)
When ABC's fantasy series Once Upon a Time brought in Killian Jones (who is really Peter Pan's nemesis, Captain Hook), it was initially meant to be for a five-episode run in Season 2. While he quickly became a fan favorite due to his chemistry with Jennifer Morrison, his promotion to a regular role really came about when the cast and crew became deeply impressed with Colin O'Donoghue's performance.
Brittany S. Pierce (Glee)
Heather Morris was initially brought on to the Glee set to help teach the cast members how to do the dance from Beyonce's "Single Ladies" video before she ended up landing a guest role as Brittany Pierce. However, after he discovered her comedic talents, co-creator Ryan Murphy began giving the once-frequently silent cheerleader more things to say before making Morris a series regular.
Kima Greggs (The Wire)
While filming the first season of The Wire, Sonja Sohn discovered by accident that her arc as Shakima "Kima" Greggs was originally intended to end in the 10th episode of the crime drama. Luckily, HBO executive Carolyn Strauss expressed interest in the character, convincing showrunner David Simon to have her survive her planned shooting and come back for the remainder of the series.
