History SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute / LiveActionTV

** After Zhaan dies, she's replaced by Jool who fills the same role as TheSmartGuy but is purely scientific rather than spiritual and is much more abrasive in personality, while Stark tries to take over Zhaan's spiritual role (with mixed results.) When Jool leaves, her direct replacement Sikozu is a bit more similar in personality to her but much more competent and calculating. At the same time, Noranti is introduced as a replacement for Zhann and Stark's mystical/spiritual role, but more morally ambiguous than Zhaan was, sometimes being downright sinister. As well as replacing the missing Stark's allotment of [[CrazyAwesome crazy awesome.]]

* In ''Series/BlueBloods'' Danny Reagan's partner Jackie Curatola [[PutOnABus left the series]] a third of the way into season three due to actress Jennifer Esposito's illness. Danny had two partners that each lasted about five episodes each before finally ending up with Maria Baez as Jackie's permanent replacement. Both characters are Latina detectives from rough backgrounds, and with similar temperaments.

* Inverted on ''Series/AllInTheFamily'': The character of George Jefferson was expressly written for Sherman Helmsley, who [[AbsenteeActor was unavailable]] at the time the show's early seasons were shot due to his appearance in a Broadway musical; the character of George's brother, Henry Jefferson, was devised as a placeholder until Helmsley became available in Season 4 (although George was "on" the show as an [[HeWhoMustNotBeSeen offscreen character]] in the earlier seasons).

** Loren's sister Olive [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome disappears between seasons without any explanation]](although later, we learn she died of spotted fever during a cattle drive on the Goodnight-Loving Trail). In her place, his sister-in-law Dorothy (whom he was courting before she ran off with another man, leaving him to marry her sister) came to town, fleeing the abusive husband she had ditched Lauren for, and assumes the same role as Olive had as Mike's friend and confidante.

** One episode even featured a group of suspiciously similar substitutes. Escaped prisoners from Peacekeeper custody on a Leviathan transport pod, a Scarran strong guy (reflecting D'Argo's [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy proud warrior race guy]]), a Nebari androgyn (hermaphrodite, mirroring Chiana's nonconformist), a [[DistaffCounterpart female]] Hynerian, and a captured Peacekeeper tech (reflecting Aeryn's initial unwilling accompaniment of Moya's crew, as well as looking similar to Crichton and being in a similarly mistrusted position.)

* ''Series/GetSmart'' (the original show) did this for the episode "Ice Station Siegfried." Don Adams had a root canal and couldn't be there for the shooting of one episode, so the writers created Agent Quigley, who acted exactly like Maxwell Smart and was also attracted to Agent 99, to replace him for one episode. He was never seen nor mentioned again. Incidentally, the script for "Ice Station Siegfried" was so bad that Adams purposely scheduled his dentist appointment so that he would miss the filming of it and not another Season 5 episode.

* In ''Series/MonarchOfTheGlen'', the character of Paul Bowman was introduced in Season 4, and subsequently revealed to be the illegitimate half-brother of the main character, Archie [=MacDonald=], Laird of Glenbogle. Two seasons later, Archie gets PutOnABus to New Zealand, Paul Bowman-[=MacDonald=] is made the new laird, and the series carries on as before, including Paul having {{UST}} with Archie's ''wife''. (Although it doesn't go anywhere.)
* ''Series/{{Monk}}'' did this when Traylor Howard was introduced as Natalie Teeger, replacing Bitty Schram's character Sharona Fleming as Monk's assistant midway through season 3. The next few episodes were very obviously written for Sharona, with the only real difference in the characters being Natalie calls him "Mr. Monk" instead of "Adrian." (Well, almost all of the time) This gets especially weird when she states that she's never seen Monk's feet like that's a big deal, despite having only taken the job in the previous episode. The point at which the writers ran out of their previous scripts and were able to start creating material specifically for Natalie (mostly involving her dead husband at first) is very, very clear, and happens some time around "Mr. Monk and the Election" or "Mr. Monk and the Kid". Lastly, due to the death of Creator/StanleyKamel (Dr. Kroger), Hector Elizondo has taken on the role of a new psychiatrist for Adrian Monk.

* ''Series/NYPDBlue'' is the master of this trope, having replaced Andy Sipowicz's partner ''three times''. Creator/JimmySmits replaced David Caruso when the latter decided he was too big to do the show. Rick Schroeder replaced Smits. Creator/MarkPaulGosselaar replaced Schroeder. Gosselaar and Schroeder are the best examples here, both having similar physical make-ups and similar character personalities (and even similar histories as respected former teen stars who'd played blond, comic extroverts, then turned to darker drama as mature actors).

* Oddly played on ''Series/SavedByTheBell''. After losing Jesse and Kelly the producers introduced biker chick Tori who picked up Kelly's role as Zach's love interest. That still left a gap though, so rather than introduce new characters they transferred Jesse's brains and Kelly's popularity to Lisa who overnight leapt from average intelligence and popularity to straight A-student and homecoming queen. More so on ''Saved By The Bell: The New Class,'' most blatantly in their first season. The new youngsters were virtual carbon copies of their old-class counterparts: Scott for Zack (even breaking the Fourth Wall in the same way), Weasel for Screech, Tommy D for Slater, Linday for Kelly, and Megan for Lisa and Jessie (due to her being Weasel's unrequited crush, as well as the smart one in the group).

** For one season of ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', Dr. Kate Pulaski (played by Diana Muldaur, who'd appeared twice as different characters in the [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Original Series]]) replaced Dr. Beverly Crusher as ship's doctor. Pulaski was ''doubly'' a Suspiciously Similar Substitute since her abrasive tics were explicitly based on Bones [=McCoy=].

** Inverted in Season 15, when Jack dies and his body is almost immediately possesssed by a demon, Belphegor. Belphegor, while played by the same actor, could not be more different from Jack in terms of personality; even his voice sounds different. But the main characters are forced to work with him for several episodes to get out of their situation, despite the fact that every time they look at him they see their dead son. He is clearly not meant as a "replacement" for Jack in the show, but they must let him take Jack's place in their lives, at least temporarily.

** The series has Balthazar, who's very, very similar to the now-dead Gabriel (except taller, blonder, and with a hot British accent). Then season 8 introduced Metatron who also had a similar character arc to Gabriel and Balthazar.
** Later in the series, fans commented that the character "Frank" was just an unnecessary replacement for Bobby, who was taken away from the leads to supposedly "strip the show back down to just the brothers."
** When he was first introduced, many fans feared that Benny would replace Castiel as Dean's gravel-voiced, coat-wearing, non-human BFF.

* Series/CitizenKhan's first series had a red-headed mosque manager named Dave who converted to Islam later in life. In Series 2, he's replaced by a red-headed mosque manager named Dave who converted to Islam later in life. These are distinct characters, not an example of The Other Darrin. One suspects that the writers had Series 2 almost completed when Kris Marshall decided to leave and only added a few lines introducing Matthew Cottle's version of Dave into Series 2 first episode to avoid having to go back and make more extensive changes.

*** Luke has a nightmare about being replaced in "The Nightmare Man". A season later in "Sky", he actually would be replaced by another ArtificialHuman with NoSocialSkills - but that one would [[GenderFlip be a girl]].

** After Doug Ross' departure, he was essentially replaced by ''three'' characters that harbored his best or best-known qualities: (1) Cleo Finch (a skilled and dedicated pediatrician, (2) Luka Kovac, a brooding hunk with allusions to a mysterious, tragic past and a yearning for Carol (and an uncanny resemblance to Doug, to boot), and (3)Dave Malucci--brash, impulsive, reckless, a BerserkButton regarding child abuse, and even a [[NoodleIncident once-mentioned, but never explained]] kid and a hatred for Kerry Weaver.
** Similarly, Abby Lockhart for Carol Hathaway. She was introduced as Carol's OB nurse during her labor but promptly replaced her in the ER after she left. Not only did she immediately start dating Luka, Carol's ex (and aforementioned Doug Ross replacement), but she was even given the aborted nurse-to-doctor storyline (admittedly with some differences; Carol had always been an RN but decided to study for and take her [=MCATs=] just to see if she could pass them. Although scenes were filmed with Carol starting medical school, actress Julianna Margulies was unhappy with the storyline as Carol had always been passionate about nursing and she felt it was out of character for her to switch careers. By contrast, Abby was introduced as a wannabe doc who took nursing shifts to pay for med school. She dropped out not long after her introduction due to lack of funds, but always intended to go back and finish, which she eventually did, becoming a fully-fledged doctor).
** Many new characters were like this, being introduced in the plucky NaiveNewcomer mold of Carter (Lucy, Gallant, Neela, even Dr. Wise in the series finale), or the "tough & abrasive go-getter" type (Kerry, Morretti, Brenner, Banfield)
** Sincere, DoggedNiceGuy principle character? Mark Greene, John Carter, or (after some character growth) Archie Morris. Take your pick. Same for harried but determined female lead doctor: Susan Lewis, Anna del Amico, Elizabeth Corday, Abby Lockhart, Neela Rasgotra. Angry black doctor? Peter Benton, succeeded by Greg Pratt. Caring but often overwhelmed nurse? Carol Hathaway, followed by Abby again, followed by Sam Taggart. Doug's chief replacements were listed above, but there's also, to varying degrees, Ray Ballard and Tony Gates. In fact, there were six regulars in the first season, and six completely new characters in the last, but all filled the same roles: Moral Compass, Brilliant Lothario, Caring Female Doc, Stressed Nurse, Awkward Nice Guy, and Arrogant Prick. In order, the first season had Greene, Ross, Lewis, Carol, Carter, and Benton in those roles. By the last season, they were Neela, Gates, Banfield, Sam, Morris, and Brenner.

** The character of Mandy is another example. If the producers couldn't get Mia Kirshner, the actress who played her, they created another sexy terrorist. Season 4's Nicole is a prime example, because she behaves in EXACTLY the same way as Mandy would, [[spoiler: she has sex with a character to get him on side, then reveals her true colors. Mandy did more or less the same thing in the first episode]]. Which is amusing in itself considering Mandy actually ''did'' return at the very end of the fourth season.

* The German soap opera ''AllesWasZahlt'' originally dealt with Diana Sommer, who was a plucky blonde delivery girl turned up-and-coming figure skater. In the first episode Diana was sort of hit by a car... which led to the ''MeetCute'' introduction to her boyfriend Julian. After Julian [[spoiler: died]] and the actress playing Diana decided to leave the show, a new character was introduced: the plucky blonde circus performer turn up-and-coming figure skater, Stella. Upon arriving in town her car broke down, which meant she almost got rear-ended by her immediate love interest, Lars. It wouldn't be so bad if Stella and Lars were bearable, but unfortunately, they're not.
* Done on ''Series/AlloAllo'' when Mimi and Captain Bertorelli appeared as substitutes for Maria and the German Captain Hans respectively -- in particular, Mimi was at least as short as Maria and both had fiery tempers. It allowed them to continue the gag of Mimi/Maria having to get a stool to stand on in order to hug René. Later, Monsieur Leclerc was replaced by his twin brother after the original actor died. Captain Bertorelli and the second Leclerc were ''then'' replaced in a TheOtherDarrin manner. In the final season the actor playing "Herr Flick of the Gestapo" was replaced - this was explained as him having plastic surgery to prepare for Germany losing the war. Also parodied in the series, when René's death was faked and he was forced to pose as his own Suspiciously Similar Substitute twin brother for the rest of the show.

** Andy's steady girlfriend in the first season was pharmacist Ellie Walker; after she was written out of the show (apparently due to lack of chemistry between Andy Griffith and Elinor Donahue), Andy was given a couple of more temporary love interests (both nurses) before schoolteacher Helen Crump was finally introduced in season 3. All of Andy's girlfreinds are somewhat similar, being smart working women with an independent attitude (for the era). Helen's strong jealous streak was perhaps more pronounced than in the others.

** Mr. Harmon, Old Mr. Grace, and Mr. Spooner replacing Mr. Mash, Young Mr. Grace and Mr. Lucas respectively.

** Summer's initial love interest was Jimmy Slade, a blonde surfer who lived out his car, had an abusive dad, and dreamed of going pro. During a period where Jimmy had been PutOnABus, Summer got a one-episode ReplacementGoldfish named Steve Thorn, a blonde kickboxer who lived out of his car, had an abusive dad, and dreamed of going pro.

*** The trope was inverted with Kennedy, who was deliberately made very different from Willow's previous love interest Tara. Perhaps not the best idea, as Kennedy was pushy, arrogant, and abrasive where Tara was shy, gentle and empathetic. [[TheScrappy She was not received well]].

* Phil in ''Series/CornerGas'' replacing Paul as the Cree with long hair and the four letter name that starts with P and ends with L who works as the head bartender. The only difference apart from name is that Phil looks older and has a deeper, less enthusiastic voice.

** Tough, dark haired multilingual Elle Greenaway leaves after season 2, to be replaced with tough, dark haired, multilingual Emily Prentiss. Emily Prentiss leaves the team at the end of season 7, and is replaced in season 8 with tough, dark-haired, at-least-bilingual (knows ASL) Alex Blake. There seems to be a trend here...

* By comparison, ''Series/{{CSINY}}'' replaced Aiden Burn with another occasionally-sarcastic female character, who was even suggested to be in a relationship with the same character, at least until she was KilledOffForReal. Her other traits were added to a previously-existing background character, who occasionally takes Don Flack's place. Later, a new recurring female detective was brought into the series, and appears to be a Suspiciously Similar Substitute for the original Suspiciously Similar Substitute. She's even became Flack's new love interest. All three actresses looked similar as well, especially the last two.

* When the actor who played him died, ''Series/DennisTheMenace'' replaced George Wilson with a made up "brother" named John; [[CanonForeigner there never was a John Wilson in the original comics]].

* An interesting exception can be found on ''Series/ADifferentWorld''. Originally it was a star vehicle created for Lisa Bonet by Creator/BillCosby's production house, but after Bonet's 1988 pregnancy forced her from the program after the first season, no substitute for her was cast. Instead, it became an ensemble show, and eventually two minor characters -- Dwayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert -- evolved into its real stars and carried the show for five more years.

** The Doctor's regeneration was designed specifically to avoid this. Originally there was no plans for him to regenerate — he wasn't even designated an alien. That only came about when Creator/WilliamHartnell had to leave the show due to health issues. A producer thought it would be a novel idea, and thus the Doctor as we know him was born.

** "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS6E3TheInvasion The Invasion]]" is virtually a direct sequel to "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS5E5TheWebOfFear The Web of Fear]]", but has sewer-dwelling Cybermen invading London substituting for Underground-dwelling Yeti invading London, and replaces Professor Travers and Miss Travers with a similar MadScientist and [[MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter Beautiful Daughter]] pair. This was because the producer fell out with the creator of the Yeti and the Traverses and wanted to pay them as little as possible. The one returning character created by them is Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart, because Douglas Camfield wanted Creator/NicholasCourtney back and having a Suspiciously Similar Substitute played by the ''same actor'' would just be begging for a lawsuit, and even he gets a promotion to [[TheBrigadier Brigadier]] and is mostly referred to by that rank from that point onward — not just in the serial, but the show as a whole, even in the few allusions to him in the Revival Series.

** [[FacialHorror Facially deformed]] time-travelling DiabolicalMastermind Magnus Greel in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E6TheTalonsOfWengChiang The Talons of Weng-Chiang]]" was originally supposed to be the facially-deformed incarnation of the Master from "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E3TheDeadlyAssassin The Deadly Assassin]]", as the story was planned as a direct sequel to it and was even written by [[Creator/RobertHolmes the same man]]. Due to its close proximity to ''that'' serial, however, it ended up mutating into something else. Remnants of that idea include both being hammy, vampiric serial killers on the run with a time machine, dying and desperately looking for a way to cheat death. Magnus even talks about "regeneration" a few times.

** BBC ExecutiveMeddling really, ''really'' wanted Creator/MattSmith's Eleventh Doctor to be as much like Creator/DavidTennant's Tenth Doctor as possible, fearing a more unusual character would not be as relevant and popular; there had even been discussion of outright re-cancelling the show, this time for good. The original proposed outfit for the character even followed a similar "90's indie kid" aesthetic by way of a pirate outfit, but Smith strongly disliked it. The eventual character was more similar to the Tenth Doctor than many other Doctors over the years had been to their predecessors — being also a young, romantic figure with a tendency to ramble and a lot of suppressed {{angst}} — but different enough to change the whole feel of the show. In particular, Smith's reinterpretation of the role took much more from Creator/PatrickTroughton's portrayal of the Doctor than any previous actor; most previous incarnations of the Doctor were made to directly contrast their immediate predecessor, and most portrayals of the role since 1982 were characterized in direct response to the popularity and omnipresence of Creator/TomBaker's incarnation.

** The Monks from the "Monk Trilogy" are {{Reality Warper}}s that need someone to ask them to use them; there entire plan revolves around tricking someone into giving them this consent. This is very similar to the M.O. of the Trickster from [[Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures one of the spin-offs]]. They also shoot lightning, use religious imagery, can change memories and dress in Earth clothing, much like the Silence. In this case, however, it was less the result of unfulfilled intentions and more the result of Creator/StevenMoffat having to rush out the trilogy under the highly unusual, exceedingly tight, and horrifically tragic constraint of him having to care for his dying mother; at one point he was stuck writing the scripts for those episodes at her bedside.
** ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'' did this in ''[[Series/TorchwoodChildrenOfEarth Children of Earth]]'' with Lois, who fills the role Martha was going to play had Creator/FreemaAgyeman been available. Subverted in the same miniseries when a character [[spoiler:who seems like he's being built up to be a substitute for Owen suddenly shoots Jack in the back, and then gets shot himself. RTD says this was intentional, because he thinks it's a disservice to characters to outright replace them with a Suspiciously Similar Substitute]].

** Similarly, Abby Lockhart for Carol Hathaway. She was introduced as Carol's OB nurse during her labor, but promptly replaced her in the ER after she left. Not only did she immediately start dating Luka, Carol's ex (and aforementioned Doug Ross replacement), but she was even given the aborted nurse-to-doctor storyline (admittedly with some differences; Carol had always been an RN but decided to study for and take her [=MCATs=] just to see if she could pass them. Although scenes were filmed with Carol starting medical school, actress Julianna Margulies was unhappy with the storyline as Carol had always been passionate about nursing and she felt it was out of character for her to switch careers. By contrast, Abby was introduced as a wannabe doc who took nursing shifts to pay for med school. She dropped out not long after her introduction due to lack of funds, but always intended to go back and finish, which she eventually did, becoming a fully-fledged doctor).

** Sincere, DoggedNiceGuy principle character? Mark Greene, John Carter or (after some character growth) Archie Morris. Take your pick. Same for harried but determined female lead doctor: Susan Lewis, Anna del Amico, Elizabeth Corday, Abby Lockhart, Neela Rasgotra. Angry black doctor? Peter Benton, succeeded by Greg Pratt. Caring but often overwhelmed nurse? Carol Hathaway, followed by Abby again, followed by Sam Taggart. Doug's chief replacements were listed above, but there's also, to varying degrees, Ray Ballard and Tony Gates. In fact, there were six regulars in the first season, and six completely new characters in the last, but all filled the same roles: Moral Compass, Brilliant Lothario, Caring Female Doc, Stressed Nurse, Awkward Nice Guy and Arrogant Prick. In order, the first season had Greene, Ross, Lewis, Carol, Carter and Benton in those roles. By the last season they were Neela, Gates, Banfield, Sam, Morris and Brenner.

** In season 3, many of the original cast (and the one's with the largest, most vocal sub-fandoms) graduated and became recurring characters. In their place is a league of hip, young freshman replacements who suspiciously resemble the first generation of glee clubbers;

** Kitty Wilde and Quinn Fabray's similarities are even lampshaded in the series; They're both (for at least a brief time) head cheerleaders, both Caucasian, heterosexual and blonde with a strange, inconceivable hatred for the main heroine who has never done anything to them. They are both popular but implied that their "friends" don't ''really'' like them (Quinn's falling out with Santana/Kitty saying she really just wants friends). They're also dating the football player as an obvious RomanticFalseLead, but seem to be using them for popularity at the best of times and get jealous and possessive over them even talking to other females in a purely platonic sense. It isn't helped by the fact that Kitty ''worships'' Quinn and constantly gushes about how she wants to be just like her. Or the fact that Sue dubs Kitty "A young Quinn Fabray, except not pregnant, manically depressed and in/out of a wheelchair", which crossed the DudeNotFunny territory for some viewers with experiences of that nature. They both have high, wispy voices too.
** They don't even try and hide the similarities between Puck and Jake; Both from a broken home in which they didn't know their father, they both play/ed for the football team and have a big reputation as trouble makers and womanizers (To the point where Unique feels it necessary to break into an improv Britney Spears number to prove it). They both have strong, baritone voices and start off dissing the glee club and disputing it, before slowing warming up to the idea of singing and dancing on stage. They both are implied to see themselves as losers and both have a below average IQ and are popular. Oh yeah, and [[spoiler: they're half brothers]]. This is later deconstructed when Jake says he doesn't just want to be seen as a failure because his brother was, and that there's more to him than his genes. He's having a tough time proving it, though.
** Unique/Wade is a big fan of both Kurt and Mercedes, so it's a good job the fandom refers to her as their lovechild from the future. When it comes to Unique being like ''Mercedes'', they share body-shape and race, as well as having "Big belter" Whitney-esque voices and their main superlative being "Sassy diva". And being TheLancer to the main heroine of the series (Rachel/Marley). They both campaign for more solos throughout their airtime too, often claiming that their voices are neglected. When it comes to Unique being like ''Kurt'', they have both suffered prejudice and bullying over their sexual orientations (Kurt is gay and Unique is transgender), as well as auditioning for a big role in the annual Mckinley musical and for some reason or another not getting to do it. They also act as a PetHomosexual to Rachel/Marley. They both show explicit interest in fashion and style, and are quite eloquently spoken for teenagers.

* After Kalinda's departure from ''Series/TheGoodWife'' a new characters is introduced right away; Lucca Quinn, aside the somewhat physical similarity, she became Alicia's best friend and Cary's {{Love Interest|s}} in one season, roles previously held by Kalinda. She also becomes, as Kalinda was, TokenMinority.

* While the original ducklings still appear on ''Series/{{House}}'', their roles as, well, ducklings have been replaced. By Taub, Kutner and Thirteen, who are superficially similar to the original three characters. Their exact personalities don't line up but House admitted that he hired them based on the same dynamic he had with the earlier team. Interestingly enough for the trope, the previous actors didn't leave the show, they just added more cast.

* ''Series/JessicaJones2015'' was unable to use ComicBook/CarolDanvers, Jessica's best friend from the comics, because the character was tied up in ''Film/{{Captain Marvel|2019}}''. To replace her, the writers brought in [[Comicbook/PatsyWalker Trish Walker]] to serve as Jessica's best friend. Additionally, instead of being a redhead, Trish now has long blond hair like Carol did in the comics.

** The old-school Riders had a recurring, cross-seasonal ally named Tobei Tachibana. He started out as Hongo's friend who ran the motorbike racing club, but got more and more involved with things Rider-related just due to being close to the guys trouble followed most, becoming something of a BadassNormal. When PowersThatBe decided to bring the character back in ''Series/KamenRiderSkyrider'' but the actor declined, the Tachibana role in that and [[Series/KamenRiderSuper1 the following]] series went to the nigh-identical Genjiro Tani. His personality and role were exactly Tachibana's, and sometimes past Riders talked to Tani as if they knew him ''much'' better than they did, as if scripts with Tachibana in mind had already been written. They really shoulda gone the MagicPlasticSurgery route.

** Trapper was replaced as Hawkeye's bunkmate and partner-in-crime by BJ. Though there are similarities between the characters, BJ was noticeably more laid back than Trapper -- and was also a devoted family man, whereas Trapper was routinely (and guiltlessly) unfaithful to his wife. Trapper and BJ also had very different ethical standards when it came to certain medical issues. [[spoiler: In one of his last appearances, Trapper cheerfully helps Hawkeye perform an unneccesary appendectomy on Col. Flagg in order to protect a life-saving supply of penicillin. In a later episode, Hawkeye goes to perform a similar unnecessary appendectomy on another colonel, to keep this colonel from leading a bone-headed strategic manoeveur that will pointlessly send troops to their deaths. BJ objects strenuously, and will have no part in the operation, arguing that it's mutilation and a violation of medical ethics.]]

** When the snotty, arrogant Frank Burns left, he was immediately replaced by snotty, arrogant Charles Winchester. However, the two characters were ''extremely'' different. Burns was an incompetent doctor, a charmless nitwit, and a cowardly hypocrite who was easily outfoxed and impossible to respect. Winchester, by contrast, was a first rate surgeon with a very firm code of ethics. While Winchester's smug demeanour could be off-putting, he was able to be charming when he had to be. He was also very-well educated, smart, and very much a potentially formidable opponent.
** Not ''always'' inverted, though. Particularly very early in the show, some very minor characters (who would only last a few episodes, and never got much CharacterDevelopment as a result) are replaced with similarly undeveloped minor characters. This is particularly true of various early-season nurses (who are all basically treated as interchangable dates for Hawkeye and Trapper) and commanding generals (who are more-or-less interchangable out-of-touch authority figures.)

* ''Series/{{Maverick}}'' introduced a Suspiciously Similar Substitute ''before'' the star left, in the form of Bret Maverick's brother, Bart. This was principally done in order to accelerate the show's shooting schedule, since they could shoot a Bret episode and a Bart episode at the same time. Reportedly, the show's writers had no idea whether a given episode would be a Bret episode or a Bart episode when they wrote it. By the show's end there were two other Mavericks in rotation, one of them played by Creator/RogerMoore. The most suspiciously similar of them all was Brent Maverick, who was introduced shortly after James Garner (who played Bret Maverick) left the show. Not only was Brent's name just one letter off from Bret's, but he was played by Robert Colbert, who bears a remarkable likeness to Garner. When Colbert discovered the producers' plan for him, he rebelled against them, reportedly begging them to, "Put me in a dress and call me Brenda! ANYTHING but this!"
** ''Maverick'' also did this with recurring roles, noticably bringing in "Gentleman Jack" Darby to fulfill the same type of competitive friend/adversary function as "Dandy Jim" Buckley. Then Buckley was replaced by "Nobby Ned" Wyngate. All three were essentially the same character: a very sharp-dressing, outwardly smooth gambler who had a long history with the Mavericks, and who would work with (or sometimes against) the Mavericks on their latest scheme -- but who would cheerfully switch sides on a moment's notice if the money was right.

* The late 80s-early 90s incarnation of ''Series/TheMickeyMouseClub'' turned over its cast a few times. Notables in the mix include Creator/KeriRussell (as part of the first rotation of new blood) and Music/BritneySpears (as part of one of the last rotations).
* In ''Series/MidsomerMurders'', DCI Barnaby was replaced by... DCI Barnaby (his cousin, who had the same rank and personality, but was played by a different actor). Also, he had already changed his sidekick twice. In fairness, in a number of countries the series is called "Inspector Barnaby" so the change makes sense.

** Season three replaced Daisy, Blaine, and their boss. A number of minor characters are also gone as well. In fact the only characters who have been carried over from the last season are Rose, [[BigBad The Grand Master]] and the school headmaster.

** Nathan left after Series 2, and was replaced by Rudy, an equally mouthy character who, like Nathan, has the habit of saying outrageous things. Subverted slightly in that Rudy is a more complex character with multiple facets (made literal different people by the Storm).
** Simon, Alisha and Kelly left after Series 3. Series 4 introduced Finn (another socially awkward guy with hidden depths), Abby (another promiscuous party girl with hidden depths), and Jess (Another no-nonsense, rude girl). Note that despite being Kelly's Spiritual Successor, Jess takes Alisha's place romance-wise, and, just like Alisha, starts dating the handsome/athletic guy in the gang (Curtis and Alex, respectively), before ending up with the apparently weirder one (Simon and Rudy, respectively).
** Series 4 introduced Alex, the handsome barman, and then killed off Curtis the athletic barman. Alex joined he gang full-time for series 5.

** Joel was a father figure to the bots. His replacement, Mike, interacted with the bots as their equal (at best) and tended to be more overtly sarcastic. The {{flame war}}s over which of the two was better are notorious. While the bots see Joel as a father figure, they see Mike as a brother figure, and thus are more inclined to mess around with Mike and prank him relentlessly than they would Joel.
** TV's Frank was Dr. Clayton Forrester's minion and punching bag; when he departed, he was replaced by Pearl Forrester, Clayton's mom and one of the few people capable of cowing her son into submission. After Clayton departed, Pearl took over as the head Mad, and gained her own minions, Bobo and Observer.

* On ''Series/MythBusters'', Kari Byron went on maternity leave, and was replaced by Jessi Combs for a few months. The original Build Team was Kari, Tori, and ''Scotty'' (WrenchWench) who left the show under "personal reasons" and was replaced by the now better-known Grant. And there is also Christine, a "Mythtern" before the Build Team came into play, who directly assisted Jamie and Adam and had a certain resemblance to Scotty.

** At the end of Season 2, NCIS agent Kate Todd is shot and killed by Ari Haswari, a Hamas terrorist working undercover within Mossad. Then at the beginning of Season 3, Mossad agent Ziva David, Ari's sister, joins the NCIS team as a Liaison Officer. Ziva resembles Kate physically- both are slim, brown eyed brunettes. And Ziva quickly picks up Kate's habit of engaging in rivalry, banter and UnresolvedSexualTension with NCIS agent Tony [=DiNozzo=]. Otherwise, Kate and Ziva are quite different characters, but this is not a case of TheOtherDarrin.

* A rather tragic example occurred in the final season of ''Series/NewsRadio'' (and the only example in the whole series- the other character who left was simply PutOnABus and never replaced). Max was brought in to take over the role that had been filled by Creator/PhilHartman as the over-egotistical Bill [=McNeil=]. Unfortunately shortly after the completion of season 4, Hartman was the victim of a MurderSuicide by his own wife, and for the final season Creator/JonLovitz joined the cast in a similar role as Max. Incidentally Lovitz had been close to Hartman and joined the cast because he wanted to pay homage to his friend. (This is given a nod in-universe: Dave ultimately chooses Max -- out of a broad pool of applicants -- because he was a close friend of Bill's.)

* Downplayed in ''Series/OddSquad''. Agents Olive and Otto are replaced with Otis and Olympia, respectively. They have differences, but they are superficial at best. Otis and Olympia are then replaced with Opal, Omar, Oswald and Orla, who also have stark differences to the previous casts but also have personality traits from them mixed into their current ones, such as Opal's need for perfectionism and Omar's goofy carefree nature.

** D'Angelo Vickers was a very clear "New Michael", and when Andy ended up in the full time role of regional manager, he, too, started acting a lot like Michael. The crazed superior went from Jan (not the CEO, but the VP of Sales and Michael's immediate superior) to Jo to Robert (with the final CEO, David, being a subversion, but he also had already been seen in the more sane role of COO). The young self-important jackass became Gabe once Ryan left the show, though there, Ryan didn't really develop that persona until replacing Jan as VP of Sales, then kept it even when busted back down to intern, while Gabe's main quirk was that he was technically Jo's liaison to the office, enforcing her will, but had no actual power.

* After the death of Bea Benederet, the mother and hotel manager from ''Series/PetticoatJunction'', June Lockhart was cast as a new town doctor who took up residence in the hotel. Although she was clearly not the girls' mother, and the girls were all well into adulthood by that point, she carried on Benederet's function as motherly advisor, and the town's most sensible resident.

** The series has also been through three different leading men and two different tough-guy supporting men. Only three cast members have stayed with the show through its entire run. The leading men are a particularly interesting example of this. With the first switch the authors went for a genuine attempt to not make the substitute suspiciously similar, and in fact the character changed the entire tone of the series. When this second leader was in turn switched out they brought in a replacement that was suspiciously similar to leading man number one, up to and including his accent. The tone of the series also switched back, becoming particularly obvious when number two reappeared for one more episode.

* ''Series/{{Sliders}}'' was rife with substituting toward the end, though most weren't very similar to those they replaced. However, Quinn got substituted when actor Creator/JerryOConnell left, by way of TheNthDoctor by being "fused" with 'Mallory' (his non-identical counterpart from a parallel universe), at the same time [[McLeaned Colin was]] PutOnABus. But with a different personality and face, Quinn Mallory's substitute ''isn't'' the other Quinn Mallory. HotScientist Diana Davis takes his role as the scientific brains on the team. A certain segment of the fanbase believes that [[EpilepticTrees Arturo was substituted by]] ''his own alternate''. The episode that this happens in allows for that interpretation as [[TheProfessor Arturo's]] villainous duplicate tries to replace him so he can escape his own world and just before they slide they are having a classic "which is the real one?" battle, and after the slide the [[TheProfessor Arturo]] who was left behind gives a quiet, "Oh, my God." Worse yet, Series creator TracyTorme has tormented fans by saying that he knows which Arturo made the jump, but will never reveal it.

** The series consciously gave [[ComicBook/GreenArrow Oliver Queen]] many of [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Bruce Wayne]]'s traits because they didn't have the television rights to ''Batman'' characters (making the ''Smallville'' universe's Queen both a CompositeCharacter and a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute). He shares his birthplace, M.O. and basic background with the Green Arrow's comic book incarnation, but he's also the primary founder of the ComicBook/JusticeLeague, the world's most well-known [[BadassNormal non-powered superhero]], and Clark Kent's closest ally in the superhero community.

* Annie replaced Fi as the protagonist in the final season of ''Series/SoWeird''. Like Fi, Annie had paranormal encounters which she posted on a website. The "twist" was that she was a [[IdolSinger singer]].
* ''Series/TheSopranos'' killed off the character of Richie Aprile in the twelfth episode of the second season. In the second episode of the third season Ralphie is introduced. Although you could never mistake them for each other, they occupy very similar places in the show's universe; he even ends up dating Janice.

** Despite being the {{Trope Namer|s}} for a while, Jonas Quinn wasn't even the best example of this trope on this show. Cam Mitchell, an Air Force colonel with a snarky sense of humor and a tendency to make pop culture references (like the actor Browder's character in ''Series/{{Farscape}}'') replaced Richard Dean Anderson's character, Jack O'Neill, when he started CommutingOnABus to spend more time with his family. This somewhat falls under the "military role" exception, but is more likely due to a desire to have a new leading man, particularly one with a built-in audience. In addition, the "military role" exception doesn't explain their sufficiently similar personalities; Mitchell hadn't SeenItAll like O'Neill, had a lower rank and lacks the Ancient gene, but other than that they could have delivered the same lines.

** Jewel Staite's Dr. Keller also replaced Dr. Beckett on ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' as the caring and sometimes out of his/her element doctor, despite having appeared on the series previously as a different character (as an alien with heavy prosphetics, but still).

** The series used this with ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' and ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' -- though for different reasons. ENT was intentionally a merging of the holy trinity of Kirk, Spock and Bones with the "new generation" Trek tropes. Conversely, VOY germinated as an [[PostScriptSeason unaired eighth season]] of TNG before being retooled into a spinoff.

** For one season of ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', Dr. Kate Pulaski (played by Diana Muldaur, who'd appeared twice as different characters in the [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Original Series]]) replaced Dr. Beverly Crusher as ship's doctor. Pulaski was ''doubly'' a Suspiciously Similar Substitute, since her abrasive tics were explicitly based on Bones [=McCoy=].

** The exact same thing happened in the early production of ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'': B'Elanna Torres was also a replacement character for Ro Laren, because Michelle Forbes again refused to commit to a seven-year show.

** Taken UpToEleven in Season 4, which saw the addition of Mason, a gay male high school freshman who's a POC, star athlete on the lacrosse team, best friends with blond jock Liam, and isn't aware of the supernatural events going on around him. Sounds great until you realize that that almost ''word for word'' describes Danny Mahealani, who was mysteriously cut from Season 4, has had minimal CharacterDevelopment since Jackson's departure two seasons ago, and was an EnsembleDarkhorse amongst the fandom and casual viewers.

* In ''Series/TheThickOfIt'' series three has a new Minister For Social Affairs -- Nicola Murray replacing Hugh Abbot. Her only points of difference with her predecessor are that she's a woman, and that she's not best friends with her main ministerial advisor. This is entirely justified, as the premise of the show is that all politicians are the same.

* ''Series/TheTick2001'' suffered from a number of poor copies meant to be substitutes when Fox failed to get the rights for any characters besides The Tick and Arthur. But given that it was Fox, no one was really surprised as the show's days were numbered from day one. Though, to give credit where credit is due, Bat Manuel is one of the funniest television characters ever. Even better the actor who played Bat Manuel in the live action version of The Tick played the Mayor in the Franchise/{{Batman}} movie ''Film/TheDarkKnight''.

* In ''Series/WelcomeBackKotter'', as Creator/JohnTravolta--who played Vinnie Barbarino--became a celebrity, he left the show (returning every so often as a "special guest star"). His "replacement" was Steven Shortridge as Beau, a transfer student from New Orleans.

* ''Series/WhiteCollar'' introduced FBI agent Diana Barrigan in the pilot, but when the actress had other commitments, she was replaced without explanation by the character Lauren Cruz. (Who was subsequently re-replaced without explanation by Barrigan in season 2.) Diana took a job in Washington, DC because it's where her girlfriend was from, and decided to come back to New York. Lauren left with no explanation.
* The UK kids' show ''Series/WhyDontYou'' is another example, but it had one notable exception in its later years: Ben, the Welsh MadScientist, was evidently considered un-substitutable, so he continued past the typical age, eventually playing a [[Series/RedDwarf Holly]]-style computer program based on the original Ben, so that the disparity between his age and the rest of the cast wasn't an issue.

** They don't even try and hide the similarities between Puck and Jake; Both from a broken home in which they didn't know their father, they both play/ed for the football team and have a big reputation as trouble makers and womanizers (To the point where Unique feels it necessary to break into an improv Britney Spears number to prove it). They both have strong, baritone voices and start off dissing the glee club and disputing it, before slowing warming up to the idea of singing and dancing on stage. They both are implied to see themselves as losers and both have a below average IQ and are popular. Oh yeah, and [[spoiler: they're half brothers]]. This is later deconstructed when Jake says he doesn't just want to be seen as a failure because his brother was, and that there's more to him than his genes. He's having a tough time it proving, though.

** Col. Blake was replaced by Col. Potter, which was a major subversion. Blake was spacey, had no real army background, and lacked real authority. Potter, meanwhile, was army through and through -- a stern yet fatherly leader who had a firm grip on command.
** When the snotty, arrogant Frank Burns left, he was immediately replaced by snotty, arrogant Charles Winchester. However, the two characters were ''extremely'' different. Burns was an incompetent doctor, a charmless nitwit, and a cowardly hypocrite who was easily outfoxed and impossible to respect. Winchester, by contrast, was a first rate surgeon with a very firm code of ethics. While his smug demeanour could be off-putting, he was able to be charming when he had to be. He was also very-well educated, smart, and very much a potentially formidable opponent.

** ''Maverick'' also did this with recurring roles, noticably bringing in "Gentleman Jack" Darby to fulfill the same type of competitive friend/adversary function as "Dandy Jim" Buckley. Then Buckley was replaced by "Nobby Ned" Wyngate. All three were essentially the same character: a very sharp-dressing, outwardly smooth gambler who had a long history with the Mavericks, and who would work with (or sometimes against) the Mavericks on their latest schme -- but who would cheerfully switch sides on a moment's notice if the money was right.

** When the snotty, arrogant Frank Burns left, he was immediately replaced by snotty, arrogant Charles Winchester. However, the two characters were <i>extremely</i> different. Burns was an incompetent doctor, a charmless nitwit, and a cowardly hypocrite who was easily outfoxed and impossible to respect. Winchester, by contrast, was a first rate surgeon with a very firm code of ethics. While his smug demeanour could be off-putting, he was able to be charming when he had to be. He was also very-well educated, smart, and very much a potentially formidable opponent.

** Not <i>always</i> inverted, though. Particularly very early in the show, some very minor characters (who would only last a few episodes, and never got much CharacterDevelopment as a result) are replaced with similarly undeveloped minor characters. This is particularly true of various early-season nurses (who are all basically treated as interchangable dates for Hawkeye and Trapper) and commanding generals (who are more-or-less interchangable out-of-touch authority figures.)

* ''Series/{{MASH}}'': Any time a major regular character left the show, they would be immediately replaced by one of these, with some minor differences. Trapper was replaced as Hawkeye's bunkmate and partner-in-crime by BJ, who was nearly the same in all respects, while Col. Blake was replaced by Col. Potter, but the latter was a major subversion. Blake was spacey and not really in charge, while Potter was a stern yet fatherly leader who had a firm grip on command. Later the snotty, arrogant Frank Burns left, and was immediately replaced by snotty, arrogant Charles Winchester.
** Sgt. Luther Rizzo is this for Sgt. Zelmo Zale.

** When Gomer Pyle left the series in 1964 for his own spin-off, ''Series/GomerPyleUSMC'' (of "'PYYYYLE!'...'Shazam!'" fame), he was replaced by equally hayseed cousin Goober Pyle. Up to that point, Goober was only [[HeWhoMustNotBeSeen referred to by Gomer]] as a running gag; his materializing as Gomer's replacement would be something like ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'''s Kramer being replaced by the infamous "Bob Sacamano". Weird.
** Warren Ferguson and Howard Sprague, for Barney Fife.
** Andy's steady girlfriend in the first season was pharmacist Ellie Walker; after she was written out of the show (apparently due to lack of chemistry between Andy Griffith and Elinor Donahue), Andy was given a couple more temporary love interests before Helen Crump was finally introduced in season 3.

** The sweet-natured, dimwitted old bartender Coach was replaced by the sweet-natured, dimwitted young bartender Woody Boyd. Rebecca Howe (a ruthless and hot corporate exec) was more distinct from her predecessor Diane (a bookish and pretty in a girl-next-door-way barmaid), but Rebecca gradually became more and more like Diane.
** Al, the elderly man who sat at the opposite corner of the bar from Norm and occasionally made sarcastic comments, was replaced by Phil, the elderly man who sat at the opposite corner of the bar from Norm and occasionally made sarcastic comments. In the ReunionShow episode of ''Series/{{Frasier}}'', Frasier says how good it is to see Al again, only to be told "[[LampshadeHanging I'm Phil, you jackass! Al died!]]"

* ''Series/{{MASH}}'': Sgt. Luther Rizzo is this for Sgt. Zelmo Zale.

** The character of Mandy is another example. If the producers couldn't get Mia Kirshner the actress who played her they created another sexy terrorist. Season 4's Nicole is a prime example, because she behaves in EXACTLY the same way as Mandy would, [[spoiler: she has sex with a character to get him on side, then reveals her true colors. Mandy did more or less the same thing in the first episode]]. Which is amusing in itself considering Mandy actually ''did'' return at the very end of the fourth season.
** Olivia Taylor's only real existence on the show was to essentially play Sherri Palmer to her mother Allison's David: The former is a corrupt, manipulative bitch family to the latter who is the President and very much a strong moral force for the country.

* ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'' replaced Billy Keikeya with Tory Foster. This is actually the only Battlestar example. Given the improvisational nature of the series' writing it's unclear if Billy would have followed a similar arc to Tory, had Paul Campbell remained on the show.

** Summer's initial love interest was Jimmy Slade, a blonde surfer who lived out his car, had an abusive dad, and dreamed of going pro. During a period where Jimmy had been PutOnABus, Summer got a one episode ReplacementGoldfish named Steve Thorn, a blonde kickboxer who lived out of his car, had an abusive dad, and dreamed of going pro.

** The trope is played straight with Prentiss, but not Rossi. WordOfGod from creator Ed Bernero on the "About Face" commentary says they wanted to make him as least like Gideon as possible, so they made him an egotistical wannabe rock star of a profiler who doesn't really "do" teams, and the first thing he does is [[TakeThat shoot a bird]]. Jason Gideon was part ornithologist and part birdwatcher. Many times throughout Creator/MandyPatinkin's run you would hear and see references to his characters' love for birds. A TakeThat indeed!
** Since JJ's departure, there will be another new character joining the team--meet Ashley Seaver , FBI cadet and [[spoiler: based on previews, the daughter of a serial killer]]. Yes, she does look like JJ superficially, but whether she is a good, distinct, well-drawn out character in her own right (despite the physical similarities) or a Scrappy Mary Sue copycat replacement will be determined soon when her first episode airs. Subverted by the fact that the majority of the fanbase disliked Seaver prompting the return of JJ (and Prentiss who left at the end of last season).

** Kitty Wilde and Quinn Fabray's similarities are even lampshaded in the series; They're both (for at least a brief time) head cheerleaders, both Caucasian, heterosexual and blonde with a strange, inconceivable hatred for the main heroine who has never done anything to them. They are both popular but implied that their "friends" don't ''really'' like them (Quinn's falling out with Santana/Kitty saying she really just wants friends). They're also dating the football player as a obvious RomanticFalseLead, but seem to be using them for popularity at the best of times and get jealous and possessive over them even talking to other females in a purely platonic sense. It isn't helped by the fact that Kitty ''worships'' Quinn and constantly gushes about how she wants to be just like her. Or the fact that Sue dubs Kitty "A young Quinn Fabray, except not pregnant, manically depressed and in/out of a wheelchair", which crossed the DudeNotFunny territory for some viewers with experiences of that nature. They both have high, wispy voices too.
** They don't even try and hide the similarities between Puck and Jake; Both from a broken home in which they didn't know their father, they both play/ed for the football team and have a big reputation as trouble makers and womanizers (To the point where Unique feels it necessary to break into a improv Britney Spears number to prove it). They both have strong, baritone voices and start off dissing the glee club and disputing it, before slowing warming up to the idea of singing and dancing on stage. They both are implied to see themselves as losers and both have a below average IQ and are popular. Oh yeah, and [[spoiler: they're half brothers]]. This is later deconstructed when Jake says he doesn't just want to be seen as a failure because his brother was, and that there's more to him than his genes. He's having a tough time it proving, though.

* ''Series/WhiteCollar'' introduced FBI agent Diana Barrigan in the pilot, but when the actress had other commitments, she was replaced without explanation by the character Lauren Cruz. (Who was subsequently re-replaced without explanation by Barrigan in season 2). Diana took a job in Washington, DC because it's where her girlfriend was from, and decided to come back to New York. Lauren left with no explanation.
* The UK kids' show ''Series/WhyDontYou'' is another example, but is had one notable exception in its later years: Ben, the Welsh MadScientist, was evidently considered un-substitutable, so he continued past the typical age, eventually playing a [[Series/RedDwarf Holly]]-style computer program based on the original Ben, so that the disparity between his age and the rest of the cast wasn't an issue.

* ''Series/{{Monk}}'' did this when Traylor Howard was introduced as Natalie Teeger, replacing Bitty Schram's character Sharona Fleming as Monk's assistant midway through season 3. The next few episodes were very obviously written for Sharona, with the only real difference in the characters being Natalie calls him "Mr. Monk" instead of "Adrian." (Well, almost all of the time) This gets especially weird when she states that she's never seen Monk's feet like that's a big deal, despite having only taken the job in the previous episode. The point at which the writers ran out of their previous scripts and were able to start creating material specifically for Natalie (mostly involving her dead husband at first) is very, very clear, and happens some time around "Mr. Monk and the Election" or "Mr. Monk and the Kid". Lastly, due to the death of Stanley Kamel (Dr. Kroger), Hector Elizondo has taken on the role of a new psychiatrist for Adrian Monk.

** Jewel Staite's Dr. Keller also replaced Dr. Beckett on ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' as the caring and sometimes out of his/her element doctor, despite having appeared on the series previously as a different character.

* ''Series/NYPDBlue'' is the master of this trope, having replaced Andy Sipowicz's partner ''three times''. Creator/JimmySmits replaced David Caruso when the latter decided he was too big to do the show. Rick Schroeder replaced Smits. Creator/MarkPaulGosselaar replaced Schroeder. Gosselaar and Schroeder are the best examples here, both having similar physical make-ups and similar character personalities.

* Downplayed in ''Series/OddSquad''. Agents Olive and Otto are replaced with Otis and Olympia, respectively. They have differences, but they are superficial at best. These differences include gender, height, and fears.

** Since the [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse MCU]] [[ExiledFromContinuity couldn't use]] any ''[[Film/XMenFilmSeries X-Men]]'' characters or the term "{{mutant}}" at the time the show was airing, the writers used the generic term "Gifted" to describe people with superhuman abilities. This became significantly more pronounced when Comicbook/TheInhumans were introduced in the second season, with many viewers and critics noticing that their storylines seemed suspiciously similar to stuff from the X-Men mythos. These included plots about increasing public fear and paranoia regarding the Inhumans, Inhumans being forced to register with the government, and even some of the heroes becoming divided over a controversial "cure" for Inhuman powers, all of which had been done before in various X-Men media. Hive was even given a new backstory and set of motivations that made him very similar to Comicbook/{{Apocalypse}}, one of the X-Men's recurring {{Big Bad}}s.

* In ''Series/BlakesSeven'', substitutes are always the same gender as the outgoing character, for no particular reason but to make up the numbers. [[spoiler:Jenna is replaced by Dayna, Blake is replaced by Tarrant, and Cally is replaced by Soolin.]] Slightly subverted in "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS3E1Rescue Rescue]]", though, where the tough guy and the female pilot are replaced by a male pilot and a tough chick, respectively.

** ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'' did this in ''[[Series/TorchwoodChildrenOfEarth Children of Earth]]'' with Lois, who fills the role Martha was going to play had Creator/FreemaAgyeman been available. Subverted in the same miniseries when a character [[spoiler:who seems like he's being built up to be a substitute for Owen suddenly shoots Jack in the back, and then gets shot himself. RTD says this was intentional, because he thinks it's a disservice to characters to outright replace them with a Suspiciously Similar Substitute.]]

* The late 80s-early 90s incarnation of ''Series/TheMickeyMouseClub'' turned over its cast a few times. Notables in the mix include Keri Russell (as part of the first rotation of new blood) and Music/BritneySpears (as part of one of the last rotations).

* ''Series/RobinOfSherwood''

* ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' originally had Jenny as her MuggleBestFriend, only to replace her with Valerie in season 2. Season four then replaced Valerie with Dreama, though at least here it was different, as she's a witch too. Season four also replaced Libby, the former {{Trope Namer |s}} for AlphaBitch, with Brad as Sabrina's school nemesis.

* One of the world's few substitute ''anticipations'' happened in the kids' series ''Series/SpaceCases''. With Jewel Staite having ''Series/FlashForward1996'' hanging in the balance, her character, Catalina, was given an "imaginary friend" named Suzee, who was really a person living in AnotherDimension that Catalina could communicate with. When the other series required Ms. Staite's services, a little AppliedPhlebotinum switched Suzee to the real world (as played by Rebecca Herbst) and Catalina to the "imaginary" world.

** Creator/JewelStaite's Dr. Keller also replaced Dr. Beckett on ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' as the caring and sometimes out of his/her element doctor, despite having appeared on the series previously as a different character.

* In ''Series/WelcomeBackKotter'', as John Travolta--who played Vinnie Barbarino--became a celebrity, he left the show (returning every so often as a "special guest star"). His "replacement" was Steven Shortridge as Beau, a transfer student from New Orleans.

** By comparison, ''Series/{{CSINY}}'' replaced Aiden Burn with another occasionally-sarcastic female character, who was even suggested to be in a relationship with the same character, at least until she was KilledOffForReal. Her other traits were added to a previously-existing background character, who occasionally takes Don Flack's place. Later, a new recurring female detective was brought into the series, and appears to be a Suspiciously Similar Substitute for the original Suspiciously Similar Substitute. She's even becoming Flack's new love interest. The two actresses even look similar.