Popular TV Shows That Are Getting Major Cast Changes Next Season

Due to some major cast shakeups, many of your favorite TV shows will look different when they return. In some cases, a beloved cast member is leaving or being fired, and shows will go on without them. But we can’t see how a few series can possibly continue, especially the one cast change we’re most devastated about (page 9). Here’s a look at the fan-favorite shows getting major cast changes next season.

1. House of Cards

• Kevin Spacey is out; Diane Lane and Greg Kinnear are in.

House of Cards is undergoing a dramatic cast shakeup; it’s losing its main character, Frank Underwood, due to the sexual assault allegations leveled against Kevin Spacey. For Season 6, Robin Wright, who plays Claire Underwood, will step into the lead role. Additionally, Diane Lane and Greg Kinnear will both join the cast.

Next: This actor is leaving after many years with the show.

2. Chicago Fire

• Monica Raymund is out.

Monica Raymund played Gabby Dawson on Chicago Fire from the beginning, but she will not return for the seventh season. “It has been an honor to play Dawson on Chicago Fire and one of the most meaningful experiences of my life,” Raymund said on Twitter. “I am so thankful for the journey and especially to all of you for watching, but I have made the decision that it’s time for me to move on to the next chapter in life.”

Next: Rape allegations hurt this beloved Netflix show.

3. The Ranch

• Danny Masterson is out; Dax Shepard is in.

Netflix fired Danny Masterson from The Ranch due to multiple rape allegations. Playing Rooster, Masteron was the second highest-billed person on the show below Ashton Kutcher.

The Ranch‘s third season, billed as Part 5, will actually have Masterson in it a bit, since he filmed those episodes before allegations surfaced. But he won’t be in the second half. The show is bringing Dax Shepard in for a recurring role, although he won’t play Masterson’s character. We presume Rooster will be written out.

Next: The whole world knows why this cast member left.

4. Suits 

• Meghan Markle and Patrick J. Adams are out; Katherine Heigl is in.

When Suits returns for its eighth season, it will miss two of its main actors. The first is Meghan Markle, who played Rachel Zane and is leaving for obvious reasons.

The second is Patrick J. Adams, who portrayed Mike Ross since Season 1. At the end of Season 7, Mike and Rachel both accept jobs in Seattle, which will explain their absence in future episodes. However, in an attempt to fill the void Mike and Rachel left, Katherine Heigl will join the show as Samantha Wheeler, a new partner at Specter Litt.

Next: Sexual harassment allegations ended things for a main character.

5. Transparent

• Jeffrey Tambor is out.

Yet another main lead written out due to sexual allegations is Transparent‘s Jeffrey Tambor. After he was accused of sexual harassment by both his former assistant and a Transparent co-star, he was fired and will not return for the upcoming season.

It’s unclear how the show will handle his absence in Season 5, as Tambor played the main character, Maura Pfefferman.

Next: This beloved show recasted its lead “royal.”

6. The Crown

• Claire Foy is out; Olivia Colman and Helena Bonham Carter are in.

The Crown will fundamentally transform for the third season. Claire Foy played a young Queen Elizabeth II in the first two seasons, but she will not return for Season 3. The show will jump ahead in time, so The Crown needs an actress, Olivia Colman, who is about 10 years older than Foy.

Colman is confirmed for Season 3 and 4. In addition, Helena Bonham Carter will portray Princess Margaret, the role previously played by Vanessa Kirby, and Tobias Menzies will portray Prince Philip, the role previously played by Matt Smith.

Next: An upsetting reason caused this character to exit after 15 years.

7. NCIS

• Pauley Perrette is out.

Pauley Perrette announced in early 2018 she would leave NCIS after playing Abby Sciuto for 15 seasons. In May, her final episode aired, and in it, Abby left NCIS in order to start a charity. Her character is still alive, leaving open the possibility she could return. But considering she says she left the show after “multiple physical assaults,” that seems unlikely.

Next: We can’t imagine how this show could go on without this person.

8. The X-Files

• Gillian Anderson is out.

Technically, we don’t know when The X-Files will return — or if it will at all. Fox says it has no plans for another season, while creator Chris Carter says Season 11 isn’t the end. Either way, if The X-Files comes back, it would look a lot different, as Gillian Anderson announced she will not return. She implied on social media she was not happy with the recent season.

Next: This popular TV saw two fan favorites tearfully leave for good.

9. Grey’s Anatomy

• Jessica Capshaw and Sarah Drew are out.

Grey’s Anatomy is constantly adding and losing cast members, and the latest to leave the show are Jessica Capshaw and Sarah Drew, who played Arizona Robbins and April Kepner respectively. According to Deadline, they’re leaving because of the show’s creative direction.

Next: More mystery for a murder show.

10. NCIS: New Orleans 

• Shalita Grant is out.

The NCIS spinoff, NCIS: New Orleans, is also getting a casting shake-up in its upcoming fifth season. Shalita Grant, who played Sonja Percy since Season 1, has announced she will not return. Her character’s exit was set up in the Season 4 finale, with Percy turning in her badge.

Next: This show dramatically fired its main star.

11. Lethal Weapon

• Clayne Crawford is out; Seann William Scott is in.

Clayne Crawford, who plays Martin Riggs on Lethal Weapon, was fired from the show, reportedly due to bad behavior and outbursts on set. In Season 3, Murtaugh will get a new partner played by Seann William Scott. According to Deadline, the rumor is Scott will play Murtaugh’s brother.

Next: This character won’t be back for Season 2.

12. The Good Doctor

• Chuku Modu is out.

Chuku Modu will not return to play Dr. Jared Kalu in the second season of The Good Doctor. At the end of Season 1, his character accepted a job in Colorado. This does not appear to be a case where the show had simply run out of story for Jared; the showrunner had previously said he hoped to return to Jared’s storyline in Season 2.

Next: This character won’t be back for Season 7.

13. Arrow

• Paul Blackthorne and Willa Holland are out.

Paul Blackthorne played Quentin Larry Lance on Arrow for six seasons, also playing the character on Legends of Tomorrow and The Flash. But he will not return for Season 7. In addition, Willa Holland will not be returning as Thea Queen.

Next: This new actress is coming in to play a beloved character. 

14. Doctor Who 

• Peter Capaldi is out; Jodie Whittaker is in.

Doctor Who is a show that has cast changes built into the very premise, and the series will once again be transforming in Season 11. Peter Capaldi left the series at the end of the 10th season, regenerating into the 13th Doctor, who is being played by Jodie Whittaker. This is the first time The Doctor has been portrayed by a woman.

Next: This show is losing literally its entire cast. 

15. Scream

• Every single cast member is out

The third season of MTV’s Scream seems like it’s essentially going to be a complete reboot, as there isn’t a single cast member who is returning for it. The new season will have an entirely new cast consisting of Tyga, C.J. Wallace, Keke Palmer, Giorgia Whigham, RJ Cyler, Jessica Sula, Giullian Yao Gioiello, and Tyler Posey.

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