Cast changes are inevitable in any long running television series. Usually they are met with trepidation bordering on dismay by fans. Adding new characters allows new dynamics to be explored, new subplots, plus rehashing everything you've done before in the hopes no one notices. Don't believe me? Watch House. (If you speak English, have internet access, and have never seen House, allow me to express my shock.) Cameron's HIV scare is recycled with a different ending in Thirteen's illness subplot. Or Cameron and Chase's relationship echoed in Thirteen and Foreman's. Same themes and tensions, recycled and rethought. Sometimes a cast change isn't required. Look at how many times Foreman has actually been in charge on the series (hint: more than twice).
More interestingly, NCIS has taken advantage of a cast change to recycle not just plots and themes but dialogue. Scenes with Tony and Kate are repeated with Tony and Ziva. The reactions change, sometimes the characters swap positions on subjects, but the conversations can be nearly identical.
Don't get me wrong. Judiciously, recycling can be used to show character development. Repeating scenes with different endings can show growth (or regression). And I am not inclined to think it is at all unintentional. Consistency is very important when consumers can buy an entire series and watch in back to back, so I doubt anyone forgot they had done this before. I do think they expect most audiences to not notice. But with IMDB and lists of mistakes available on the internet, I expect to see a rise in carefully constructed series that can stand up to viewing as a complete entity, not as individual episodes. Which is only more fun for me, as television creates more credible literature.
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