Dream Roles For Stars Of Cancelled Shows: Abbott's New P.E. Coach, Enigmatic Severance Bureaucrat, Elsbeth's M.I.A. Son And More

We lived, we loved, we lost. Yes, there were some heartbreaking cancellations in 2024, but the good news? It's time to start thinking about Fall TV, so let's revisit TVLine's annual tradition of conjuring up possible new gigs for the cast members of recently axed shows.

The Grim Reaper visited many comedies and dramas this year, bringing freshman newbies like The Girl on the Bus, Wolf Pack, Death and Other Details and Extended Family to premature ends. Meanwhile, Young Sheldon and Station 19 wrapped up their lengthy runs, freeing up even more of our small-screen faves for fresh roles. So TVLine put on its casting director hat and crafted some hypothetical characters for them — like a new spirit on Ghosts, a replacement duo for Mr. and Mrs. Smith, a new Rookie recruit and a key figure for The Handmaid's Tale's final season.

We've placed stars on shows spanning both broadcast and streaming, including NBC's forthcoming Reba McEntire sitcom (which would tee up one very special reunion, if you ask us!)

But again: These are dream castings from Team TVLine, not actual news items.

Scroll through the list below to review our picks, then hit the comments to share the beloved faces you want back on TV ASAP.

Past Gig: Young Sheldon's scene-stealing Meemaw 

New Gig: The Grey's Anatomy dynamo brought in to replace Catherine when her pettiness gets her booted by the board of her own foundation 

Past Gig: Station 19 "fire zaddy" Robert Sullivan 

New Gig: The too-hot-to-handle new Abbott Elementary P.E. coach who leaves Ava tongue-tied 

Past Gig: Embattled Station 19 first-responder Vic Hughes

New Gig: The Beef Season 2 firestarter whose terrible advice makes hot tempers flare

Past Gig: The Girls on the Bus journalist Sadie 

New Gig: While we like The Way Home star/EP Chyler Leigh's suggestion that her former Supergirl castmate could guest-star as a Lady of the Pond, we're going to pitch her as Elliot's yet-to-be-introduced ex-wife 

Past Gigs: Walker's titular Texas Ranger Cordell Walker; Wolf Pack's arson investigator Kristin Ramsey

New Gigs: Kick-ass spies forced into a fake marriage in Season 2 of Prime Video's Mr. & Mrs. Smith, if they go through with replacing Donald Glover and Maya Erskine. (We can't resist a good WB reunion.) 
 

Past Gig: Death and Other Details' detective Rufus Cotesworth 

New Gig: An enigmatic bureaucrat high up the Lumon corporate ladder on Severance who's dispatched to stop Mark from bringing down the company 

Past Gig: Not Dead Yet's no-filter newspaper boss Lexi 

New Gig: Ghosts' Patience, the Puritan ghost who wants revenge on Isaac 

Past Gig: Good Trouble's follically gifted Gael 

New Gig: The Cleaning Lady's Derek, the yet-to-be-seen confidant of Ramona Sanchez and potential Season 4 villain

Past Gig: La Brea's displaced Josh 

New Gig: The Rookie's newest recruit, a fresh-faced, clean-cut Iowa transplant 

Past Gig: Sock salesman Bob Wheeler on Bob Hearts Abishola 

New Gig: A barfly who gets romantically involved with Melissa Peterman's Gabby on NBC's forthcoming Reba McEntire comedy Happy's Place (which would double as a Young Sheldon reunion for Gardell and Peterman) 

Past Gig: 14-year-old Persian-American boy Chad Amani on the TBS-turned-Roku comedy Chad 

New Gig: The new district attorney brought in to replace India de Beaufort's Olivia on NBC's Night Court 

Past Gig: The Good Doctor's extremely patient wife Lea 

New Gig: Best friend to Emily Osment's Mandy McAllister on CBS' Young Sheldon spinoff Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage 

Past Gig: Evil skeptic Kristen Bouchard

New Gig: A key figure in helping June and Serena while they're on the run in The Handmaid's Tale's final season

Past Gig: Boston Celtics owner Trey on Extended Family 

New Gig: Courtney's father, who comes to town and disapproves of the way Marty and Courtney are parenting his granddaughter on CBS' The Neighborhood 

Past Gig: Extended Family matriarch Julia 

New Gig: Ormewood's (temporary?) new partner on ABC's Will Trent 

Past Gig: NCIS: Hawai'i's Special Agent Kai Holman 

New Gig: A new Three Rock inmate who will keep Fire Country's Eve on her toes 

Past Gig: Magnum P.I.'s badass Juliette Higgins 

New Gig: Young Tali's nanny-slash-bodyguard on Paramount+'s NCIS: Tony & Ziva 

Past Gig: Quantum Leap physicist and leaper Ben Song 

New Gig: A physicist working on the Wallfacer Project in 3 Body Problem Season 2 

Past Gig: Addison, a military vet and Ben's hologram on Quantum Leap 

New Gig: A newbie detective who works with Chicago P.D.'s Intelligence on a trial basis to see if she has what it takes to join full-time

Past Gig: So Help Me Todd's titular investigator 

New Gig: Elsbeth's never-before-seen but oft-mentioned son, Teddy