Nicollette Sheridan leaving Dynasty, role of Alexis Carrington

There are more casting changes coming in the direction of Dynasty — can a dynasty really be just that if it keeps changing? Following the exits of Nathalie Kelley (last summer) and James Mackay (earlier this season), former Desperate Housewives star Nicollette Sheridan is also saying farewell to the CW series.  Sheridan joined the show as Alexis Carrington, the iconic role played by Joan Collins, during the middle of the first season. According to TVLine, her last appearance will be in March.

Per the aforementioned website, here is what The CW and studio CBS TV had to say on the reasons for Sheridan’s exit:

 “Nicollette Sheridan will be leaving Dynasty in order to focus on some personal family responsibilities. She was a valuable asset to the show and we wish her continued success in the future.”

All in all, it makes a certain degree of sense — family always matters more than anything, and Dynasty is not the easiest show in the world to do since it films in Atlanta, far from where many of its cast members live when they’re not working. It is still a bummer for anyone out there who dug Sheridan’s take on Alexis, and it was a real casting coup for The CW to get her in the first place. Let’s put it this way — they were about to get a well-known performer, who was a major part of a well-known show in Desperate Housewives, on board a series that doesn’t exactly pull great numbers. She brought it some credibility, and it now remains to be seen what the producers will do.

Is a recast an option?

That seems like something that the series is going to consider, and understandably so — Dynasty is the sort of show that can easily get away with this sort of thing through a wide array of crazy twists. They’ve already done something with Cristal that fits within that vein to a certain extent. If we were the show’s producers, here is what we would do:

1. Give it some time – Don’t feel pressured to rush out and find someone else who could be great for this role. Is anyone going to be that bad that there is not some new version of the character running around through the rest of this season?

2. Start the search this summer – You already know that you’ve got a season 3 coming up — because of that, you can spend your summer finding a new Alexis. Wait and see if there’s someone in pilot season whose new show isn’t picked up. You’ll have more options there for casting than you will if you go out and hire someone right now.

Obviously, the producers of Dynasty are going to go out and do whatever they want when it comes to getting the new Alexis — just make sure you find the right one. Do you really want to put yourself in a position where you have to do this again?

When is Dynasty back on the air?

You can find some more information on that, plus some of what you can expect, over at the link here.

What’s your take on Nicollette Sheridan leaving Dynasty? Share now in the comments. (Photo: The CW.)