SHRINKING DOWN

WANDAVISION ISN’T THE FIRST TIME ACTORS HAVE REPRISED THEIR MOVIE ROLES ON THE SMALL SCREEN

DANIEL LARUSSO RALPH MACCHIO

In the Karate Kid series, a fresh-faced Larusso painted fences and chased flies, watched closely by his guru Mr Miyagi. Decades on, the iconic character has returned in buzzy TV series Cobra Kai, now a car salesman who’s lost his lust for life. The ongoing show sees him facing down his old adversary, Johnny Lawrence (an also-returning William Zabka), and relearning the lessons of the gi.

CONNOR MACLEOD CHRISTOPHER LAMBERT

There can be only one. Which is presumably why the role of Connor Macleod wasn’t recast when it came to Highlander: The Series. The immortal Scot only features in the 1992 pilot, though, crashing through a window to interrupt an antique-store burglary, then battling an adversary on a bridge in the fictional city of Seacouver. Lambert’s asking price was so high, his appearance remained a one-off.

DIONNE DAVENPORT STACEY DASH

Almost every role from Clueless was recast when a small-screen version was greenlit in 1996, a year after the film. Alicia Silverstone was replaced by Rachel Blanchard, Paul Rudd by David Lascher. However, one major player did return — Stacey Dash, as Cher’s BFF Dionne, who in the series helps Cher organise a protest and gets stalked by a Ghostface-style killer, while dressed as Ginger Spice.

FATOULA PORTOKALOS NIA VARDALOS

When My Big Fat Greek Wedding became a surprise phenomenon, CBS commissioned a cash-in series, 2003’s My Big Fat Greek Life. It saw the return of the film’s star, Nia Vardalos, in the lead role, though weirdly her character’s first name had been changed, from Fatoula to Nia. Following a dive in ratings, the series, which unlike the film wasn’t written by Vardalos, was soon cancelled.