It's been years since I watched this regularly, but I tuned in today and am a little confused. James Darren is playing a race car driver named Dan Danko. But I thought he was on from the beginning playing a police officer. Didn't he play Heather Locklear's character's training officer in the pilot?
Nobody gets to be a cowboy forever.
James Darren was a guest star in King of the Hill. 2 years later he was signed on to play Officer Corrigan. He must have gotten along so well with the cast and others that they decided to use him permanently as a police officer.
When Heather Locklear played on Melrose Place, James Darren played a sleezy client of hers for about 4 episodes. In TV Guide, they wrote they were reuniting from TJ Hooker.
Yeah, I also believe the same thing that he had good chemistry witht the others. Quite a few shows over the years have added cast members who have guest starred in earlier episodes.
shareIt wasn't even two years later that Darren became a regular part of the cast - it was later in the 2nd Season!
So Devil Dan Danko became Sgt Jim Corrigan in the same season!
It was REALLY common back in the 70's and 80's to have the same guest actor play different roles every season (once a season). Often the producers would like an actor and when a new part came up they'd offer him or her the role. Harry Morgan was a guest star on M*A*S*H* and a year later he became Col Sherman T. Potter! It happened all the time.