Pick: Who would YOU cast on Gilligan's Island?

Will you be tempted to drift away from the original castaways?

 
The cast of Gilligan's Island is what completely made the show. That's because Sherwood Schwartz used amazing acting talents like Bob Denver, Jim Backus, Alan Hale Jr. and Natalie Schafer. These seasoned actors could be trusted to create the onscreen characters we've been watching and loving for the past 50 years.

This brings us to today's quiz, which is a game of "Would you rather?" that will be tough for any Gilligan's Island fan. We've put the original castaways up against some of the biggest sitcom stars in TV history to see if you could cast anyone from any era on Gilligan's Island, what would your version of the sitcom look like?

Don't like our options but have another potential castaway in mind? Choose "someone else" and tell us in the comments who you would've liked to see in these iconic roles, if you could pick from any actor or actress from any time.

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  1. Who would you cast as Gilligan: Bob Denver, Don Knotts or someone else?
  2. Who would you cast as The Skipper: Alan Hale Jr., Carroll O'Connor or someone else?
  3. Who would you cast as Mary Ann: Dawn Wells, Jan Smithers or someone else?
  4. Who would you cast as The Professor: Russell Johnson, Raymond Burr or someone else?
  5. Who would you cast as The Movie Star: Tina Louise, Lynda Carter or someone else?
  6. Who would you cast as Mr. Howell: Jim Backus, John Mahoney or someone else?
  7. Who would you cast as Mrs. Howell: Natalie Schafer, Betty White or someone else?

Pick: Who would YOU cast on Gilligan's Island?

Your Result...

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36 Comments

SheriHeffner 22 months ago
100% Similar. I love the original cast.
BobZayas 38 months ago
Jerry Van Dyke wanted the part of Gilligan. He would have made an interesting choice but I don't think that the show would have lasted as long with him.
idkwut2use 38 months ago
100%. Knotts, O’Connor, Burr, and White would be very interesting and probably great in those roles, but you simply can’t beat the actual cast.
PulsarStargrave 39 months ago
I didn't get a score and probably confused it! I kept most the same but I made some slight changes:

RICHARD LONG (BIG VALLEY) as THE PROFESSOR
DIANA DORS as GINGER but only if they couldn't afford JAYNE MANSFIELD
BETTY WHITE as LOVEY HOWELL
Snickers 39 months ago
90% similar. I would have casted someone else other than Tina Louise as Ginger.
DylanSelf 42 months ago
Can only imagine Carroll O'Connor as the Skipper: "Ah, geez, Gilligan, get outta chair, ya meathead."
ndebrabant 68 months ago

You got 100% similar
You got 100% similar to the most popular responses
RB 68 months ago
As wonderful as the alternatives are in their own rights, you just can't beat the original cast.
Lacey 74 months ago
The problem is that over the years these actors have OWNED the characters.
It was their chemistry that made the show work.
All of these alternatives would have been good, but it would have been a different show.
(Except for Don Knox. Big fan but he could NOT have been Gilligan)
SheriHeffner 74 months ago
I couldn't imagine any one but the original cast.
richardkel 74 months ago
100% similar. I don't think they could have changed the cast and still have had as good a show. No disrespect intended to the other actors/actresses. The were awesome in the roles that made them famous.
Deleted 74 months ago
This comment has been removed.
RobCertSDSCascap 74 months ago
Hercules!
stephaniestavropoulos 73 months ago
Lou Ferrigno as the Skippy and Wally Cox as Gilligan!
AndrewHass 74 months ago
I was 80%.I picked John Mahoney and Betty White because i wanted to shake up the cast of Gilligan's Island a little.
SheriHeffner AndrewHass 74 months ago
Who is John Mahoney?
John Mahoney played Frasier and Niles' Crane's father on Frasier.
MrsPhilHarris 74 months ago
90% I picked Lynda Carter for Ginger. Why I don't know.
Tresix MrsPhilHarris 73 months ago
Didn't they originally want Jayne Mansfield?
Pacificsun 74 months ago
The problem is, if you substitute one of those other great characters, you give up another great classic show! But I am surprised people would substitute Tina Louise for Lynda Carter in Wonder Woman.
SalIanni Pacificsun 74 months ago
For Ginger, I was thinking of Raquel Welch, even though she originally auditioned for the part of Mary Ann. She could have used the part to spoof her bombshell image and she might not have taken the part as seriously and as personally as Tina Louise did.
Vee SalIanni 74 months ago
Good points
Pacificsun SalIanni 74 months ago
Very true!
MaryMitch SalIanni 74 months ago
Wait: Raquel Welch auditioned for Mary Ann? What were they thinking?
Snickers Pacificsun 39 months ago
Tina had a long history of not getting along with the other cast members when the camera wasn't rolling. She was angry at Bob Denver for asking management to include Wells and Russell in the opening credits and would barely speak to Denver after that.
JDnHuntsvilleAL 74 months ago
A more interesting study might be to pick who we might cast for a "Gilligan's Island" remake (not that it would ever happen.)
Pacificsun JDnHuntsvilleAL 74 months ago
But you used to be "JimDarling" .... what happened?
MrsPhilHarris Pacificsun 74 months ago
Wasn't he on Dick Van Dyke?
Pacificsun MrsPhilHarris 74 months ago
Yes, that's why I was teasing him. Because his avatar picture didn't change with the name change!
cperrynaples 74 months ago
Your alternate choices are ridiculous! Carroll O'Conner WAS actually considered for the Skipper, but the others were either too young [Lynda Carter], not available [Don Knotts] or just stupid [Raymond Burr??]!!
Vee cperrynaples 74 months ago
I can see similarities in personality of the Professor and Perry Mason, but I never would have selected Raymond Burr.
Pacificsun Vee 74 months ago
Ironically, I've read where Burr had his own island get away. In Fiji (I believe)!
I think some choices were flippant, don't you?
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