Many of our favorite actors become forever linked to an iconic role ― especially when it’s a television show, and we see them as that character for years on end. How could there be a Tony Soprano without James Gandolfini, or a Buffy The Vampire Slayer without Sarah Michelle Gellar? (We’re still pretending the Kristy Swanson movie never happened.)

But of course, few TV characters are created with the actor who ends up playing them in mind. Many shows go through an exhaustive casting process to find just the right fit ― and some of the actors who almost get cast are pretty famous in their own right. A recently-leaked sign-in sheet for The Office revealed that familiar faces like Hamish Linklater and Adam Scott were considered for the role of Jim (ultimately going to John Krasinski, of course, making him a star), while Paul Giamatti was the first choice for the role that went to Steve Carell.

From big stars who turned down TV projects that ended up being a huge deal to then-unknowns who went on to find fame in future shows, here are TV's most alarming casting near-misses from some of our favorite shows to ever grace the small screen!

Boy Meets World met television audiences in 1993, starring Ben Savage as Cory Matthews, the titular boy, dealing with typical boy things like school, girls, and family. The primary focus of the show became his relationship with the spacey hippie Topanga (Danielle Fishel), who gradually dialed down her weirdness.

Now we get the news that these characters will be back in the new Disney Channel show Girl Meets World, which will focus on Corey and Topanga's daughter, and hopefully will also see the return of most of the original cast. (It's not like they've been all that busy.) This news got us thinking about which of our other favorite 90's shows should get the reboot treatment.

Check out our ideas for five other shows that most need a return to television!

It's something Friends fans the world over have dreamed about since the show ended in 2004: a reunion movie! But Rachel Green herself, Jennifer Aniston, recently told The Hollywood Reporter that she just doesn't think it's going to happen.

"Friends is in your living room," she said. "Friends is not in a movie theater. It doesn't make sense to me."

But would she ever return to the small screen with her five Central Perk buddies? Find out what she said after the jump!