Somewhere, theres an alternate universe where Rob Lowe practiced medicine not on Code Black, but as Greys Anatomys McDreamy. Where Katie Holmes played Orange Is the New Blacks Piper Chapman. And where Game of Thrones Iwan Rheon almost played Game of Thrones Jon Snow?!

The TV landscape is littered withalmost-casting stories the many cases in which a major small-screen role was nearly filled by someone else. If some of them had come to fruition, we could have seen Houses Lisa Edelstein slipping into Carrie Bradshaws Manolo Blahniks, orParks and Recreations Chris Pratt sporting a Buy More name tag.

In some cases, actors didnt land the lead roles for which they originally auditioned, but they did pop up as other characters on those same shows. Such was the case for Smallvilles Jensen Ackles,Arrows Anna Hopkins andThe Affairs Colin Donnell, to name a few.

In the attached photo gallery, weve gathered more than 20 almost-casting stories from TV shows past and present, all of which got us wondering about how those series would play out with different stars. (Note: We of course havent included every case of an actor missing out on a certain role, but simply a selection that struck us as particularly fun or curious. Admit it: You want to know what True Blood would be like with Benedict Cumberbatch as Bill, right?)

Scroll through the attached gallery or click here for direct access to see the aforementioned almost-castings and many more, then drop a comment with the stories that intrigue you most!

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Stars Who Almost Played Other TV Roles on Grey's Anatomy, NCIS, Lost, Gilmore Girls, Friends and Other Shows - TVLine