The "almosts" and "could've been's" of television are so fun to speculate about. Did you know Macaulay Culkin was supposed to be in The Big Bang Theory? He was in talks to play Leonard! Ellen DeGeneres was reportedly offered the role of Phoebe in Friends! Things could've played out very differently on our TVs, at several points over the years. Bob Odenkirk could've been Michael Scott on The Office! Who knows what the world would look like under these strange Twilight Zone circumstances?

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Gilligan's IslandBob DenverAlan Hale Jr.

Bob Denver on Alan Hale: ''In many ways, he was the Skipper.''

Here's another point where history could've diverged forever: Bob Denver's acting career was nearly interrupted before Gilligan's Island. Fans will recall that before becoming our little buddy, Denver starred as Maynard G. Krebs in The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Shortly after landing the role, the U.S. Army came a-knockin'. It was 1959, early into the show's first season, when Denver's number was called.

Denver explained what nearly happened in a 1978 interview with The Akron Beacon Journal.

"Everybody thought, 'Well, that's it," Denver recalled. "They even hired [Michael J.] Pollard to play Maynard's cousin and eventually move into Maynard's place, complete with a contract for 25 shows."

However, unbeknownst to Denver, he'd been living with a broken neck since a childhood accident. His Army physical revealed that he'd be unfit for service, and the military gave him a 4-F classification, meaning he was exempt from duty. 

"They had to pay off Michael [J. Pollard]'s contract," said Denver. "He thought it was terrific; work for a couple of shows and get paid for 25."

Thank goodness for that broken neck, too. If he hadn't made such an impact as Maynard G. Krebs, who knows if Denver would've been allowed to be Gilligan?

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