The Casting Controversies of 'The Dukes of Hazzard': A Look Back 45 Years After The Show's Debut

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The Big Picture

This year marks the 45th anniversary of The Dukes of Hazzard premiere, which originally ran on CBS-TV from 1979 to 1985.

The show made stars of John Schneider, Tom Wopat, and Catherine Bach who played cousins Bo, Luke and Daisy Duke, and remains a pop-culture benchmark in the history of fast cars, short shorts.

The Dukes reside with their Uncle Jesse (Denver Pyle) in rural Hazzard County, Georgeia, where they're on probation for moonshining. Prohibited from owning guns, they drive around in their 1969 Dodge Charger, which they call the "General Lee," and battle wits in their with the corrupt authorities (led by Sorrell Booke as Boss Hogg and James Best as Sheriff Roscoe Coltrane) and various greedy wealthy "city slickers."

Network executives never expected the series, with it's modern country take on Robin Hood, to become the mamouth success it tranformed into.

The show's stars and their on-screen vehicle, the General Lee, received thousands of fans letters every month.

And Then It Happened

Tom Wopat shot to fame as Lucas "Luke" Duke, the older cousin to Bo Duke, played by New York native John Schneider (when he was 18 years old).

At one point in the 5th season, Schneider and Wopat believed their enormous success should be more expansively compensation. As such, they walked away from the series, and filed a $25 million lawsuit against Warner Bros. Television over merchandising royalties.

The studio countersued for $90 million and replaced them with unknowns as Bo and Luke’s cousins: Byran Cherry played Coy, and Christopher Mayer was cast as Vance.

All of that was explained on the show by having Bo and Luke leave Hazzard County to join the NASCAR circuit.

Peace (Kind of) Eventually Returned to Hazzard County

Eighteen episodes after they left the shwo, John Schneider and Tom Wopat were back in the driven saddle of the General Lee.

For two more seasons, all in Hazzard County was returned to the original chaos that the show's audience adored.