Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman - Replacement of Erika Flores With Jessica Bowman

Replacement of Erika Flores With Jessica Bowman

There were various cast changes of minor characters during the series. The most profiled change took place during the show's third season when the character of Colleen Cooper was recast halfway through the year. Unlike the other actors, who signed 5-year contracts with the show, Erika Flores was hesitant. She held out for an increase in her salary and refused to sign a contract unless offered a contract of less than 5 years, or an increase in salary. Rumors circulated that Flores's father gave her an ultimatum to end the contract unless they offered her more money, or he would cut her off financially. Flores has denied such rumors, saying that she left the series for personal reasons and to pursue other opportunities. Whatever the reasons, the actress was abruptly dismissed with little warning by CBS after the show declined to meet her requests.

Beth Sullivan decided that she wanted the character to continue instead of being killed off or sent away. As a result, Jessica Bowman was cast as the new Colleen in Flores's place. Some of Erika Flores's fans were vocal in their anger over the change and wrote CBS demanding to know why the actress had been replaced. CBS issued the following statement to the press:

Official "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman Web Site" – February 7, 1996

"Dear Viewers: Over the past several months we have received numerous letters regarding the re-casting of "Colleen" on our show. When this change occurred, we released a statement to the effect of, "Unwilling to commit to 5 years, Erika Flores is leaving the series to pursue other interests." Well, it's now over one year and, the fact remains that Erika Flores left the show to pursue other interests. Now, what are those other interests? I can tell you its primarily school. She's auditioned for movies, but her primary focus, to our knowledge, is school. After all, she's only 16 years old. The events leading up to her decision to leave the show did include CBS's request that she sign a 5-year contract. Erika did not want to commit to that extended period of time, and CBS would not allow it (all the series regulars, including Jane Seymour, are required to sign a 5-year contract.) We, as producers of the show, were able to convince CBS to double Erika's salary in an attempt to keep her on the show, but she still was unwilling to commit to 5 years. This being the case, we had no other choice but to replace her. I hope that this will help clarify your questions about Erika Flores. She remains a very close friend of the show, often visiting the set for lunch and we wish her all the best in her future pursuits. Tim Johnson
Producer, "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman"
(c) 1996 CBS"

The producers of the show felt that Jessica Bowman had the ability to successfully recreate the character on her own.