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It's almost concerning how heartbroken we feel when a favorite character gets written out of a TV show. We spend so much time getting invested in their story, and suddenly they just move away or die in a random car accident! There are a few cases where actors were fired due to bad behavior, but oftentimes it's their own choice to leave. It's hard to imagine why a star would walk away from a show at the height of its success. Let's find out why these actors made that difficult choice.
Be warned, when a character gets written out they aren't usually sent to live out the rest of their lives on a beautiful farm. There will be dramatic spoilers ahead! Click through the gallery to get started.
After starring as Eric Foreman on 'That '70s Show' for six seasons, Topher Grace decided to leave to pursue a career in film. The seventh season wasn't the same without him and it ended after that.
Fans were not pleased when Dean Norris' character in 'Breaking Bad' died in the first half of season five. The final season was split into two eight episode parts, but Norris requested to be written out in the first half so he could work on other projects.
Mischa Barton informed Fox that she wanted to leave 'The OC' after the third season. She was written off in a devastating manner that traumatized many a tween fan at the time! Barton later revealed that she had been going through a rough patch, and wasn't sure she was enjoying doing the show anymore.
Jim Parsons had won an Emmy and a huge pay check for his role as Sheldon on 'The Big Bang Theory,' but he felt it was time to move on when they hit season 12. Instead of writing him out, the producers decided to end the whole show with his departure.
Rick Grimes was one of the central characters of 'The Walking Dead' since the very beginning, so audiences were shocked when he appeared to meet an untimely end in season nine.
Lincoln asked to leave the show so he could spend more time with his family, but his ambiguous end left room for him to return in the season finale.
Barbie Ferreira quit the hit HBO series 'Euphoria' after its second season in 2022. She later explained that she and Levinson came to a “mutual decision” to end their working relationship, contrary to the speculation that an alleged fallout between her and Levinson led to her reduced role. "Sam writes, for like, things that he relates to. I don’t think he relates to Kat," she explained. Kat's self-empowerment arc of season one fell flat in season two, which Ferreira said was “actually really hurtful” to watch, “seeing the fans get upset” about Kat's decline in both intrigue and screen time. “I don’t think there was a place for her to go,” she said of her character.
It's no secret that there has always been bad blood between Kim Cattrall and her co-star, Sarah Jessica Parker. The two worked together for decades despite their contentious relationship, portraying the best of friends on our screens, but when it came time for the reboot, Kim Cattrall said no. In fact, she had already said no to any further SATC projects back in 2017. A third movie was set to be made, but production was reportedly canceled due to Kim Cattrall pulling out.
With the release of the SATC sequel 'And Just Like That...' Cattrall got her wish to be written out of the show, as the first episode explains that Samantha moved to London after a dispute with Carrie. This seemed to tie up Samantha's storyline, but she reappears in the form of a text exchange with Carrie in episode five, and then a cameo in Season 2.
In the original 'Charmed,' Shannen Doherty played the telekinetic older witch sister, and she left the show after three seasons. Now, in the CW's reboot, Madeleine Mantock plays the same character, and she has also decided to leave the show after the season 3 finale. This spooky repetition of history is, however, without the whispers of drama on set, and Mantock called her time on the show "an immense privilege" in a statement, and added that it was a "difficult decision to leave," People reports.
'Grey's Anatomy' is one of the longest running shows on TV. Actor Patrick Dempsey played Derek Shepherd, AKA McDreamy, for 11 seasons. He felt it was finally time to move on to other projects, so the writers killed him off in a car accident.
Katherine Heigl was another central character on 'Grey's Anatomy' for several years. She chose to leave during the sixth season to spend more time with her family, as she had recently adopted a daughter. The departure wasn't without its drama, however, as there were accusations of poor writing and breaking contracts.
Steve Carell was the heart and soul of 'The Office,' so many were shocked when he stepped down after season seven. Considering his success in the role, it was assumed that he wanted to pursue his movie career instead.
Carell later revealed his contract was up after seven seasons and he didn't feel like the network wanted to negotiate, so he walked away. At least Michael Scott had a happy ending!
Regé-Jean Page was considered the breakout of star of Netflix's period drama 'Bridgerton.' Fans were shocked to hear that he wouldn't be returning for season two.
Page claimed that his character was only supposed to have a one season arc, but based on the success of the show and his character's unfinished business, it seems like he easily could have carried on.
David Duchovny had always thought that five seasons on 'The X-Files' would be enough, but ended up staying for seven. He decided to call it quits at that point, and the writers had him abducted by aliens. Probably the best way to be written out of a show!
Nina Dobrev was one of the biggest stars on 'The Vampire Diaries,' sometimes playing three different characters at once! She called it quits at the end of season six to pursue more adult roles. She did, however, return for the show's finale.
Ruby Rose starred in the first seasons of the TV series 'Batwoman,' and fans were dismayed to hear she had chosen not return for season two. It's reported that her decision was largely based on the injuries she received on set. She told EW, "Being the lead of a superhero show is tough."
Long before McDreamy and McSteamy, we had George Clooney as Dr. Doug Ross on 'ER'! Clooney rightly felt he was destined for greater things, and asked to be written out after season six of the show.
Connie Britton decided to leave the hit show 'Nashville' halfway through the fifth season, saying she wanted to try new things creatively. Her character Rayna Jaymes was tragically killed in a car crash, but she returned in flashbacks in the final season.
Mandy Patinkin played one of the main characters on the prolific crime drama 'Criminal Minds.' Patinkin reportedly had "creative differences" with the producers and stopped showing up for work, forcing them to release him from the show. They killed off his character by having him shot off-screen.
One of Donald Glover's first big roles was on the sitcom 'Community.' Glover is now an award-winning creator of his own music and TV shows, and apparently his co-stars guessed early on that he'd leave the show to pursue his own projects.
Writers sent him off on a voyage around the world on a boat, and included a subtle Easter egg in a later episode that revealed he'd been captured by pirates!
Anna Faris starred in the CBS series 'Mom' alongside Allison Janney for seven years. She decided it was time to try something new, but left on the best of terms with the producers and her co-stars.
Rob Lowe got big in the '80s, crashed and burned after a personal scandal, and revived his career in 1999 when he joined 'The West Wing.' He stayed with the show for three years but allegedly left over a pay dispute. He thanked the producers for allowing him to leave the show gracefully. His character ran for congress which allowed him to disappear from the show.
Columbus Short's character winds up dead in season four of 'Scandal.' In the real world, Columbus Short was also going through a scandal. The actor had been charged with multiple instances of assault, including domestic violence. Needless to say, he could not return to the show.
'Gilmore Girls' star Lauren Graham played a major role in the first season of 'Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.' She was set to return for the second season, but production delays caused by the pandemic meant it would clash with another project. She chose to leave 'Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist,' but could potentially return for a later season.
Josh Charles thought long and hard about leaving 'The Good Wife' after season four. His contract was up, but he decided to leave rather than create a new one because he was feeling burnt out.
Emmy Rossum played the starring role of Fiona on the long-running series 'Shameless.' She decided to step down after the season nine finale, and her character disappears after coming into some money and hopping on a plane.
Chad Michael Murray was the star of 'One Tree Hill' and stuck with the show for years, but wasn't included in the season seven cast. It's reported that Murray had wanted to negotiate a pay raise but the network wasn't open to the idea, so he walked away.
Christopher Abbott's character on 'Girls' was originally supposed to marry Marnie, played by Allison Williams. Abbott and the show's creator Lena Dunham had some creative differences. Abbott felt he couldn't fully relate to the experiences she was writing, so they decided to part ways and he was written out of the show.
Sources: (Men's Health) (US Magazine)
See also: The actors who turned down roles in successful movies
Actors who chose to be written out of popular TV shows
Why did they decide to leave?
CELEBRITY Exits
It's almost concerning how heartbroken we feel when a favorite character gets written out of a TV show. We spend so much time getting invested in their story, and suddenly they just move away or die in a random car accident! There are a few cases where actors were fired due to bad behavior, but oftentimes it's their own choice to leave. It's hard to imagine why a star would walk away from a show at the height of its success. Let's find out why these actors made that difficult choice.
Be warned, when a character gets written out they aren't usually sent to live out the rest of their lives on a beautiful farm. There will be dramatic spoilers ahead! Click through the gallery to get started.