Shocking TV Exits
All good things must come to an end – even on TV. Whether it’s a death or an actor’s decision to leave a show, it’s never easy to say goodbye to a beloved character. Scroll through Us Weekly’s gallery to relive the most shocking TV exits.
At the end of The Rookie's first season, Williamson announced she would not be returning and made allegations of racial discrimination and sexual harassment on set. Production company eONe launched an investigation, which included "nearly 400 hours of interviews," and those identified "did not conduct themselves in an unlawful manner or demonstrate behavior inappropriate for the workplace." Her character, Talia Bishop, was written off the series; in the season 2 premiere, Officer Bishop had decided to leave the LAPD.
ABC
During season 4 of The Affair, Ruth Wilson’s Alison was murdered, shocking longtime viewers. Showrunner Sarah Treem revealed that she had requested to leave the show. Wilson later confirmed the news in multiple interviews, but added she was “not allowed to talk about why” she made that choice.
Jeff Neumann/SHOWTIME
Ahead of the season 5 premiere of The Affair, Showtime announced that Joshua Jackson would also not be returning to the series, as his contract was up and he chose not to return. “I still think it’s a good show, I just miss them,” Maura Tierney told Us about the final season.
Paul Sarkis/SHOWTIME
Just minutes after NBC announced that Law & Order: SVU had been renewed for a history-making 21st season, Philip Winchester announced he would not be returning as ADA Stone. "Sadly for me, Peter stone and his 'the facts don’t care about you’re feelings' attitude will not be returning," he tweeted in March 2019. "A huge tip of the hat to my amazing fans and not so big of fans. You ALL make me work harder. Thank you! See you on the next adventure."
Peter Kramer/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
In February 2019, Sheridan announced her decision to leave Dynasty, after taking the role of Alexis Carrington amid much fanfare midway through the CW reboot’s first season. “Working on the Dynasty reboot and reprising the iconic role of Alexis has been thoroughly enjoyable, but the chance to spend precious time with my terminally ill mother is more important to me right now,” the actress said in a statement to Us Weekly.
Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images
In October 2018, Eads stormed off the set of CBS’ MacGyver reboot, sources told The Hollywood Reporter in November. Although he was No. 2 on the call sheet, showrunner Peter Lenkov and producers agreed to let him out of his contract. His last episode will air in 2019.
Jace Downs/CBS
Emmy Rossum will be leaving Shameless after season 9 of the show, the actress revealed in a lengthy Facebook post on Thursday, August 30. Showrunner John Wells confirmed the news in a statement, saying that Fiona will have a “Gallagher-worthy” sendoff. “It is always bittersweet when an ensemble member decides to move out of the proverbial house, but our door will always remain open for Fiona to return home for a visit, or to move back in. I look forward to continuing the stories of this wildly unpredictable family and all of us on Shameless will miss Emmy and her wonderful Fiona,” he added.
Paul Sarkis/SHOWTIME
Madison was shockingly killed in the season 4 midseason finale of Fear the Walking Dead. “Obviously it was shocking to me and it was disappointing. It was heartbreaking,” Dickens told Entertainment Weekly about finding out her time on the show was ending.
Richard Foreman, Jr/AMC
After season 9, Rick will no longer be a part of The Walking Dead, a source confirmed to Us Weekly in May 2018. “He’s had enough of it and wants to focus his energy on movies,” the insider noted.
Gene Page/AMC
Following season 6, Raymund revealed that Gabriela Dawson will not return to Chicago Fire, as she had decided to leave the show. “I have made the decision that it’s time for me to move on to the next chapter in life,” she wrote in a goodbye letter in May 2018. Cocreator Derek Haas later tweeted that he still has hope she’ll appear again.
Elizabeth Morris/NBC
The lead of Chicago P.D. left the show suddenly after four seasons, never clearly explaining her decision. She hinted at it through Instagram in October 2017, responding to a fan question with, “I left because I wanted to. End of story.” She later added in a podcast that eventually she’ll tell her whole story. “I had to respect myself in a situation where I didn’t feel respected,” she said in December.
Mark Seliger/NBC
After her contract ended in 2015, Dobrev walked away from her leading role as Elena Gilbert on The CW’s The Vampire Diaries after season 6. “I don’t want to play a teenager anymore. I want to play adult roles and be challenged and work with great filmmakers and tell incredible stories and that has meant being really picky,” she later revealed to Harper’s Bazaar. However, she did return for the series finale of season 8.
The CW
In a shocking turn of events, ABC revealed in March 2018 that Capshaw’s Arizona Robbins and Drew’s April Kepner would be leaving the show following season 14 of Grey's Anatomy. After the announcement, showrunner Krista Vernoff took to Twitter to explain her reasoning: “It felt right creatively to wrap up their stories.”
Eric McCandless/ABC
After 15 seasons on NCIS, Perrette stepped away from the role of Abby Scuito, and her character left town. In October 2017, she said it was a decision she had made. Following her exit, she tweeted multiple times, implying that physical assaults led to her exit. “I've been supporting anti-bullying programs forever. But now I KNOW because it was ME! If it's school or work, that you're required to go to? It's horrifying. I left. Multiple Physical Assaults. I REALLY get it now. Stay safe. Nothing is worth your safety. Tell someone,” she wrote in May 2018.
Eric McCandless/CBS
After 11 years on CBS’ Criminal Minds, Moore hung up his Derek Morgan hat. “I’m leaving because I want to continue to grow as an actor,” Moore told TVLine. “I’m leaving to see what else I’m capable of."
Guy D'Alema/ABC
Fans of Blue Bloods were shocked when the season 8 premiere revealed that Linda Raegan had died in a helicopter crash. The news surprised everyone, but Carlson had decided to leave after her seven-season contract was up. "It's always a difficult decision," she told Us Weekly in November 2017.
Giovanni Rufino/CBS
Chin Ho Kelly and Kono Kalakaua did not appear in season 8 of Hawaii Five-O, as both Park and Kim walked away from the CBS drama after season 7 due to a pay dispute. Showrunner Peter Lenkov commented on their exits on Twitter in July 2017: “Both actors chose not to extend their contracts. CBS was extremely generous and proactive in their renegotiation talks. So much so, the actors were getting unprecedented raises, but in the end they chose to move on. No one wanted to see them go–they are irreplaceable.”
CBS/Mario Perez
When Kevin James couldn’t come up with a story line for season 2 of Kevin Can Wait, he decided to kill off his character’s wife, played by Hayes. “We were literally just running out of ideas,” he told the New York Daily News at the time. Hayes later was replaced by James’ former King of Queens costar Leah Remini.
CBS
After five seasons playing Rayna James, Britton decided to walk away from ABC’s Nashville. “I don't need to go into great detail about what that was, but for me, it felt like the timing was important and my No. 1 priority was the show and making sure that it was done in the right way,” she told The Hollywood Reporter at the time.
ABC/JON LEMAY
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