20 actors fans hated to see leave their favorite TV shows

After Mischa Barton left The O.C., the show was never the same. And because of her character’s particular style of exit, there was no hope for her return. 

Reneé Rapp’s exit from The Sex Lives of College Girls was a huge blow to fans of the show. Rapp’s character brought an extra bit of spice to the series, and there were lots of fans upset with the writers for how they approached filling the gap Rapp left. 

Suzanne Somers is a great example of how important one character can be to the dynamic of a show. When she left Three’s Company, the series’ tone was completely different. 

Ellen Pompeo leaving Grey’s Anatomy was like a soap opera star leaving a soap. Even though she’d been there for nearly 20 years, Pompeo’s departure felt premature to many fans. She did play the eponymous character, after all. 

Long before Ellen Pompeo left Grey’s Anatomy, her on-screen BFF exited. Sandra Oh’s exit, however, eventually showed Grey’s fans that the show can survive even without the characters who seem to be its heartbeat. 

Grey’s Anatomy fans had to accept early on that their favorite characters wouldn’t last on the show forever. Patrick Dempsey’s exit, though, was one of the worst reminders. 

In a television series where every character is at least somewhat insufferable, Christopher Abbott played the best of them. His exit from Girls was heart-wrenching to many fans, and his one-episode return later in the series was a little more bitter than sweet. 

When Coach left New Girl the first time, fans didn’t really clock it. Some didn’t even notice. But after he returned for multiple seasons and left again, it stirred up strong emotions for many. Damon Wayans Jr. will always be a bright spot in the show. 

While fans were sad to see Nina Dobrev leave The Vampire Diaries, her exit was done well. She wasn’t killed off, making it plausible for her to return for the finale (which she did), and her character was still a major part of the plot. 

Kevin Spacey’s personal matters aside, he was great on House of Cards, and fans were sad to see him go. Due to the reasons for his leaving, there was no hope for a return. 

Steve Carell is basically synonymous with The Office, even though he wasn’t there until the end of the series. Carell’s departure was arguably more emotional than the series finale, proving just how important he was to the show’s identity. 

Emmy Rossum was a bright spot for many in Shameless, and many wondered how the show would fare without her. It lasted another two seasons, but it feels like the show could’ve gone on forever had she stayed. 

When Bridgerton first debuted, Regé-Jean Page was all anyone could talk about. It was impossible to envision a show without him, and fans were not happy to see him go. Fortunately, though, there are plenty of other heartthrobs on the cast. 

It’s rare to see a will-they-won’t-they couple end things for good because of an actor’s departure from the show, but such was the case for Shelley Long’s character on Cheers. The official end of Sam and Diane’s relationship was hard for many fans to stomach. 

Superstore weathered America Ferrera’s absence better than many expected, but fans had no way of knowing that would be the case when they first learned she was leaving. Thankfully she returned for some episodes at the end to truly wrap her character’s arc. 

Everybody knew why Meghan Markle was leaving Suits, but that didn’t make it any easier on die-hard fans. It was easy enough to wrap up her storyline, but her on-screen relationship with Patrick J. Adams was hard to let go of. 

Speaking of Patrick J. Adams, his departure from Suits was also upsetting. Thankfully, his reasons for leaving left him with far more flexibility, so he was able to appear as a guest star in the last season. 

Fans understood the real-life reasons for Roseanne Barr’s exit from her eponymous sitcom, but that didn’t make her character’s departure any less heartbreaking. Many were relieved to learn that the show’s spirit would live on in the spin-off The Conners. 

O.G. fans of George Clooney have been swooning over him since his ER days. And it was a depressing day for many when his last episode on the series aired. Clooney did return for one more episode, but some still hadn’t forgiven him for leaving in the first place. 

Charlie Sheen’s downfall will go down in history as one of the wildest Hollywood has ever seen. While many were watching the insanity from afar, fans of Two and a Half Men were mourning the loss of their favorite character.