Wait, Where’d They Go?
Sometimes, TV writers need to make difficult decisions about a character who just isn’t working with their plan for the show’s narrative. Most of the time, it’s done somewhat gracefully. Other times—like these—it’s like they simply ceased to exist one day and are never mentioned again. Read on for some of TV’s most awkward exits.
Leah Murphy, Grey’s Anatomy
When a show is as big and as long-running as Grey’s Anatomy, there’s bound to be some snafus and continuity mistakes. But that doesn’t really account for the way the character of Leah Murphy, played by Tessa Ferrer, was thrown around.
Shondaland, Grey's Anatomy (2005-)
Leah Murphy Disappeared Twice
After two years of surgical residency, which were featured in seasons 9 and 10 of Grey’s, Murphy was cut—and that was that. Her character was gone…until she reappeared in season 13. One would assume that at that point, if the writers brought her back, she was here to stay—but that assumption would be wrong. Murphy then disappeared for a second time.
Shondaland, Grey's Anatomy (2005-)
The Senator’s Son, The Office
In season 7, we first see “The Senator,” AKA Senator Robert Lipton, played by Jack Coleman. He’s portrayed as a widower with a young son, and soon enough, he sparks up a romance with Angela. They wind up getting married and having a baby together (or do they?)—but we don’t really end up with a blended family.
Universal Television, The Office (2005–2013)
The Senator’s Son Vanishes Without A Trace
The Senator’s first son, after that first appearance in season 7, basically disappears and is never mentioned again. It would be one thing if this could be written off as a “he went to live with his mother” situation, but that character is deceased. So…it’s a mystery.
Universal Television, The Office (2005–2013)
Santiago Herrera, Friday Night Lights
Friday Night Lights is one of the most beloved and well-reviewed TV shows of all time—but man, was it subject to some major gaffes (we’re looking at you, Landry-kills-a-guy plotline). Unfortunately, the character of Santiago Herrera, introduced in season 2, was subject to one of them.
Universal Television, Friday Night Lights (2006–2011)
Santiago Was A Victim Of The Writer’s Strike
At first, the character showed a lot of promise. After being released from juvie, Buddy Garrity took him in and Coach Taylor helped, well, coach him into a great player. But when season 3 began, he was nowhere to be found. It turns out that the 2007 writer’s strike had forced the show’s writers to change some storylines they’d previously set up, and they had to abandon his character.
Universal Television, Friday Night Lights (2006–2011)
Detective Daniels, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Wait…who? Eagle-eyed viewers of the first episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine know that the duo of bumbling Detectives Hitchcock and Scully wasn’t just a duo at first—it was a trio, which included Detective Daniels, played by Kate Flannery. And then, all of a sudden…she was gone.
Universal Television, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013–2021)
Detective Daniels’ Disappearance
In the pilot, Terry describes Detective Daniels as someone who is better at paperwork and making coffee than actual detective work. She’s a significant part of the pilot—but then she never shows up again, and her character is never mentioned, nor is her disappearance explained.
Later, Flannery showed up as another character, Mean Marge, from the janitorial team.
Universal Television, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013–2021)
Alex Lesman, Gilmore Girls
Alex Lesman was set up to be another one of Lorelei’s love interests on Gilmore Girls—usually, a temporary job if there ever was one. But normally, these boyfriends and flings got something of a send-off. Lesman, like Lorelei, was a single parent. He was down to earth and funny, and they had chemistry. Sounds promising, right? Well, unfortunately, the timing was off.
Warner Bros. Television Studios, Gilmore Girls (2000–2007)
Alex Faded Into The Background
Alex and Lorelei are shown dating for a few episodes and he continues to be mentioned as Lorelei runs into Max again and grapples with her feelings for him. And then, he’s never mentioned again—nor is his presumed break-up with Lorelei expanded upon.
Warner Bros. Television Studios, Gilmore Girls (2000–2007)
Scott Rosson, Gossip Girl
The introduction of the Scott character on Gossip Girl seemed like it was shaping up to be a pretty big deal. The teen, who befriended Vanessa, was actually the secret love child of Rufus and Lily, who he’d been searching for for a while. The secret child of two major characters—and half-sibling of three others? That’s gonna be a major character arc, right? Wrong.
Warner Bros. Television, Gossip Girl (2007–2012)
Scott Left “Amicably”, Never To Return
Scott befriends the whole crew and meets Lily and Rufus, kind of lurking among them, until his identity is finally revealed by Georgina. There’s a tearful reunion of the entire family…and then, he goes to Boston, never to be seen again. Sorry, Scott!
Warner Bros. Television, Gossip Girl (2007–2012)
Mandy Hampton, The West Wing
Hampton, as played by Moira Kelly, was a pretty major part of the first half of the first season of The West Wing. But as things went on, show creator Aaron Sorkin realized there wasn’t really anywhere for her character to go. He broke the news to Kelly, and the two made a plan for her exit. But it didn’t really go as planned.
Warner Bros. Television, The West Wing (1999-2006)
Mandy Went To Mandyville
They could’ve written Mandy out in a way that made sense—but they didn’t. She simply stopped appearing and wasn’t mentioned again on the show. As a result, West Wing fans came up with the phrase “Going to Mandyville” to explain the unexpected disappearance of an established character.
Warner Bros. Television, The West Wing (1999-2006)
Celia Hodes, Weeds
In the early seasons of Weeds, we saw almost as much of Celia Hodes as we did the main character, Nancy Botwin. She also went through some major changes on the show, and was both friend and foe to Nancy and her pot-growing business. In a funny twist, she ends up in the same line of work at the end of season 5…and then? She left a huge hole in the show.
Lionsgate Television, Weeds (2005-2012)
Celia Wasn’t Part Of The Botwin World Anymore
In season 6, the Botwins find themselves on the run and end up living under assumed identities in Seattle, Washington. As a result, Celia wasn’t really in their periphery anymore, and life goes on without her, though she is occasionally mentioned.
Lionsgate Television, Weeds (2005-2012)
Amy Jessup, Fringe
Before her star turn in Suits, Meghan Markle seemed like she’d be the next big addition to Fringe after the show’s first season, which both viewers and critics had enjoyed. Expectations were high for season 2, and when the first episode aired, it included a promising new character: FBI Special Agent Amy Jessup, played by Meghan Markle.
Warner Bros. Television, Fringe (2008-2013)
Amy Jessup: Last Seen Reading The Bible
Special Agent Jessup met with the Fringe Division during an investigation into a mysterious crash involving Olivia Dunham’s SUV. She became curious about them and began to look into what they do. She’s then featured in the next episode, which showed her reading Fringe files and comparing them to events in the Bible. And…that was the last we saw of her.
Warner Bros. Television, Fringe (2008-2013)
Eddie LeBec, Cheers
The introduction of the Eddie LeBec character on Cheers seemed like it would finally give the character of Carla a little stability after years of putting up with her sleazy ex-husband, Nick Tortelli. And then, he was (spoiler alert) abruptly killed off—and the writers added insult to injury.
Paramount Network Television, Cheers (1982-1993)
Eddie LeBec Went To The Great Hockey Rink In The Sky
Not only did they kill Eddie by having him get run over with a Zamboni, they also ret-conned his seemingly wholesome character to have had a secret second family. Why did they drive the nail in the coffin so hard? Well, maybe the writers did it in defense of Rhea Perlman, who played Carla.
It’s rumored that Jay Thomas, who played Eddie, had said some unkind things about Perlman, which led to him being fired.
Paramount Network Television, Cheers (1982-1993)
Monica Dawson, Heroes
Let’s face it, all the characters on Heroes had pretty compelling powers—but Monica’s, portrayed by Dana Davis, was especially interesting. She had the ability to mimic any skill she witnessed, which made her a formidable opponent. Unfortunately, this didn’t lead to a long arc on the show.
Universal Television Studio, Heroes (2006-2010)
Monica Made It To The Cut Scenes
On the TV broadcast of Heroes—gosh, remember the pre-streaming days?—Monica was last seen escaping from a blazing house fire at the end of season 2, and is never seen again. However, her character did make one final appearance, in a deleted scene from season 3 which was only ever included with the DVD box set.
Universal Television Studio, Heroes (2006-2010)
Sue Sylvester’s Baby, Glee
In season 3 of Glee, the writers threw a curveball at the notoriously tough, sardonic Sue Sylvester, played by Jane Lynch. They made her pregnant. It was an interesting twist—would she keep up her unsympathetic shell, or would having a baby bring a little warmth to the character? Well…how about neither?
20th Century Fox Television, Glee (2009-2015)
Sue Sylvester’s Baby: She’s…Somewhere
In the first episode of season 4, Sue gives birth to a daughter that she names Robin, after her “favorite dead Bee Gee”. Though Robin is occasionally mentioned afterward, she only appears once or twice throughout season 4.
20th Century Fox Television, Glee (2009-2015)
Mutt, Schitt’s Creek
Mutt, played by Tim Rozon, was the son of Schitt’s Creek’s mayor, played by Chris Elliott. At first, he was positioned as a love interest of Alexis, portrayed by the brilliant Annie Murphy—but then, his character abruptly exited the show…all for a pretty silly reason.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Schitt's Creek (2015-2020)
Mutt Went To “Harvest Pine Cones”
In season 3, Mutt got a new girlfriend—and instead of keeping him around, they had his character go off into the woods to harvest pine cones. Writers brought the character back for one episode, and it looked like it might be for good…only for Mutt to disappear again and stay gone for the rest of the series.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Schitt's Creek (2015-2020)
Isaac Lahey, Teen Wolf
The character of Isaac was introduced in season 2, when Derek Hale started building his own pack. Isaac consented to “the Bite” and became a werewolf too. He was part of all that went down in season 2 and part of season 3, before he was kicked out by Derek and joined another pack.
They really put his character through the wringer, as his girlfriend Allison Argent was killed. So, what was next for the character? Well, an unceremonious send-off, actually…
MGM Television, Teen Wolf (2011-2017)
Isaac “Moved To France”
In the show, Isaac moves to France with his dead girlfriend’s dad, Chris Argent. And when Argent came back later? Isaac was nowhere to be seen. See, in reality, the actor who played Isaac, Daniel Sharman, landed a plum role on the show The Originals, and didn’t have time for Teen Wolf anymore.
MGM Television, Teen Wolf (2011-2017)
Sara, King Of Queens
In the first season of the long-running sitcom, the character of Carrie had a half-sister named Sara, played by Lisa Rieffel. And she wasn’t just a small part—she appeared in five of the first six episodes of the series. But when sitcoms get retooled, characters get ruthlessly chopped.
Sony Pictures Television, The King of Queens (1998-2007)
Sara’s Disappearance
Not only did Sara disappear after the first season—she was completely stricken from the record. Afterward, Carrie was only ever referred to as an only child. And that wasn’t the only strange disappearance of a character on the show.
Sony Pictures Television, The King of Queens (1998-2007)
Richie, King Of Queens
Richie was one of Doug’s closest pals on the show, and he was played by former NYPD Blue regular Larry Romano. He was an integral part of the series for the first two seasons…until he was slowly phased out in season 3 for a brutal reason.
Sony Pictures Television, The King of Queens (1998-2007)
Richie Went To Pilot Heaven
Larry Romano had an opportunity to star in a new show, so King of Queens’ writers had him quietly written out during season 3. He appeared opposite Kristin Chenoweth in her sitcom Kristin, however, it only aired for six episodes before it was canceled.
Sony Pictures Television, The King of Queens (1998-2007)
Judy, Family Matters
Family Matters was an integral part of Friday nights for many millennials and Gen X-ers—who might also be the only ones to remember poor Judy Winslow. She was the youngest daughter of the family for four seasons—until she suddenly disappeared.
Warner Bros. Television, Family Matters (TV Series 1989-1998)
Judy Walked Up The Stairs And Never Came Back Down
One day, Judy Winslow walked up the stairs—and then, all of a sudden, there were two Winslow kids, not three. Judy wasn’t seen or mentioned for the final five seasons of Family Matters, in one of the most egregious disappearances in TV history.
Warner Bros. Television, Family Matters (TV Series 1989-1998)
Chuck Cunningham, Happy Days
Long before the Winslows went from three kids to two, the Cunninghams on Happy Days were the first to disappear a sibling. Initially, Chuck was the oldest sibling of the family, but at some point in the second season, he vanished, never to be seen again.
Paramount Television, Happy Days (1974-1984)
Chuck Was The First Victim Of Chuck Cunningham Syndrome
Chuck was never mentioned on the show again, and as a result, the sudden disappearance of TV characters without mention has been nicknamed “Chuck Cunningham syndrome”. While he may not have had his disappearance explained, one potential reason is that producers had trouble casting the role—Gavan O’Herlihy, who originally played Chuck, quit after season 1, and they had to replace him with Randolph Roberts in season 2.
Paramount Television, Happy Days (1974-1984)
Nicole Bristow, Zoey 101
Nicole Bristow (played by Alexa Nikolas) was set up to be Zoey’s (played by Jamie Lynn Spears) sidekick on the show. The two were BFFs and lived together in the first two seasons. But then, she was written off in a completely bizarre way—all for a shocking reason.
Dolphin Entertainment, Zoey 101 (2005-2008)
Nicole Had OMGD
In the series, writers had Nicole suffer from OMGD—AKA Obsessive Male Gender Disorder, AKA, she was boy-crazy. This resulted in her being sent to an all-girls school and never seen again. But what happened behind the scenes to cause this was truly chilling.
Dolphin Entertainment, Zoey 101 (2005-2008)
Alexa Exposed Nickelodeon
Later, Alexa Nikolas revealed that she was not only bullied by Jamie Lynn Spears, but also her older sister Britney, who later apologized. On top of that, she said she didn’t feel safe around the show’s creator, Dan Schneider, who later was accused of misconduct by some of the former child stars he’d worked with.
