- 4 months ago
From off-screen deaths to CGI walk-ins, some TV farewells left us fuming. Join us as we revisit the most baffling, mean-spirited, or awkward send-offs after stars bowed out. Our picks include moments from The Goldbergs, The 100, Three’s Company, The O.C., Downton Abbey, Shameless, Yellowstone, Laverne & Shirley, Archie Bunker’s Place, and Two and a Half Men. Which goodbye made you rage-quit a series? Sound off in the comments!
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00:00Drake! Look out! Drake!
00:05Did they just kill off Joey?
00:07Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at the worst ways shows addressed a character's absence when an actor left.
00:13We're excluding characters who were written off because an actor died, although many shows have dropped the ball in that department.
00:20Spoilers!
00:21Carrie, for the first time in my life, I felt peace. Real peace.
00:26Jeff Garland spent nearly a decade playing the Goldberg family's chair-dwelling patriarch.
00:34The man parking his pants at the front door, that's my dad, Murray Goldberg.
00:39TV's mine!
00:40Ever since his last heart attack, he became determined to exercise, eat better, and not yell so much.
00:46During season 9, Garland exited the sitcom amid accusations of inappropriate behavior on set.
00:51In addition to filling the void with pre-existing footage, the old out-of-town-on-business trope was used.
00:57When the time came to walk Erica down the aisle, though, they resorted to cringey CGI and a stand-in whose face was awkwardly hidden.
01:04Season 10 commenced with the revelation that Murray passed away, although they skipped over the initial grieving period.
01:10But hey, this made leeway for Field of Dreams references.
01:12I knew it was crazy, but do you ever look around and see him and everything?
01:19All the time. He made us who we are.
01:22Sometimes we're not doing anything at all.
01:25Yeah, he had a real hands-off parenting style.
01:28The show already lost one major character when actor George Siegel died.
01:32It couldn't afford to lose another, making us wish the show simply ended the previous season.
01:36Just a few months ago, out of nowhere, we lost my dad.
01:45We will always love you, dad. Always.
01:48Alicia Debnam Carey as Lexa, The Hundred.
01:51I am not letting you die.
01:55There's nothing you can do now.
01:57Even if you never caught an episode of this dystopian drama, chances are you've at least seen images of Lexa.
02:03Your desire for peace is true.
02:06Break him out.
02:12Later, we will talk.
02:14In the meantime, your friend will be used to send a message.
02:16Despite only being a recurring role, Lexa became one of the show's most recognizable faces,
02:21not to mention an LGBTQIA plus icon.
02:24Actress Alicia Debnam Carey was in high demand,
02:27as she also landed a main role on Fear the Walking Dead around this time.
02:31Cover me!
02:33While Debnam Carey pulled double duty for a while,
02:35she could only commit so much time to The Hundred.
02:38The showrunners thus decided in season three to give Lexa a tragic death,
02:42which didn't go over well with fans.
02:44In fact, it's become the go-to example for the bury your gaze trope,
02:49something the show was never able to move past.
02:51I come this day, I don't...
02:53No.
02:55No, I won't accept that.
02:59You were right, Clark.
03:05Life is about more than just surviving.
03:07Suzanne Somers as Chrissy Snow, Three's Company.
03:14Yeah, I never even saw it coming.
03:17Well, that makes us even.
03:18I never saw it going.
03:20That's not funny.
03:22Three's Company made stars of its initial trio,
03:24with Suzanne Somers being a breakout.
03:26Somers felt she was worth more than her salary,
03:29demanding her $30,000 per episode be increased five times,
03:33along with a piece of the profits.
03:34When her request was rejected, Somers left,
03:37but she still had a contract to fulfill.
03:40Chrissy?
03:41Chrissy?
03:41You know what's stuffing out of your teddy bear.
03:43Hit him!
03:45Chrissy spent most of season five out of town,
03:48occasionally calling her roommates.
03:50Hi, hello.
03:51Chrissy, hi!
03:52Folks okay?
03:53It was a phoned-in phasing out.
03:56Usually popping up in closing tags,
03:58Somers went from co-lead to glorified cameo.
04:01Oh, Jack, the most wonderful thing happened to me yesterday.
04:03You're just gonna die when you find out about it.
04:06Well, Chrissy, that's great.
04:07What is it?
04:08Oh, I can't tell you.
04:09Somers wouldn't appear in the season's final few episodes,
04:12or the rest of the series for that matter.
04:14Jenny Lee Harrison filled in as Chrissy's cousin Cindy,
04:17who in turn was substituted with Priscilla Barnes' Terry.
04:21I'm so sorry!
04:22I'm so sorry, Jack.
04:24I did it again, huh?
04:25Cindy, you know what you've done?
04:27Yeah, I forgot to look before I opened the door.
04:29I'm so sorry, Jack.
04:30I'll never do it again.
04:32Apologizing, you saved our lives!
04:34I did?
04:35Yes, Cindy, yes.
04:37This guy here, he came and robbed my flower shop,
04:40and then he came here tonight to kill us all.
04:42Misha Barton as Marissa Cooper, The O.C.
04:47So, what are you doing here?
04:49Seriously?
04:50Seriously?
04:51Marissa Cooper wasn't anyone's favorite O.C. character,
04:54but she was an important one who deserved better.
04:56The writing was on the wall that season three
04:58would be the last for Misha Barton,
05:00who was interested in pursuing new horizons.
05:02Oh, you wanna, like, rent a yacht?
05:04We totally should.
05:05More like, work on one.
05:08See, my dad is captain of this yacht
05:10that's sailing to the Greek islands,
05:11and he says they need extra crew members.
05:14So, he asked me if I wanted to go.
05:17The producers presented Barton with two options.
05:19Marissa could sail off into the sunset
05:21with the door left open for her return,
05:23or she could be killed off.
05:25You think it's the stupidest idea ever, right?
05:27It appeared Marissa might get a happy ending
05:29with her father inviting her to move to Greece.
05:31On her way to the airport, though,
05:33Marissa dies in a tragic car accident.
05:36Ryan! Look out!
05:40The creative team saw this as a bold move
05:49that could increase ratings.
05:51Instead, it was a rage-quit moment,
05:53with the following season being the last.
05:56Marissa.
05:57I've seen your flag
05:59on the Marvel Earth
06:01Marissa.
06:02Marissa.
06:03Dan Stevens as Matthew Crawley
06:09Downton Abbey
06:10Dan Stevens was prepared to start a new chapter
06:12by the end of Downton Abbey's third series.
06:15I'm dancing a jig.
06:17I feel like I swallowed a box of fireworks.
06:20With Matthew Crawley being such a beloved character
06:22and an integral part of the show's early success,
06:25creator Julian Fellowes suggested
06:26reducing Stevens' role with room for his return.
06:29Stevens wanted a clean break, however.
06:31That's what he got,
06:32with Matthew dying in a car crash
06:34right after Mary welcomed their son into the world.
06:37And I wonder what I've done to deserve it.
06:42I agree.
06:44But then, we don't always get our just desserts.
06:48While Fellows argued that he didn't have a choice
06:51but to kill Matthew off,
06:52his exit didn't have to feel so random.
06:54It was also repetitive,
06:56as Sybil also died that year after giving birth.
06:58Downton Abbey continued,
06:59and Steven's career is still doing great,
07:01but fans never got over Matthew's sudden exit.
07:04You better go and tell them.
07:08But first, I think I've earned a decent kiss.
07:13You certainly suddenly have.
07:15Emmy Rossum as Fiona Gallagher.
07:21Shameless.
07:22Hi, Max.
07:22Listen, zoning on that lot you're a partner in got approved.
07:25I don't remember exactly how much you have in the partnership.
07:27A hundred.
07:28What if I bought you out now?
07:29Call you in the morning, we'll get it done.
07:33Fiona was the glue,
07:34or at least the tape,
07:36that held the Gallaghers together.
07:37Emmy Rossum was ready to leave
07:39at season nine's conclusion.
07:40To an extent,
07:41we can see why now was the time for Fiona to move on.
07:44What are you gonna do with it?
07:45Buy a new building?
07:46Oh, hell no.
07:47Fool me once.
07:48So what now?
07:50Well, I quit my job at the gas station.
07:52Damn right.
07:53And now I don't know.
07:54I feel like I got a second chance.
07:57And a third,
07:58and a fourth.
07:59Fiona's siblings had mostly grown up,
08:01and new opportunities were coming her way.
08:03What we didn't buy is that Fiona left
08:05without bidding her siblings a proper farewell.
08:07Yeah, it was nice that she gave them
08:09half of her $100,000,
08:11but skipping her goodbye party
08:12because it would be too sad
08:13just didn't sit well.
08:15I'm scared.
08:19And now I'm crying.
08:22When would you leave?
08:27Now.
08:28These kids already had one maternal figure
08:30who abruptly left.
08:32The fact that Fiona never came back to visit
08:33over the final two seasons
08:35also seemed out of character.
08:36Fiona?
08:37Fiona?
08:42Hey!
08:48Kevin Costner as John Dutton.
08:50Yellowstone.
08:51Son, there's...
08:52I don't want to hear it.
08:54I'm not trying to...
08:55I don't want to hear it.
08:58Well, goddammit,
08:59maybe you need to hear it, son.
09:01Because every day
09:02it's something new with you.
09:04Kevin Costner was the face
09:05of this ratings juggernaut,
09:06although he didn't expect the series
09:08to eat up so much of his time.
09:09Costner agreed to return
09:10as John Dutton
09:11for a fifth and final season.
09:13The 2023 Hollywood labor disputes
09:15caused the production
09:16to be delayed longer than anticipated.
09:18Eager to produce
09:19his passion project, Horizon,
09:20Costner exited
09:21halfway through the season.
09:22While he clashed creatively
09:24with co-creator Taylor Sheridan,
09:25Costner said he was open
09:26to returning down the line
09:28if certain conditions were met.
09:29Okay.
09:32Let's go pick a spot.
09:34Instead, Sheridan burned a bridge,
09:36lazily having John Dutton
09:38be murdered offscreen.
09:39Sheridan claims that John
09:56was always going to meet
09:57a tragic end,
09:58but without Costner's involvement,
10:00it was hardly the send-off
10:01that a cowboy deserved.
10:02We're investigating this
10:04as a homicide.
10:04What would you be looking for?
10:06This is not a homicide.
10:07But if you were treating it as such,
10:09what would you look for?
10:10Cindy Williams as Shirley Feeney,
10:12Laverne and Shirley.
10:13I'm getting married!
10:15Oh, in that case,
10:15take the house, not the cash.
10:20Laverne!
10:22The show is called
10:23Laverne and Shirley.
10:25You can't have one
10:26without the other.
10:27Well, that's not the way
10:28Paramount saw it.
10:29When Cindy Williams
10:30became pregnant,
10:31her new contract stipulated
10:32that she work on her due date.
10:34Refusing to sign,
10:35Williams departed the sitcom.
10:36She only appeared
10:37in the first two episodes
10:39of season eight,
10:40which reveals that Shirley
10:41is getting married
10:41to an army medic
10:42named Walter Meaney.
10:44Walter and I are getting married!
10:45Who we never see
10:46outside of his body cast.
10:48Shirley,
10:49you take Walter
10:50to be your lawfully wedded husband,
10:51to love and to cherish
10:52and joy and sorrow
10:53so long as you both shall live.
10:56I do.
10:57In the final season's
10:58third episode,
10:59we learn that Shirley
11:00skipped town
11:01with her new hubby
11:01without even bidding
11:02Laverne a proper farewell.
11:04She just left
11:05a brief letter behind.
11:06While Laverne later
11:07finds more pages,
11:08it was still an empty note
11:10to go out on.
11:11Laverne,
11:11I couldn't wait for you
11:12to get back from the dance.
11:14Walter got transferred
11:15and I decided
11:15to go with him.
11:17I don't know
11:17when we'll be back,
11:18so this is goodbye.
11:21Go on.
11:22I can't.
11:24Oh.
11:24I understand.
11:25Too personal.
11:26No, that's all she wrote.
11:27Gene Stapleton
11:30as Edith Bunker,
11:31Archie Bunker's place.
11:32Oh, look who's here.
11:35Hey, oh, look who's here.
11:39Hey, hey, Joey.
11:40You gonna give
11:41Brad for the kids?
11:42No.
11:43Edith Bunker
11:44was the heart and soul
11:45of All in the Family.
11:46When Gene Stapleton
11:47expressed her desire
11:48to leave after nine seasons,
11:50creator Norman Lear
11:51agreed the show
11:51should go out on top.
11:53CBS thought otherwise,
11:54as the sitcom
11:55was still pulling in high numbers.
11:56The Compromise
11:58was a new show
11:58called Archie Bunker's Place.
12:00Come on, Stephanie.
12:02We gotta finish.
12:03Okay.
12:04Why are you?
12:05Why?
12:06Why ain't yous too
12:07racing for the door?
12:09Although the series
12:09focused on Archie's
12:10work life at the bar,
12:12Edith dropped by
12:13on five occasions
12:13before dying
12:14from a stroke off screen.
12:16This made for
12:17a poignant storyline,
12:18but Edith's death
12:19ultimately felt like
12:20a cruel sacrifice
12:20to the ratings gods.
12:22You had no right
12:23to leave me that way.
12:26without giving me
12:29just one more chance
12:32to say I love you.
12:42Nobody wanted to see
12:43Archie move on
12:44without Edith.
12:45Lear himself
12:45was reluctant
12:46to go through
12:47with the decision,
12:48feeling like he was
12:49killing a real person.
12:50I ain't signing
12:51no death plan.
12:54You're a big company.
12:56Can't you just
12:56leave me alone
12:57and do what
12:58I'm asking you to do?
12:59Send it out there
13:00to my daughter.
13:01Before we continue,
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13:15Charlie Sheen
13:18as Charlie Harper
13:19Two and a Half Men
13:20Give me a favor,
13:21a little less
13:21looking out,
13:22a little more
13:22moving out.
13:26You're right,
13:27screw them.
13:27Between salary disputes,
13:29clashes with the creators,
13:30highly publicized
13:31substance use
13:32and legal battles,
13:33Charlie Sheen's
13:33departure from
13:34Two and a Half Men
13:35was one of the
13:35messiest in TV history.
13:37When the show
13:38returned for its
13:38ninth season
13:39following a hiatus,
13:40the bad blood
13:41was on full display
13:42at Uncle Charlie's funeral.
13:43Charlie lived life
13:44on his own terms
13:45and never apologized
13:47for who he was.
13:48Yeah, blah, blah, blah.
13:50Why can't we see the body?
13:51While it is kind of funny
13:53just how mean-spirited
13:54Charlie's exit is,
13:55it all goes downhill
13:56with the arrival
13:57of Ashton Kutcher
13:58as his replacement.
13:59Are you okay?
14:00Yeah, I'm fine.
14:02I was just trying
14:02to drown myself.
14:04The next four years
14:05felt like a bad dream,
14:07culminating with a revelation
14:08that Charlie
14:08might not be dead after all.
14:10But there's nothing
14:10about his death.
14:12How is that possible?
14:13Did you ever see the body?
14:14There was no body.
14:15The man was hit by a train.
14:17All that was left
14:17was a meat smoothie
14:18and a couple of teeth.
14:19If the train
14:20didn't do Charlie in, though,
14:22the piano did.
14:23Nobody won here,
14:24except for the CBS executives
14:26who squeezed
14:27every cent they could get.
14:28Winning.
14:31Which TV exit
14:32enraged you the most?
14:33Let us know in the comments.
14:34That's it?
14:35That's it.
14:36No love you always,
14:37comma, Shirley.
14:38No hugs and kisses
14:39with the XX
14:40and the 00s you always did?
14:41She didn't even sign her name.
14:44You know,
14:45make that silly little
14:45happy face over the eyes.
14:47She didn't even sign her name.
14:47She didn't even sign her name.
14:48You know,
14:49make that silly little happy face
14:49over the eyes.
14:51It's not evenא.
14:57bits and Bernie
14:59do
15:00wish
15:01you
15:01never
15:01unsung
15:02stories
15:02you
15:02never
15:03you
15:03never
15:04you
15:05never
15:05be
15:06wrong
15:06-
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