Character Send-Offs That Outraged Fans
Losing a cast member is par for the course in TV land, where even the biggest series regulars can come and go. Sometimes it's because a major star wants to move on to something different, others it's because the writers just want to shake up the status quo. But whatever the reason, once the decision to ditch a character is made, it means coming up with a story that allows fans to say goodbye.
Some departures were broadly celebrated — even if audiences didn't want to see their favorite character depart. Not all of them, however, make fans happy. In that category, goodbyes can leave plenty to be desired, from poorly thought-out stories that end in an unsatisfying way, to exits that lead to such drastic changes that the show declines in quality afterward. Looking around social media discussions, it's not hard to find fans voicing their displeasure over a disappointing loss, and we've found a few that seem to get some serious hate from fans.
Amy and Rory on Doctor Who
From the very first episode in 1963, the Doctor's companions have been just as integral to the success of "Doctor Who" as the lead actor. In fact, in the revived series since 2005, the companion's popularity occasionally even overshadows the Doctor. Among the most beloved companions are Amy Pond and Rory Williams, a young couple who traveled with the Doctor, but whose exit wasn't as celebrated.
To be sure, "Doctor Who" fans can handle change: the Doctor himself regularly gets a new actor and companions come and go with regularity. But fans didn't love Amy and Rory's final episode, "Angels Take Manhattan," with Reddit user MrTheOtherUser calling it "one of the franchise's worst companion exit stories." Admitting that the episode was an emotional one, he called out the story's contrived excuse as to why the Doctor couldn't rescue them after they'd been sent back in time to 1940s New York, labeling the whole thing "pretty dumb."
And many other fans agreed. Why? Because while the Doctor does call the time and place a "fixed time" that can't be altered, the logic just doesn't add up. Ultimately, it seems like a poorly constructed excuse to create a tear-jerking goodbye, when a simple farewell would have been enough.
John Munch on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Played by the legendary Richard Belzer, Detective John Munch ranks among the most iconic TV characters ever. He was first introduced in the NBC series "Homicide: Life on the Street," and after that series ended in 1999, he moved over to become part of the original main cast of the first "Law & Order" spin-off, "Special Victims Unit." But that's hardly all, as Belzer appeared as Munch in everything from "The Simpsons" and "The X-Files" to "30 Rock" and "Sesame Street," and even got name-checked in an episode of the BBC's "Luther."
Unfortunately, after 15 seasons on "SVU," the writers wrote Munch out so foolishly that it left fans miffed. Munch's exit seems out of place, randomly popping up early in Season 15, in an episode that finds his squad mates toasting his inexplicable retirement. He'd return for a single episode later in the season, and a final appearance two years later, but for a character so important to the franchise's DNA, it seemed like a lousy way to go. Sadly, Belzer passed away in 2023, leaving his appearance in the 2016 episode "Fashionable Crimes" as his last in the role of John Munch.
Catherine Duke on NewsRadio
"NewsRadio" could thank its impeccable ensemble cast for any success it achieved. Joining "SNL" veteran Phil Hartman, "Kids in the Hall" founder Dave Foley, and the likes of Andy Dick, Maura Tierney, Vicky Lewis, and a young (and less crazy) Joe Rogan, was actress Khandi Alexander. Set in a New York radio newsroom, "NewsRadio" put Alexendar into the role of anchorwoman Catherine Duke, whose strong-willed, no-nonsense attitude and sense of professionalism provided a strong contrast to the show's zanier characters.
Unfortunately, Duke went underused and, worse still, was sometimes little more than a sex object for leering male characters like handyman Joe (Rogan) and chauvinistic air jockey Bill (Hartman). This led to Alexander asking out of the series, and while the Season 4 episode that featured her exit is a good one, it once again showcases how the writers couldn't find better ways to use her. "Catherine Moves On" shows her departure from different perspectives and has both Joe and Bill fantasizing about her. Alexander mostly plays a fictionalized, over-the-top version of Duke — either bitter and angry, sexually frustrated, or alternatively submissive in various versions of events.
Sadly, the real problem for fans wasn't just that last episode, but the fact that the writers would allow things to get so bad that Alexander had no choice but to leave. Because Season 5, without Duke — and without Hartman after his tragic death — lacked two of its best stars, and suffered as a result.
Aaron Hotch Hotchner on Criminal Minds
When a major character gets booted from a show it often infuriates fans who don't quite understand the behind-the-scenes reasons. Things were different when actor Thomas Gibson was forced out of "Criminal Minds," though. Few could blame the studio for getting rid of him following reports that he'd been involved in a violent physical altercation with one of the show's producers.
Still, when Gibson, who played Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner, was written out of the show, plenty of fans complained about how lazy the story seemed. Rather than giving the character a proper send-off — even if it had to happen off-screen – the series quietly disappears the character amid a major storyline and gives the limp excuse that entered into witness protection. And though fans certainly understood the situation, it didn't make his absence any easier. "I really did miss [sic] hotch when he left the show," said a user on Reddit in 2022. "It's like he left a big dent and I'll be watching an episode waiting for him to just pop out of somewhere and be like 'I'm back.'" But back he never did, even in the 2023 reboot, "Criminal Minds: Evolution."
Brenda Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210
A long-running show can see plenty of big changes, and that was certainly true of the teen drama "Beverly Hills, 90210," which ran for a full 10 seasons throughout the 1990s. Doug Emerson departed after just the first season, while Gabrielle Carteris received a demotion after Season 5, and heartthrob Luke Perry exited after the sixth year too. But the biggest and most disappointing departure? Series star Shannen Doherty, who played resilient, hard-headed Brenda Walsh, and left after just four seasons.
Though the storyline that saw her leave was perfectly acceptable — with Walsh ultimately deciding to leave California to attend college back home in Minnesota — the loss of Doherty killed the series for many fans. "Shannen made 90210, I remember noticing a dramatic shift after she left which made my watching very spotty," said a fan in 2021. "Her acting quality and the character brought a lot of emotion to the show, which is very characteristic of some teenagers."
As for why Doherty chose to leave, there have been conflicting reports over the years. Some have claimed she left by her own choice, while others have said that the powers that be forced her out after she reportedly caused problems behind the scenes. Whatever the real reason, the show never quite recovered, and it wouldn't be until the 2008 relaunch, "90210" that Doherty would return as Brenda Walsh.
Lieutenant Hemmer on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
The "Star Trek" franchise is no stranger to awkward send-offs, shocking deaths of main characters, and otherwise unceremonious exits for its regulars. Whether it was the abrupt and cringe-worthy departure of Tasha Yar on "The Next Generation" or how writers uncomfortably wrote out Kes on "Star Trek: Voyager," it sometimes seems a rarity when a "Trek" show gets it right. And they did it wrong again more recently on "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," at least if you ask outraged fans of the prequel series when they killed off Lt. Hemmer.
Sure, they offed him in an excellent episode, "All Those Who Wander," but the fact that they wrote him out of the series at all really riled fans up. After all, the blind Aenar Hemmer — played by actor Bruce Horak — was a rare representative of a differently-abled character, played by a visually impaired actor, which brought a much-needed element of diversity and inclusion to the series. Likewise, he rated as one of the very few original creations in a show filled with legacy characters like Captain Pike, Mr. Spock, Uhura, Nurse Chapel, Dr. M'Benga, and others.
As a result, fans online voiced their displeasure at the tossing aside of Hemmer, especially as he was a true bright spot for the series. Though Horak returned for a cameo as a Klingon in Season 2, most fans consider losing Hemmer one of the show's few first-season missteps.
Elrich Bachman on Silicon Valley
A lot of the actors ditched from a series earned the heave-ho due to their behind-the-scenes turmoil. Actor T.J. Miller left more than one project for that very reason, including the "Deadpool" threequel, and unfortunately was even pushed out of his starring role in the workplace comedy "Silicon Valley." Series creator Mike Judge — the man behind "King of the Hill" and "Office Space" — went on record insisting that they wrote Miller's character Elrich Bachman off the show because the actor wasn't getting along on set.
Nevertheless, fans still felt mad about the way Judge sent Bachman out, having him enter an opium den, never to be seen again. Some have taken umbrage with the exit's strangeness, a kind of sitcom non sequitur just to get Bachman gone, with no thought to how little sense it made. They found themselves displeased more specifically about the dearth of follow-up. "So a Silicon Valley millionaire goes missing, and basically nobody asks about it?" pondered a fan on Reddit. "The State Department never got involved? No missing persons investigation? Like, wtf?"
Another fan pointed out that the finale does make mention of a search for Bachman, but user Regular_ad_1766 didn't buy it. "Nobody really tried hard enough because that's just how the show writers screwed the character."
Troy on Community
Despite "Community" being an ensemble show, Donald Glover was its breakout star, which made it all the more frustrating to fans the way the show wrote him out when he wanted to follow other pursuits. Glover's character Troy Barnes was to many fans the heart of "Community," a cleverly written series that transcended the sitcom genre, and their outrage comes from the fact that he left at all.
Troy bids farewell after agreeing to sail around the world in order to inherit $14 million. He leaves with none other than LeVar Burton, never to be seen again. It's a wacky goodbye that fits the series' tone, and provides some seriously emotional moments. But the fact is, without Glover leading the show, "Community" just couldn't survive. "Community never felt like itself anymore, and from the moment the ship sailed, cancellation was just a matter of time, said Jamesmemes on Reddit.
The show was indeed canceled just months after Glover's final episode in early 2014, though it did get rescued for a brief but disastrous Season 6 on the ill-fated streaming service, Yahoo! Screen. A "Community" movie is in the works as of 2023, but there's been no word on Glover's involvement.
Ruby on Once Upon a Time
"Once Upon a Time," a fantasy drama that aired on the CW for seven seasons, unfolded in parallel worlds: a rural seaside town of Storybrooke, and the world of fairy tales. Most of the cast assumes dual roles, one in each world, and that included Megan Ory, who played Ruby in Storybrooke, and Red Riding Hood in fantasy land. She recurred at the start of the series but graduated to series regular for Season 2. Ory seemed poised to be a long-running regular when she was demoted again in Season 3, and then vanished entirely.
Over the years, fans have pointed out how frustrating it became when the show seemed to be setting her up for a crucial role in the larger mythology, yet never really did anything with her character. As it happens, the outrage here derived from the fact that Ruby was wasted potential, a sin more egregious because she represented a rare LGBTQ character who seemed to beg for more stories. And Ory appears to have agreed, as she left the show after accepting a bigger part in the CBS thriller "Intelligence," forcing "Once Upon a Time" to scale back her appearances before writing her out completely.
Bo and Luke Duke on The Dukes of Hazzard
It's hard to imagine a show writing out not just its biggest stars but its title characters too. No matter how strange it might seem, though, that's exactly what happened in 1982 when "The Dukes of Hazzard" said goodbye to Bo and Luke Duke (John Schneider and Tom Wopat) after Season 4. The pair played cousins who ran moonshine in the South, perpetually pursued by the villainous sheriff Boss Hogg, and helped make "Dukes" one of the biggest hits of its day. So you can understand the confusion when Season 5 began and they were nowhere to be found.
For that season, in came the Dukes' oddly similar cousins, Coy and Vance, thanks to a behind-the-scenes beef between Schneider, Wopat, and the studio. Fans did not respond well at all to the change. The show ranked among TV's biggest hits during its fourth season in 1982, but when Season 5 viewership numbers came in, it had tumbled all the way down the ratings, and CBS knew they were in trouble.
With viewers clearly unhappy with the change, the network buried their pride and got their two leading stars back behind the wheel. They reappeared very late in Season 5 and stayed for two more years, though the ratings never improved.
Agent Amy Jessup on Fringe
We can cite at least a couple of reasons why it might surprise you to learn that the Duchess of Sussex was once a series regular on the J.J. Abrams series "Fringe." For starters, when her character — Junior FBI Agent Amy Jessup — first arrived on the scene, the actress was still almost a decade away from her romance with Prince Harry, which would lead to her becoming a member of the British Royal Family. But she also was written out before Jessup had much to do and is today a mere footnote in the series' history.
Some fans lament that nothing was ever done with her, clearly annoyed by how the show completely disregards Jessup, her arc fizzling out after just two episodes. "That storyline had potential. Kinda bummed it didn't continue, said a fan in 2023. Even reviews at the time looked positively on her debut, though there were some concerns that she was only brought in as a possible replacement for series lead Anna Torv after a story had seemingly killed her off her character.
That didn't happen, of course, and that may have been what led to Jessup's departure. Either she was brought in as a red herring or was kicked off when Torv decided to stay. Either way, the end result was some unhappy viewers.
Samar on The Blacklist
Mozhan Marnò joined the cast of the long-running crime thriller "The Blacklist" for the show's second season. She played Samar Navabi, a former Mossad agent who now works with the FBI, and quickly becomes a key ally to Red Reddington (James Spader) in the agency's manhunt for the world's most dangerous killers. After four seasons, though, the show ditched her, and fan outcry was fierce ever since for what they lost when Marnò left the show.
"She was tough and strong. Maybe one of the best in task force," said Familiar_Advantage_6 on Reddit, and they weren't alone. "[She] had many of the characteristics I strive to embody," said Youtubefamilyfishing. "She was brilliant, an unapologetic badass, but with a soft heart and passion for justice."
A favorite of many fans, Samar was written out at the end of the sixth season, replaced by recurring FBI Special Agent Alina Park (Laura Sohn). Give the writers credit, though, because they found a clever way to end her story, with Navabi fleeing from an assassination attempt in a nailbiting story that remains one of the show's best.
Meredith on Grey's Anatomy
What can be worse than the disappointing send-off of a beloved character from your favorite TV series? Especially when it comes after nearly 20 years spent with that character in your living room week after week? That occurred with Ellen Pompeo, whose Dr. Meredith Grey gave "Grey's Anatomy" its name. The show bade farewell to her after almost decades, during Season 19. The episode saw Grey leave Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital and relocate to Boston, as Pompeo said goodbye to the role that made her famous.
Unfortunately, not everyone sounded as thrilled with Grey's departure as she did. "WOW. I have been watching this show since 2005 and THIS is the goodbye to our main character? Over half of my life! I am speechless," tweeted @OliviaCardi on X (the social media site once known as Twitter). "This is the worst episode of TV I've ever seen." She wasn't the only one, and plenty of viewers have chimed in on the travesty of her send-off. "I want pink slips for everyone involved who thought this is how you say goodbye to MEREDITH GREY," said @anthonyislegit.