Left: Lost
Reason: Family Issues
Estimated Salary Loss: $30,000 per episode*
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje played Eko on Lost. Akinnuoye-Agbaje had signed to be on the show for four seasons but he quickly changed his mind after just one season. He requested to be let off the island after his parents tragically passed away and he wanted to move back to his native London. The producers, of course, agreed.
Akinnuoye-Agbaje was later offered a guest role on the show’s finale, but he turned it down, perhaps from the memories of losing his parents during his time on the show. The actor was hardly “lost” after the series though, and has had no shortage of roles. He went on to star in “Suicide Squad” and “Thor: The Dark World” just to name a few.
Christopher Meloni
Left: Law & Order: SVU
Reason: Contract Negotiations
Estimated Salary Loss: $400,000 per episode*
Christopher Meloni’s Elliott Stabler disappeared off of "Law & Order: SVU" when his character was written out with a sudden and grisly demise. Where did such a plot twist come from? It all came down to simple contract negotiations that failed to conclude.
Meloni was discontent with his salary and began negotiating for higher pay at the beginning of season twelve. The network, however, wouldn’t budge for Meloni’s request, so Meloni’s character was canned. But in a real-life plot twist, it was announced that Elliot Stabler was going to make a comeback on SVU. How this will work with his premature death on the show will be interesting to see!
Andrew Lincoln
Left: The Walking Dead
Reason: To Spend More Time with His Family
Estimated Salary Loss: $1 million per episode*
Andrew Lincoln played Rick Grimes on "The Walking Dead". Surprisingly, he is actually British and a big family man. When he has time away from the show, he is in England with his loved ones. Also, a dedicated performer, when he was filming "The Walking Dead," he was apart from his family for about half a year, as he had to return to Georgia to film.
A man of priorities, Lincoln decided that he didn’t like being away from his wife and kids so much, so he asked to be written off the show. Lincoln left in season nine. He later announced that he would reprise the role of Rick Grimes for three TV movies.
Josh Charles
Left: The Good Wife
Reason: Wanted to Get Married
Estimated Salary Loss: $100,000 per episode*
Josh Charles played Will Gardner on "The Good Wife" and, quite ironically, was looking at having a wife himself. Near the time when Charles’ contract expired with the show and he had to make a decision for his career, he also proposed to his now-wife, Sophie Flack.
He decided not to return to "The Good Wife," and his character, Will Gardner, was written off. So in a major plot twist, Gardner was killed off, surprising fans. Clearly, fans were very sad to see this beloved character go but it was certainly for a good reason!
Raymond Cruz
Left: Breaking Bad
Reason: The Show Was Too Draining
Estimated Salary Loss: $100,000 per episode*
"Breaking Bad" fans love the show for its edgy, gritty storyline but it is certainly not a “feel good” series. Tuco Salamanca was a wild, psychotic character that was brought to life by Raymond Cruz. Cruz put so much of himself into the role that he actually asked to be written off. Why? He admitted that the twelve-to-fourteen-hour days on set were “physically, emotionally, and mentally” exhausting.
Apparently, Cruz really could not wait to finish his time on "Breaking Bad" as he said he was “happy” when Tuco was killed off. Cruz confessed that he struggled with the brutality of Tuco’s character but he ended up reprising the role for the "Breaking Bad" spinoff, Better Call Saul.