Christopher Eccleston
Left: “Doctor Who”
Reason: Creative differences
Est. Salary Loss: Unknown
One of the biggest advantages of “Doctor Who” is that if a main actor or actress departs, the show can just have them regenerate into a totally different look. Such was the case after Christopher Eccleston left after only one season as the famous Gallifreyan.
He had plenty of creative differences with the show’s producers and was swiftly replaced with David Tennant – who would go on to get worldwide fame in the role. Eccleston admits he wanted a second chance at the character, but the direction of the show didn’t go the way he wanted, and his relationship with the showrunners broke down.
Sandra Oh
Left: “Grey's Anatomy”
Reason: Gave Everything She Could
Est. Salary Loss: $350,000 per episode
“Grey's Anatomy” is one of the most legendary shows still, somehow, running today. It's been going for seventeen seasons, and it looks like the eighteenth is a go. Problem is, the show has been running so long the main actors and actresses, save for Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson, and James Pickens Jr., have all decided to try other projects.
Sandra Oh as Dr. Christina Yang realized she had given everything she could to the show, and would just be going through the motions if she stayed on any longer. She's made a few guest appearances since her departure, but she won't return as a regular cast member.
Zach Braff
Left: “Scrubs”
Reason: Contract Disputes
Est. Salary Loss: $350,000
As the lovable, bumbling main character of the medical comedy “Scrubs,” Braff was just as displeased as the rest of us when the show jumped to a different network. He, like the rest of the cast, was surprised when the show was picked up for a ninth season, seeing as how the end of the eighth season had been a big sendoff and a perfect way to end a show that was at times both serious and overly goofy.
Zach returned as Doctor John Dorian, but the original main characters shuffled in and out to make room for new characters. It didn't last long.
Jason Priestley
Left: “Beverly Hills, 90210”
Reason: Had Done It All
Est. Salary Loss: $100,000 per episode
The good kid of the sun-bleached hunks and babes from “Beverly Hills, 90210” decided that after nine seasons of squinting over the water, he had done everything his character, Brandon Walsh, could. He had explored every aspect of the character and could no longer play the role.
However, Jason Priestley later went on to express regret at leaving, since the show only went for one more season and he would have liked to finish it out with the rest of the cast. Specifically, he wanted to be able to have Brandon and Kelly end up together, which was where the show pointed before he departed.
Chevy Chase
Left: “Saturday Night Live”
Reason: To Get Married
Est. Salary Loss: Unknown
As one of the original cast members on the somehow long-running “Saturday Night Live,” Chase was also the show's original breakout star. However, it might come as a surprise to many that he was only on the show for a single season, after which he departed in order to begin married life with his second wife, Jacqueline Carlin.
Chase admits it was the wrong decision. He was infatuated with Carlin, but it was the wrong choice to leave a sure gig to marry someone he now clearly sees as the wrong person. “It was all nuts, looking back on it. But I did regret it.”