Anita Barone on Friends
At the beginning of season two of Friends, the character Carol was mysteriously recast, with actress Anita Barone being replaced by Jane Sibbett. Barone said that she did not see her character, or Friends, going anywhere, so she decided to just leave. Oh man…hindsight’s got to hurt.
Jane Sibbett, was ironically the first choice for the role of Carol in season one. but being pregnant at the time, she was unable to commit. But the next time the opportunity came she hopped right on board. We guess the role was meant for her.
Jo Marie Payton on Family Matters
Did you know that Family Matters was supposed to be a spin-off of the TV show Perfect Strangers? It was supposed to follow Harriet Winslow and her middle-class family. The show was going to be centered around life as a middle-class black family and the real-life tribulations that came along with it.
That changed pretty instantly with the addition of Steve Urkel. The show now centered around Steve Urkel and his wild antics. Harriett Winslow (played by Jo Marie Payton) decided to leave the show because she did not like what it was becoming and how it strayed from the initial plot.
Charlie on Lost
On the TV drama, LOST, the character of Charlie was played by actor Dominic Monaghan. He was a very important character to the show, and yet drowned in season 3. He was sent off in a way where he was portrayed to be helping his friends off the island, so he left with dignity! But the question remains, why was he killed?
Interestingly enough, nobody really knows why he left the show. There are so many theories. One theory is that he left because his co-star who he was dating, Evangeline Lilly, broke up with him. Other people speculate that he left because he was getting less and less screen time on the show.
Robbie Rist on The Brady Bunch
During the final season of The Brady Bunch, executives introduced a new and beloved character known as Cousin Oliver. He came to live with the Brady clan and managed to single-handedly melt viewers hearts with his cuteness.
It is said that because the show was already on its last leg, so they tried to write him in as a final effort to mix things up a little. While his addition to the show didn't save it from being canceled, it did however actually start a reappearing phenomenon in the TV industry coined Cousin Oliver Syndrome- add cuteness and youth to a series when ratings begin to flop.
Izzie on Grey’s Anatomy
Izzie, on the hit TV show Grey’s Anatomy, was played by Katherine Heigl. Unfortunately, Katherine was known on set for being difficult to work with and constantly fighting with the writers. She even went as far as to shame the writers in public! She left the show under the ruse that she wanted to spend more time with her family.
Ellen Pompeo, who was her co-star on Grey’s Anatomy, had said in an interview that it was obvious she wanted to leave after being offered $12 Million dollars to star in a movie. Katherine wanted to come back to Grey’s Anatomy so that she could give closure to her role, but the writer said no.