Occasionally, TV shows take a turn for the worse when certain characters get written off. In some cases, characters will get killed off after terrible accidents or after getting diagnosed with deadly diseases. In other cases, characters will be forced to move away or relocate to different cities where they’ll never get screen time. There are a slew of reasons behind why this could happen. For one, the actor playing a specific role might be ready to move on with their life.
TV actors who strive to be taken seriously in the Hollywood industry might ask for their character to be written off or killed so they can gain more autonomy in their schedule. After all, plenty of TV actors have hopes of starring in blockbuster films. In the saddest cases of all, an actor who plays a certain character might actually die in real life. Whenever a real-life death occurs, TV producers must brainstorm smart ways to go about losing the character in a way that’s both respectful and understanding.
One example of a TV character getting killed off before the end happened on “You.” The hit Netflix series featured a character named Guinevere Beck played by Elizabeth Lail. Beck was murdered by a man she once trusted at the end of the first season. Even though her character was beloved by fans, she wasn’t written to make it to the end. Most viewers were rooting for her survival. Beck is a character fans didn’t expect they’d have to miss because her death was so shocking.
To gather this list of TV characters you didn’t know you’d miss until they were gone, 24/7 Tempo consulted several entertainment sources. These include Collider, ScreenRant, and Vulture.
Tommen Baratheon on “Game of Thrones”
- Played by: Dean-Charles Chapman
- Exited the show: Season 6 finale
Losing Tommen Baratheon on “Game of Thrones” was a shock to the system plenty of viewers didn’t see coming. Tommen was a TV character folks didn’t realize they would miss until he was gone. That’s partially because he had such a calm and peaceful temperament. He came from a chaotic family with Cersei Lannister as his evil mother. His birth father also happened to be his uncle, Jaime Lannister. For more clarity, Tommen was the product of an incestuous relationship.
Robert is the man Tommen believed was his actual father, and even though that wasn’t true, Tommen grew up dealing with Robert as an aggressive and ignorant household leader. To make matters worse, Tommen’s older brother, Joffrey Baratheon, was demented in the most gnarly way. He got off on torturing weaker people. When Tommen realized the love of his life, Margaery Tyrell, was dead, he jumped through a castle window to commit suicide.
Michael Scott on “The Office”
- Played by: Steve Carrell
- Exited the show: Season 7 finale
Anyone who watched “The Office” from 2005 until 2013 likely appreciated the darling cast of playful characters. Losing Michael Scott as the commander in charge of Dunder Mifflin was a colossal bummer. Michael, played by Steve Carell, dipped out at the end of Season 7. His fictional life partner, Holly Flax started out as his arch nemesis. That’s because she worked as a Human Resources representative. Eventually, Michael and Holly realized they couldn’t live separate lives.
She showed him what it truly meant to love and be loved. She left “The Office” on the 19th episode of Season 7, just a few episodes before Michael made his departure. The couple was written off with a storyline about their plans to start their lives together in Boulder, Colorado. When watching Season 1 of the show, it’s impossible to guess that Michael would ever be missing from future episodes. For that reason, he’s a TV character fans wouldn’t realize they’d have to miss until he was gone.
Guinevere Beck on “You”
- Played by: Elizabeth Lail
- Exited the show: Season 2, Episode 2
Guinevere Beck, played by Elizabeth Lail, was a character everyone was rooting for throughout Season 1 “You” on Netflix. She represented typical young adult women living life in their 20s. Her life revolved around socializing with her friends and piecing together a messy relationship with her father. She was also busy figuring out her finances and trying to find genuine love with the right person.
Unfortunately for her, she fell in love with a psychotic, abusive, and manipulative stalker. He made it his mission in life to control everything about her. In the end, Beck was murdered by her boyfriend. Before dying, she put up a great fight to survive. She showed back up in the form of a flashback in Season 2, Episode 2. “You” has gone on for four seasons in total with its fifth and final season on the way. Beck will not return for Season 5 since her character is long gone.
Jenny Humphrey on “Gossip Girl”
- Played by: Taylor Momsen
- Exited the show: Season 4, Episode 10
When watching “Gossip Girl” for the first time, it’s impossible to guess that you’d miss seeing little Jenny Humphrey in later episodes of the show. In reality, losing Jenny was a huge blow to the series. Jenny’s final episode was Season 4, Episode 10. She showed up to film the finale episode of Season 6 to bring some clothes to audience, but it wasn’t much. Taylor Momsen, the actress behind the role, decided she was done filming “Gossip Girl” because she wanted to shift her focus to her music career.
Momsen is the lead singer of a rock band called The Pretty Reckless. Jenny was a character who constantly brought the drama to “Gossip Girl” in one way or another. Her desire to become a famous fashion designer led to conflicts between her and a model named Agnes Andrews. Her interest to pursuing a romantic relationship with Nate Archibald blew up her friendship with Vanessa Abrams. Her wishes to become the most popular girl on campus led to some serious chaos between her and Blair Waldorf. Losing Jenny as a main character meant losing a huge spark of “Gossip Girl” drama.
Maritza Ramon on “Orange is the New Black”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 25: Orange is the New Black Season 7, World Premiere Screening and Afterparty 2019 on July 25, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for Netflix)
- Played by: Danielle Guerrero
- Exited the show: Season 7, Episode 5
“Orange is the New Black” is a popular Netflix show that tells the stories of fictional women locked up behind bars. All the characters have intriguing back stories to highlight exactly how they ended up in prison. One of those characters was Maritza Ramon, Danielle Guerrero. Maritza’s last scene was in Season 7, Episode 5. She said “goodbye” to a friend she’d been comfortably serving time with at a minimum security prison in Connecticut called Litchfield.
Maritza didn’t make it to the finale episode as a character, but viewers certainly got to see her back story for some insight regarding why she started serving time in the first place. Her sleazy history scamming people as a car dealership employee and bottle service girl caught up to her. Even though she scammed people to the point of imprisonment, she still proved to be a lovable character when viewers got to know her at her core.
Maya St. Germain on “Pretty Little Liars”
- Played by: Bianca Lawso
- Exited the show: Season 3, Episode 12
It was unfortunate to see Maya St. Germain part ways with “Pretty Little Liars” after Season 3, Episode 12. Bianco Lawso was the actress who took on the role. Maya was a teenage girl who was proud and open about her sexual orientation. Maya connected with Emily Fields and helped Emily realize being part of the LGBTQ community wouldn’t be the end of the world.
Maya did everything in her power to help Emily feel safe enough to live in her truth. She became a good friend to Emily as well as a romantic partner. Losing Maya on the show meant Emily was forced to go through some serious heartbreak. The reason Maya left the show was because the character was murdered. Her psychotic ex-boyfriend tracked her down to wreak havoc. He certainly got his way.
Elena Gilbert on “The Vampire Diaries”
- Played by: Nina Dobrev
- Exited the show: Season 6, Episode 22
When Nina Dobrev decided she was ready to part ways with “The Vampire Diaries,” it left fans of the supernatural show heartbroken and devastated. The vampire-themed drama focused on a teenage girl juggling with romantic feelings for vampires and a best friendship with a witch. She also dealt with other typical high school drama. Dobrev revealed on Instagram that she wasn’t interested in playing the role beyond six seasons.
Without her, the show pressed forward for two more seasons. It concluded with eight seasons in total. Fans didn’t realize they would have to miss Dobrev’s character, Elena Gilbert, until the shocking Season 6 finale truth reveal. Dobrev showed up to play Elena one more time for the series finale at the end of Season 8. It was her way of providing closure to all the diehard “Vampire Diaries” fans of the world.
Andy Bailey on “Modern Family”
- Played by: Adam Devine
- Exited the show: Season 7, Episode 22
Losing Andy Bailey on “Modern Family” was a huge blow two fans of the show. Andy, played by Adam DeVine, left the show after Season 7, Episode 22. Andy’s relationship with Haley Dunphy was reminiscent of a chaotic fairytale. They fell for each other while he was still in a committed relationship with another woman named Beth.
His commitment to Beth went so far that he proposed to her on a day when Haley was getting ready to tell him how she felt about him. Ultimately, he broke things off with Beth to pursue a relationship with Haley. Fans were rooting for their relationship to take off and last forever.
Instead of going that route, the producers of “Modern Family” axed Andy’s character to give Haley room to reconnect with her high school sweetheart, Dylan Marshall. Reddit threads have been created for “Modern Family” fans to collectively argue about who Haley should’ve ended up with between Andy and Dylan. Tons of people are convinced she would have (and should have) chosen Andy if he hadn’t been written off the show.
Karen Jackson on “Shameless”
- Played by: Laura Slade Wiggins
- Exited the show: Season 3, Episode 12
Karen Jackson, played by Laura Slade Wiggins, was one of the most immature and heartless individuals on “Shameless.” Even so, her character had tons of depth and layers that needed to be peeled back. Although Karen was toxic in all of her romantic relationships, there was something redeeming about her that kept young men crawling back for more.
In the first three seasons of “Shameless,” details about Karen’s childhood and sexual experiences as a youngster were revealed. This insight gave viewers a little more understanding for why she was so troubled. “Shameless” went on for 11 successful seasons, but Karen was only around until Season 3, Episode 12. She never returned, which made her a character fans didn’t realize they would miss until she was officially gone.
Hannah Baker on “13 Reasons Why”
- Played by: Katherine Langford
- Exited the show: Season 4, Episode 10
Katherine Langford is the actress who took on the role of Hannah Baker in “13 Reasons Why.” Langford did an incredible job tackling such a complex character in a show that covers heavy-hitting topics like sexual assault, bullying, and substance abuse. The show also tackles mental health issues, gun violence, and suicide.
The last time viewers saw Hannah in an episode was Season 4, Episode 10. She appeared as a hallucination in Clay Jensen’s mind. Prior to that, she dabbled with the idea of a romantic connection with Clay before deciding she wanted to take her her own life. Based on the dramatization of Clay’s mental health issues, it seemed he’d continue noticing hallucinations of Hannah for the rest of the show.
The producers didn’t allow that to be the case, though. For that reason, Hannah became a character viewers didn’t realize they would miss until she was gone for good. Once the hallucinations from Clay came to a halt, all appearances from Langford as Hannah halted also.
Jane Margolis on “Breaking Bad”
- Played by: Krysten Ritter
- Exited the show: Season 3, Episode 11
Jane Margolis had a huge impact on Jesse Pinkman in “Breaking Bad.” He felt like a deadbeat loser who didn’t have much to offer society. He was the type of guy who never thought he’d be lucky enough to end up with a life partner. Somehow, he crossed paths with Jane and realize that true love actually existed.
There were definitely moments between Jane and Jesse that were super toxic and uncomfortable, but she still proved herself as a loving companion. Walter White walked in on her while she was overdosing and did nothing to save her. He felt like Jane was a terrible influence on Jesse and knew his drug dealing business would be better off without her in the picture. Losing Jane devastating heartbreak for Jesse. It was also a bummer for fans of “Breaking Bad” to witness.
Finn Hudson on “Glee”
- Played by: Cory Monteith
- Exited the show: Season 4, Episode 19
Finn Hudson, played by Corey Monteith, certainly would’ve made it to the end of “Glee” if Monteith didn’t die in real life. Monteith passed away in 2013 from an overdose of alcohol and heroin. At the time of his passing, he’d been dating his “Glee” co-star, Lea Michele, for a little more than a year.
Michele and the rest of her “Glee” cast mates continued filming until 2015. Monteith and Michele’s characters were meant to be endgame. That means they were eventually supposed to end up back together after breaking up in one of the earlier seasons. Since Monteith died in real life, that arc obviously wasn’t going to happen.
Season 5, Episode 3 titled “The Quarterback” was dedicated to Monteith. It included a melancholy song called “Make You Feel My Love.” Music lovers might’ve previously heard the track from Bob Dylan or Adele. Since Monteith’s death was so sudden and unexpected, fans of “Glee” didn’t know or realize they were going to have to miss Finn as a character until he was gone.
Aidan Shaw on “Sex and the City”
- Played by: John Corbett
- Exited the show: Season 6, Episode 1
The last time eye-opening Carrie Bradshaw was in Aiden Shaw’s presence on “Sex and the City” was during Season 6, Episode 1. Sarah Jessica Parker and John Corbett’s respective characters were passionate about each other during Season 3 of the show. Carrie messed up astronomically by cheating on Aiden with Big. The affair was devastating to all parties involved. Still, Aiden had it in his heart to forgive her.
He tried to move forward as best he possibly could. He even popped the question and asked to marry her so they could solidify their connection. Carrie ruined the relationship in what many would describe as a disturbing case of self-sabotage. By the time she ran into Aiden in Season 6, Episode 1, he was married to another woman who had already given birth to his first child.
Chris McKay on “Euphoria”
- Played by: Algee Smith
- Exited the show: Season 2, Episode 2
For some bizarre reason, Chris McKay disappeared from “Euphoria” after Season 2, Episode 2. Chris was a character determined to pursue a relationship with a girl named Cassie Howard. He wanted her even though he knew she had a terrible reputation. His male peers constantly circulated nude photos and videos of her around. On top of that, she was known for hooking up with just about anyone.
Still, Chris remained patient with her and did his best to refrain from criticism. Their relationship completely fell apart when his fraternity brothers assaulted him while he was in the middle of hooking up with her. It was something he simply didn’t feel he could recover from since his ego was so bruised. The assault he endured was so horrific, it left him feeling like a shell of his former self. Instead of gaining more insight into the emotions swirling around inside Chris’s head, his character disappeared from the show altogether.
There’s a big chance “Euphoria” might get totally canceled without returning for a third season. If that were to happen, tons of fans would be totally disappointed. For now, the future “Euphoria” is a mystery. What we do know now is that Chris’s character likely won’t return if so. In the meantime, click here for more incredible TV shows that have officially been canceled.