Actors Who Quit Famous TV Shows (And Some Regretted It)
Acting is one of the best gigs on Earth, depending on who you ask. You get paid a pretty penny pretending to be someone else in front of a camera. In the process, you gain fans, awards, and reputation, but that isn’t enough for some actors and actresses. Even when it seems like things are going well, a star might feel differently inside. Why would one want to leave a critically acclaimed series that helped launch your career into outer space? We don’t know, but regret is a familiar feeling among those who do this. Continue reading and find out which celebrities regretted leaving a show too early.
E.R. Was Anthony Edwards’ Heyday
In his role as Dr. Mark Greene on the drama E.R., Anthony Edwards was a huge hit. The job earned him a Golden Globe, six Screen Actors Guild Awards, and four consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards nominations.
However, he left the show after eight seasons and has largely been absent from the public eye ever since. Don’t feel too bad for him, though. In a 2013 Reddit AMA, he stated that he got to spend lots of quality time with his family when he left.
Sherry Stringfield’s Misery Leads To Regret
It’s not every day that an actress can leave one popular show, only to end up on another one and not like either of them. That was the case for Sherry Stringfield, who left NYPD Blue after one season.
She somehow landed on the hospital drama ER not too long later, but that series would make her miserable (she would get sick due to lack of sleep). That’s when she decided to sign an agreement not to work in TV for years. Unfortunately, her career would never take off again after that.
Three Seasons And Lowe Was Out
If you remember correctly, Rob Lowe had an early chance at fame in the ’80s as a member of the famed Brat Pack. Then, his career flew under the radar until he landed a role in the political series, The West Wing.
Audiences loved his character Sam Seaborn and everything looked fine. It only took Lowe three seasons until he would end up leaving. It would take him years to rebound from leaving until he found his way on the series Brothers & Sisters in 2006.
Angus T. Jones Moral Compass Wasn’t Broken
For a show called Two and a Half Men that’s predicated on a younger boy playing the “half” part, it would be awkward for him to quit. Angus T. Jones was the half in this series and he rose to fame portraying Jake.
Things looked like they were going well on the outside, but Jones wasn’t satisfied on the inside. He called the show “immoral” and “filthy” and chose to no longer be apart of Two and a Half Men. He hasn’t worked much since.
Caruso Wanted More, But More Didn’t Want Him
David Caruso rapidly became a fan favorite on NYPD Blue in only one season. Ironically enough, he ended up leaving after that single season and fans were irate that they couldn’t see their Detective John Kelly.
Meanwhile, Caruso had other goals he wanted to pursue. Caruso desired to make it on the big screen, he didn’t want to be on TV anymore. That didn’t go as planned and the actor made some questionable moves in the films he chose. His career was on a hiatus for some time until he found himself back on TV in CSI: Miami.
It Was “Tragic” For Eccleston
Russell T. Davis spent years of lobbying the BBC and eventually got the chance to reboot the beloved Doctor Who series in 2005. Fans went wild when they found out that Christopher Eccleston would become the Ninth Doctor, and the show was an instant hit.
Still, after one season, Eccleston left due to differences in the creative process with the show’s producers. “It was kind of tragic for me, that I didn’t play him for longer,” Eccleston admitted. “He’s a beautiful character, and I have a great deal of professional pride and had I done a second season, there would have been a marked improvement in my performance.”
Knight Might’ve Made The Wrong Move
Another Grey’s Anatomy actor bites the dust. This time, it’s T.R. Knight, the man who was in love with the main character, Meredith Grey, and ended up dying in front of her.
After a feud became public between Knight and Isaiah Washington, another character on the series, Washington, would get fired, and Knight felt the damages were unrepairable. Knight got killed off the show, and his career pretty much flatlined after it. It’s a shame because people loved George O’Malley.
Wheaton Was Young And Didn’t Have A Clue
Star Trek is undoubtedly one of the few shows that stood the test of time. Fans still go crazy over it. Unfortunately, Wil Wheaton thought his stock would rise higher than the intergalactic sci-fi series, so he left when he was only 18.
“I left Star Trek: The Next Generation when I was 18 years old, and initially I thought it was a really smart business career move,” Wheaton said during a Star Trek reunion at the Calgary Expo in 2012. “In some ways, it was, and in more ways, it wasn’t.”
Wright Hopes Top Boy Does Well
Long before she would help change the landscape of Marvel movies forever as Shuri in Black Panther, Letitia Wright portrayed a young thug on the East Ends of the UK in Top Boy. She endured the role for one season and decided to quit due to her character’s morals.
“I learned a lot on that show, but I didn’t do the second season,” Wright answered when asked about the future of the series. “I was scared it would box me in. It was one of the bravest decisions I’ve ever made. I can’t go back on my word and play a character that at the time, I didn’t really find three-dimensional. I hope they do a good job with it.”
Joke’s on Dunkleman
In the beginning, there were two hosts for American Idol. One of them was Ryan Seacrest, and the other was Brian Dunkleman. The latter left as the show caught fire and became wildly popular to pursue a career in stand-up comedy. That didn’t turn out as he planned.
“[T]he undeniable truth is, I just didn’t have the wisdom at the time to handle what was happening,” Dunkleman wrote in Variety. “Do I regret not remaining on the show now that it’s coming to an end? Yes. Especially when I open my bank statements.”
Learned Wanted A Challenge
Remember the show, The Waltons? Well, Michael Learned played Olivia Walton on the series from 1972 to 1979. After seven seasons, she would leave because she thought the role didn’t challenge her enough as an actress.
“There’s been times when I’ve regretted it only in that it probably would have been better to complete the whole show,” Learned told Fox News in 2017. “But frankly, when John-Boy came back with a new face and a new voice, it was like something happened.”
Thomas Gibson Had Creative Differences
For 11 seasons, Thomas Gibson reprised the lead role as Aaron Hotchner in Criminal Minds. Two episodes into the 12th, Gibson got the boot for allegedly kicking a writer thanks to a dispute over the script!
“There were creative differences on the set and a disagreement,” Gibson admitted in a statement at the time. “I regret that it occurred. I love Criminal Minds and have put my heart and soul into it for the last 12 years.”
Matt Smith Also Has Doctor Regrets
Christopher Eccleston wasn’t the only one to leave Doctor Who. In this instance, Matt Smith departed for a different reason and the source of his regret was nowhere near the same as Eccleston’s. Smith felt bad for one thing.
“That’s one of my great regrets, that I didn’t get a full season with Jenna [Coleman],” he said at a panel at New York Comic-Con. The man only regretted not getting to star alongside the lovely actress.
When Contract Negotiations Failed, Christopher Meloni Walked
Fans of Law & Order: SVU were deeply saddened when Christopher Meloni, who played Detective Elliot Stabler, left the show after its twelfth season. The reason? He and NBC were unable to come to an agreement regarding his contract renewal.
When asked by Andy Cohen whether he regretted walking away, Meloni responded, “Not for a day. Not for a day.” Hopefully, his fans are as forgiving of him as he is of himself!
Heigl Had To Apologize
Frankly put, the role of Dr. Isobel “Izzie” Stevens in ABC’s hit drama Grey’s Anatomy was Katherine Heigl’s claim to fame. After a public feud with showrunner and genius that is Shonda Rhimes, Izzie left the show abruptly. Her absence didn’t even resonate well in the series.
In 2016, Heigl sat with Howard Stern and told the media mogul that she apologized to Rhimes. “I went into Shonda and said, ‘I’m so sorry. That wasn’t cool. I should not have said that,'” she said. “I shouldn’t have said anything publicly, but at the time, I didn’t think anybody would notice.”
Topher Grace’s Departure Doomed That ’70s Show
When Topher Grace left That ’70s Show, his character Eric Forman was written out of the storyline. Grace felt he was missing out on bigger opportunities by staying on the show. Things have worked out OK for Grace, however, with a role in Spider-Man 3 and lots of indie films.
He’s come to realize how fortunate he was to be on the show. “It occurred to me that I was really lucky to have been on a sitcom for a lot of years,” he told Looper. “I realized… that I didn’t really need a lot more money… I didn’t care [about exposure or a big paycheck].”
