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.
Matthew Crawley on Downton Abbey
The role of Dan Stevens, the sweet and distinguished man who was head over heels in love, was played by Matthew Crawley. He was married to the character Mary, who was both smart and beautiful. They were a perfect fan favorite match!
Fans of the show were without words when their beloved Matthew was killed. It was so unexpected, as they just married him to Mary and they were even pregnant with a baby! Apparently, Dan wanted to leave the show since he was gaining more fame. He wanted to explore other TV and film roles. At this point, the writers knew the only option was to kill him off since he was already a big part of the plot.
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.
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.
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.