Top 10 TV Characters That Were Killed Off Because The Actors Left ...

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All Top 10 ListsTelevision Top 10 TV Characters That Were Killed Off Because The Actors Left The Show

When an actor decides to leave or is forced to leave the cast of a TV show, directors have three options: replace the actor, write off the character, or kill it off completely, which is what interests us in this list.

Note: The character must be dead in the story. If they just left town or something, that does not count as being "killed off."

The Top Ten

Maude Flanders - The Simpsons

Maude Flanders in The Simpsons died after being knocked off a grandstand by T-shirts fired from a cannon. Her death was written after voice actress Maggie Roswell left due to a contract dispute.

On the 14th episode of the 11th season of The Simpsons, the character was killed off because the voice actress, Maggie Roswell, had a pay dispute with the Fox Broadcasting Company.

Poor Flanders can never get a break, can he?
Chef - South Park

Chef was killed off in South Park when he fell off a bridge, was mauled by a mountain lion, and then burned. His departure was written following the exit of Isaac Hayes, the character's voice actor.

The story goes that after show creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker released an episode of South Park titled "Trapped in the Closet," in which they make fun of Tom Cruise and Scientology, Isaac Hayes, the voice of Chef and a known Scientologist activist, quit the show.
However, this turned out to be false when Hayes' son revealed that Hayes had a stroke and lost the ability to speak. Subsequently, Scientology quit for him. Hayes wasn't such a hypocrite that he would quit the show after it made fun of every other religion. As a result, Chef is killed in the most violent way possible in his last episode. He falls off a bridge, gets impaled by a tree branch, and then is eaten by a grizzly bear and a mountain lion.
Tuco Salamanca - Breaking Bad

Tuco Salamanca in Breaking Bad was shot and killed in a standoff with DEA agents. His death was written to accommodate actor Raymond Cruz's other commitments.

While the writing team on Breaking Bad planned to have Tuco stick around for a while as one of Walter White's most dangerous adversaries, actor Raymond Cruz told them that he just couldn't handle playing the insane killer anymore.
The actor agreed to return for the first two episodes of the second season in order for the writers to adequately bring his character's arc to a close.
Susan Ross - Seinfeld

Susan Ross in Seinfeld died from licking toxic envelope glue while preparing wedding invitations. The character's death coincided with actress Heidi Swedberg's exit from the show.

Heidi Swedberg's character was killed off due to incompatibility with other stars' comedic rhythm on the show. Basically, she was very hard to work with, so they killed the character off and let the actress go.
Tasha Yar - Star Trek: The Next Generation

Tasha Yar in Star Trek: The Next Generation was killed by a powerful alien entity early in the series. Actress Denise Crosby left due to dissatisfaction with her character's development.

Denise Crosby was unhappy with her role as Tasha, feeling like her character didn't have enough to do. The staff likely felt that the cast needed to be trimmed down anyway, so Tasha was killed in the episode "Skin of Evil."
Charlie Harper - Two and a Half Men

Charlie Harper in Two and a Half Men was struck by a train offscreen, with his death revealed in the ninth season premiere. The character's exit followed Charlie Sheen's departure from the series.

Following multiple stints in rehab that put the show on indefinite hiatus, Charlie Sheen was finally fired from the show after he demanded an unreasonably high pay raise. He was already the highest-paid actor on TV at the time. Sheen also made some infamously heinous remarks about show creator Chuck Lorre.
It came as no surprise to viewers when CBS decided to kill off his character by having him fall off a Metro platform in the season nine premiere.
Lane Pryce - Mad Men

Lane Pryce in Mad Men died by suicide in his office after being caught embezzling company funds. Actor Jared Harris exited the series as part of the character's planned storyline.
Cordelia Chase - Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Lawrence Kutner - House

Lawrence Kutner in House died by suicide, with his body discovered by colleagues in his apartment. Actor Kal Penn left the show to take a job at the White House.

Kutner's suicide was scripted due to actor Kal Penn's decision to accept the position of Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison in President Barack Obama's administration.
George O'Malley - Grey's Anatomy

George O'Malley in Grey's Anatomy was fatally injured after being hit by a bus while saving a pedestrian. Actor T.R. Knight left the series following conflicts over his character's storyline.

The actor and the directors had creative differences over where the character was going, and they decided that moving on was the best decision. So they killed off the character.
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Edna Krabappel - The Simpsons

Edna Krabappel in The Simpsons was quietly written out following the death of voice actress Marcia Wallace. The character's passing was acknowledged in a later episode.
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Herman Kozik - Sons of Anarchy

Herman Kozik in Sons of Anarchy died after stepping on a landmine during a mission. Actor Kenny Johnson left as part of the show's ongoing storyline.
Elena Gilbert - The Vampire Diaries

Elena Gilbert in The Vampire Diaries was placed in a magically induced coma instead of being killed. Actress Nina Dobrev left the series to pursue other opportunities.
Matthew Crawley - Downton Abbey

Matthew Crawley in Downton Abbey died in a car accident shortly after meeting his newborn son. Actor Dan Stevens left the show at the end of his contract.

The actor Dan Stevens wanted to pursue other projects and opportunities. He said that Downton Abbey was very time-consuming and that it didn't leave much room for other projects.
Dr. Clayton Forrester - Mystery Science Theater 3000

Trace Beaulieu left Mystery Science Theater 3000 because, despite it being a great work environment, there was a lot of conflict between the cast and series director Jim Mallon.
As a result, Crow was recast, and Dr. Forrester was killed offscreen by his own mother, Pearl (Mary Jo Pehl).
Kate Todd - NCIS

Kate Todd in NCIS was shot in the head by a sniper while protecting her team. Actress Sasha Alexander left the show due to the demanding schedule.
Derek Shepherd - Grey's Anatomy

Derek Shepherd in Grey's Anatomy suffered fatal injuries from a car accident and later died in the hospital. Actor Patrick Dempsey left the show after 11 seasons.

Patrick Dempsey left the show to focus on his family and his passion for auto-racing.
Valerie Hogan - The Hogan Family

Valerie Hogan in The Hogan Family died in a car accident offscreen between seasons. Actress Valerie Harper left the show due to a contract dispute.

Valerie Harper always wanted more and more money. When the network executives refused, she used a trick she often used: walk out on the show until her demands were met.
This time, however, they had enough and fired her. The character was killed off in a car accident and was replaced by Sandy Duncan as the kids' new mother figure.
Pierce Hawthorne - Community

Pierce Hawthorne in Community died from dehydration during a personal retreat. Actor Chevy Chase exited the series after reported conflicts with the show's creator and cast.

Chevy Chase got into frequent spats with Community creator Dan Harmon and so he left the show. Pierce was killed off as a result.
Francis Underwood - House of Cards

Francis Underwood in House of Cards was revealed to have died offscreen before the final season. Actor Kevin Spacey was removed from the show following misconduct allegations.
Lexa - The 100

Lexa in The 100 was accidentally shot by her advisor shortly after a reunion with Clarke. Actress Alycia Debnam-Carey exited the series due to other acting commitments.
Edie Britt - Desperate Housewives

Edie Britt in Desperate Housewives died after being electrocuted by a downed power line following a car crash. Actress Nicollette Sheridan left the show following conflicts with the creator.

Nicollette Sheridan was struck in the head by Marc Cherry during filming, and for that, she left the show.
Michael Scofield - Prison Break
David Hale - Sons of Anarchy

David Hale in Sons of Anarchy was shot and killed during a struggle in the third season premiere. Actor Taylor Sheridan left to focus on his career as a writer and filmmaker.

I didn't see that coming at all. I always thought that this character would be around until the end of the show. (He could have been one of the cops who were after Jax in the last episode.)
This character had so much potential. Too bad the actor wanted to move on so soon.

The actor wanted to pursue other projects, so in the first episode of season 3, the character was killed off by being run over by the Calaveras MC in a drive-by attack targeting Samcro.

I was hoping to see a lot more of this character, but yeah, they had to kill him off.
Lincoln - The 100

Lincoln in The 100 was executed by gunshot as part of a public execution. Actor Ricky Whittle left the show due to reported conflicts with the showrunner.
Adric - Doctor Who

Adric in Doctor Who died when the spaceship he was on crashed into Earth. Actor Matthew Waterhouse left the series at the conclusion of his contract.
The 9th Doctor - Doctor Who

The 9th Doctor in Doctor Who regenerated into the 10th Doctor after absorbing the Time Vortex. Actor Christopher Eccleston left the show after one season due to behind-the-scenes conflicts.

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