Many TV shows have had interesting characters who randomly disappeared without any or very little explanation. While there may have been a behind-the-scenes explanation for this, it wasn’t often voiced by production, which left audiences confused as to where their favorite characters went. Even the best TV shows of all time have been guilty of this before, which only made the situation even more frustrating.
Sometimes, the departure of a character was necessary. If a certain plotline advanced and the characters’ stories moved on to something new, there was frequently a need to reevaluate the importance of another figure. While this was annoying, it was worse elsewhere, and some shows aired TV exits that were totally out of character or made no sense whatsoever. Regardless of the reason, these puzzling disappearances from TV shows were incredibly noticeable.
11 Leah Murphy
Grey’s Anatomy
Dr. Leah Murphy was initially chaotic and one of the few Grey’s Anatomy characters who was fired. Murphy’s dismissal from Grey Sloan’s surgical residency program was a core plot point in season 9, and she quickly realized that her enthusiasm for her work wasn’t a good enough placeholder for her lack of skills. She did reappear after she grew and developed as a person in season 13, and after she gained further experience elsewhere, she transferred back. However, after only a few episodes, Murphy mysteriously vanished.
This was incredibly strange, as Grey’s Anatomy focused so heavily on her character development and return, only to sweep her under the rug. Leah Murphy’s last appearance in Grey’s Anatomy was in the episode “It Only Gets Much Worse,” but her final moments in the show didn’t hold any significance or imply that she was departing once again. What was even more unusual about this was that the show didn’t offer any sort of explanation from the production itself or any of the Grey’s Anatomy cast.
10 Ben Geller
Friends
A prominent storyline in Friends season 1 was the birth of Ben Geller, Ross’ son, with his ex-wife, Carol. Ben was a welcome addition to the gang and an incredibly loved child by everyone, including his other mother, Susan, much to Ross’ annoyance. Ben appeared throughout the show several times, and he was the focus of multiple storylines. Ben helped Ross become a better person in some ways, but he strangely disappeared after the season 8 episode “The One Where Joey Dates Rachel.”
A few actors played Ross’ only son, but Cole and Dylan Sprouse were the most notable, and they portrayed him in the earlier days of their careers. Friends never acknowledged Ben’s absence, nor did they even mention him or his mothers by name. The mystery surrounding Ben Geller’s disappearance in Friends was likely because of Emma’s birth, but it also seemed odd that audiences never saw him be introduced to his younger sister, especially as Ross was so active in his daughter’s life.
9 Chuck Cunningham
Happy Days
Chuck Cunningham was Richie and Joanie’s older brother in Happy Days, who was famously portrayed by three different actors: Ric Carrot, Gavan O’Herlihy, and Randolph Roberts. Roberts played the final version of Chuck, but he disappeared after season 2. While Chuck’s presence in the Happy Days cast was limited, it was still illogical that there was no explanation for the basketball fanatic’s sudden exit from the show.
There were a few theories as to where Chuck went. The most popular was that he’d departed on a basketball scholarship to college, but there was a possibility that Chuck was retconned, too. For example, in season 11, Howard remarked about his children, but he stated that he only had two, which were heavily implied to be Joanie and Richie. Although Fonzie was a brilliant replacement for Chuck, he was never able to fill the shoes of being Richie’s brother.
8 Tina Pinciotti
That ’70s Show
That ‘70s Show was one of the most inconsistent TV shows full of retcons, and the character of Tina Pinciotti was a perfect example of this. Tina was one of Donna’s sisters, who only appeared briefly in the season 1 episode “Eric’s Burger Job.” It was previously established that Donna had two sisters, and the other was named Valerie, although she was never seen. Tina’s conversation with Hyde and Fez at Donna’s party was unexpected enough, especially as the two other Pinciotti siblings hadn’t been mentioned that much, but her sudden disappearance was even more jarring.
The following seasons of That ‘70s Show later established Donna as an only child. Even her father, Bob, who had spoken of his other daughters before, seemingly forgot about Tina and Valerie. Both That ‘70s Show and That ‘90s Show’s complicated timelines implied that drugs were the reason why things were nonsensical, but it was impressive that the gang supposedly dreamed up an entire person.
7 Cathy Simms
The Office
Audiences extremely disliked The Office‘s Cathy Simms during her short time on the show. While her disappearance wasn’t the worst thing in the world, especially because she was obsessed with Jim, it was still very random. Cathy was initially hired to cover Pam while she was on maternity leave with baby Phillip, but she became more and more important as time went on. After the events in Florida panned out, Jim was so distracted with getting Dwight home that he didn’t notice Cathy was gone.
However, neither did the audience. Cathy’s departure was subtle and quiet, but considering the drama she caused, it was unusual. Jim and Pam’s relationship in The Office was one of the driving forces of the show, but Cathy was massively disrespectful of it. Her constant, yet terrible, attempts at flirting with Jim and trying to make him stray from his marriage were cringey and painful to watch. Unfortunately, the character didn’t offer anything more than being a plot device, so her sudden exit wasn’t exactly argued.
6 The Janitor
Scrubs
The Janitor in Scrubs was a hilarious character, and his non-stop pranks on J.D. were some of the best moments in the show. Scrubs’ Janitor was originally imaginary, and he was simply a figure J.D. created in his head, but this was later changed. The Janitor was an essential character, and his wild antics made every episode even better. It was revealed in the season 9 premiere that the Janitor walked out after J.D. left Sacred Heart in the season 8 episode “My Finale,” never to be seen again.
This stupidly funny moment made sense, though, as a lot of the Janitor’s workload involved taunting J.D. What didn’t make sense, however, was that the Janitor never came back. Although many of the main cast of Scrubs didn’t star in the last installment of the show, which was dubbed Scrubs: Med School, it was a shock that the Janitor didn’t at least return for the finale. The Janitor was a staple of Scrubs, and the show missed an opportunity to slip in details of his escapades after he quit.
5 Professor Slater
Professor Michelle Slater was one of Greendale’s statistics teachers in Community, and she was also the girlfriend of leading man Jeff Winger for a short time. Slater knew exactly who she was, which resulted in several conversations with Jeff about maturity. She taught him a lot, and as she was Jeff’s first serious relationship in Community, there was hope that he’d also learn to grow up. After Britta confessed her feelings to Jeff rather publicly, Slater was embarrassed and disappeared.
Community vaguely acknowledged her absence, however. During Abed and Troy’s commentary on Greendale’s presidential election in the season 2 episode “Intro to Political Science,” they referred to her as “missing” in a throwaway comment. The storyline of Jeff, Slater, and Britta’s love triangle was a flop and didn’t really pay off, especially because of Jeff’s kiss with Annie in Community season 1, but Slater was strangely dropped from the dynamic. It was assumed that Slater distanced herself from the triviality of the situation and was still in the background, but it was never confirmed.
4 Paige Swanson
Young Sheldon
Paige Swanson was one of Sheldon Cooper’s frenemies in Young Sheldon and a person in his life with whom he frequently changed his opinion. Paige was a child genius like Sheldon, but the two were very different. She was far more socially inclined, possibly too self-aware for her own good, and understood that there was more to life than science. Paige also formed a strong friendship with Missy, and their bond created all manner of chaos, like in her last Young Sheldon appearance.
It was weird that Paige didn’t appear in Young Sheldon season 7, especially with the events of George Sr.’s death looming. Paige was last seen in the season 6 episode “A Stolen Truck and Going on the Lam” after being arrested with Missy for stealing George Sr.’s truck, which then brought Paige’s story to an abrupt end. She offered a lot to Sheldon and taught him how to deal with the real world in different ways, so it was expected that she’d at least say goodbye before he departed for California. However, Paige’s fate was left unclear.
3 Mandy Hampton
The West Wing
It was always unexpected for a character to disappear from a TV show, but The West Wing ’s most notable absence created a term for it: “Mandyville.” Mandy Hampton was a main character in season 1, but with every episode, her prominence rapidly decreased to the point that she vanished completely. When The West Wing season 2 began, there was no sign of Mandy whatsoever. Several characters in The West Wing disappeared without an explanation, but Mandy was the most noticeable.
Mandy was an important figure in President Bartlett’s administration, and her role as his political consultant was crucial, especially in the pilot. What’s even stranger, however, is that no reference to her was made after. The West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin previously stated that the character no longer worked, and this was discussed with Mandy actress Moira Kelly, but he failed to include something in the show that announced her departure. Instead, the memory of Mandy Hampton was simply phased out.
2 Mark Brendanawicz
Parks And Recreation
Mark Brendanawicz from Parks and Recreation was a fascinating example of a TV character disappearing. It was announced that actor Paul Schneider was going to leave the show, but Parks and Recreation’s production claimed that Mark would return at some point. However, this never happened, and Leslie Knope’s one-time lover was never seen in Pawnee again. Mark’s exit was quite anticlimactic, but this implied that his exit wasn’t permanent, especially because his storylines in the lead-up to it were rather hectic.
Mark dated Ann Perkins in Parks and Recreation, but he was more invested in their relationship than she was. Ann realized that she and Mark weren’t meant to be, but he didn’t pick up on this, and he attempted to propose to her on live TV. When the government was temporarily shut down, Mark took a buyout and left to be a private contractor. His name was never brought up again, even though Parks and Recreation had the chance to.
1 Abby Day
New Girl
Abby Day was Jess’ sister in New Girl. Abby was best remembered as being a party girl and a person who struggled to find her footing in life. Abby appeared in three episodes throughout New Girl, all aptly named “Sister,” “Sister II,” and “Sister III,” and in her final appearance, Abby left Jess’ loft and returned to Oregon to move in with their mother again. While Abby wasn’t a primary character in New Girl and was designed only to be featured sporadically, it was bizarre that she was basically forgotten.
Considering the impact Abby had in New Girl, despite her minimal role, she deserved to get her own ending in the show, even if it was brief. She dated Schmidt and even moved in with him, and while things didn’t work out with them, this was still a notable storyline. Jess’s character undoubtedly gave off an aura that made her seem like an only child, but she wasn’t. There was a small mention of Abby later on in the show, but it was indirect, and it seemed odd that Jess’ trouble-making sister wasn’t referenced more often.