Unfortunately, there are several great TV show characters whose exits are far more anticlimactic than they deserve. It’s not unusual for a character to depart mid-way through a show’s run, and many of the best TV shows of all time feature an exit from one of their most beloved figures. However, not all of these storylines are necessarily well written, or even make any sense.
There are plenty of examples of TV show exits that are out of character, but they are still dramatic and interesting enough to keep audiences engaged. For some actors, their departure storylines don’t do their character justice, and after years of starring in their respective shows, their final scenes fall flat. A bad or boring TV character exit is often annoying, but an anticlimactic one is often a lot worse.
10 Mandy Hampton
The West Wing
The most annoying thing about Mandy Hampton’s disappearance from The West Wing is the fact that audiences don’t even see her exit on screen. What’s even more frustrating, however, is that there is evidence of a departure storyline for Mandy, but The West Wing doesn’t commit to it and instead cuts the character altogether after season 1. In the later episodes of season 1, Mandy’s presence dwindles. She’s barely around, and the show forgets about things like her memo about Barlett’s administration, which has the potential to justify her leaving.
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Instead of giving Mandy a satisfying exit, especially considering it was known that Moira Kelly wouldn’t return halfway through the season, The West Wing simply moves on from Mandy and never explains why she is gone, which is the basis for the term “Mandyville.” Mandy is such an integral character in season 1, and regardless of the decisions behind-the-scenes, it’s strange that an important figure like her doesn’t get at least one line of dialogue to explain her disappearance.
9 Michael Kelso
That '70s Show
While it makes sense that Kelso leaves That ‘70s Show to be closer to his daughter in Chicago, the execution of his departure storyline is rather disappointing. It’s great that he is the only known member of That ‘70s Show’s Kelso family tree to leave Point Place, especially as his brother Casey proves their relatives generally don’t amount to much. However, for such a wild and wacky character, Michael Kelso deserves a more dramatic exit than just taking a random job.
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Bruce Willis’ cameo in That ‘70s Show results in Kelso being offered a job working at the Playboy Club. Rather than preparing for his new future, the season 8 episode “Misfire” instead focuses on yet another cringey miscommunication over a possible reconciliation between Jackie and Kelso. However, once that is all done with, Kelso walks out the basement door for Chicago, and he isn’t seen again until the finale. Although Kelso technically isn’t gone for long, it is his departure as a series regular, and it’s so anticlimactic that it’s easy to think that something has been missed.
8 Martha Jones
Doctor Who
Freema Agyeman’s Martha Jones in Doctor Who is a massively underrated companion who is overshadowed by an unnecessary romance storyline, which plays a part in her disappointing departure from the TARDIS. Although Martha returns in season 4 and for the spin-off Torchwood, Martha technically leaves Doctor Who in the season 3 episode “Last of the Time Lords.” In some ways, her exit is redeeming. Martha realizes the Doctor will never see her in the same light as Rose, and she decides it's her time to “get out” and protect her own heart.
Many don’t appreciate that Martha is one of the best companions in
Doctor Who
because she realizes the Doctor isn’t perfect far earlier than her predecessors.
However, this moment is still anticlimactic. Martha spends an entire year travelling the Earth and fighting back against the Master, yet the Doctor is the reason for her departure, not her family being tortured. Many don’t appreciate that Martha is one of the best companions in Doctor Who because she realizes the Doctor isn’t perfect far earlier than her predecessors, but instead of having a powerful moment and acknowledging that she is better than her feelings for the Time Lord, Martha meekly and subtly notes her crush and bows out. Thankfully, Martha’s character arc after season 3 does her justice.
7 Claire Temple
Luke Cage
Claire Temple leaving Luke Cage is an extremely dissatisfying departure. In the season 2 episode “Wig Out,” Temple raises her concerns to the titular character about his violent tendencies. She’s petrified when he punches a hole in the wall at the mention of his father, to which she then asks for some space between them. Temple isn’t seen again after this. The character is technically in the last episode, but Rosario Dawson doesn’t appear on-screen, and Temple is only mentioned briefly.
Behind the scenes, Temple’s absence is because of Dawson’s decision to leave the MCU. However, this makes Temple’s exit even more disappointing. Night Nurse Claire Temple isn’t just a Luke Cage character, she is also an important connection between the show and Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, and The Defenders. It’s weird that she and Luke don’t get any closure on their relationship, and that certain storylines of Temple’s don’t receive a proper conclusion either. Considering her departure is a planned event, it’s baffling that Marvel doesn’t end Claire Temple’s story in a more exciting way.
6 Shirley Bennett
While there are a few strange and disappointing departures in Community, the worst is easily Shirley’s.Yvette Nicole Brown’s Shirley Bennett exits Community off-screen, but there is a short scene in the season 6 premiere episode that explains she is now working for a private chef while caring for her sick father. This reason is also a parallel of the truth, as Brown’s departure is also because of her commitments to her family. Shirley may not be the most interesting character in Community, but her time on the show is dramatic enough that she deserves a better exit.
There are several storylines in
Community
that could provide Shirley with a more fitting ending, good and bad.
For example, Andre leaving again or the success of Shirley’s Sandwiches could easily justify her not returning to Greendale. It’s strange the show doesn’t put more of an effort into Shirley’s departure, especially considering how fleshed out Pierce’s death and Chevy Chase’s exit from Community is. While it’s likely that this is because of Brown’s off-screen commitments, a lot more could have been done with her final scene in the season 6 episode “Ladders.”
5 Mark Brendanawicz
Parks And Recreation
Mark Brendanawicz, or as he is aptly named by Leslie, “Mark Brendana-quits,” leaves Parks and Recreation in season 2. While the character was originally supposed to pop up again after he steps away from government work, he never returns, which makes his last scene with Leslie at the pit even more disappointing. Mark is quite boring, but he’s still a main character, so it’s bizarre that his exit is so anticlimactic. Leslie is angry when she learns Mark takes the buyout in “Freddy Spaghetti,” but he then disappears for the entire episode and only returns at the very end.
Mark’s last scene is strange. Leslie genuinely letting go of her harboring feelings for Mark so that he can date Ann is a unique thing in sitcoms, so when he gives her a lingering kiss on the cheek, it’s incredibly frustrating. Mark doesn’t properly acknowledge their past escapades and give Leslie the closure she deserves, nor does he really mention his breakup with Ann, other than it being a sign that he should take the job offer. He says goodbye and heads off into the night, and Parks and Recreation’s Mark Brendanawicz isn’t even mentioned by name ever again.
4 Alex Karev
Grey's Anatomy
Justin Chambers’ exit from Grey’s Anatomy is controversial for several reasons, but mainly because of how the storyline ruins Alex Karev’s character development. Karev is a hugely important character in the hit medical drama, both because of his dramatic storylines and the role he plays in his friends' and colleagues' lives. What’s really infuriating about this, however, is that Karev leaving to reunite with Izzie and their children was planned ahead of time, yet it feels like a rushed, last-minute change. Audiences can feel Karev’s departure coming in season 16, but they are often stunned by how abruptly he disappears.
In "Leave a Light On," Karev tells Jo that he is going to visit his mother. Jo, Meredith, Webber, and Bailey later receive letters from Karev, who reveals that he has learned Izzie has had two of his kids, and he has left to be with them. While this is dramatic for Jo, it’s an anticlimactic ending for Karev, even if he and Izzie are meant to be. It’s wildly out of character for Karev to do this so heartlessly, let alone off screen, which proves that Grey’s Anatomy is a TV show that can’t handle character exits.
3 Cordelia Chase
Angel
Even though Cordelia Chase’s death in Angel is because of behind-the-scenes issues between Charisma Carpenter and Joss Wheden, it’s still a shame that her exit from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise is so weak. Cordelia has some of the best character development in both Buffy and Angel, and across the two shows, she grows from a mean girl to a full-blown hero. In Angel season 4, Cordelia falls into a coma after her life force is drained by Jasmine, and the character disappears for a while, until her return 11 episodes later.
But after a kiss with Angel, Cordelia disappears again, and it’s later revealed that she was never really there. In reality, her presence is simply a vision.
Her last adventure in “You’re Welcome” is a brilliant ending for Cordelia in Angel, up until the very end. Her reunification with the titular character is powerful and Cordelia’s last battle against a demonic threat shows her at her very best. But after a kiss with Angel, Cordelia disappears again, and it’s later revealed that she was never really there. In reality, her presence is simply a vision. Cordelia is an amazingly complex character who deserves more, and it’s a shame that a pretty decent ending is downplayed like this.
2 Elena Gilbert
The Vampire Diaries
Nina Dobrev leaves The Vampire Diaries in season 6, and her exit from the show is still widely discussed. Rather than killing Elena off, The Vampire Diaries puts her under a sleeping spell that connects her to Bonnie. While Bonnie is still alive, Elena cannot wake up, which is a truly unusual way to write a character departure, even for The Vampire Diaries. Although the show has to create something unique to say goodbye to its lead character, it raises more questions than anything else, at least until Elena reunites with Stefan in the finale.
Elena’s departure is often a moment that makes viewers quit The Vampire Diaries. While this makes sense from the production’s point of view, it doesn’t add up in the show’s narrative. Elena’s arc throughout the show is full of drama and some wild events, yet when it comes to her ending, her story falls flat. Simply being trapped in her sleep, and not even being granted the release of death, is a rather anticlimactic end to Elena’s journey. While it may have been harder for Elena to leave Mystic Falls alive, it’s still a weird way to write her out.
1 Jess Mariano
Gilmore Girls
Although Jess Mariano leaving Gilmore Girls isn’t completely permanent, as he returns periodically and appears in A Year in the Life, his exit is still anticlimactic. Jess first departs Stars Hollow in the season 3 episode “Here Comes the Son,” which was initially a backdoor pilot for a spin-off series, with the plan of reuniting with his estranged father. However, things don’t go according to plan, and he comes back, but when he learns that he won’t graduate at the same time as Rory, Jess skips town again and returns to Venice Beach at the end of the season.
Annoyingly, Jess doesn’t really give Rory a proper reason for leaving. Although Rory and Jess’ relationship in Gilmore Girls isn’t doing well at this point, it’s baffling that he doesn’t end their romance beforehand, especially as they start as friends. He is a bit cowardly, and when he rings Rory after she graduates, he struggles to speak to her. When Rory starts at Yale, Jess is just a memory. Although Jess’ departure isn’t for long, he still deserves more than this anticlimactic and nonsensical exit.
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