House of the Dragon Kills Off Main Character in Season 3 Premiere

West Wilson, Summer House

Bridget Regan, The Rookie

The Rookie's corrupt lawyer Monica Stevens was no novice when it came to escaping death. "She's escaped multiple assassinations," actress Bridget Regan recounted to TV Insider of her character's four-season journey, "and prison time and being thrown in a woodchipper."

So when the attorney met her end on an April 2026 episode, "I wasn’t surprised," Regan noted. "I thought, 'Fair enough.' She’s had an amazing run, four years on this show. I’m only filled with gratitude."

Whitney Leavitt, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives

Supriya Ganesh, The Pitt

Dr. Samira Mohan is checking out of The Pitt. Actress Supriya Ganesh will not be returning for season three of the HBO Max drama, Variety reported in April.

The exit isn't so shocking to fans given that Ganesh's character has been planning to take on a new residency program at another medical center.

Rocky Carroll, NCIS

Mehcad Brooks, Law & Order

Mehcad Brooks shocked fans in 2025 when it was revealed he was leaving the NBC crime drama ahead of season 25.

Brooks, who joined the show in 2022, portrayed Detective Jalen Shaw for three seasons.

Kim Raver & Kevin McKidd, Grey's Anatomy

Jenna Lyons, The Real Housewives of New York City

Jenna Lyons announced she will not be returning for The Real Housewives of New York City's 16th season.

"The rumors …..Are true," the former J. Crew Creative Director wrote on Instagram Nov. 21. "I was grateful to be asked to join season 16 of RHONY 'as a friend of '- knowing my personal life was not really available to be filmed, we agreed that made sense."

The fashion icon—who joined the Bravo series for season 14 in 2022—explained that she later realized being a supporting castmember wasn't for her.

"And after thinking it through I have made the difficult decision not return to the show," she continued. "I would be the oldest and only openly gay woman on the show and feel like this is an opportunity for a new dynamic to emerge."

Chrishell Stause, Selling Sunset

After nine seasons, the A-list realtor is done selling mega-mansions on the Netflix reality show.

“I’ve gotten to a place where I don’t need the show financially,” Chrishell announed in November via social media. “I’m lucky to have other forms of employment, because it’s no longer good for my mental health.”

Jax Taylor, The Valley

Jax Taylor announced he will not be returning to The Valley for season three amid growing concern from fans about his behavior during the show’s second season.

“Right now, my focus needs to be on my sobriety, my mental health, and coparenting," the Bravo star—who is embroiled in a nasty divorce from estranged wife Brittany Cartwright—shared in July 2025. "Taking this time is necessary for me to become the best version of myself—especially for our son, Cruz.”

Michael Longfellow, Emil Wakim & Devon Walker, Saturday Night Live

The Saturday Night Live stars all announced within days of each other that they would not be returning for the sketch comedy series' 51st season.

Longfellow and Walker each spent three seasons on SNL while Wakim exited after just one season.

Heidi Gardner & Ego Nwodim, Saturday Night Live

Sofia Mattsson, General Hospital

Tracy Ifeachor, The Pitt

The Pitt star Tracy Ifeachor walked away from the hit HBO Max series after the medical drama's breakout first season. 

"It was an absolute privilege to play Dr. Heather Collins in such a groundbreaking season and piece," the actress posted on Instagram July 10. "Thank you to everyone who has watched & supported Season 1 & shared their stories with me."

Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us

While fans maybe should have been aware that the days were numbered for Pedro Pascal's Joel Miller, considering his April 2025 death was quite similar to how it unfolded in The Last of Us Part II, the 2020 video game season two of The Last of Us is based on, the moment his character was brutally impaled still stunned. 

Pascal, meanwhile, who also died onscreen in Game of Thrones and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, took his game over status in stride. "I get killed a lot," he joked to Entertainment Weekly. "I like to die." 

Peter Krause, 9-1-1

After what he dubbed "one wild adventure," Peter Krause officially extinguished his role as 9-1-1's Los Angeles Fire Department captain Bobby Nash on an April 2025 episode of the procedural drama. 

“Bobby Nash was written in sacrifice, and he was built for this,” Krause wrote in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter. “First responders risk their lives on the job so that others can see another day. His story arc honors them.”

Killing off the somewhat tormented, but beloved, firefighter was certainly a hot topic, showrunner Tim Minear acknowledged to Variety, "but after eight years, it just felt like, if we have any hope of creating stories going forward that have actual stakes, then someone's got to die."

Paige DeSorbo, Summer House

Summer just got a little less fun.

Paige DeSorbo announced in June 2025 that she was walking away from the Bravo series after seven seasons.

"You’ve seen me grow up over these last 7 summers. I’ll always be grateful for the memories, the community, and the opportunities this wild ride has brought me," the Giggly Squad podcast cohost shared with fans on Instagram. "But like all good things (and some bad decisions), it’s time for this chapter to close."

Camille Razat, Emily in Paris

The French actress confirmed she would not return for the hit Netflix series' fifth season in April 2025.

"After an incredible journey, I’ve made the decision to step away from Emily in Paris,” she wrote in an April 23 Instagram post, alongside pictures of her and her former castmates on set. “It has been a truly wonderful experience, one filled with growth, creativity, and unforgettable memories.”

Ahead of The Sex Lives of College Girls' third season, Reneé Rapp announced she would be leaving the Max series. 

"College Girls moved me out to LA and introduced me to some of my favorite people," she wrote on social media in July 2023. "2 and a half years later—it's given me y'all and this community."

The show's co-creator Mindy Kaling also confirmed Rapp's exit. "We love @reneerapp so much and of course will be so sad to say goodbye to Leighton Murray!" Kaling wrote on her Instagram Stories before referencing Rapp's thriving music career. "We can't wait to see our friend on tour!!"

Kevin Costner, Yellowstone

After 19 years as Meredith Grey, Ellen Pompeo scrubbed in for the last time as a series regular on the ABC drama in February 2023. 

"I gotta mix it up a little bit," Pompeo explained on The Drew Barrymore Show in December 2022, though she has already returned for a May guest appearance and continues narrating the series. "I'm 53, my brain is like scrambled eggs. I gotta do something new. You can't do The New York Times crossword puzzle every single day."

But she's not gone for good. Pompeo still pops in and out of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.

Batman vs. Superman star Henry Cavill revealed he would be stepping away from the Netflix fantasy drama after its third season—with the announcement that Liam Hemsworth will assume the role of Geralt for season four, and potentially beyond.

"My journey as Geralt of Rivia has been filled with both monsters and adventures," Cavill wrote on Instagram in October 2022. "Alas, I will be laying down my medallion and my swords for Season 4."

Original castmember Jesse Lee Soffer turned in his badge in 2022, saying goodbye to his beloved character Detective Jay Halstead role after 10 seasons.

"To create this hour drama week after week has been a labor of love by everyone who touches the show," Soffer said in a statement after his final appearance in the NBC procedural's Oct. 5 episode. "I will always be proud of my time as Det. Jay Halstead."

Madeleine Mantock, Charmed

Season two of Bridgerton was down one duke. Rege-Jean Page became the breakout star of Netflix's massive hit drama, and then broke hearts all over the place when it was announced that he would not be returning for the second season in 2021.

"I signed up to do a job and I did the job and then I did some other jobs," he later explained to Vanity Fair. "That's it. That's the story. I wish it was more glamorous than that."

Ruby Rose, Batwoman

Ruby Rose made her debut in 2018's Arrowverse crossover and then starred in one season as the titular Batwoman (a.k.a. Kate Kane) in the CW drama—making history as the first lesbian superhero to headline their own show, as Batwoman came out of the closet in a major TV moment—before announcing her exit just two days after the season one finale aired in 2020. The role was eventually replaced with Javicia Leslie as Ryan Wilder, a new character set to take control of the Batcave in season two. 

Later on in season two, Kate got a bit of a face swap and returned played by Wallis Day.