Here Are 19 Actors Who Made A Pretty Decisive Exit From A TV Show, Only To Come Screaming Back

“It’s been a great journey, but at the end of the day, I’m not actually a vampire."

You know the feeling when one of your fave characters departs a show and it leaves a hole that can't be filled? Well, sometimes that character comes back – at least for a cameo – to give us the reunion we always wanted!

NBC

Here are 18 characters who left and came back to TV shows, at least for a little bit.

🚨 Warning – this post includes some pretty big spoilers, so feel free to scroll by any shows you haven't seen! 🚨

1. Emily Bett Rickards – Arrow

Jack Rowand / The CW

Felicity, played by Emily, had become a core member of Team Arrow and was married to Stephen Amell's character, Oliver Queen. When Felicity (and Emily) left at the end of season seven, it wasn't just fans who were sad to see her go. Stephen said it was "not great" doing the last season without Emily, adding that it was "a different show in season 8."

The last thing fans saw of Felicity was when she was pregnant and about to go into hiding with her and Oliver's newborn, Mia. Thankfully, they brought her back for the finale, even if it was in sombre circumstances regarding Oliver!

Take a look at Felicity's return:

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2. Steve Carrel – The Office

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Fans of The Office were just as emotional as Michael was when he left Scranton at the end of season seven. Steve Carell, the fulcrum of the show, decided to step away from the iconic sitcom to spend more time with his family, leaving the group without their (sort of) beloved boss.

The show carried on for two more seasons; however, many fans consider the show actually ends with his departure. Whatever your thoughts on the final two seasons, the finale (with Michael's return) certainly sent the series off with an emotional goodbye!

Here's the moment Michael came back for Dwight's wedding:

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3. Damon Wayans Jr – New Girl

Fox

Despite being one of the main characters, Damon left his role as Coach after the pilot of New Girl. His abrupt departure was due to him being contractually obliged to star in Happy Endings (he'd taken the role of Coach thinking Happy Endings would be cancelled). Coach left and his place in the group was taken by his cousin Winston, who was returning to the states after playing basketball in Latvia. 

This wasn't the last we'd see of Coach though, as the cancellation of Happy Endings saw Damon reprise his role in season three. This stint went on for one and a half seasons, with Damon leaving again, this time opting to not renew his contract. 

Here's a clip from the pilot starring Damon:

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4. Chad Michael Murray – One Tree Hill

The WB / The CW

Chad, who played Lucas Scott for six seasons on OTH, was shown driving into the sunset along with his newborn and wife at the end of the sixth season. After a two and a half season absence, he returned to help Haley when Nathan disappeared. 

There isn't a clear reason why Chad left the show in the first place. One fan video claims he said, "They're not bringing me back next year... because they want to save money". Whatever the reason for his departure, the relationship with the show's creators couldn't have been that bad, or we never would gave gotten his return!

Here's Lucas returning:

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5. Nina Dobrev – The Vampire Diaries

The CW

Nina left the show after six seasons as Elena, deciding it was time to pursue other career opportunities. She was reported saying at the time, "It’s been a great journey, but at the end of the day, I’m not actually a vampire." Lol.

Showrunner Julie Plec was always planning on bringing Nina back for the finale, since her departure actually included a return clause! Julie has talked about having Nina back for the ending, stating "I’m thrilled to bring this show to an end the way we always intended — with Nina back to help us say goodbye".

Here's a clip from season eight with Nina:

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6. Patrick Dempsey – Grey's Anatomy

Disney–ABC Domestic Television

Grey's fans got to see more of McDreamy six seasons after his death! Patrick Dempsey was convinced to return, albeit in a dreamlike state, to the long-running procedural after a chat (and a hike) with co-star Ellen Pompeo. Apparently, once Patrick knew about the work that the show was doing to help with front-line workers during the pandemic, he didn't hesitate to return.

McDreamy only came back in a number of beachside fantasies, but fans were excited to see him nonetheless!

Here are the scenes with the ~dreamy~ McDreamy:

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7. Brett Dier – Jane the Virgin

The CW

The death of Jane's love, Michael, hit her (and fans) hard. When the writers decided to kill off Michael during the third season, they actually had no intention of bringing him back. Showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman did, however, suggest it wasn't out of the question, commenting that "We're living in a world where fantastic and outrageous things could happen."

In true telenovela style, outrageous things DID happen. Michael returned, having suffered amnesia at the hands of Sin Rostro, just as Jane was expecting Rafael to propose, which threw their whole world upside down, again!

Here's ~that~ dramatic return:

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8. Christopher Meloni – Law and Order

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It was 10 years after he was written out of the show that Christopher Meloni returned as Elliot Stabler to the mean streets of New York. Meloni unexpectedly quit after the season 12 finale, which some suggest was due to failed salary negotiations. Whatever the reason, Stabler was explained away, with the show writing in that he'd retired. 

In 2021, however, he returned to NYC. The show explained how he'd gone "walkabout" for years, and joined a terrorism task force that brought him back to the city. The reunion didn't last long though, as Meloni and Stabler were set to star in Law and Order: Organized Crime, the new subsidiary of the Law and Order universe.

Here's Stabler's apology to Benson upon his return:

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9. Kim Dickens – Fear the Walking Dead

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Kim's character, Madison Clarke, had been presumed dead since season four when she was seen sacrificing herself to a stadium full of walkers. But when the trailer for series seven B of the Walking Dead spin-off series came out, there she was!

Content Chief Scott M. Gimple stressed his happiness at having her back, saying "Kim Dickens' raw talent, strength and brilliance will electrify TWDU once more and we couldn’t be luckier to have her." Although Kim didn't return as a regular in the last season, she will be one in the series' eighth season coming in 2023!

Here's the trailer that revealed Madison's return:

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10. America Ferrera – Superstore

Nbc / Trae Patton / NBC

America was initially due to leave Superstore – which she was also a producer of – at the end of season five. But, like many shows, the pandemic left them unable to wrap up her character's arc. It was therefore decided that she'd appear in the first two episodes of the sixth (and final) season, in which she was promoted to Cloud 9's parent company.

Later, for the show's finale, America/Amy returned in her classic blue vest to try to make sure her friends kept their jobs!

Here's Amy and Jonah reconciling in the finale:

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11. Jesse Spencer – Chicago Fire

NBC

Spencer left Chicago Fire in order to focus on his future and his family. But the showrunner and creators stumbled on a bit of a problem when Matt Casey's best friend, Kelly Severide (played by Taylor Kinney), got married and they kinda needed him to be there. 

Derek Haas explained how they approached Spencer about returning: "Severide's getting married and there’s no way that Severide can get married without his best friend and his best man at the wedding. So whatever we need to say to get you to come with us, please."

Luckily, he said yes! There's nothing like a TV wedding finale episode to bring back a former cast member.

Here's the happy reunion:

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12. Daniel Lissing – When Hope Calls

Great American Family

When Daniel's character, Jack Thornton, was killed in battle during the season five finale, fans probably thought they'd never see Jack's iconic red coat and boots again – but they never gave up hope! Daniel said that fans sent messages hoping to see Jack come back in some capacity, and they got their wish!

Daniel reprised his role in When Hope Calls: A Country Christmas after three years away from the show. It seems it was an emotional time on set for him and the cast, them having spent so much time together, as he later said "I definitely had glassy eyes at one point. Yeah. I did. It's meaningful to me."

Check out his return here:

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13. David Tennant and Catherine Tate – Doctor Who

BBC

When Jodie Whittaker's stint as the time lord was over, the identity of the new Doctor was revealed to be Ncuti Gatwa. So, when fans saw Jodie regenerate into David Tennant, they were naturally pretty shocked. In fact, David will be joined by Catherine Tate, another former Doctor Who actor, in three 60th anniversary special episodes in November 2023!

David last played the Doctor in 2010, and returns over a decade later. On becoming the Doctor again, he said that he was initially worried about getting into the groove once more, however, he ended up finding the process "weirdly straightforward."

It's safe to say David is looking forward to being the Doctor again, recently sharing that it was "a lovely, lovely thing to get to revisit something that was such a wonderful, happy, significant time in my life." 

Here's that shocking regeneration scene for ya:

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14. Patrick Duffy – Dallas

CBS

Patrick left the show and his role as Bobby Ewing at the height of Dallas' popularity in 1985. His contract was up, and he thought leaving the show at the time would land him a big role somewhere else. Patrick's departure from the show lead writers to kill Bobby off-screen, which gave them a bit of a headache a season later when Patrick decided to come back.

The writers decided that the only way to have Bobby come back was to make the entire last season redundant i.e. it was all a dream! That's how they came up with the iconic shower scene. 

Here's the scene:

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15. Patrick Duffy – The Bold and the Beautiful

CBS

Patrick also returned to another role just this year when he reprised his character of Stephen Logan for a two-episode stint in The Bold and the Beautiful. The star had portrayed the family patriarch from 2006 to 2011, and after 11 years away, he returned in November 2022.

Patrick compared his return to when he came back to Dallas by saying "This is like the Oil Baron's Ball fight, where everybody [destroys] the room, or everyone ending up in the swimming pool at Southfork." Even though it had been over a decade, Patrick said things were just the same as when he left!

16. Emily Vancamp – The Resident

Fox

When Emily left her role as Nic Nevin on The Resident, it was a huge shock to fans. Not only that, but the manner of her departure was also shocking, when Nic suffered a traumatic brain injury following a car crash. Emily said that a part of her reasoning for leaving was actually the birth of her baby!

She described her exit as "bittersweet", but maintained that she was open to returning "as a ghost". While there never was a ghost of Nic, it wouldn't be the last time we'd see her on our screens. In the finale of season five, fans got to see Nic again, but only through flashbacks.

Here's one of the flashbacks she returned for:

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17. Denise Crosby – Star Trek: The Next Generation

First-run Syndication

With sci-fi shows, there's always massive scope for actors to return to their roles, even if their characters have already died. It was rare for Star Trek to kill one of its primary characters, but Denise admitted that she herself wanted to leave due to her not being happy with her role.

Although Denise didn't regret her decision to leave, there were clearly no hard feelings, as she came back in classic sci-fi style playing a different version of herself from an alternate universe... Oh, that ol' loop hole! 

Here's the return of Denise as Yara:

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18. Monica Raymund – Chicago Fire

NBC

If there's one thing to learn from these long-running shows, it's that season six seems to bring about the departure of a fan-favourite! That's exactly what happened with Monica Raymund's character, Gabby Dawson, in Chicago Fire. 

Gabby left the show and went back to Puerto Rico to help with hurricane relief efforts, a move that lead to her and Matt (who would also leave and come back) to divorce. She eventually did return to the city, however, for the mid-season finale of season eight. Gabby was raising money for her aid organisation and went to the firehouse to see her former colleagues – CUTE!!

Here's their semi-awkward reunion:

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19. Chelsea Peretti – Brooklyn Nine-Nine

NBC

During season six, fans were shocked by the news that Gina would be leaving the precinct in order to pursue her own dreams. When asked why she was leaving as a full-cast member, Chelsea didn't have a straight answer to give, saying: "I think it came together this was the time to do it. It's not always easy to make changes in life, but I feel like everyone came to a point where everyone was like, 'OK, this is the time'."

Thankfully, Chelsea and Gina returned almost immediately to the show, and have come back several times for individual episodes to let us know what Gina's up to!

Here's Gina's season eight finale return:

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What's YOUR favourite return of a character to a series? Let us know in the comments below!