15 Ways TV Shows Handled Actor Exits Ranked From "I'm Not Totally Mad At This" To "I'll Never Get Over This"

    You bet I'm still hurt over the way Alex Karev left!

    I'm sure you've all heard the saying, "All good things must come to an end," and that saying stands correct especially when your favorite actor is leaving a show you deeply love.

    And while it may seem inevitable, it still stings. Sometimes the pain can be eased a bit (or become worse) depending on how the show decides to write out said character.

    So, here are 15 ways actors left TV shows and how it was written into the show ranked from super well to less than average.

    1. First, when Sandra Oh was ready to leave Grey's Anatomy in 2014, Shonda Rhimes decided to make Cristina Yang leave Grey-Sloan Memorial and become the director of cardiothoracic surgery at an institute Burke founded in Zurich.

    Cristina saying her goodbye to Meredith on "Grey's Anatomy"

    Watch her goodbye here:

    View this video on YouTube

    ABC

    2. When Steve Carell left The Office after Season 7, Michael Scott decided to move to Colorado with his fiancé, Holly, to help her take care of her ailing parents. In the finale, it's revealed that they eventually had children.

    Jim asking Michael if he's leaving today forever

    Watch his goodbye here:

    View this video on YouTube

    NBC

    BTW, I know this isn't his FINAL FINAL scene since Michael does make an appearance at Dwight and Angela's wedding in the finale, but you know what I mean. 

    3. When Jesse Williams left Grey's Anatomy, after playing Jackson Avery for 12 seasons, showrunner Krista Vernoff decided to lean into the character's activism by having him move to Boston to take over the family's foundation to "create real racial equity in medicine."

    Jackson from "Grey's Anatomy" telling his mom he's leaving and wants to take over the foundation

    Watch his final scene here:

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    ABC

    4. When Nina Dobrev left The Vampire Diaries after playing Elena Gilbert for six seasons, her character was put into a magical coma that she couldn't come out of until her best friend, Bonnie, died.

    Elena and Damon saying goodbye and having their last dance on "The Vampire Diaries"

    Watch her last scene here:

    View this video on YouTube

    The CW

    5. After 11 years of playing Derek Shepherd on Grey's Anatomy, Patrick Dempsey was ready to call it quits on the "long hours" the show required in order to spend more time with his family. After coming to a mutual decision on his exit, Shonda decided to kill him off in Season 11 after having Derek save a bunch of people from a car accident.

    Meredith saying goodbye to Derek as he gets unplugged on "Grey's Anatomy"

    Watch his final scene here:

    View this video on YouTube

    ABC

    6. After deciding that Season 8 would be her last season on Grey's Anatomy, Chyler Leigh worked closely with Shonda Rhimes to come up with a good way to close Lexie's story.

    Lexie saying her final goodbye to Mark before she dies on "Grey's Anatomy"

    Watch her final scene here:

    View this video on YouTube

    ABC

    7. When America Ferrera decided to leave Superstore after Season 5, her character Amy decided to move to California after accepting a new corporate job.

    Amy and Jonah breaking up before Amy leaves for California on "Superstore"

    Watch her final scene here:

    View this video on YouTube

    NBC

    Again, not her very last scene since she came back for the finale, but you get the point. 

    8. In 2016, the creator of Orange Is the New Black decided to write off Samira Wiley's character, Poussey, resulting in her tragic death, which inspired actions throughout the rest of the show.

    Taystee laying on the floor with Poussey's body surrounded by guards and inmates on "Orange is the New Black"

    Watch her final scene here:

    View this video on YouTube

    Netflix

    9. When Emmy Rossum left Shameless, her character Fiona Gallagher — who she played for nine seasons — packed up her bags and left her family behind to start anew.

    Fiona and Frank saying goodbye on "Shameless"

    Watch her final scene her:

    View this video on YouTube

    Showtime

    10. When Alfred Enoch left How to Get Away With Murder after playing Wes Gibbins in 2016, his character was brutally killed on orders from the dad of his girlfriend, Laurel.

    Wes being killed on "How to Get Away with Murder"

    Watch his last scene here:

    View this video on YouTube

    ABC

    11. In 2006, when Ryan Cooley, who played J.T. Yorke on Degrassi: The Next Generation, was written off the show, the writers decided to kill his character seconds after he realized he was in love with Liberty.

    J.T. getting stabbed in the back and Liberty finding him wounded

    Watch his final scene here:

    View this video on YouTube

    CTV??

    12. After playing Prue on the hit show Charmed for three seasons, Shannen Doherty left in 2001, resulting in her character dying after a brutal demon attack.

    Prue lying on the ground after being attacked by a demon on "Charmed"

    Watch her final scene here:

    View this video on YouTube

    The WB

    13. When Jessica Szohr, who played Vanessa Abrams on Gossip Girl, left the show, her character moved to Spain following a fight with Dan at the end of Season 4.

    Vanessa selling Dan's book behind his back before she moves to Spain on "Gossip Girl"

    Watch her last scene here:

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    The CW

    This isn't exactly her LAST scene because she is seen selling Dan's book before she leaves and she appears in the series finale, but this is the last conversation she has with Dan onscreen. 

    14. After playing Dave Rygalski on Gilmore Girls for a short time, Adam Brody left the show to play Seth Cohen on The O.C., and to write his character off; the writers gave the explanation that he was now going to school in California.

    Watch his last scene here:

    View this video on YouTube

    The WB/The CW

    While this isn't a goodbye, it's the last time we saw him on the show. 

    15. And finally, after 15 years of being on Grey's Anatomy, Justin Chambers decided to leave after Season 16 to "diversify his actor roles and career choices," resulting in Dr. Alex Karev packing up his bags and leaving too.

    Jo reading the goodbye letter Alex left her

    Watch his goodbye here:

    View this video on YouTube

    ABC

    While it's not exactly his final scene because he wasn't in his goodbye episode, it is the moment Jo found out he was gone. 

    If you wanted an extra cry, here's his goodbye to Meredith:

    View this video on YouTube

    ABC

    Clearly, I couldn't rank every single TV character departure, or else this post would never end, but I want to know if there's any you believe should've made this list? So, feel free to drop them in the comments below!