TV characters typically really feel like associates, particularly if we spend time with them week after week.
Saying goodbye is all the time powerful. Nevertheless it’s worse when the characters do not even get the send-off they deserve.
There have been many terrible send-offs, starting from characters simply disappearing, by no means to be heard from once more, to being killed off in ridiculous methods.
Many characters appear to undergo from Chuckie Cunningham Syndrome — right here one week, gone the following, by no means to be heard from once more.
Each traditional sequence does this.
Golden Women’ pilot featured Coco, a homosexual servant who quietly disappeared earlier than the present’s official first episode.
All within the Household had an honest send-off for Henry Jefferson, however after his going-away celebration, he disappeared from the characters’ recollections in addition to from the Jeffersons’ house.
And naturally, there’s Chuckie Cunningham himself, who went upstairs sooner or later and by no means got here down.
There are many TV characters who did not get the send-off they deserved each on traditional and fashionable sequence. We selected 13 of TV’s worst send-offs; please scroll down to take a look at our picks!
Paige Larson – Days of Our Lives
Days of Our Lives has had some ridiculous exits over time (Don Craig going to the mailbox, utterly disappearing, and never even being talked about once more till 30+ years later involves thoughts!). However some of the egregious was Paige Larson’s demise in 2015.
JJ and Paige had a promising love story till the writers destroyed it.
Twisting JJ out of character to show him right into a drunk who slept with Paige’s evil mom was unhealthy sufficient, however Paige’s pointless demise by the hands of the Necktie Killer simply as the 2 had been discovering their means again to one another was unforgivable.
And so as to add insult to damage, Paige is barely talked about within the years since, until it is a part of a revenge plot towards Ben for killing her. The character deserved higher than this!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4p6wKnrgMs
Mateo Rendón Osma – The Good Physician
The Good Physician went to all the difficulty of bringing Mateo again from Guatemala to be Lim’s love curiosity and controversial addition to the employees at St. Bonaventure.
However then he disappeared.
Did anybody purchase the after-the-fact clarification from his ex-girlfriend that Mateo compulsively travels to save lots of the world? He and Lim did not even get a goodbye scene, making his brief inclusion within the sequence appear pointless.
Stevie Hammer – Chicago Med
Equally, Stevie was imagined to be yet one more of Will Halstead’s love pursuits. She confirmed up in the beginning of Chicago Med Season 5 with an conceited perspective and a historical past with Will.
Whereas she wasn’t a very likable character, the way in which she was written out made no sense. After spending half her time at Med coping with her mentally in poor health mom’s homelessness, Stevie immediately left city to finalize her divorce… and reconciled together with her ex-husband offscreen.
This was a foolish and abrupt exit, and he or she was shortly changed with one other blond that Will had historical past with. Was there a degree to her being there within the first place?
Dana Lewis – Regulation & Order: SVU
We weren’t proud of Stabler’s sudden disappearance in 2012, however Regulation & Order: SVU rectified that when he returned to the franchise. His foil, Dana Lewis, is one other story.
Dana was a comparatively minor character, however nonetheless. Her main goal was to by chance make life tough for Stabler whereas pursuing justice.
So why deliver her again after Stabler left, particularly if the one purpose was to disclose that she’d been protecting up a homicide for years? They may have left her character alone.
Richard Wheatley – Regulation & Order: Organized Crime
Wheatley was the Moriarity to Stabler’s Sherlock. After being unfairly exonerated in Kathy’s demise, he and Stabler started a harmful competitors of one-upmanship. They pushed one another’s buttons whereas Wheatley wreaked havoc all through New York Metropolis.
Since he was such an essential character, he deserved a greater send-off than a lacking physique after a theoretically unsurvivable auto accident.
The writers wished to maintain the door open in case Dylan McDermott is out there to return (he is migrated over to the opposite aspect of the regulation on FBI: Most Wished now). However come on! What sort of ending was that?
Linda Reagan – Blue Bloods
The choice to kill off Linda Reagan was one of many long-running cop household drama’s most controversial.
Amy Carlson selected to not return for Blue Bloods Season 8, so the writers killed her off. However followers discovered after the actual fact; her demise was offscreen.
When actors aren’t obtainable, writing out their characters turns into tough. Nonetheless, Linda was the closest factor to a Reagan household matriarch and permitting her to die offscreen felt disrespectful.
Mon-El – Supergirl
Mon-El had a life within the current that included a romantic relationship, but he randomly needed to return to the longer term.
Supposedly, this was the one means to reserve it, however his exit made no sense.
He and Kara had been by rather a lot, but neither of them had an issue with him needing to vanish into one other timeline. This resolution was clearly not character-driven.
Mulan – As soon as Upon a Time
As soon as Upon a Time has a foul behavior of writing poor character exits, however Mulan’s was among the many worst.
Her heartbreak over Philip and Aurora was comprehensible, however her disappearance with out clarification proper after she joined the Merry Males was not.
Her sudden disappearance was a blow to each the LGBTQ+ neighborhood and viewers of coloration. And to make issues worse, when she lastly got here again on As soon as Upon a Time Season 5, we STILL weren’t given any clarification, nor was she given something extra to do than be a sounding board for Ruby’s love life.
Prue Halliwell – Charmed
That is one other case of a personality dying between seasons. At the very least there was some indication this one is likely to be coming, however nonetheless.
Prue’s life hung within the stability on the finish of Charmed Season 3, just for the brand new season to open together with her already lifeless.
Whereas the actress’ unavailability performed an element on this, simply as Amy Carlson’s did on Blue Bloods Season 8 Episode 1, it nonetheless felt too abrupt. Followers wanted closure that they by no means bought, and the sequence by no means appeared the identical afterward.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF0na7Q6qIc
Molly – Burden of Fact
Molly and Luna’s breakup was comprehensible. Luna was caught in jail for against the law she did not commit, and there was no telling when she may get out.
However did that imply Molly needed to disappear into skinny air?
She was nonetheless Billy’s niece, and so they did not have a falling out, so far as we all know. But she was by no means talked about once more as if she by no means existed.
Jimmy/Henry James Olsen – Smallville
This exit wasn’t simply mindless. It was complicated, too.
Jimmy died simply after studying the reality about Clark. However wait! He wasn’t Jimmy.
Henry James Olsen glided by his center title although his youthful brother had the identical first title. Significantly?
Dave Rygalski – Gilmore Women
It is okay to interrupt up as a result of one individual strikes away. It is even acceptable to do it after attempting to do long-distance and discovering it isn’t working.
Nevertheless it’s not okay that Dave merely disappeared. Unexpectedly, Lane was single once more.
After investing emotionally on this couple, the least we deserved is a scene the place they agreed to go their separate methods.
Cordelia Chase – Angel/Buffy the Vampire Slayer
This one is a bit completely different from the remainder of our listing. Cordelia did get a touching, lovely swan music, in any case.
However we now have an issue with the way in which it was dealt with behind the scenes. Charisma Carpenter had been promised that her character would not be killed off if she returned for a remaining episode.
The writers broke that promise, and that is not cool.
Your flip, TV Fanatics! Was your least favourite send-off on this listing? Or is there one we missed that you simply’d like to rant about?
Hit the massive, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and tell us!
Jack Ori is a senior employees author for TV Fanatic. His debut younger grownup novel, Reinventing Hannah, is out there on Amazon. Comply with him on Twitter.