In the instance of the show Roseanne, they had two actresses play the role of Becky. Lecy Goranson played Becky for 8 seasons, and then Sarah Chalke came in and replaced her after that. Becky one was, of course, the main character, so fans were left wondering why a brand new actress was playing the role without any warning.
Goranson decided to leave Roseanne to attend college – and the show was left with a difficult decision. They decided to keep her character on and just replace her with another actress. Strange move, but probably a good idea. Goranson did end up coming back on the show during season 8.
William Hartnell On Dr. Who
In the show Dr. Who, the original role of Dr. Who was played by actor William Hartnell. Hartnell had to leave the show due to arteriosclerosis. His health was quickly deteriorating and it was so hard for him to keep up with the intense filming schedule, so he had to plan his leave. Luckily, the producers and writers had an amazing plan. They were going to have the Dr. get himself a new body!
Dr. Who was a cult classic. The show was making serious money and they were not about to cut this run short. Hartnell wanted the show to go on as well and he had the idea that Patrick Troughton could become the new Dr. Who.
Yvette Nicole on Community
Yvette Nicole decided to leave her role as Shirley, on Community, right before season 6. She was on the show since the beginning, in 2009, so it was a big surprise when she asked to be written out. Sadly, her dad was very sick and she wanted to leave the show so she could go and spend time with him.
She had said that her father needed to have round-the-clock medical care and that he really needed her. She could not bear to be away from him any longer. She did admit that it was a very difficult decision. Luckily, she was able to return to the show for the series finale.
Lacey Chabert on Family Guy
Everyone recognizes Mila Kunis' voice as Meg Griffin, the unappreciated daughter on the animated sitcom Family Guy, but in fact, she wasn't the original actress to voice the character. Actress Lacey Chabert actually voiced Meg during the show's first two seasons but left, thinking it would be a failure and decided to focus her time on Party of Five instead. Could she be more wrong?
Because of the show's success, Mila Kunis makes an average of $200,000 per episode, which, makes us wonder if Chabert's still cries about that decision.
Michael O’Hare on Babylon 5
The character of Jeffrey Sinclair, on Babylon 5, was played by Michael O’Hare. When he left Babylon 5, he left all of his fans wildly disappointed. It was even more frustrating, because he did not want to tell anyone the real reason why he was leaving. He begged the show to keep it a secret. Production had even gone so far as to offer to put a hold on the show until he got better, but Michael just wanted to be written off the show. Sadly, he was experiencing paranoia and hallucinations, among other psychological issues.
He did not want the public to know about his mental issues, so they were kept a secret. That is, until he died in 2012, and the real reason he left the show was finally revealed.