Good Characters are the main reason behind the success of a show and the fans love to watch shows which have characters they are emotionally attached to. There are certain characters, without whom the shows seem impossible, but that is not the case in reality. Several big TV shows have lost major characters over the years, but that did not stop them from making more episodes.
1: Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men became an incredibly popular sitcom thanks to the charm of Charlie Sheen. But it all changed after his character was killed off suddenly from the show. All this happened after Charlie Sheen said some cruel things on air about the maker of the show Chuck Lorre. Ashton Kutcher replaced him in the subsequent seasons, but the magic was gone.
2: The X-Files
The biggest reason behind the success of X-Files was the chemistry between the two leads, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. But all our nightmares came true when David Duchovny decided to leave after a money dispute with the producers. The show could not survive much longer after his exit, but fortunately, he did make a comeback in 2016.
3: House of Cards
House of Cards is a show entirely about the character of Frank Underwood, played by Kevin Spacey. His awesome performance made this show possible. But after the news of Kevin Spacey’s involvement in a Sexual scandal broke out, he was immediately fired from the show, and that effective immediately killed the show. The last season is one of the biggest disappointments in television history.
4: Scrubs
Scrubs is an unbelievably funny show with awesome characters, but even a show of such stature could not survive long after two of its lead characters, Zach Braff (J.D.) and Sarah Chalke (Elliot) left it as regulars in season 8. The transfer of ownership rights from NBC to ABC did not help either. They still decided to go ahead with Season 9, but the show died a painful death after that.
5: That ‘70s Show
Topher Grace, the main lead of this awesome sitcom decided to leave the show after season 7 to pursue a career in movies and even though it is an understandable decision, we are still sour about it. If that wasn’t enough, Ashton Kutcher was no longer a regular member of the show. The makers did manage to churn one more season, but it fell flat and they decided to end it after that.
6: Vampire Diaries
The makers of Vampire Diaries found themselves in a pickle after Nina Dobrev decided to end her association with the show, as she played not one, not two, but three characters in this series. After her departure, they made two more seasons, but they could not generate an intriguing storyline for the fans to follow, and ultimately decided it was time to stop.
7: The Office
The Office is one of the greatest and funniest TV shows of all time, and because of that the fans were crushed after Steve Carell, who played the beloved Michael Scott, decided to leave the show after season 7. His departure nearly killed the show, but luckily, other characters stood up and gave us a satisfying ending in the 9th season of the show.
8: ER
ER is one of the most impactful medical dramas of all time and it ran for 15 seasons. George Clooney was one of the most popular characters in the show and the fans were skeptical about his departure to pursue a movie career. Fortunately, the makers managed to deliver quality content even after his departure and the show continued for another decade. It was a classic win-win situation.
9: The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead has had its fair share of ups and downs, but the true fans of this show always believed in it due to one character, Rick Grimes played by Andrew Lincoln. We are still shocked about his exit as he was the heart and soul of the show. But call it a miracle, the makers are finally back on track, and they have managed to make The Walking Dead interesting again, even without Rick.
10: Lethal Weapon
Remaking the iconic movie Lethal Weapon (1987) seemed like a gigantic risk, but Fox took it anyway and surprisingly it paid off as the fans loved this show from the get-go due to the dynamic between the two lead characters. But as we know good things do not last forever, the makers fired Clayne Crawford due to his erratic behavior after season 2. They went on ahead with season 3, but the show was a corpse at this point.
