Actors Who Wanted To Leave A Show (And Actors Who Had No Choice)

Jordan Claes
Michael Scott in Season 1 of 'The Office' holding up his "World's Best Boss" mug to the camera.
NBC | NBC

All good things must inevitably come to an end. Sometimes, it happens much sooner than we, the television audience, would've liked. Regardless of the circumstance, saying goodbye is never easy.

Sometimes, TV characters come and go of the actor's own volition. Other times, the choice is made for them. Have a look below and check out these actors who wanted to leave a show (and the ones who had no choice).

TJ Miller was asked to leave 'Silicon Valley' due to alleged disruptive behavior on set.

TJ Miller in 'Silicon Valley', wearing a blazer and sitting in a chair.
HBO | HBO

While nobody doubted the fact that TJ was talented, in the end, he simply became too erratic and far too difficult to work with.

Topher Grace said goodbye to 'That 70s Show' in order to pursue a career on the big screen.

Eric Forman in 'That 70s Show'.
Fox | Fox

Topher left the beloved sitcom after seven seasons in order to appear in Spider-Man 3 as Daily Bugle reporter, Eddie Brock — aka Venom.

Kevin Spacey was fired from 'House Of Cards' after allegations of sexual assault began surfacing.

Frank Underwood in 'House Of Cards'.
Giphy

Kevin was one of the first and most prominent actors to be brought down by the #MeToo Movement. House of Cards did its best to limp forward, but the show was canceled after just one season following his departure.

Jim Parsons decided to leave 'The Big Bang Theory' after he exhausted the character of Sheldon Cooper.

Sheldon Cooper sitting at his desk in 'The Big Bang Theory'.
CBS | CBS

There were two main contributing factors in Parsons' decision to leave The Big Bang Theory. The first was the death of his dog and the second came after reflecting on his own father's mortality.

Charlie Sheen was dismissed from 'Two And A Half Men' after a public meltdown.

Charlie Sheen in 'Two And A Half Men'.
Giphy | Nick At Nite

Let this be a lesson for all prospective TV and film stars: making anti-Semitic rants against your boss and openly admitting to using illicit drugs on national TV will almost always end badly.

Andrew Lincoln requested to leave 'The Walking Dead' in order to spend more time with his family.

Rick Grimes in 'The Walking Dead'.
AMC | AMC

"I have two young children, and I live in a different country and they become less portable as they get older," Andrew told Entertainment Weekly in 2018. "It was that simple. It was time for me to come home."

Shannen Doherty was fired from 'Charmed' due to her combative attitude.

Shannon Doherty in 'Charmed'.
The WB | The WB

Shannon Doherty spent the better part of her Charmed tenure feuding with showrunners and her fellow castmates. In the end, the show decided to continue with Alyssa Milano and parted ways with Shannon.

George Clooney asked to leave 'ER' in order to pursue a film career.

George Clooney in 'ER'.
NBC | NBC

Considering that George turned out to be one of the biggest movie stars Hollywood has ever known, I think it's safe to say that he made the right decision.

Janet Hubert was let go from 'The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air' after clashing on set with Will Smith.

Janet Hubert in 'The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air'.
Giphy | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Hubert and Smith were at each other's throats while filming was going on. They have since made a public reconciliation, thanks to the recent Fresh Prince reunion special.

Dean Norris asked to be killed off on 'Breaking Bad' because he thought it was what was best for the show.

Dean Norris reading a book in the bathroom in 'Breaking Bad'.
AMC | AMC

The original ending that creator Vince Gilligan had in mind for Breaking Bad would've played out a lot differently had Norris not spoken up.

Mandy Patinkin was written out of 'Criminal Minds' after he began growing tiresome of the character, Gideon.

Mandy Patinkin in 'Criminal Minds'.
CBS | CBS

According to an interview with New York Magazine, Mandy wasn't prepared for the emotional toll of the show's gruesome content. He walked away before it destroyed him.

Ryan Hurst said his tearful goodbye to Harry "Opie" Winston in 'Sons Of Anarchy' after showrunner, Kurt Sutter, wrote himself into a corner.

While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Sutter said "Knowing where I want to take my hero, and knowing how I wanted to get there, the road I wanted to travel, Jax needed that emotional upheaval."

Donald Glover asked to be written out of 'Community' so that he could pursue other creative endeavors.

Troy and Abed in 'Community'.
NBC | NBC

Many presumed that Donald's reasoning for leaving had to do with his budding music career. In reality, the actor/musician was dealing with a slew of personal problems.

Chevy Chase was forced out of 'Community' after reports circulated claiming that he'd used racial slurs on set.

Chevy Chase crying in 'Community'.
Giphy | Crave

Chevy and show creator Dan Harmon never saw eye-to-eye on the direction of the character, Pierce Hawthrone. When Chevy made a racial utterance on set, he was quickly dispatched.

Steve Carrell's decision to leave 'The Office' remains speculative to this day.

Michael Scott biting his lower lip in 'The Office'.
NBC | NBC

Some reports claim that Steve left in order to spend more time with his family, whereas others stipulate that NBC made no attempt to hire him back after contract negotiations had cooled.