TV Characters That Were Missing From The Show's Final Episode

Time and again it has been proven that we watch our favorite television shows for the characters more than anything else. There are outliers, however, such as "Game of Thrones" where the plot transcends enough to make any of your favorite players disposable. Still, for the majority of popular TV programs maintaining a regular cast is integral to how a series is received by audiences.

Top-rated shows like "That 70s Show" or "The X-Files" plummeted after losing their main stars, and everyone knows "The Office" was never the same after Steve Carell bid farewell. Losing a main cast member is an obstacle that many television programs face, with actors leaving for an assortment of reasons.

However, it has become a cliché that even when a show loses an important character, they will make an appearance in the series finale and even actors who have been absent for multiple seasons make a heartfelt return for the final moments. It is almost more surprising when a star does not make a last-episode comeback, enough for audiences to take note of the absence. We take a look at several actors who were mysteriously omitted from their respective show's finales and discover the varying reasons why they weren't present.

In the 1990s, the "Star Trek" franchise redefined itself with the much darker "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." Aside from more formidable enemies, the show also introduced a slew of complicated characters, such as Commanding Officer Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) and Chief Science Officer Jadzia Dax, played by Terry Farrell. Dax became an integral part of the series over six seasons, eventually marrying the Klingon Worf (Michael Dorn).

Unfortunately, six seasons was seemingly enough for Farrell. The actress left the show in the late '90s when she became a regular on the sitcom "Becker." Fans assumed Farrell left deep space for the more grounded series, however, the truth about her departure has since proven more complicated.

Despite being killed off at the end of Season 6, fans were shocked when her character did not appear in the "Deep Space Nine" finale, especially considering it flashbacked to older episodes. In the book "The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years, From The Next Generation to J.J. Abrams" by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman, Farrell revealed how she left the show because of a misogynist environment. She said, "The problems with my leaving were with Rick Berman ... In my opinion, he's just very misogynistic" (via CBR). Despite this, Farrell wanted to remain a recurring character in Season 7, but Berman refused to negotiate. This soured the ending of Farrell's tenure on the show and she ultimately refused them from using her likeness in the series finale.

There has never been a series quite like "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." The beloved show about the forensic specialists behind some of the most complicated crime cases took the world by storm when it debuted in 2000. Over 15 seasons, the series became a far-reaching franchise, launching an assortment of spin-offs, video games, and comic books. The popularity of the original series helped it maintain a significant fan base through multiple cast changeovers throughout the years.

Surprisingly, by Season 15, only two original cast members remained regulars on the show, Jorja Fox as CSI Sara Sidle and George Eads as CSI Nick Stokes. Despite being one of the show's longest-running heroes, Eads was already on the bubble with "CSI" before the series announced it would be wrapping up. In Season 14, Eads took a leave of absence following "creative issues" and an altercation with a member of the writing team (per Deadline). It was later revealed that Season 15 would be the last fans would see of Nick Stokes.

Regardless of the bad blood, there was hope that Stokes would make an appearance in the big "CSI" finale in 2015. Eads was written out of the show open-endedly, meaning he could have easily made an appearance without damaging continuity. Additionally, the writers included a small part for the long-running character in the finale. Unfortunately, the actor decided not to return, along with Elisabeth Shue who also declined to reprise her role as Julie Finlay.

"Community" may not have been the most popular television show when it aired between 2009 and 2015, however, it maintained a loyal fanbase and remains a cult classic sitcom thanks to its out-of-the-box plots and stand-out characters. Prominent characters included the lovable pairing of Troy (Donald Glover) and Abed (Danny Pudi), best known for their faux morning show-within-the-show "Troy and Abed in the Morning." Sadly, "Community" was never quite the same after Glover made his exit in Season 5.

There was heavy turbulence for "Community" ahead of Glover leaving, including the temporary canning of show creator Dan Harmon, rumors of racial antics from co-star Chevy Chase, and concerns about the show's removal from network NBC. Conversely, Glover was ready for a change, focusing on music and his FX comedy series "Atlanta." "I feel like if I stayed there, I'd be doing my life a disservice," Glover said in an interview with Vibe Magazine. "'Community' is, I think, one of the best shows on television, but it's not mine. I just want to make dope s*** from now on, on my own terms." Leaving on good terms, fans hoped that Glover would make a return to the beloved sitcom, especially for the finale, but he didn't. "I just like endings," he said on a press tour about his choice not to return (via Deadline). "It wasn't like I wanted to run away from it."

A much more mature and darker version of the DC Comics superhero team than has been seen on screen before, "Titans" was a world away from more family-friendly iterations such as "Teen Titans Go!" The 2018 live-action series featured many recognizable hero names, including Robin (Brenton Thwaites), Beast Boy (Ryan Potter), and Raven (Teagan Croft). For four seasons, "Titans" brought in many other notable super sidekicks, such as Donna Troy the Wonder Girl (Conor Leslie), Superboy (Joshua Orpin), and a pair of Robin predecessors.

By the series finale, the Titans had built their ranks to an impressively sized team, but not all of them showed up for the show's final goodbye. Fan favorites like Hawk (Alan Ritchson) and Dove (Minka Kelly) were written out of the series in previous seasons, with Hawk dying and Dove flying away to France. Meanwhile, other Titan back-ups like Donna Troy deserved a better farewell after taking on a new job after Season 3. In the case of Jason Todd (Curran Walters) becoming the Red Hood, his exclusion from the finale was far more intentional. Todd is last seen in the penultimate episode passing the reigns of being Batman's sidekick off to Tim Drake (Jay Lycurgo). It was time for a new Robin, and there were even rumors of Red Hood spinning off and getting his own series before "Titans" got the axe.

Anyone who regularly watched "Saved by the Bell" in the '90s will have vague memories of the other girl from Bayside High, Tori Scott (Leanna Creel). Tori was the sassy biker girl who temporarily joined the crew in the show's sixth and final season. She dated Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) for a time, helped make a new school song, and helped Lisa Turtle (Lark Voorhies) plan a high school dance. But strangely, the character was only included in a handful of episodes, making some fans question whether she existed at all, like some sort of Mandela effect.

Thankfully, audiences were not losing their minds. The confusing Tori paradox was finally explained years later on the "Zack to the Future" podcast (as reported by The Retro Network). Gosselaar explained how the 13-episode sixth season was picked up for 11 more episodes. Unfortunately, actresses Elizabeth Berkley and Tiffani Amber Thiessen were unable to reprise their roles of Jessie Spano and Kelly Kapowski, forcing the showrunners to bring in fresh blood. Keeping audiences on their toes even further, the complete 24-episode season was aired out of order, leaving Tori mysteriously absent from the series finale and the graduation of the kids from Bayside High.

The conclusion of "Lost" is easily one of the most divisive finales of any television show. After six seasons of being one of the most popular programs, fans were left feeling sour with the show's two-part ending. Aside from being vague and unclear, audiences were left with a bunch of lingering questions that would unfortunately never be answered. Probably the most difficult pill for fans to swallow was the absence of an entire collection of cast members.

Understandably, "Lost" had developed a long cast list over the years, introducing new and important characters year after year. It would be difficult to expect every single player to make a return for the big finale. However, some omissions had fans up in arms. One of the most noticeable absences was from Michael Dawson (Harold Perrineau), although his future was explained earlier in the final season. Meanwhile, one of the most-lasting question marks includes Walt Lloyd, who was portrayed by Malcolm David Kelley who had aged out of the role years prior. Finally, former star Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje was offered a chance to reprise his role as Mr. Eko in the finale but turned it down despite rumors of him wanting to return.

Jonathan Taylor Thomas was one of the biggest teenage heartthrobs of the 1990s, largely due to his role as the middle child, Randy Taylor, in ABC's "Home Improvement." The young actor starred in the Tim Allen-led series from its debut in 1991 until leaving in the eighth and final season.

"I'd been going nonstop since I was 8 years old," the actor told People in 2013. "I wanted to go to school, to travel, and have a bit of a break." His time away from the show proved successful as he went on to study at Harvard University and continued to make appearances in films like "Speedway Junky" and "Walking Across Egypt."

Thomas returned to "Home Improvement" in 1998 for a guest spot in the last season's Christmas special but chose not to return for the series finale. The holiday episode seemingly helped Thomas end ties with the show for good, and it is possible there was some tension with his co-stars. "He was a little miffed at me," admitted star Tim Allen to E! "He said it was about going to school, but then he did some films. Did he want to do films? Did he want to go to school? ... I mentioned I was confused. I don't think he liked that."

"The Brady Bunch" may be one of the most famous sitcoms of all time. Running from 1969 to 1974 on ABC, the series lasted for five seasons, spawning multiple spin-offs, specials, and films. Despite lasting as a cultural icon for decades, most viewers today were not around for the height of "The Brady Bunch" popularity. That is why many do not recall that the series finale was missing a crucial player: the family's patriarch, Mike Brady (Robert Reed).

Reed maintained the role of family man and head of the large family for the entire series run earning him a place as one of TV Guide's "Greatest TV Dads of All Time" in 2004. Unfortunately, behind the scenes, the actor had developed a reputation for being argumentative, drinking heavily, and changing the scripts. Ahead of the last episode, Reed contested a sloppy plot that involved one of the children's hair turning orange after drinking a tonic. The actor refused to appear in what inevitably became the series finale because he did not believe the story was plausible. Reportedly, Reed would have been cut from the show entirely had another season gone ahead. However, the actor did reprise his role for spin-offs and sequels including "The Bradys" and "The Brady Bunch Variety Hour."

While Marvel Studios was busy building the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The CW was building its own TV franchise, the Arrowverse, based on DC Comics properties. Built upon the 2012 "Arrow" series, the live-action universe expanded to multiple original shows, including the incredibly popular, "The Flash." With nine seasons and over 180 episodes, the series eventually ran out of steam in spring 2023. The finale marked the end of the Arrowverse's reign on television, but audiences were frustrated with some of the important characters missing in the last episode.

One of the characters that fans most wanted to see in the series finale was the lovable Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes), who appeared over the first seven seasons. The actor wanted to make a last-minute appearance but couldn't line it up with his schedule. "I couldn't really make it work," Valdes told Entertainment Weekly. "Which was really heartbreaking to me because I thought, if I decided to step away from the show, at the very least I have to be there for the finale."

For showrunner Eric Wallace, there were multiple characters that he wanted to include for the final goodbye, including Julian Albert (Tom Felton), Patty Spivot (Shantel VanSanten), and Bart Allen (Jordan Fisher). Bart would have made the most sense, considering he is the child of the titular character in a future timeline. Unfortunately, scheduling conflicts also kept him from making a cameo. "The timing just couldn't have been worse," Wallace told Entertainment Weekly.

Many children of the '90s grew up alongside the cast of "Boy Meets World." The series featured Ben Savage as Cory Matthews leading a pretty average life and over seven seasons aired on ABC between 1993 and 2000. The series featured multiple characters throughout the years but eventually focused on his core friends, Shawn (Rider Strong), Topanga (Danielle Fishel), and brother Eric (Will Friedle). The gang grew in later years, including Jack (Matthew Lawrence) and Angela (Trina McGee) in Season 5.

Unfortunately, it was Angela who was whisked away to Europe in the penultimate episode forcing her to miss the series finale. Sadly, the actress would reveal over 20 years later on the "Pod Meets World" podcast (via Entertainment Weekly) why she was omitted so close to the end. "I was told, in kind of a weird, off-handed way by a very important person, that you guys all went to [showrunner] Michael Jacobs, and you said, 'We don't want her in the last episode. She's somehow taking our light,' was the gist of it," McGee revealed to her former co-stars Strong, Fishel, and Friedle. The stars quickly denied making such demands, and whatever resentment remained between the onscreen friends was quickly mended. "I believe you. I can tell by your reactions," McGee said. "I have had that in my head for so long, and I've never watched that show. I've always felt like ... that hurt me a long time."

It is rare for a sitcom to successfully switch out its lead character and maintain popularity. But if there is one example of a show that accomplished the seemingly impossible feat, it was CBS' "Two and a Half Men." After leading the sitcom for seven seasons, Charlie Sheen, who portrayed Charlie Harper, had a highly publicized falling out with the network and producers while also facing addiction issues. Thankfully, recruiting star Ashton Kutcher as Walden Schmidt in place of Sheen squeezed four new seasons out of the long-running sitcom.

Those who watched the "Two and a Half Men" series finale at the end of Season 12 are aware that Sheen nearly made a final appearance. The episode ended with a stand-in for the actor who gets crushed by a random falling piano. Finally, a last vanity card revealed the true story of what happened between Sheen and the showrunners ahead of the finale. "For the record, he was offered a role," reads the card (via X, formerly known as Twitter). It goes on to explain the ending they had written for the actor, including a rant about substance abuse and being a ninja from Mars. "Instead, he wanted us to write a heart-warming scene that would set up his return to primetime TV in a new sitcom."

"The Big Bang Theory" surprisingly accomplished something most shows couldn't dream of, in keeping its main core of cast members together for 12 seasons. The group only grew with newcomers like Bernadette Rostenkowski (Melissa Rauch) and Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik) becoming regulars in Season 4. The entire main cast fittingly made it to the series finale when Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) accepted a Nobel Peace Prize. However, with such a notable event in the character's life, fans were quick to point out one glaring absence in the last episode: Sheldon's mother.

Throughout the series, Sheldon maintained a close relationship with his mom, Mary Cooper (Laurie Metcalf), who appeared in the show as far back as Season 1. Fans were quick to point out that it is ridiculous that Sheldon would invite his friends to watch him accept a coveted award, and not have his mom there as well. As much sense as that would make, there is a very real-world reason for his mother's absence, actress Metcalf was busy on Broadway portraying Hillary Clinton in the play "Hillary and Clinton."