The series “Yellowstone” gained enormous popularity, telling the story of a rancher family. Kevin Costner played John Dutton, who struggles with developers, politicians and the inhabitants of the reservation to defend his land. His performance was appreciated with a Golden Globe, but this did not stop the actor from producing. He left in the middle of the fifth season to take over “Horizon”. The star’s frustration was reportedly caused by numerous disagreements with series creator Taylor Sheridan over creative and scheduling changes.
The creators of That ’70s Show, which told the story of teenagers from Point Place, had a double problem. Topher Grace was the first to leave the series, and soon afterwards he was cast in “Spider-Man 3”. A moment later, another actor followed in his footsteps – Ashton Kutcher. Josh Meyers joined the cast as Randy Pearson, but before he could become a part of the group of friends, the series came to an end. Decreasing viewership i Fox’s lack of ideas for further promotion of the production accelerated the decision to end it. The original cast reunited in the finale.
For seven seasons, Steve Carell disarmed viewers as Michael Scott – the obnoxious but charming boss from the American “The Office”. In 2010, the actor announced that he would not renew his contract with NBC, which meant his farewell to the series. In almost 150 episodes, Scott managed the Dunder Mifflin branch, and his last moments on screen are a beautiful finale – the hero finds love and leaves Scranton, Pennsylvania. Rumors about Carell’s departure vary: some say he wanted to devote more time to his family, others blame NBC for the lack of a specific offer. One thing is certain – Michael Scott was one of a kind, and his absence left a gap in the series that no one managed to fill.
The series “The X-Files” owed its success both to a great script and to the unique chemistry between the main characters, Dana Scully and Fox Mulder, played by Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. Unfortunately, after the eighth season, the reliable duo became a thing of the past. Fox did not agree to the raise Duchovny wanted. The actor was replaced by Robert Patrick, who himself admitted that the relationship between the original actors was impossible to imitate. The last two series combined appearances of the “old guard” with new characters, which caused mixed reactions among fans.
“The Vampire Diaries”, which was an adaptation of the novel by LJ Smith, attracted millions of teenagers to the screens. The series told the fate of vampires in the town of Mystic Falls, Virginia and lasted eight seasons. The viewers became very attached to the actors, including: Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder, Steven R. McQueen and Nina Dobrev. Fans of the production were even more surprised by the actress’s decision to leave after the sixth season. The artist wanted to try her hand at other projects. Although Dobrev’s absence was felt in subsequent episodes, her character Elena Gilbert returned in the series finale in 2017.