Adrian Zmed in TJ Hooker...It just wasn't the same without him.
Charlotte Rae in FOL....I kinda missed her pressence there.

Spin City really lost steam after Michael J. Fox left the show. They really shouldn't have continued.

The Andy Griffith Show suffered big time when Don Knotts left and the addition of Warren Ferguson didn't help at all.

When Gabe Kaplan left Welcome Back, Kotter.

I always wonder why did Gabe Leave The Show

Ok so he didnt choose to leave but he was no longer on the show
John Ritter on 8 Simple Rules

Shelly Long left Cheers (would she count since she was a co-star)
The original Dukes on Dukes of Hazzard, the replacements were not the same

Ok so he didnt choose to leave but he was no longer on the show
John Ritter on 8 Simple Rules

It's always sad when an actor or actress dies during a show's run and they have to find a replacement. A few notable examples:

Joseph Kearns who played Mr. Wilson on Dennis the Menace and was replaced by Gale Gordon

William Frawley who played Bub O'Casey on My 3 Sons and was replaced by William Demarest

Alice Pearce who played Gladys Kravitz on Bewitched died on the same day as William Frawley and was replaced by Sandra Gould.

When the orginal Darrin (Dick York) left Bewitched, it wasn't the same without him.

Three's Company-The Ropers(Audra Lindley and Norman Fell) leaving the show replaced by Don Knotts.

Three's Company-Suzanne Somers leaving replaced by Jenilee Harrison and Priscilla Barnes.

When Petticoat Junction had to go on without Bea Benadaret -- just not the same.

Dick York leaving Bewitched

Ron Howard leaving Happy Days

Head Of The Class, once Howard Hesseman jumped ship. It was already sinking when several of the original students left the season before Howard ankled HOTC.

John Amos being fired from Good Times.
Esther Rolle leaving Good Times

I always wonder why did Gabe Leave The Show
I remember reading because he simply got tired of the show.

Didn't John Travolta left earlier than Kaplan, too? Just curious to know..

Oh, wait. Scratch that, it was Kaplan who left.

Richie Cunningham-Happy Days
Charles and Caroline Ingalls-Little House on the Prairie
Matt and Mary Camden-7th Heaven
Mike & Gloria-All in the Family
Diane Chambers-Cheers
Flo-Alice

Richie-Happy Days
Flo-Alice
Chrissy and The Ropers-Three's Company

Laverne & Shirley without Shirley... it just didn't work

And it was mentioned above, but Happy Days for sure

Thomas Hayden Church as Lowell on WINGS, Granted he wasn't a main star but his character added to the show.

Thomas Hayden Church as Lowell on WINGS, Granted he wasn't a main star but his character added to the show.

I agree, and Buzz didn't fill Lowells shoes at all.

When MacKenzie Phillips was fired the first time from One Day At A Time the void on the show was felt when she was on suspension in the fifth season and not in the show during the sixth. Nick and Alex did not do it for me. MacKenzie may not have been the star of the show but the character Julie made the show and the storylines involving moved the show in a powerful way.

When Dolph Sweet passed away after the 4th season of Gimme A Break. The show was not the same and it seemed like the Chief should had been there. The plug should had been pulled after he passed.

Petticoat Junction should had called it quits after Bea Benaderet passed away. It was bad enough how the show handled Kate's absence but then to add insult to injury by replacing her with June Lockhart. I like June Lockhart but she was the one for that show.

Bewitched was already beginning to sink in the fifth season, Dick York's final one, but it sanked when he was replaced by Dick Sargent.

After Janet Hubert-Whitten was dismissed from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air the focus shifted from being about a family who is upper class dealing with a relative moving in from the Hood to being about Will and Carlton or Will and Uncle Phil. The family dynamics of Fresh Prince in the first two and a half seasons was good. When Janet got pregnant and the tension on the set intensified it filtered on screen.

Alice lost its comedy edge when Flo was spinned off into her own show. The reason why Polly Holliday did not return to Alice because of the friction between her and Linda Lavin. Diane Ladd had the same friction with Linda Lavin as well. Basically, being a fan of Linda Lavin, she killed the show by needing to have control. You can see the tension between Linda and Polly in her final season on the show. Linda and Polly did not interact the same way on camera that season as in previous seasons.

My vote goes to Miss Michael Learned (Olivia Walton) leaving The Waltons. It wasn't the same without the mother around. Cousin (or was it Aunt--or Great Aunt??? :confused:) Rose Burton was not a good replacement and had no chemistry with the Walton children whatsoever. The show should have been renamed The Burtons for all I care.

ISTR reading that the show Michael Learned starred in after she left, Nurse, was only on one season, 1980-81, and ended the same year as The Waltons. CBS could have given us a tenth year of The Waltons (to match the longevity of Friends, but I digress!) with the return of Olivia, completely healed at that sanitarium in Arizona. Think what that would do in the Nielsens!

When the original Harriette (Jo Marie Payton) on "Family Matters" left. It was a shame too because the show was cancelled a few months after she left.

One can also say that Judy Winslow's (Jaimee Foxworth) disappearance ruined the show's continuity. She wasn't a principal cast member, but held a major role in the show as a Winslow child.

I agree w/ the above poster on when Michael Learned (Olivia) left The Walton, but let's also not forget when Richard Thomas (John Boy) left. Then several episodes later they brought in Robert Wightman to play John Boy. The Waltons is my favorite show but you can definitely separate it into 2 distinct sections: Season 1-5 and Seasons 6-9.

Also Little House on the Prairie shares a similar concern when Michael Landon and Karen Grassle left.

I forgot to mention Rhoda leaving MTM and getting her own show. Don't get me wrong: Valerie Harper was/is an excellent actress and Rhoda was a strong enough character to carry a sitcom of her own. But I so missed Mary and Rhoda's close bond and seeing them together on MTM. Mary Richards never was the same after Rhoda packed up to go back to NYC!! :(

I forgot to mention Rhoda leaving MTM and getting her own show. Don't get me wrong: Valerie Harper was/is an excellent actress and Rhoda was a strong enough character to carry a sitcom of her own. But I so missed Mary and Rhoda's close bond and seeing them together on MTM. Mary Richards never was the same after Rhoda packed up to go back to NYC!! :(
The tone of the show changed after Rhoda left and shortly afterwards Phyllis. Those three women gave us some of the best comedy without being silly nor wacky. Those three women cared for each other (Phyllis deep down cared for Rhoda but jealous of her relationship with Mary since Phyllis knew her first) and would pull for each other. The final episode with those three was funny and moving at the same time.

I agree w/ the above poster on when Michael Learned (Olivia) left The Walton, but let's also not forget when Richard Thomas (John Boy) left. Then several episodes later they brought in Robert Wightman to play John Boy. The Waltons is my favorite show but you can definitely separate it into 2 distinct sections: Season 1-5 and Seasons 6-9.

The reason I overlooked the Richard Thomas/Robert Wightman switch was because the John Boy character was not part of the storylines as much between 1977 and 1981, compared to the early years of The Waltons.

Linda Hamilton from "Beauty and the Beast." There was no point making a third season without her.

I wondered why they did that because it should have ended right there.

One can also say that Judy Winslow's (Jaimee Foxworth) disappearance ruined the show's continuity. She wasn't a principal cast member, but held a major role in the show as a Winslow child.
TOTALLY AGREED!

#1- Dick York leaves Bewitched- The chemistry was gone when Dick Sargent replaced DY as Darrin, they should have ended the show after season 5
#2- Shelly Long leaves Cheers-Yes the show was still funny, yes I watched all 11 seasons but, when Diane left, the show lost it's "heart"; it went from a romantic comedy to a beerhall sex farce
#3- Ron Howard leaves Happy Days- I just couldnt STAND the Fonz as the star of the show, and really never watched it regularly after that
( more to come )

"That '70s Show" was never the same after Topher Grace left. He was the central character. The show was about Eric Forman and his family and friends. It should have ended after the 7th season.

The 5th and 6th seasons of "Roseanne" were my favorite, but the show did go through a big change when the oldest Connor daughter, Becky left. Once she was gone, the show didn't have that same family dynamic it had during the first 4 years.

And though I still liked the show, "All In The Family" was never the same after Mike and Gloria moved to California.

Thomas Hayden Church as Lowell on WINGS, Granted he wasn't a main star but his character added to the show.

I agree. The show wasn't the same without him at all.

NewsRadio wasn't the same after Phil Hartman died.

I also think MASH wasn't quite the same without Trapper and Henry.

I didn't bother to read the other posts here, so I apologize if I repeat these:

Patrick Duffy - DALLAS. He played Bobby Ewing and asked to leave the show. He returned to the show a year later even though his character died. We had to endure a season known as THE DREAM SEASON.

Victoria Principal - DALLAS. Rather than kill her character off they had her burned so severely. The producers did this in case she did what her co-star above did. Rather than have another character die, they just had her "go away".