I'm currently on Season 5 right now and the show is excellent, but where is Tom Hodges? He's just vanished, almost in the same fashion as Valerie did, but this time, there is no explanation. I mean he is present in Season 4, then come Season 5, he is no longer in any Episodes!!! But yet, he is still in the Opening Credits when it is Steve Witting's Credit listing. Did Tom leave or was he fired? I know he returns in Season 6 because they do kill off his character, much like they did with Valerie. Is anyone else seeing similarities here or is it just me?

Tom, AFIK, left the series to pursue roles on the big screen. He had a successful turn as one of the football players in the film "Lucas" with Corey Haim and played Dolly Parton's son in "Steel Magnolias".

Tom, AFIK, left the series to pursue roles on the big screen. He had a successful turn as one of the football players in the film "Lucas" with Corey Haim and played Dolly Parton's son in "Steel Magnolias".

What does 'AFIK' mean?

As far as I know

tom hodges wanted to kill off the character that was the famous aids episode where he is giving credit for writting it.valerie was fired because she wanted more money much like the suzzane sommers thing on threes company.so no he was not fired.

I'm listening to the TV Guidance Counselor (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tv-guidance-counselor-episode-355-tim-odonnell/id821665905?i=1000439639812) podcast, and the host, Ken Reid wondered if Tom Hodges ran afoul of the producers. He talks about it (https://tvguidancecounselor.libsyn.com/size/5/?search=TV+Guidance+Counselor+Episode+355%3A+Tim+O%27Donnell) 10 minutes in. He believes that his character was simply put, killed off in the most crude and disrespectful way possible.