a goodbye episode but with mention of being gone. So this isn't about characters who left without explaination, but rather about characters who left, but instead of getting a goodbye episode, they just get a mention in the first episode without them.

For example:
Trapper John - M*A*S*H, when the series returned for it's fourth season, Hawkeye returned from some R&R, only to find out Trapper was sent stateside.

Frank Burns - M*A*S*H, when the series returned for it's sixth season, Frank had left. There was no goodbye scene between actor Larry Lineville as Frank and the other characters.

Steve Rhodaes - Married with Children, it was mid-season of the fourth season. Steve was there and suddenly he wasn't. There was no goodbye Steve episode. There was just Marcy informing the Bundys that Steve was gone.

What else?

no goodbye episode for mr bentley on jeffersons just Louies saying they got a letter from mr bentley and him being sent overseas

Kate Bradley - Petticoat Junction. She went to visit an unspecified relative and never returned.

Cody on Step By Step left after episode 19 in season five. They don't mention where he went until the first episode of season six.

Lana from Three's Company never got a goodbye episode.

Never did Ginny from One Day at a Time.

Frank Lorenzo from All in the Family. Also Theresa Brewer from All in the Family.

Even Chrissy Snow from Three's Company never really had a goodbye episode.

Sgt. Chano Amenguale (Barney Miller) left without explanation.

Jack Soo (Sgt. Nick Yemana from Barney Miller) passed on in the show's fifth season and it was the season finale that was "The Jack Soo Retrospective", which featured the actors sharing memories of Jack and showing clips of Yemana's funniest moments. The fate of the character Yemana was left open.

Julio Fuentes (Sanford & Son) didn't get a goodbye episode, but I think it was in the episode where the Sanfords bought his old house to turn it into the Sanford Arms that it was said he had moved back to New York.

When Bewitched's beloved Aunt Clara, Marion Lorne, died in 1968 - the character was written out without explanation and never mentioned again. The Kravitzes were never seen in the eighth (and final) season of Bewitched, for some reason.

Over at the Bob Newhart Show, Ellen Hartley (Bob's sister and Howard's fiancee) left toward the end of Season 4 and was never seen or mentioned again.

Then there were many one-shot characters on Little House on the Prairie who took up whole episodes and then were never seen or heard from again. :lol:

Tiffany Welles, Sabrina Duncan and Jill Munroe from Charlie's Angels (though Jill did return for six episodes, no one said "goodbye" even at the end of those! :lol:.

James Evans from Good Times died off screen, and obviously never got a chance to tell his family 'goodbye'.

Just as an aside, this is something I hate to see happen. I always enjoy the kind of continuity that comes from a 'goodbye' episode, and it's so satisfying to see some kind of closure for beloved characters.

Sgt. Chano Amenguale (Barney Miller) left without explanation.



They actually only mentioned Chano in one episode afterward, didn't they? And I think that was just in reference to his desk?

They actually only mentioned Chano in one episode afterward, didn't they? And I think that was just in reference to his desk?
In Season 3, Nick said to Barney that Fish, Wojo and Chano had dressed in drag on park detail, why hadn't he? In Season 4, they mention to Det. Rosslyn Liccori that she was the person who was supposed to replace Chano at the 1-2 - despite the fact he'd left 2 years before!! I also think he was mentioned in the finale, along with Fish, Yemana and Wentworth. They just never said why or where he went.

Speaking of Wentworth, they never mentioned why/where she went, either. Of course, Linda Lavin went to CBS to star in her own show (Alice), but we never found out the fate of Wentworth.

Pearl and Jetherine on "THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES". It was said in one episode that Jetherine went back home, but she never had a finale, and Pearl just dissapeared without a mention.

Cindy Snow never got a good bye episode either she was mentioned as going to UCLA and not heard from again after the 5th season.

Cindy Snow never got a good bye episode either she was mentioned as going to UCLA and not heard from again after the 5th season.
Maybe she was just afraid of Janet!! :eek: :lol: (In her last episode, she had an argument with Janet.)

7th Heaven - Robbie disappeared halfway through Season 7, but was mention in either season 8 or 9 that he had gone to take care of his Mother in Florida.

Boy Meets World - Minkus, Mister Turner, Frankie, Joey, Eli...

to think of it, Boy Meets World was infamous for it!

On Happy Days they did this a lot.
Richie and Ralph went off to the army without a goodbye episode. They came back a few seasons later for some closure.

And while we're at it, Arnold, KC, Flip, Jenny Piccalo Ashley and Heather they all left the show without a good-bye episode and only maybe a little snipet of explaination given later on as to where they were.

Of course Big Brother Chuck just vanished into thin air never to be mentioned again.

"Valerie" (aka "Valerie's Family" aka "Hogan Family") - Valerie Hogan was killed off-screen, so she never got a final goodbye (unless you count her walking papers from Lorimar as her final goodbye).

Edith Bunker - died off-screen as well, never got a final goodbye.

Floyd from The Andy Griffith Show certainly fits the exact scenario laid out by the OP. Howard McNear kept working throughout the 7th season despite his quite obviously failing health (I suspect he had at least one more small stroke around this time and kept going in spite of it). In the first season 8 episode Floyd was said to have retired and never referred to again.

"California Dreams" - Matt Garrison was in the first two seasons. On the season three premeire, they explain that Matt moved away.

On Family Matters Judy, the youngest Winslow, disappeared early on.

On The Wonder Years Becky Slater, Doug Porter, and Randy Mitchell were never seen again after Kevin and his friends graduated junior high school.

On Family Matters Judy, the youngest Winslow, disappeared early on.

On The Wonder Years Becky Slater, Doug Porter, and Randy Mitchell were never seen again after Kevin and his friends graduated junior high school.
That's a shame. They were all great characters - especially Becky Slater. Whatever happened to Danica's sister, anyway?

Of course, Florida's second husband Carl Dixon vanished without a trace after Season 4 on Good Times. So did JJ's buddies Cool Breeze, Poppo and Head after Season 5. :crazy:

That's a shame. They were all great characters - especially Becky Slater. Whatever happened to Danica's sister, anyway?
According to IMDB.com she graduated from Harvard Law School and is now practicing Law in New York City.

According to IMDB.com she graduated from Harvard Law School and is now practicing Law in New York City.
Awesome! Go Crystal! :cool: :D

Chico on "CHICO & THE MAN"-because of Freddie Prinzes suicide. However, they later did a one hour episode where they said that he's dead.

Miriam on "THE ODD COUPLE"
The Pigeon sisters on " " "

Cheers - Ernie "Coach" Pantusso, on a later season episode when an old timer asked where coach was Sam mentioned that he passed away, which is what happened to Nicolas Colassanto

On "227" in the first season Rose had a daughter, but by the second season she had vanished and was never seen again. Also, Countess Vaungh appeared as Alexandria on that show during season 4 but she had vanished by the time season 5 rolled around.


This type of thing happened all the time on "Saved By The Bell: The New Class" nearly every season characters would dissappear w/out mention on-screen, in season 2 many of the season 1 cast had vanished, including, Issac Lidsky as Barton "Weasle" Wyzell, Bonnie Russavage as Vicki Neddleman and Robert Sutherland Tufler as Scott Erickson. In season 3 some season 2 cast memebers were gone, including, Bianca Lawson as Megan Jones, Christian Oliver as Brian Keller and Spankee Rogers as Bobby Wilson. In season 4 several other cast memebers were gone including Natalia Cigituli as Lindsay and Jonathon Angel as Tommy De Luca (i believe Lindsay was mentioned as having moved away). this continued nearly every season with various characters either vanishing or being written out. One of the difficult for me was Richard Lee Jackson's character Ryan Parker being written out after season 5 as he was a charismatic and enjoyable lead actor on the show.

Cheers - Ernie "Coach" Pantusso, on a later season episode when an old timer asked where coach was Sam mentioned that he passed away, which is what happened to Nicolas Colassanto
no, "an oldd timer" didn't ask where Coach was. When Woody came to the bar for the first time, he asked for Ernie Pantuzo (Coaches real name). Sam told him "Oh, I'm sorry; I guess you didn't hear. Coach passed away a couple months ago".

no, "an oldd timer" didn't ask where Coach was. When Woody came to the bar for the first time, he asked for Ernie Pantuzo (Coaches real name). Sam told him "Oh, I'm sorry; I guess you didn't hear. Coach passed away a couple months ago".

I didn't even realize that it was Woody that asked for Coach.