What character leaving a show do you think hurt it the most? Alot of people might say Suzanne Somers from TC, but I think my all time vote would have to be Polly Holiday from Alice to start Flo. Alice never really resembled the same show after she left.

When Valerie Harper and Cloris Leachman left MTMS, the show seemed a bit empty and some of it's spunk had gone. It's like the fact that Mary has no more female friends, and is surrounded by Ted, Lou, Murray, etc. The chemistry between the 3 was a reason to why the show was so great. It's not like Georgia Engel and Betty White could replace them...

Shelley Long's departure bothered me. I think Cheers lost a great deal.
Suzanne Somer's exit left a void that was never filled.
It was sad when Michael J. Fox had to leave Spin City.

I think Kate Jackson leaving Charlie's Angels did that show in. Also, I felt that when the first Becky left Roseanne, the story line just kinda fell apart. But maybe that wasn't so much of the departure but Roseanne going a little nuts with the story lines.

When George Clooney left ER I did too. I was on the brink anyway but his departure was my last straw.
I also thought Kate Jackson's departure from CA was bad for the show.

I think Flo leaving killed the show Alice. I wasn't so sorry to see Suzanne Somers leave TC, they couldn't decide on a personality for her anyway.

That is true about Shelley Long. When she left, the show lost a major part and most of it's spunk. The only person who really could fill in her place as an intelligent, high-iq, serious kind of gal with Lilith, who unfortunely was not in enough episodes to save it. Kirstie was great in her first season, but her character became this huge ditz. I felt that Sam's character did develop more, as did Cliff....but Woody and Norm really just stood there and delivered some mindless jokes. Carla was basically the same wisecraking little woman.

Like you said, the change in becky's wasnt much of the problem on Roseanne but the stories got bad...especially that lottery one...Yuch! I also agree with Clooney leaving E/R but I think losing Diane made Cheers better even though it was just ok before but nobody and i mean nobody who really loved Cheers ever agrees with me.

As for sitcoms:

Well, I agree with Flo( on Alice) and Diane (though Cheers was still decent).

Not mentioned were:

Julie on The Love Boat
Vinnie on Welcome Back Kotter (though he made a couple brief appearances).
Richie and Ralph on Happy Days.

To a lesser extent, Randy on Home Improvement because he was the strongest of the kid characters.

Lowell on Wings. He was never really my favorite character, but his departure really hurt the show.

Dr. Ross on ER. I still love the show, but it hasn't been the same since he left.

Bill on NewsRadio. They had no control over Phil Hartman's death, but it was still a big loss for the show and for comedy in general.

Some great answers and some I never thought of....I have another, James on Good times...KILLED the series

Lecy Goranson leaving her part as Becky on "Roseanne". I think she played that part much, much better than Sara Chalke did. When Lecy played that part it very beleivable.

Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show
Richie on Happy Days
Kimberly on Diff'rent Strokes (I know she made a few guest shots during the last season, but she was such a valuable character during the first seasons.)

Diane Chambers(Cheers)
Edna Garrett(FOL)
James Evans(Good Times)
Bobby Wheeler(Taxi)

When Mrs. Garrett left FOL and DS. And when Dana left DS. The show was just never the same with that Sam kid around.

When Ms Garrett left Facts of Life, Richie left Happy Days, Bill left NewsRadio, Mike left Spin City, Shirley leaving Laverne and Shirley, Buck leaving Married with Children(though as bad as that was, it was the bad writing that killed it, Buck just happened to be killed off at the time) and Diane leaving Cheers all made the shows Jump the Shark.

Larry Linville's leaving M*A*S*H* was most devastating in that it took away the chief antagonist of the boys (Hawkeye and BJ) as well as the one true remaining comic foil. While I hated to see McLean Stevenson and Wayne Rogers leave the show there replacements (Mike Farrell and Harry Morgan) were very good overall. The Winchester character was stuffy but a brilliant surgeon who in his own way was as anti-military as Hawk and BJ. Linville represented everything they hated--Charles could get on there nerves, but he eventually fit in and even joined them on occassion in taking on the brass. In my opinion it was a huge loss.

Mike and Gloria's leaving "All in the Family" should have ushered the end of that series in my opinion. Instead it went on for another season or two and then morphised into "Archie Bunker's Place" which without the great Jean Stapelton (who only appeared occassionally and then sadly left for good with Edith being killed off) just didn't work (for me).

Finally, I'm surprised no one has mentioned one of the great cast switches--Dick York leaving "Bewitched" and being replaced by Dick Sargent. Many people consider York's manic Darrin irreplaceable and that the magic which was "Bewitched" went with him--especially in the Sam-Darrin relationship.

Originally posted by buddy love

Mike and Gloria's leaving "All in the Family" should have ushered the end of that series in my opinion. Instead it went on for another season or two and then morphised into "Archie Bunker's Place" which without the great Jean Stapelton (who only appeared occassionally and then sadly left for good with Edith being killed off) just didn't work (for me).

Finally, I'm surprised no one has mentioned one of the great cast switches--Dick York leaving "Bewitched" and being replaced by Dick Sargent. Many people consider York's manic Darrin irreplaceable and that the magic which was "Bewitched" went with him--especially in the Sam-Darrin relationship.

Crud, I knew I forgot some. Add Mike, Gloria, and Darrin #1 to my list too.

Having the ropers go was hard. TC wasnt the same without them (it wasnt worse or anything, but it was just different) same with

when Micheal J. Fox left spin city

The departures that hurt their respective television shows the most include the following:

Olivia Walton (Michael Learned), The Waltons
Barney Fife (Don Knotts), The Andy Griffith Show
Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard), Happy Days
Cody Lambert (Sasha Mitchell), Step By Step
Waldo Geraldo Faldo (Shawn Harrison), Family Matters
Harriette Winslow (JoMarie Payton), Family Matters
Randy Taylor (Jonathan Taylor Thomas), Home Improvement

SIDE NOTE:
If The Brady Bunch had continued for a sixth season (and possibly beyond) without Robert Reed (who played Mike Brady) as Sherwood Schwartz said would have happened, I probably would still find the episodes as funny as the others, although probably more dramatic. Mr. Schwartz could have recruited a replacement Mike (Gene Hackman?) as well.

Originally posted by buddy love
Mike and Gloria's leaving "All in the Family" should have ushered the end of that series in my opinion. Instead it went on for another season or two and then morphised into "Archie Bunker's Place" which without the great Jean Stapelton (who only appeared occassionally and then sadly left for good with Edith being killed off) just didn't work (for me).

Finally, I'm surprised no one has mentioned one of the great cast switches--Dick York leaving "Bewitched" and being replaced by Dick Sargent. Many people consider York's manic Darrin irreplaceable and that the magic which was "Bewitched" went with him--especially in the Sam-Darrin relationship.

I totally agree, "All in the Family" without Mike and Gloria was not a good idea. When the main characters leave, a show ends, whether or not its still on the air. As for Bewitched, its my favorite show so I can't say anything bad about it, and I think Dick Sargent did a good job, he really tried. However, I will admit that there was a definite loss in the transition, the show just wasn't the same. I also think that Ron Howard leaving Happy Days pretty much ended the show. As for Cheers, I don't think it was all that different without Diane, yes there was a shift in the dynamic but the show didn't really lose any steam. Frankly, I think Shelley Long's leaving hurt her a helluva lot more than it hurt the show. Also, Michael J. Fox leaving Spin City, the show is just missing so much without him.

Richie and Ralph on Happy Days it was sooooooooo sad to see them leave!

Don Knotts from the Andy Griffith Show and Dick York from Bewitched.

Don Knotts made the character of Barney Fife more than just a comic foil. He was a human being with true feelings who hid his insecurities under a bravado front. All too often that front was exposed and he needed assurance and assistance from Andy. After Barney left the show was somehow just not as funny and the other characters such as Goober and Howard were good but didn't reach the heights that Don Knotts could either comedically or dramatically.

Dick York was a huge loss to Bewitched. The chemistry he had with Elizabeth Montgomery just couldn't be duplicated with the somewhat wooden Dick Sargent. Many Bewitched episodes with Dick York emphasized the romantic relationship that Darrin and Samantha had,but after York left this most important element was lost. Frankly as an actor York was much more compelling and effective than Dick Sargent--a nice man who tried very hard. Agnes Moorehead once said, "he (Dick York) is the glue that holds the show together" and she was right.

Originally posted by Ericguy
What character leaving a show do you think hurt it the most? Alot of people might say Suzanne Somers from TC, but I think my all time vote would have to be Polly Holiday from Alice to start Flo. Alice never really resembled the same show after she left.

Depatures that hurt the most in my opinion.

1. Mike Evans leaving the Jeffersons
2. Suzanne Somers leaving Three's Company
3.Ron Howard leaving Happy Days
4.David Garrison leaving Married With Children
5.John Amos leaving Goodtimes

Mackenzie Phillips (Julie Cooper - One Day At A Time)
Marty Brill, Nancy Dussault and Fannie Flagg (Bernie and Carol Davis and Mike Preston - The New Dick Van Dyke Show) The Arizona episodes were more entertaining than the third season shows when they moved to Hollywood and Dick starred in a soap opera.
Shelley Long (Diane Chambers - Cheers)
Harvey Korman (The Carol Burnett Show)
Valerie Harper and Cloris Leachman (Rhoda Morgensten and Phyllis Lindstrom - The Mary Tyler Moore Show)
Mike Evans (Lionel Jefferson - The Jeffersons)
Charlotte Rae (Edna Garrett - The Facts of Life)
John Amos (James Evans - Good Times)
Polly Holliday (Flo - Alice)
Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers (Mike and Gloria - All In the Family)
Valerie Harper (Valerie Hogan - Valerie/The Hogan Family)

Those are right on. I can't believe I forgot about DS, and Barney Fife!! That might be great trivia. Whose departure twice killed two different series based on the same character....Mrs Garret...Facts of Life and DS....has to be the only time.

Changing to dramas, I think Victoria Principal leaving Dallas was a huge blow...she was basically the center of the show. That goes for Patrick Duffy leaving during the "dream season" just plain bad. Jason Priestley and Tiffani Theissen leaving 90210 hurt too.

Originally posted by Plasma
I think Kate Jackson leaving Charlie's Angels did that show in.

i also think that as well, i used to watch some of the reruns of he old charlie's Angels and loved it when she was in it, but when she left it wasn't the same, and they stopped showing it on channel 1.

but i think that it isn't as good in Charmed now that Prue ( Shannon Doherty ) has gone, i dont like Paige.

~*Cait*~:)

The Late Freddie Prinze Sr (Chico Rodriguez) CHICO AND THE MAN
Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard), Happy Days
Cody Lambert (Sasha Mitchell), Step By Step
Harriette Winslow (JoMarie Payton), Family Matters
Randy Taylor (Jonathan Taylor Thomas), Home Improvement
Charlotte Rae (Edna Garrett - The Facts of Life)
John Amos (James Evans - Good Times)
Polly Holliday (Flo - Alice)
Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers (Mike and Gloria - All In the Family)
Maureen Stapleton Edith on ALL IN THE FAMILY