#29. Chuck Cunningham - Happy Days
Happy Days was a groundbreaking show which paved the way for sitcoms that came after it. A famous term that came out of this show is the Chuck Cunningham Syndrome, which describes those characters that are suddenly eliminated from TV shows.
This happened to Chuck Cunningham, the oldest sibling of the Cunningham family. The character never played a significant part and audiences didn't care much for him, so on season 3, he just vanished. His parents on later seasons even remark that they only have two children, as if he was never real.
#28. Maggie Lauten - A Different World
A Different World was a successful spin-off of The Cosby Show which centered around the character of Denise; played by Lisa Bonet, and her adventures in college. However, this only went on for one season, as Bonet got pregnant, which didn't sit well with producers.
She was written off the show, but was given a reason for her departure, whileMaggie Lauten, Denise's roommate, simply vanished. There was mention of Denise from time to time, but there was never any mention of Maggie. Two new characters were brought in to fill the void, and that was that.
#27. Violet Bickerstaff - Saved By The Bell
Saved by the Bell is regarded as one of the best teen sitcoms in history, but it is also infamous for getting rid of characters with no explanation whatsoever. One of them was Violet Bickerstaff, played by Tori Spelling, Violet dated Screech for a whopping three episodes before vanishing out of thin air.
On the first episode, Screech tries to win Violet over even though her parents don't approve. They are together for one episode and on the third, they break up, and that's the last we ever see of her, even though she attends the same school as the rest of the main characters. Maybe she moved away? We'll never know.
#26. Tori Scott - Saved By The Bell
Tori Scott is another Saved by the Bell character that was eliminated for no reason. She first appeared on the very last season of the show as the new girl in school. She catches everyone's eye because she drives a motorcycle and wears a leather jacket. However, she has a bone to pick with Zack Morris over a parking spot.
Once the two resolve their differences, they fall for each other and become boyfriend and girlfriend. Yet, somehow, two episodes later she is gone. There's no explanation why, which was pretty disappointing for many fans who grew to like her. She was a fresh addition to the show, but introducing a new character on the last season rarely works out.
#25. Max - Saved By The Bell
At this point, it isn't even a surprise we are talking about Saved by the Bell, because this show really hated tying up loose ends. In fact, whenever there was a plot or a character the writers weren't sure about, they just pretended it never happened, which can be pretty annoying, especially to the most loyal fans.
Our third example comes with the character of Max, who was the owner of The Max, the hangout spot the main characters always went to. He appeared in 20 episodes during the first two seasons, but then abruptly disappeared. The reason was that the actor was fired for allegations of inappropriate behavior.
#24. Mr. Turner - Boy Meets World
Mr. Turner was the English teacher on Boy Meets World, and despite being a beloved character, the writers decided the show could do without him. On season four, Mr. Turner is involved into a motorcycle accident, but nothing is said about what happened to him. This left viewers wondering whether he was even alive.
Unlike most of the characters on this list, we did get an explanation for his disappearance, but not on the show. He actually appears again in the spin-off Girl Meets World, where it is revealed that he got married to a nurse and moved to Manhattan for a new job as a school superintendent.
#23. Stuart Minkus - Boy Meets World
Boy Meets World is guilty of another unexplained character disappearance: Stuart Minkus. Stuart appeared on 22 episodes of the show until the one titled I Dream of Feeny. In it, the main characters attempt a psychic experiment at school, where Cory and Shawn suddenly make Stuart vanish. Then, Stuart is never seen again.
It was never clear whether the boys actually made Stuart disappear with magic, or if there was any other explanation, and nobody even mentioned his name after that. He was brought back on season five, where he explains that he has stayed in "the other part of school" and is angry that the other characters never visited him.
#22. Nebula Lawrence - Boy Meets World
Now that we think about it, Boy Meets World had as many of these cases, if not more, as Saved by the Bell. Perhaps it was some kind of trend in 1990s teen sitcoms? Anyway, let's talk about another character disappearance: Nebula Lawrence. Most people don't even remember her, because she vanished so hard.
She was in fact the sister of main character Topanga. She made an appearance on season one, but she was never mentioned again and Topanga even mentions she is an only child. Some time later, the same actress who played Nebula, Krystee Clark, appears playing a completely different character, Eric's girlfriend, Valerie.
#21. Seven - Married With Children
Married with Children was one of the most popular shows on television, which explains why it ran for eleven seasons. However, the road wasn't always smooth, as was the case of Seven, the Bundys' little cousin. Seven is sent by his parents to live with the Bundys for some time, and while he was cute, he didn't match the tone of the show.
He was too young, sweet, and innocent for a show that was far from all those things. Because of the negative feedback, the character was eliminated. Still, writers poked fun at the whole situation and even put his face on a milk carton with the word "missing" that could be seen throughout the show.
#20. Suzy Pepper - Glee
Glee was a show that experimented a lot. Sometimes they hit the jackpot, but other times, things didn't work out. There were a few examples of characters and plots being scrapped from the show out of nowhere, but the most notable one was Suzy Pepper, who appeared in one episode.
She was introduced as a student of the school who had an incredibly disturbing obsession with Mr. Schue, and then she becomes an enemy of Rachel, who also has a crush on the teacher. The whole thing is gone by the next episode, and it is never mentioned again. Also, Rachel's having a crush on her teacher was also forgotten, because it just didn't work.
#19. Santiago Herrera - Friday Night Lights
Friday Night Lights started with a bang, but its second season was slightly disappointing in comparison. This wasn't the show's fault entirely, as there was a Writers Guild of America strike going on at the time the show was being developed. This strike affected countless shows because, well... there were no writers working.
Because of the strike, the character of Santiago Herrera was eliminated from the show, and we never learned what happened with him. It was a shame, because his arc was totally interesting, as he was a troubled teen who found a second chance at life through football.
#18. Mandy Hampton - The West Wing
The West Wing took place at the White House and revolved around the presidential staff and the President himself. The show did great with audiences and critics alike right from the first season, but when season two came around, a main character was missing and was never, ever seen again.
Mandy Hampton, played by Moira Kelly, was the ex-girlfriend of Josh lyman, the Deputy Chief of Staff, and worked as a media consultant. She had a big impact at the beginning, but then she was gone. The reason for this was that Kelly did not enjoy working on the show and decided to leave.
#17. Michelle Slater - Community
Community's season one involved a love triangle between Britta, Michelle, and Jeff. First, Jeff dated Michelle, but as the relationship got more and more serious, they started having some issues. On top of that, Britta confessed her love for Jeff, leaving him confused.
After the two women declared their love for him, it was up to Jeff to decide who to date. In a surprising twist, he actually doesn't choose either, and instead runs away in panic. After that, Michelle is never seen again, and that is never clearly explained. Her name is mentioned twice during the course of the series, but nothing is said about her whereabouts.
#16. Kendra - Degrassi: The Next Generation
Degrassi and its spin-off, Degrassi: The Next Generation, both go deep into the complicated lives of a group of teenagers that get into all sorts of trouble. They were never afraid to touch even the most sensitive topics, and sexuality was always a theme on the show. However, not everyone was on board with that.
Kendra Mason was the sister of Spinner and Toby's girlfriend, but she suddenly disappeared from one episode to the next, and all the storylines featuring her were also scrapped, because her character was supposed to have a sex scene, but the actress' parents not only didn't want her to do it, they didn't want the storyline to happen, so she left the show.
#15. Monica Dawson - Heroes
Heroes started out with immense success, both critically and with audiences. This put a ton of pressure on showrunners to deliver the kind of show people were expecting, but the truth was that by season two, they were pretty much out of ideas. One of the few ideas they had was Monica Dawson, Micah's second cousin.
She was a very interesting character and had potential, but her character wasn't developed enough and the writers decided to get rid of her altogether. Although the actress filmed scenes for season 3, the scenes were never used, and her character just vanished. It was a shame, because fans really liked her.
#14. Shauna Dicanio - The Mindy Project
The Mindy Project seemed to have a good thing on its hands when it introduced the character of Shauna Dicanio, an outspoken, flirty, rambunctious woman that goes from working at Shulman and Associates to being Mindy's receptionist at her obstetric practice.
Then, Shauna disappeared. it is believed that the story was going in a bad direction. Basically, it was slowly turning into a love triangle between Shauna, Mindy, and Danny, and that wasn't the goal. But, did they really have to just get rid of the character?
#13. Lisa Wilkes - The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air
Lisa Wilkies had a pretty important part on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, yet showrunners decided to get rid of her in a very strange way. She first appeared in season five, where she and Will fall in love and quickly get engaged. The couple then tries to get married not once, but twice, but sadly it never works out.
The second time, both realize they are too young to get married and aren't ready, so they back out. However, their parents actually get married instead, so as not to let the wedding go to waste. This made Will and Lisa stepbrother and stepsister, and she never ever appeared again.
#12. Janice Rand - Star Trek
Grace Lee Whitney joined Star Trek as Janice Rand, Captain Kirk's love interest, on season one, and she seemed like a promising character. In fact, she was basically one of the main characters, which made it even more shocking that she was not there when season two came out.
Although it was never confirmed, Whitney claimed that the romantic storyline between her and Kirk didn't go well with Kirk's personality, and that showrunners preferred to keep him single and give him several love interests instead of one. Producers, on the other hand, claim that they had to let her go due to budget limitations.
#11. Dr. Grace Miller - Scrubs
When Dr. Grace Miller was introduced in Scrubs, fans instantly despised her. Sometimes, adding a mean character to slowly become nice works on a show, but this time, it didn't. Miller was arrogant, judgmental, mean, and just pretty much annoying, and nobody looked forward to seeing her on screen.
After season two ended and the reviews came in, showrunners quickly took note and decided to make her go away for good without any explanation as to why. he did make a small appearance as part of a nightmare on season nine, which makes total sense, because that is exactly what she was.
#10. Agenty Amy Jessup - Fringe
Before she became part of the British Royal Family, and even before she was part of the cast of Suits, Meghan Markle had a small part in Fringe as Junior FBI agent Amy Jessup. She gets involved with the Fringe Division when she starts investigating a strange crash in Manhattan.
Fans were looking forward to her solving the case and maybe even becoming part of the team. One minute she was investigating the crash and comparing files and finding similar stories in the Bible, which sounded like an interest storyline, and the next, she was gone, and her disappearance was never explained.
#9. Cody Lambert - Step By Step
Actor Sasha Mitchell started out as a recurring character on season one of Step by Step playing the part of Cody Lambert. He was an important part of the show for the following two seasons but then, out of nowhere, he was gone and never mentioned again.
This happened because Mitchell was arrested after his ex-wife, Jeannette Robbins, reported him to the police for domestic abuse in 1995. Naturally, the network would not look good if it kept Mitchell around, so Cody was quickly removed from the show. Even though he was cleared of all charges, he did not make a comeback.
#8. Judy Winslow - Family Matters
Family Matters had a great 9-year run, mostly because the writers took many bold decisions so that the show would still remain relevant. For example, Judy Winslow, the youngest of the family,never had a big part to begin with, and would only have a few lines here and there, but it was still weird to see her disappear from the show.
When Judy turned 13, she vanished into thin air, and never appeared on the show again. Interestingly enough, the family never mentioned her as if she had never existed. The writers could've at least come up with a reason for her leaving the show, but they chose to pretend she was never there.
#7. Tina Pinciotti - That '70s Show
One of the main characters on That '70s Show was Donna, and not much was seen from her family. Only once did audiences get to see a glimpse into her family life as her little sister, Tina Pinciotti, was introduced in the episode Eric's Burger Job.
Tina is three years younger than Donna, which is why they don't seem to have much in common. She crashes a party and starts flirting with Fez, and the plot really seemed to be going somewhere, but by the next episode, she was gone and suddenly Donna was an only child for the rest of the series. It is unclear why the writers changed their mind.
#6. Celia Hodes - Weeds
Celia Hodes was a big part of Weeds as a frenemy to the main character, Nancy, and over the years she showed more and more complexity. She goes from being a suburban mother who hates her daughter, to being kidnapped by said daughter, to making a living selling makeup, to finally selling marijuana just like Nancy.
Her arc was captivating but then, out of nowhere, she was gone. It was never explained why she left the show, and the rest of the characters didn't even mention her again until season eight, long before she was gone. Fans always wondered what happened to her, but they'll probably never know.
#5. Sara Spooner - King Of Queens
Fans of King of Queens were pretty excited when the character of Sara Spooner was introduced in season one. She was the sister of Carrie, who moved in with her and Doug while trying to make it as an actress. She was a good addition to the show, but somehow, she disappeared after five episodes and was never mentioned again, which disappointed fans.
People wanted to know why Sara was taken out of the show, so much so that star Kevin james was even asked about it in an interview, where he explained that the writers simply did not know what to do with her story and that her part was just too small, so they thought the show would be better off without her.
#4. Richie Iannucci - The King Of Queens
Another character that was on The King of Queens and then suddenly vanished was Richie Iannucci, played by Larry Romano. He was a good recurrent character that people enjoyed watching. However, on season 3, he made his last appearance, as Romano wanted to leave because he got an offer to work on a new NBC series, Kristin.
He actually wanted to stay a little longer, but writers didn't like that he wanted to leave and so they just removed his character from the show abruptly. Unfortunately for Romano, Kristin was canceled after only six episodes, and he did not get the chance to come back to The King of Queens.
#3. Spearchucker Jones - M*A*S*H
MASH was a hit show that aired between 1972 and 1983, and it featured a group of doctors that worked at an army hospital in South Korea during the Korean War. Oliver Harmon "Spearchucker" Jones, played by actor Timothy Brown was there from the very beginning, but then he made an abrupt exit without explanation.
Show creators did some research and found that there had been no black surgeons stationed in South Korea during the war, and in order to make the show historically accurate, they got rid of the character. The show wasn't that realistic to begin with, so it was unfair. Not only that, but the research was flawed, and it turns out that there were in fact black surgeons there!
#2. Edna Babish - Laverne & Shirley
Most spin-offs don't manage to reach hit-show status, but Laverne & Shirley, a Happy Days spin-off, actually became a bigger hit than anyone expected. The show wasn't scheduled to last very long, but as it grew more and more successful, it was extended to seven seasons and then more.
However, this interfered with Betty Garrett's plans. She played Edna Babish, the landlady of the title characters, for seven seasons until she disappeared out of thin air. Therefore, as the show reached its eighth season, Edna was suddenly gone. Fans felt that the writers could've at least given some explanation on the show as to why she was gone, but they took a different approach.
#1. Ben - Friends
Ben might not have been a main character on Friends, but he was an important part of Ross' storyline. From the beginning of the show, we basically saw Ben grow up before our eyes but then, suddenly, he was gone, along with Carol and Susan, and they were not mentioned again.
This happened right when Ross was expecting a baby with Rachel. The writers decided to only focus on one child and let Ben go. When Ross' dad calls Emma his first grandchild, it makes it seem as though Ben never even existed, which is a huge continuity error. Friends is still a great show, but this mistake cannot be forgotten.