Look, we know how it is. Sometimes TV jobs don't work out, sometimes actors get better offers, sometimes contract negotiations go wrong, and sometimes creators feel they've taken key characters as far as they can go.
But, whatever the reason for beloved actors / characters leaving TV shows early, there really is no excuse for them not coming back to appear in the finale.
Well, okay, maybe there are some excuses...
1. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje – Lost
Mr Eko was one of the most intriguing Lost characters – introduced in season 2, then dispatched at the beginning of season 3, he made a major impact on fans, even if his time on the show was short.
Because of that impact, and the fact his death felt like a little bit of a loose end, fans were expecting the character to turn up for the finale, but Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje's Eko was a no-show.
According to Lost network ABC, the actor demanded too much money to appear. But there may be more to the story – Akinnuoye-Agbaje had previously stated he was unhappy with his character's shift from gentle Nigerian priest to drug runner (who was only pretending to be a priest), a change that occurred after he agreed to the role.
One thing's for sure, the character had a four-season arc, but was killed off after one (and a bit).
2. Lisa Edelstein – House
When Lisa Edelstein left House at the end of season 7, it came as a shock to star Hugh Laurie.
"I don't know who was privy to what at what time, but it was a great shock to me, and everyone obviously misses her very greatly," he said. "Not only was she a great asset to the show as a performer, but we also just miss her company, because she is an absolute hoot to have around."
Money issues were rumoured, with the network apparently not offering Edelstein enough to come back for House's final season.
Still, when you've playing a key character in a much-loved show, a character who left with unresolved plotlines, who's clearly adored by her fellow actors (Laurie doesn't say that about just anyone, you know), you'd expect that actor to return for the finale, if only to say goodbye.
But Edelstein's Lisa Cuddy was nowhere to be seen, claiming the decision was made out of loyalty to her character's reality.
"I don't think that show was about happy endings," she said. "And the truth is, if someone drives a car through your living room [like House did], you should do what I did and get the f**k out of town.
"I mean, come on. It kind of all worked out. Let's tell it like it is. He drove a f**king car through her living room. With the baby and family inside.
"That's crazy. You file a police report and you leave – and you don't come back for the f**king finale."
3. Charlie Sheen – Two & A Half Men
Charlie Sheen played "Charlie" on the show, until his character was killed off in the ninth season after Sheen (very publicly) fell out with show creator Chuck Lorre.
He was replaced by Ashton Kutcher and the show continued to be popular, running for a further three seasons. So, there was actually no need to bring Sheen back for the finale, but this being a comedy show, they decided to do it anyway, for one of the strangest on-screen disses in TV history.
Charlie (shown only from the back thanks to his being played by a body double) approaches his old haunt, the beach house, and rings the bell. But, before anyone answers the door, a helicopter drops a piano from the sky, which crushes him TO DEATH. The camera pulls back to reveal the set and Chuck Lorre, sitting in the director's chair, who says "Winning", before a second piano falls on him.
Don't believe us? Watch the scene above, and try not to cringe too hard.
4. Donald Glover – Community
Last seen sailing into the sunset to travel around the world (as a result of a convoluted clause in Pierce Hawthorne's will), Troy Barnes could easily have returned for the Community finale. But, potentially because he felt his character had a perfect ending, Glover didn't come back for a fan-rewarding cameo. As the video above makes clear, he'd moved on long before the show finished.
Still, the door's still open (sort of). According to Dan Harmon: "I'm just going to go home, kill a chicken, drink its blood, make a Blair Witch thing out of its bones, pray to every deity that I have to that if we do get a sixth season, that Donald will have tired of his Donald-ness."
4 & 5. Elizabeth Shue / George Eads – CSI
[asset removed due to syndication rights]Two hugely popular characters, Julie Finlay and Nick Stokes, were missing from the CSI finale, (aka TV movie Immortality).
Eads' Stokes was last seen in season 15 heading off for pastures new, to become head of the San Diego PD Crime Lab. So at least his character had some closure. Despite this, CSI producers still planned a return for the character, which Eads turned down, forcing them to conduct a last-minute rewrite.
Still, we're saving our pity for poor Julie Finlay, who, after Elizabeth Shue turned down a finale comeback for the character, never woke from her coma – dying from injuries inflicted upon her by a serial killer in season 15.
Freelancer writer
Sam is an entertainment writer with NCTJ accreditation and a twenty-year career as a film journalist.
Starting out as a staff writer at Total Film, moving up to Deputy Online Editor, Sam was responsible for Total Film’s YouTube channel, where he revolutionised the magazine’s approach to video junkets, creating influential formats that spread to other outlets.
He’s interviewed a wide range of film icons, including directors such as David Lynch, Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, Sofia Coppola, Ridley Scott, Michael Bay and Sam Raimi, as well as actors such as Meryl Streep, Nic Cage, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Anne Hathaway, Margot Robbie, Natalie Portman, Kermit the Frog, all of the Avengers and many more.
Sam has also interviewed several comic creators, including Stan Lee, Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, and he has a zombie cameo in The Walking Dead comic.
In 2014, Sam went freelance, working directly for film studios including Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox and Disney, as well as covering red carpet events for film marketing company PMA Productions.
Sam is the co-host, producer and editor of the Arrow Video podcast, which has seen year-on-year growth since its creation in 2017, gaining over half a million listens in that time.
His byline has appeared in outlets such as Yahoo, MTV, Dazed, Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and Good Housekeeping among others.
In 2012, Sam made it to the final of the Leicester Square Theatre New Comedian of the Year competition, and went on to become a filmmaker himself, directing three features that have all played major festivals, and secured distribution – starring in two of them.
Jim Carrey once mistook Sam for Johnny Cash, and John Carpenter told him to ‘Keep up the good work.’ He promises to try his best.
