20 characters that disappeared with no explanation

Brooklyn Nine-Nine, like so many other Michael Schur shows, features a remarkable ensemble cast. One character, however, was left behind in the pilot, and that would be Detective Daniels. She only appears in one episode, and the viewer learns that she is a friend of Hitchcock and Scully. While those two would go on to become beloved characters in their own right, it’s hard not to wonder how their dynamic would have been enriched by her presence. Like so many other characters, however, her absence is never really explained.

Kids who grew up in the 1990s were treated to the fun block of programming known as TGIF, of which Boy Meets World was a key component. The series had many lovable characters, including Mr. Turner, who appeared up to season four. He was seen as a mentor and father figure for Shawn. It was thus particularly frustrating that he was given such an unceremonious departure. Fortunately for those who tuned in to the sequel series Girl Meets World, he did eventually return, thus bringing this mystery to a close.

If there were one show that was synonymous with raunch in the 1990s, it would have to be Married…With Children. Though its central cast remained remarkably stable throughout its run, it briefly introduced a child character, Seven, who always seemed like a strange fit with the rest of the Bundy family. This appears to have been a sentiment shared by many of the show’s fans, whose responses were so negative that the character ultimately was written out after half a season as if he never existed. 

Jane Lynch is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the series Glee, and she remained an appeal even when the show around her began to fall apart. Fans of the show will remember the season arc in which she got pregnant and had a child. However, said child was basically never referred to again after birth, nor was she really even referred to. While Sue was known for being secretive and not particularly forthcoming with her personal life, it still would have been fascinating to see how such a prickly person dealt with the trials of motherhood. 

Memorably portrayed by Jonathan Banks (of Breaking Bad fame), Buzz Hickey was a professor of criminology in the series Community. He was a great character in his own right, and he also happened to have strong chemistry with the other cast members. However, he completely disappears after the fifth season, and aside from a brief e-mail about his memorial, there’s really no on-screen explanation given as to why he doesn’t appear. Given that he was such a great character, fans were left wanting more, or at the very least, a more satisfying explanation for his departure. 

Mama’s Family may not have achieved the kind of grand success of some other sitcoms of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, but it was still a beloved part of the television landscape. It also went through two iterations. Between the first and the second, the main character Vinton’s two children, Buzz and Sonja, mysteriously disappeared. Their cousin Buzz took their place, but there was no diegetic explanation for what happened to them, leaving their fate to the viewer to decide.

Even though Roseanne was one of the most beloved series of the 1990s, it certainly played fast and loose with its internal continuity, most notably in the last season. When the series returned (and was later rebooted as The Conners), one of the characters who disappeared was Jackie’s son Andy, who was born during the main series’ run. Even though this is supposedly explained by the conceit that parts of the previous show resulted from Roseanne’s writing a book, this isn’t an entirely satisfying explanation.

Given the sprawling cast of HBO’s House of the Dragon, it makes sense that some characters wouldn’t last throughout the series. Even so, it’s strange to see the disappearance of Harrold Westerling, who appeared in the first season played by Graham McTavish, only to unceremoniously disappear, never to be mentioned again. Even though he wasn’t a major character in his own right, he was still a formidable presence, not least because he refused to slay Rhaenyra and instead resigned from the Kingsguard. Given that his death is not mentioned, one can hope he might make a further appearance. 

Game of Thrones created a sprawling world filled with numerous characters. Notably, some began by seeming important but gradually became less so as the series focused on other storylines. Take, for example, Daario Naharis, who seemed like he was going to be a love interest for Daenerys only to end up disappearing. He also has the distinction of being one of the characters played by two different actors, despite clearly being a bit of a red herring for viewers. 

Meera Reed, along with her brother Jojen, played a key part in helping Bran survive north of the Wall. Even though she gets a brief sendoff once they return to Winterfell, there’s no further mention of her. This is more than a little strange, given that she was so pivotal in helping Bran to survive and that her brother gave his life. One would hope that she might have at least shown up to see Bran crowned, but alas, hers is one of the storylines the show decided to drop with very little grace.

Given just how many characters appeared in the ABC series Once Upon a Time, it was probably inevitable that some would get left behind during the show’s several seasons. One of the most notable was Ruby Lucas, the series’ equivalent of Red Riding Hood. Though she plays a pretty major role in the first two seasons, she’s only rarely mentioned thereafter. This was rather unfortunate since she was one of the more fascinating characters.

Schitt’s Creek became a must-see viewing during the pandemic, largely because it was the kind of feel-good series that distracted viewers from the dark realities of the pandemic. One of the key characters in the early seasons of the show is Mutt Schitt, who at first seems to be the main love interest for Alexis Rose. However, he gradually disappears from the show, with little to no explanation from the series itself as to why that would be the case. However, given Mutt’s notoriously wandering nature, his absence does at least make a sort of sense.

Few disappearing characters have been as commented upon as Judy Winslow of Family Matters. Even though she began as a key family member, this gradually became less and less true as Steve Urkel became the show's focus. What’s particularly perplexing is the extent to which the character is basically just shunted out of the show and never mentioned again. One can’t help but think that she at least deserved to be recast or that she would at least be mentioned by name, but instead, it’s as if she never existed (hence the joke that she went upstairs and just never came back down).

The late Gregory Hines made quite an impression as Ben Doucette, Will’s egotistical boss in the second and third seasons of Will & Grace.  While he was a lot of fun as a character, Hines sadly passed away before the fourth season started airing. After that, he wasn’t really mentioned, though there was the hint that he might have retired. Though the series brought in a couple of actors to fill in as Will’s boss (including Gene Wilder and Lily Tomlin), neither could really fill Hines’ shoes.

That ‘70s Show was, all things considered, pretty adept at keeping its internal consistency with a reasonably reliable set of characters. One exception to this was Laurie, Eric’s sister, who was an on-again/off-again character. In addition to disappearing after the sixth season, she was also portrayed by two different actors. Aside from one question from Kitty about whether anyone had heard from her after she supposedly moved to Canada, not much else is said about this quasi-important character. 

Anyone who has ever seen the hit sitcom The Golden Girls knows that the series plays fast and loose with its continuity. Arguably, the best example is the gay cook, Coco, who notably appeared in the pilot and was never seen or mentioned after that. Though he had some quippy lines and was a fun presence in the first episode of the series, it was clear that he would always be the odd man out. Moreover, the decision to make Sophia a major player rather than a brief walk-on changed the show’s chemistry for the better, and sitcom history was born.

Friends was and remains one of the most beloved sitcoms in history, but it has its fair share of characters who end up not playing as much of a role as one might expect. For example, Ross’s son Ben shows up quite a lot in the early seasons, only to slowly disappear. While his disappearance is strange enough, the fact that he is never mentioned again causes its own fair share of story problems, particularly since it suggests that Ross isn’t as good of a father as he seemed to be at the beginning of the show.

Though taking place in the 1970s, That ‘70s Show was very much a product of the late ‘90s and early ‘00s. In addition to its core cast, it includes a dizzying array of other side characters, not all of whom left a lasting impression. Poor Tina Pinciotti originally appears as Donna’s sister before vanishing entirely. Even though there’s a funny joke about her disappearance and what might have happened to her, that’s the only acknowledgment that fans get that she ever existed, particularly since Donna is later said to be an only child.

Happy Days is peak 1970s nostalgia. For most of the series, Ron Howard’s Richie Cunningham is the center of the story. In the first couple of seasons, he is shown to have an older brother, Chuck. However, by the third season, he has completely vanished. This is clearly one of those cases where the writers simply didn’t know what to do with a character who disrupted the central dynamic and decided it made more sense to just have him vanish.

Fans of Murder, She Wrote have long recognized that one of the most enjoyable aspects of the series is the relationship between Jessica and crotchety doctor Seth. However, in the first season, Jessica’s dear friend was instead shown to be local Ethan, played by Claude Akins. Poor Ethan ended up being shunted out of the picture shortly after that, however, and there’s never really any explanation as to what happened to him or why he makes no further appearances in the small town of Cabot Cove.