8 Actors Who Left TV Shows—and Regret Leaving

These actors made some of our favorite shows what they are. If 90210 didn’t have Jason Priestley, the series wouldn’t have become what it was. Without Chevy Chase, the original Saturday Night Live cast wouldn’t be the same. 

At the same time, those performers, whether they didn’t love the role, or had just had enough, felt it was the right time to leave when they did. But soon after they decided to leave, often well before the final season or final episode, many of them regretted their decision. Here are 8 actors and actresses whose presence on their hit TV shows was short-lived—and the stories behind why they wish they’d been more of a series regular.

1. Jason Priestley

Show: Beverly Hills, 90210

What They Said: “I felt that the character of Brandon had kind of run his course. I had explored everything I wanted to explore with him,” Priestley explained. “In retrospect, I do regret leaving. Understanding what I do now about story and character, I believe that [Aaron Spelling] was pushing the story in a direction that would have had Brandon and Kelly end up together at the end of the show and I think I probably should have stuck around to its fruition.”

2. Chevy Chase

Show: Saturday Night Live

What They Said: “I left after the first year because I thought this isn’t going anywhere,” Chase explained. “But I missed it more for not being a part of the cast because I left after one year.”

3. Wil Wheaton

Show: Star Trek: The Next Generation

What They Said: “I left Star Trek: The Next Generation when I was 18 years old, and initially I thought it was a really smart business career move,” Wheaton explained.  “In some ways it was, and in more ways it wasn’t… I just felt really ashamed of myself. I felt like I just couldn’t go to the set, and I felt like I couldn’t look them in the eye. I felt like I didn't have the right to invite them to my wedding. Years after that, I sort of saw them at a few conventions and I just, you know, I just tried to sort of say, 'I apologize for being a kid.”

4. Christopher Eccleston

Show: Doctor Who 

What They Said: “There's always regret [to not continue] when you play a role like that… It was kinda tragic for me that I didn't play him for longer. He's a beautiful character. I have a great deal of professional pride and, had I done a second season, there would've been a marked improvement in my performance.”

5. McLean Stevenson

Show: MASH

What They Said: “When I left the show, the mistake was not in leaving. The mistake was that I thought everybody in America loved McLean Stevenson. That was not the case. Everybody loved Henry Blake. So, if you go and do The McLean Stevenson Show, nobody cares about McLean Stevenson.”

6. Michael Learned

Show: The Waltons

What They Said: “Yes, there’s been times when I’ve regretted it only in that it probably would have been better to complete the whole show… The fact is, I was bored. And I thought I had enough money, which wasn’t true.”

7. Katherine Heigl

Show: Grey’s Anatomy

What They Said: While she doesn’t regret leaving the show, she does regret how she left the show. “I don't actually regret leaving 'Grey's Anatomy' -- I did the right thing for me and for my family… There will be difficulties and disappointment and miscommunications, but you must learn how to manage those with grace instead of fear.”

8. David Caruso

Show: NYPD Blue

What They Said: “In all honesty, I just didn't have the tools. I didn't know how to handle the responsibility,” Caruso explained. “I handled it like an amateur. I didn't realize how upset people were until the show was over. I didn't get it. And I think it has a lot to do with fear. I mean, I was terrified I couldn't meet the challenge of the job. The quality level was very high for the show, and I was in a full-blown panic. I didn't want to lose it after all those years of being told I wasn't the right guy for the part.”

Keep reading for more entertainment!

Eggo Waffles and Two Rivers Coffee Is Launching a Breakfast Coffee Blend

Bridgerton's New Leading Lady and Benedict's Love Revealed: Meet Yerin Ha

‘Friends' Marta Kauffman Shares How She Wants Matthew Perry Remembered