The Biggest TV Cast Exits of the Year (So Far)

Yahoo

18-07-2025

Goodbyes are never easy — and for reasons that science can't quite tell us, the goodbyes said to fictional TV characters are some of life's toughest.
This year of television is little more than halfway over, but there have been plenty of those difficult farewells already, thanks to the cast exits outlined in our list below.
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Thus far, we're not sure any departure hits harder than 9-1-1 star Peter Krause — whose beloved Capt. Bobby Nash was killed off in the show's April 17 episode — but the year's announced scripted-TV exits also come from Fire Country, The Pitt, #OneChicago and other shows. (The industry's unscripted side has had some surprises, too, which we've also included in our list.)
We'll keep updating this list as more small-screen departures are announced and make headlines in 2025. In the meantime, keep scrolling to see who's leaving what (so far) this year, and drop a comment with the stars you're saddest to see go!
Billy Flynn, Days of Our Lives
After a decade in the role of Days of Our Lives' Chad DiMera, Flynn has left the Peacock soap opera for a role on fellow sudser The Young and the Restless. Because Days films months in advance, though, Flynn will still appear as Chad well into 2026.
'I am grateful for my years at Days; it changed my life in the best ways,' Flynn told TV Insider, which broke the news in March. 'I've always said these stories we tell are like doing a play, and I've spent the last 10-plus years playing this amazing character and telling one of the all-time great love stories. And now I'm excited for this opportunity and to test myself in a new way.'
Y&R alum Conner Floyd has since been tapped to take over the Chad DiMera role on Days.
Garcelle Beauvais, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
After a five-season run on RHOBH, Beauvais shared in March that she's exiting the Bravo staple, citing her desire to spend more time with family and embark on other projects.
'I have made the decision to leave RHOBH. My primary reason for stepping away is to focus on my sons and my upcoming producing and acting projects,' Beauvais said in a statement provided to TVLine. 'Thank you to everyone at NBCU, Andy Cohen, the producers, and especially the fans. I have deeply appreciated all of your support, this isn't goodbye — it's a see you later.'
Dania Ramirez, Alert: Missing Persons Unit
Ramirez, a face of the Fox cop drama in its first two seasons, was surprisingly written out at the start of Season 3 in April, when her Nikki Batista was murdered via a gunshot to the head in Episode 2.
Speaking to TVLine after that fateful hour, showrunner Carla Kettner confirmed that 'Nikki is truly gone, and the emotional and professional fallout from her death echoes all the way through Season 3.' She added that the choice to kill off the series' female lead was a 'big swing, creatively,' but 'the best procedurals shake things up and find ways to deepen our understanding of the characters… It's sad to say goodbye, but I think those kind of bold changes make you sit up and pay attention.'
Alert: Missing Persons Unit was ultimately cancelled in June after three seasons.
Daniel Kyri and Jake Lockett, Chicago Fire
As first reported by Deadline in April, Kyri (aka Darren Ritter) and Lockett (aka Sam Carver) departed Chicago Fire at the end of Season 13 and won't return for the show's since-announced 14th season. According to the trade, the exits are 'part of an effort to trim the budget' of the long-running series and come 'amid rumblings about cuts across Wolf Entertainment's NBC series.'
Camille Razat, Emily in Paris
Razat, who played Emily's friend and Gabriel's ex-girlfriend Cami on the Netflix comedy, will not return to the show after four seasons as a series regular.
'After an incredible journey, I've made the decision to step away from Emily in Paris. It has been a truly wonderful experience — one filled with growth, creativity, and unforgettable memories,' Razat said in a statement provided to TVLine. 'This character has meant a lot to me, and I feel that her storyline has naturally come to an end. It felt like the right moment to explore new horizons.'
Peter Krause, 9-1-1
9-1-1 fans were left heartbroken during the ABC drama's April 17 episode — the conclusion of its two-part 'Contagion' event — which ended with the death of Krause's Captain Bobby Nash. Showrunner Tim Minear told TVLine that the choice to kill off Bobby 'was entirely a creative decision on my part,' and not the result of Krause asking to leave the show.
'Look, am I crawling out on a skinny branch? Maybe,' Minear said. 'On the other hand, if the stakes are never real, if there's really no chance that any of this peril in which these characters find themselves amounts to anything, I think the show could die.'
Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us
Those familiar with the Last of Us video games may have seen it coming, but many fans of the HBO series adaptation did not: Pascal's Joel Miller was killed off in Episode 2 of the post-apocalyptic drama's second season, effectively ending Pascal's time on the show (though he returned for a flashback-heavy episode later in the season). It remains to be seen if Pascal will pop up in The Last of Us' third season at all.
Billy Burke and Stephanie Arcila, Fire Country
Just as Fire Country left us with quite the season-ending cliffhanger in April — Bode watched a burning building collapse with his parents and grandfather all still inside — it was reported that original cast member Billy Burke would not be back for Season 4, as Vince.
The CBS drama's executive producers won't confirm Burke's exit, lest they spoil the outcome of said cliffhanger, but showrunner Tia Napolitano explained to Deadline that 'leaning into the authenticity of the real-life heroes that our characters are playing, people die, they leave. That's a reality, there's danger in this sort of job, so we wanted to honor that and really up the stakes.'
Stephanie Arcila, another original cast member, also won't return for Season 4 as a series regular, though co-creator Joan Rater said 'our plan is to bring Gabriela back at some point in a really satisfying, beautiful way for the audience who I know cares as deeply about that [Bode/Gabriela] relationship as we do.'
Carra Patterson, Elsbeth
With NYPD Officer Kaya Blanke joining a law enforcement task force based out of Washington, D.C. (as revealed in the May 1 episode), original cast member Carra Patterson is stepping down as a series regular for Season 3.
Patterson reportedly will continue to appear on a guest-starring basis, however. '[Kaya is] not leaving the world of the show. She's just not going to be with us every day,' showrunner Jonathan Tolins has said. Patterson herself similarly said in a statement to Deadline that 'fans will find out what [Kaya has] been up to in her new role as 'Detective' next season when I come back to guest-star and play with Carrie [Preston] and Wendell [Pierce].'
Octavio Pisano and Juliana Aidén Martinez, Law & Order: SVU
Pisano (who has played Det. Joe Velasco since Season 23) and Martinez (who joined as Det. Kate Silva for Season 26) will not return as series regulars for Season 27 of the NBC procedural. As first reported by Deadline, it's unclear whether the actors' exits are the results of creative or financial decisions.
Lester Holt, NBC Nightly News
Holt, who had served as anchor of NBC Nightly News since 2015, announced in February his decision to leave that role. He signed off with the May 30 broadcast and was later replaced by NBC News veteran Tom Llamas as of June 2. Holt plans to focus more on NBC's Dateline, which he has anchored since 2011.
'After 10 years, 17 if you include my years on the weekends, the time has come for me to step away from my role as anchor of Nightly News,' Holt said in a statement to staffers when announcing his departure. 'It has truly been the honor of a lifetime to work with each of you every day, keeping journalism as our true north and our viewers at the center of everything we do… I am thrilled to be able to work more closely with my enormously talented friends at Dateline as the broadcast continues to grow and attract new viewers in new places.'
Ncuti Gatwa, Doctor Who
Gatwa's Time Lord aka Fifteen fought off regeneration in the Season 15 finale, but eventually succumbed to the ritual — transforming into someone who looks a lot like Billie Piper's Rose, and signifying Gatwa's swan song after two Disney+ seasons.
'This journey has been one that I will never forget,' Gatwa said in a statement released with the finale, 'and a role that will be part of me forever.'
Said showrunner Russell T Davies, 'What a Doctor! Thank you, Ncuti! As his final words say, this has been an absolute joy, and … everyone who has worked on this show for the past few years are so lucky to have been part of Ncuti's great adventure as he shoots off to stratospheric new heights.'
Toya Turner, Chicago P.D.
Not long after Turner fondly reflected on Instagram about her successful, year-ago Chicago P.D. audition, news broke that she would not be returning for Season 13 of the NBC procedural.
'My time on Chicago P.D. has come to a close,' Kiana Cook's portrayer confirmed on June 26. 'This show challenged me, sharpened me, and revealed what I'm made of. I've evolved through this experience, both as an artist and in my craft, and I'm walking away with depth, clarity, and momentum for whatever comes next.'
A specific reason for Turner's departure is not known. Deadline reported that casting is underway for a new female series regular to play a 'loose cannon' ATF Task Force officer with a military background.
Eva Pilgrim and DeMarco Morgan, GMA3
As first announced in July, GMA3 co-anchor Eva Pilgrim will be leaving the ABC news program to succeed Deborah Norville as anchor of Inside Edition. Pilgrim will take over this fall, as the syndicated newsmagazine enters its 38th season.
Additionally, our sister site Variety reports that Pilgrim's GMA3 co-host DeMarco Morgan has also left the show and ABC News. TVLine has reached out to ABC News for comment on Pilgrim and Morgan's final GMA3 airdate.
Tracy Ifeachor, The Pitt
TVLine exclusively reported on July 10 that Ifeachor, who starred as Dr. Heather Collins in Season 1 of the acclaimed HBO Max medical drama, is not returning for Season 2. The confirmation came one day after Ifeachor took to Instagram to say what a 'blessing' it was to be a part of the series' freshman run — while making no mention of her possible return.
Dr. Collins was last seen in Episode 11 (of 15), during a tender exchange that revealed the depth of her relationship with Noah Wyle's Dr. Robby. She confided in her ex about her recent IVF journey that ended in a miscarriage earlier that day, then revealed that she got pregnant while they were dating but chose to have an abortion. After assuring Collins that he was not upset, Robby gave her the OK to clock out an hour ahead of schedule.
Michael Bradway, Chicago Fire
Michael Bradway, who appeared in 17 episodes of Chicago Fire between Seasons 12 and 13, will not return as Severide's half-brother Jack Damon in Season 14 of the NBC procedural.
Bradway was recently cast in Prime Video's series adaptation of Carley Fortune's 2022 novel Every Summer After, and production is already underway; Chicago Fire producers are said to be open to having Bradway reprise his role, should his schedule allow it.
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