‘Yellowstone’s Kevin Costner, ‘Law & Order’ & More of the Most Shocking TV Exits of 2024
One of the most shocking TV exits in recent memory came in 2024 when Kevin Costner confirmed that he was not returning for the second half of Yellowstone Season 5. A reported scheduling dispute between him and series creator Taylor Sheridan is said to be the cause of his exit. Sheridan is Yellowstone‘s only writer, and Costner cited delayed scripts as a scheduling issue on multiple occasions.
No matter the reason for his departure, John Dutton is the center of Yellowstone, and many people tuned in in the first place specifically because the two-time Oscar winner was doing TV. While Costner’s exit made the biggest splash, he’s far from the only surprising series exit from 2024.
Here, we’ve compiled a list of the major series exits that took place this year, many of them being longtime main characters of their respective shows. Some were written out with heartbreaking deaths, but the fact that they were written out at all makes their endings more shocking.
Look back on this year in TV in the major TV exits gallery below. Warning: There are major spoilers ahead for each of these respective shows. Don’t read on if you don’t want to know how each of these characters were written out of their respective shows.
Kevin Costner, Yellowstone
A reported behind-the-scenes long-term dispute between star and executive producer Kevin Costner and Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan resulted in the drama’s leading man exiting the series ahead of filming of Season 5’s second half. The way John Dutton was killed off to explain Costner’s absence was tragic, but the fact that Costner left the series at all is one of the more shocking TV exits in recent memory.
Reneé Rapp, The Sex Lives of College Girls
Reneé Rapp‘s solo music career really took off in the time between The Sex Lives of College Girls Seasons 2 and 3. That led to Rapp exiting the series, but thankfully not before completing Leighton’s arc. The first couple of episodes of the new season reveals why Leighton transferring schools is the best thing for her future.
Midori Francis & Jake Borelli, Grey's Anatomy
Grey’s Anatomy wrote out two doctors this year, Midori Francis‘s Mika Yasuda and Jake Borelli‘s Levi Schmitt. While Levi wasn’t written out in traumatic Grey’s fashion, Yasuda was.
In back-to-back episodes, Levi decided to leave Seattle to pursue a career in pediatrics in Texas, and his boyfriend James (Michael Thomas Grant) went with him. Elsewhere in the episode, the doctors fought to save Mika and her sister’s lives after a terrible car accident. Mika made it, but her sister didn’t. The next episode revealed Mika’s decision to leave her job following the tragic loss of her sister.
Borelli had been a Grey’s regular for eight seasons, while Francis was part of the cast for two and a half. It’s rumored that these exits were due to budget cuts, but those reports have not been confirmed.
Francis’s Grey‘s exit in November was quickly followed by her final episode of The Sex Lives of College Girls in December, which saw her character, Alicia, leave Essex for a political job in Boston. Her girlfriend, Rapp’s Leighton, moved to Boston as well for her MIT transfer.
Katherine Renee Kane, FBI
Kane exited FBI “to look towards new creative endeavors” after playing Agent Tiffany Wallace for four seasons. Her last episode was the Season 7 premiere in October. The character wasn’t killed off, but rather written out by having her move to Georgia to be with her sister.
Sam Waterston & Camryn Manheim, Law & Order
Sam Waterston was first to leave as D.A. Jack McCoy, replaced by Tony Goldwyn as Nicholas Baxter. Camryn Manheim‘s Lieutenant Kate Dixon was replaced by Maura Tierney as Jessica Brady.
Waterston left after decades of playing the character because he didn’t want to get too comfortable. McCoy was written out by having him sacrifice his position as D.A. in order to see a wealthy killer imprisoned. Manheim joined Law & Order when it was revived in 2021, but reportedly wasn’t asked to come back for Season 24. Her last episode was in the Season 23 finale, but Dixon wasn’t written out at all and instead, the Season 24 premiere revealed she moved to Miami after her son got a job there.
Eamonn Walker, Chicago Fire
Duty called for Eamonn Walker’s Wallace Boden on this year’s Chicago Fire. The character was written out by having him land the job of Deputy Commissioner of the CFD, taking him away from his station. Walker had starred in the series since its inception in 2012.
Robin Weigert, Tracker
Weigert played Teddi Bruin, one of the handlers for Justin Hartley‘s Colter Shaw, in Season 1 of the CBS series, but she didn’t return for Season 2. Her costar, Abby McEnany, did, however, leaving only one half of this onscreen couple remaining in the cast.
Eva de Dominici, The Cleaning Lady
Adan Canto‘s death forced the Fox drama to write Arman out of the series, but we didn’t expect Eva de Dominici‘s Nadia (Arman’s ex-wife) to depart soon after. She was killed in the aftermath of Arman’s death as Thony (Elodie Yung) was trying to help her run out of town and start a new life. With these two series regulars since Season 1 gone, The Cleaning Lady Season 4 is gearing up for a total narrative refresh.
Tracy Spiridakos, Chicago P.D.
Tracy Spiridakos decided to leave Chicago P.D. after playing Detective Haley Upton in Seasons 4-11. The character left the series without being killed off. As Spiridakos explained it, she was simply ready to move on to new acting opportunities. Upton had a similar departure. She was written out by seeking out a new job in a similar field of law enforcement intelligence. The series left the door open for Upton to potentially come back down the line.
Sierra McClain, 9-1-1: Lone Star
Sierra McClain did not return for Lone Star‘s fifth (and now final) season at all, making the Season 4 finale her final episode. Her character, Grace, was one half of the Fox first responders drama’s main couples. Her other half, Judd (Jim Parrack), did return for Season 5. Grace was written out by having her leave Texas to serve overseas with Mercy Ships, a faith-based organization providing medical aid globally. Judd hasn’t taken her departure well.
Dominic Rains, Chicago Med
Dominic Rains’ departure after five seasons was announced between Seasons 9 and 10. His character Dr. Crockett Marcel’s exit was explained in the Season 10 premiere, in which Rains did not appear. While a difficult case triggered past traumas for Marcel in the Season 9 finale, the Season 10 premiere revealed that he didn’t quit his job because of it like some predicted. Instead, he moved hospitals and had a going away party before he left, but it wasn’t shown onscreen.
Luke Kleintank, FBI: International
After playing Fly Team’s leader Scott Forrester since the series premiere in 2021, Kleintank left FBI: International to have more time with his family. Forrester was written out in the Season 3 finale by having him and his mother go on the run in Alaska with the help of his team back home.
Rudy Pankow, Outer Banks
Rudy Pankow’s JJ was shockingly killed off in Outer Banks Season 4, and fans speculated that the exit was due to a feud between Pankow and his onscreen girlfriend, Madison Bailey (who plays Kiara). But the showrunners said that JJ’s Season 4 death has been planned since the start.
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