Year In Review: The 15 Biggest Cast Departures, Ranked

This past year was full of TV twists, and some of the most shocking ones came courtesy of breaking news alerts about stars such as Anna Faris and America Ferrera leaving their hit shows.

From Justin Chambers' abrupt Grey's Anatomy exit to a pair of parquet-O'd Dancing With the Stars hosts, TVLine has gathered 15 of the biggest cast departures that were announced (or revealed on-screen, in the case of one Good Doctor) during the past 12 months.

Some of our picks' final episodes have yet to air, while others' sudden absences will be addressed in the coming year, but they all made headlines in 2020 when they bid adieu to their TV gigs. (Before you ask: Danai Gurira's Walking Dead farewell aired this year, but her departure from the drama was confirmed back in the summer of 2019, making her ineligible for this list.)

Elsewhere, the #OneChicago franchise said goodbye to some of its frontline heroes, while a daytime soap icon put her many Days behind her. But even in a year of many unexpected departure announcements, there was only one choice for the No. 1 spot.

Review our list of 2020's biggest cast exits below, ranked from least to most shocking, then hit the comments to tell us which ones caught you most by surprise.

The newbie's stint on the NBC police drama ended after just one season, with the actress booking a series-regular role on The CW's Legends of Tomorrow. While we barely had a chance to get attached to Chavez's character, the way in which her absence was addressed when P.D. returned for Season 8 was surprising: She wasn't even mentioned!

Ahead of the third and final season, Arkin departed the Netflix dramedy on which he starred opposite Michael Douglas. But the actor's decision to exit was made "some time ago," according to a rep for the show, with Deadline reporting that Arkin chose to leave the production before the coronavirus pandemic hit the television industry.

Though TV's most watched drama made an effort to flesh out forensic psychologist "Jack" Sloane's story in recent seasons — and has even hinted at some half of a spark with Gibbs — Bello's departure (which will air sometime in February) doesn't come as the biggest surprise. An actress of her caliber deserves a stronger showcase, and Jack's profiler role is one the show made do without for a decade prior.

The writing was on the wall, with Ilonzeh's paramedic Emily Foster expressing an interest in re-enrolling in medical school. But when the coronavirus pandemic forced the show to wrap up its season early, Foster's story came to an abrupt end, only after which it was announced that Ilonzeh would not be returning for the upcoming season.

Considering how neatly her character's storyline concluded in the Fox drama's first season, Tyler's announcement that she isn't returning as Michelle for Season 2 didn't pack as much of an emotional punch as it might have otherwise. (Tyler's decision reportedly came down to her not wanting to travel from London to Los Angeles during a pandemic.) And with the always enjoyable Gina Torres coming in to fill Tyler's void as the new paramedic captain, we don't foresee this exit having much of an effect on the show.

After a four-season run on the CW drama, playing two different characters, Richardson-Sellers felt like a mainstay, even despite the show's rotating cast. Then the Season 5 finale saw her alter ego Charlie bidding the Legends goodbye to stay in 1970s London, while the actress sought to pursue other career opportunities. "We knew that [Maisie] was wanting to make her mark as a filmmaker on her own, and so that allowed us to craft a story that would, hopefully, make for a satisfying conclusion," executive producer Phil Klemmer told TVLine.

This year was last call for four of the Bravo reality hit's biggest stars. First, Schroeder and Doute were fired in June after a racist prank they pulled on a Black co-star came to light. Then Taylor and wife Cartwright left the show in December, leaving the "sexy unique" West Hollywood bar SUR woefully understaffed with nearly half the series regulars out the door. Who's gonna make all those Pump-tinis now?

We should have taken David Boreanaz more to heart when he teased that "people will be very surprised" by what follows Jason and Mandy's hook-up in the ersatz Season 3 finale. Because what we got wasn't so much "morning after" awkwardness but Mandy's decision to give up her gig, nudged along by the tragic loss of two human assets. Though the end of Paré's run as a series regular had been quietly leaked weeks prior, we weren't expecting so abrupt and (semi-)complete an exit.

Fans of the ABC medical drama were outraged when Gonzalez was written off the show at the end of Season 3, when the beloved Dr. Melendez suffered an irreparable internal injury in a building collapse. Following his last episode as a series regular in March, Gonzalez told TVLine that his exit was never "going to be a good enough goodbye because, you know, I think it's a little early [in the show's run]."

Talk about a mic-drop moment: Over the summer, the veteran actress, who'd played beloved heroine Hope for nearly 40 years, announced that she wouldn't be returning to Salem when the soap resumed production. Later, she revealed that she'd taken a powder rather than be benched for a few months before starting a new storyline. Finally, we found out that because of the timing of Alfonso's decision, Hope's last scene would be played opposite — no, really? — a framed photo of her "late" daughter.

Though his co-host changed a few times over the years, Bergeron had emceed DWTS since its very first episode in 2005; Andrews joined as his right-hand woman during Season 18 in 2014. But two months before the show returned for Season 29, ABC suddenly dismissed both hosts, explaining their unexpected exits as a "new creative direction" for the series. America's Next Top Model veteran Tyra Banks was then brought in to replace both hosts, and she presided over Season 29 completely solo. In their respective statements, Bergeron called his DWTS gig "the most unexpected gift of my career," while Andrews said she would "always cherish my days on that set."

NBC's No. 1 comedy had already been renewed for a sixth season by the time Ferrera announced in late February that she'd be leaving behind her role as Amy Sosa at the end of Season 5. Her departure was pushed to Season 6 due to COVID, and ultimately coincided with the series' 100th episode in November. (Four weeks later, the network announced that Superstore would end just 13 episodes after Ferrera's farewell, in spring 2021.)

Faris eclipsed Ferrera for most shocking sitcom exit of 2020 when she confirmed in September that she would not be back for Season 8. (At the time, Faris issued a statement that referred to her seven years on Mom as "some of the most fulfilling and rewarding of my career.") Her abrupt departure did not stand in the way of Christy Plunkett's happily ever after: Bonnie's daughter was shipped off to law school in the show's Nov. 5 return.

The OG cast member said goodbye to the ABC drama after 16 seasons as Dr. Alex Karev — and no one even knew it at the time! Chambers' last episode aired without any fanfare or story closure prior to the announcement of his abrupt departure. The actor later returned, but only in a voiceover capacity, for his send-off installment, which revealed that Alex had left his wife Jo and reunited with ex Izzie, who had his children. Seriously!

Viewers of the CW series were stunned when it was announced in May that Rose had made "the very difficult decision" to depart the superhero drama on which she played the title character after just one season. But there was more to the shocking exit than expressed in Rose's initial statement, with a source telling TVLine that it wasn't entirely the actress' choice to leave the leading role. Less than two months later, Javicia Leslie (God Friended Me) was tapped to play a new Batwoman aka Ryan Wilder, while Rose's Kate Kane will go missing in Season 2.