44 TV Actors Who Played Pretty Big Roles On These Shows, But Their Characters Just Suddenly Disappeared In The Blink Of An Eye

We asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which characters from TV shows randomly disappeared. Here are some of the characters who people did not forget existed:

1.Judy Winslow, the youngest daughter from Family Matters (played by Jaimee Foxworth):

Judy as the flower girl at a wedding

"The Winslow's youngest daughter? She was in the first couple of seasons and then went upstairs one epsiode, never to be seen again."

winterwednesday9

Cartoon Network

2.Henry Finnerty, the youngest child from Grounded for Life (played by Jake Burbage):

Henry with black stripes painted on his cheek

"WTF happened to him???"

arocknrolldream

Fox / The WB

3.Derek Haig, Danny's friend from Degrassi: The Next Generation (played by Marc Donato):

Derek talking to Danny

"He had such great potential and he never got a redemption arc."

ilitterallylovethis

CTV

4.Blue Chessex, Holly J's ex-boyfriend from Degrassi: The Next Generation (played by Matthew Bennett):

Blue talking to Holly J

5.Josh Wolowitz, Howard's half brother from The Big Bang Theory (played by Matthew Bennett):

Josh sitting on a couch

"Howard had a surprise half brother for exactly one episode who was never to be seen again. It was kind of a weird storyline to introduce to never revisit, especially considering how Howard might have used this connection to his father to get a little closure."

lamusica83

CBS

6.Richie Lanucchi, Doug's best friend from The King of Queens (played by Lawrence John Romano):

Richie talking to Dough in a diner

"He was one of Doug's best friends and than disappeard and was never mentioned again."

yvonne89

CBS

7.Phoebe Abbott, Phoebe's birth mom from Friends (played by Teri Garr):

Phoebe talking and sitting on a couch

"She was first introduced in Season 3, and then vanished halfway through Season 4 never to be seen again."

obbb92

NBC

8.Jenny Kelly, Sabrina's best friend from Sabrina the Teenage Witch (played by Michelle Beaudoin):

Jenny from "Sabrina the Teenage Witch"

"I have questions."

Ginger Nuggets

ABC / The WB

9.Gwen Grandy, Mindy's best friend from The Mindy Project (played by Anna Camp):

Gwen standing next to Mindy

"Mindy's best friend, Gwen, played by Anna Camp, disappeared. After the first season, they really stop pretending that Mindy had anything going on for her outside of the office and the people involved with it. There were several characters in the first season who just suddenly disappeared. I think there was a whole entourage of people in the office who were supporting characters who went away without any mention."

joep45cede9de

Fox / Hulu

10.Max, Zack and Cody's friend from The Suite Life of Zack and Cody (played by Alyson Stoner):

Max talking to Zack and Cody
Disney Channel

11.Alex Jensen, Sheldon's assistant from The Big Bang Theory (played by Margo Cathleen Harshman):

Alex talking to Leonard

"She went out to buy quieter pants and never came back."

ferociouskitten

CBS

12.Lexi Rivera, Mariana's best friend from The Fosters (played by Bianca Alexa Santos):

Lexi talking to Mariana

"She came back for one episode from when she moved to another country and then she just disappeared and was never mentioned again."

anonymous_cat_2

Freeform

13.Grace Sanchez, Gaby's biological daughter from Desperate Housewives (played by Cecilia Balagot):

Grace talking to Gaby

"When Grace moved away, it was a hot mess and very hard for Gaby, but then after a few episodes we never see Gaby grieving again."

thatzokayy

ABC

14.Christian Varela Expósito from Elite (played by Miguel Herrán):

Christian looking in the mirror

"After he got hit by a car, he was sent to Switzerland for treatment and no one ever spoke about him again, like he never existed."

s463b03bd4

Netflix

15.Nebula Lawrence, Topanga's sister from Boy Meets World (played by Krystee Clark):

Nebula Lawerence from "Boy Meets World"

"She was there in Season 1, but then they completely forgot about her existence."

Zarina Tolagayeva

ABC

16.Ben Geller, Ross's son from Friends (played by Michael Gunderson, Charles Thomas Allen, John Christopher Allen, and Cole Sprouse):

Ben Geller from "Friends"

"I get that he wasn't one of the most important characters, but he was Ross's son! It's just weird that he completely vanished after Season 8. Of course, there's that wild fan theory suggesting that Ross lost custody of Ben, but we all know that it was just poor writing and they completely forgot about him after Emma was born."

Lizzy Phalange

NBC

17.Scott Rosson, Serena and Dan's half brother from Gossip Girl (played by Chris Riggi):

Scott Rosson from "Gossip Girl"

"He's Lily and Rufus's son. They made such a big deal about him, and then after they had some kind of a family reunion and all seemed well, he just vanished and was never mentioned again."

starfireizzy

The CW

18.Mr. Turner from Boy Meets World (played by Anthony Tyler Quinn):

Mr. Turner lying in a hospital bed

"He was a major character in Seasons 2 through 4 and then got in a motorcycle accident and was never seen again. They briefly mentioned him in the Season 5 graduation episode, saying he was on the 'other side of the school.' It was such a lame send-off for a great character."

danae9

ABC

19.Kendra Mason, Spinner's adopted sister from Degrassi: The Next Generation (played by Katie Lai):

Spinner standing next to Kendra

"Toby also had a thing for her, then poof...gone."

Rachel Beth

CTV

20.Mike Montgomery, Aria's brother from Pretty Little Liars (played by Cody Christian):

Aria walking with Mike

"He disappeared and didn't even show up at Aria's wedding."

Captain Bill

Freeform

21.Terri McGreggor from Degrassi: The Next Generation (played by Christina Schmidt):

Terri from "Degrassi"

"They made her a survivor of domestic abuse, then her attacker came back and put her in a coma. The next thing we hear, she’s okay and transferred schools. Like, what? It’s a shame they got rid of their one plus-size cast member. They could’ve done so much more with her."

Pokelovr1

CTV

22.Danny Kessler from Lizzie McGuire (played by Byron Fox):

Danny Kessler from "Lizzie McGuire"

"He was the original heartthrob on the show, and then he randomly disappeared and suddenly Ethan Craft was the new crush."

haleyw4ae66dcb9

Disney Channel

23.Dave Rygalski from Gilmore Girls (played by Adam Brody):

Dave from "Gilmore Girls"

"He left for college in California, and he and Lane were doing long-distance, but after the marriage jug episode, he was never mentioned again. He wasn't even mentioned when Lane started dating Zach, one of Dave’s best friends."

bethw41d9ffb62

The WB

24.Tina Pinciotti, Donna's sister from That '70s Show (played by Amanda Fuller):

Tina Pinciotti from "That '70s Show"

"She was mentioned, and then later Donna was randomly referred to as an only child."

foley

Fox

25.Evan Mayer, Carl's son from Desperate Housewives (played by Sawyer Church):

Carl and Evan from "Desperate Housewives"

"His mom left them, and Evan was very upset and made disturbing drawings. Then Carl died in the plane crash. Later we see that Julie is given some money and Susan got shares in his strip club, but no one mentioned the poor little kid, like, ever!"

Marie GVA

ABC

26.Sara Spooner, Carrie's sister from The King of Queens (played by Lisa Rieffel):

Sarah Spooner from "The King of Queens"

"Carrie had a sister in the earlier episodes. She was part of the main cast and lived in the house with them. It was also a double meaning for the show’s title, as Kevin James was the 'king' and Carrie and Sara were the 'queens.' She disappeared by the seventh episode and is totally wiped from the history of the show. From then on, Carrie is treated like an only child."

joaqamole

CBS

27.Miles Goodman, Sabrina's college roommate from Sabrina the Teenage Witch (played by Trevor Lissauer):

Miles from "Sabrina the Teenage Witch"

"He is never mentioned or seen again after Season 6, when Sabrina graduates from college."

mattyc3

ABC / The WB

28.Kayla Huntington Scavo, Tom's daughter from Desperate Housewives (played by Rachel G. Fox):

Tom talking to Kayla

"She left to live with her grandparents and was never talked about again."

ninariley95

ABC

29.Isaac Lahey from Teen Wolf (played by Daniel Sharman):

Isaac talking to Scott and Stiles

"He was there at the end of Season 3 and then was never shown again."

niccajones15

MTV

30.Danny from Teen Wolf (played by Keahu Kahuanui):

Danny sitting next to Ethan on the bus

"They dropped the bombshell that he knew about all the supernatural stuff, and then he’s never mentioned again because the show's creator felt there wasn’t anything more they could do with his character? Like, what?"

cc4411364

MTV

31.Violet and Roscoe Plunkett, Christy's kids on Mom (played by Sadie Calvano and Blake Garrett Rosenthal):

A side-by-side of Christy holding Oliver and Violet sitting at a table

"She acted as if she didn't have any children. They brought in Violet for one episode last season, and Roscoe went to live with dad full-time, but they never address it."

Toti68

CBS

32.Alex Lesman, Lorelai’s boyfriend from Gilmore Girls (played by Billy Burke):

Alex Lesman from "Gilmore Girls"

"He seemed like a pretty cool guy and then he just disappeared."

kilodelta5

The WB / The CW

33.Robin Sylvester, Sue's daughter from Glee (played by Jordyn Orr):

Sue holding her baby

"She was literally in like one episode and that's it."

happy_feet_12

Fox

34.Austin Britt, Edie's nephew from Desperate Housewives (played by Josh Henderson):

Edie bringing Austin a soda as he sits on the couch

"He leaves after getting Danielle pregnant, but there’s no mention of him after his Aunt Edie dies? Also, he’s on Wisteria Lane at the same time as Edie's son, Travers, but they never interact? It’s very strange."

Kora Carstairs

ABC

35.Abby Day, Jess's sister from New Girl (played by Linda Cardellini):

Jess and Abby from "New Girl"

"She was there, then she wasn't. She was never even mentioned again."

blueribbs84

"Abby didn’t even go to Jess's wedding!"

blueribbs84

Fox

36.Eric Tramer, Jessie Spano's stepbrother from Saved by the Bell (played by Joshua Hoffman):

Eric and Jessie talking in a bedroom as he holds a sweater

"He was there for all of one episode, if I recall."

t49e12a934

NBC

37.Detective Daniels from Brooklyn Nine-Nine (uncredited role):

Detective Daniels talking to coworkers

"She was introduced in the pilot along with Hitchcock and Scully but was never seen again."

paigesmoon

NBC

38.Cathy Simms from The Office (played by Lindsey Broad):

Cathy Simms from "The Office"

"She had this random plotline about trying to sleep with Jim, and then after the failure of the Sabre store launch in Florida, she just didn't come back to Scranton and was never mentioned again."

chrism254

NBC

39.Ruby Lucas from Once Upon a Time (played by Meghan Ory):

Ruby from "Once Upon a Time"

"She was almost a main character and then was just gone and only mentioned a couple of times. She went from Snow’s best friend to being gone."

natalieg47790f622

ABC

40.Mutt Schitt from Schitt’s Creek (played by Tim Rozon):

Mutt from "Schitt's Creek"

"I thought they’d at least bring Mutt back for the finale, but no, he just evaporated."

leahg19

Pop

41.Santiago Herrera from Friday Night Lights (played by Benjamin Ciaramello):

Santiago from "Friday Night Lights"

"I had to go back when I was watching because I thought I missed something, but no, poof, he's gone."

abbycdefg

NBC

42.Leah Murphy from Grey's Anatomy (played by Tessa Ferrer):

Leah from "Grey's Anatomy"

"I know she was initially fired from the hospital, but she came back in later seasons. Since she was hired back, she should be working there, but they totally forgot about her after that. WHERE IS SHE?"

s4bb472acb

ABC

43.Mandy Hampton from The West Wing (played by Moira Kelly):

Mandy Hampton from "The West Wing"

"She's the queen of disappearing from shows. When her character went away, the term 'Mandyville' was coined."

rhiannons4e2d6f859

NBC

44.And lastly, Chuck Cunningham, the oldest child from Happy Days (played by Gavan O'Herlihy and Randolph Roberts):

Chuck talking at dinner
Paramount Television

What other TV characters randomly disappeared? Let us know in the comments!

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.