10 Actors Who Shockingly Quit TV Shows After The First Season

10. Christopher Eccleston - Doctor Who

Christopher Eccleston’s leaving of the Doctor Who reboot really is the stuff of legend. After starring in the titular role for the first season in 2005, Eccleston made a storming departure after a few blow-out arguments with showrunners.

Speaking to fans at New York Comic Con in 2019, he explained that he left because of the ‘politics’ of the show. Trying to avoid engaging in the arguments proved impossible, and his working relationship with the producers and showrunners deteriorated to the point he felt he had to leave.

He has made clear in the years since that he loved playing the character and has nothing but respect for those who came after him, even going so far as to state that David Tennant (his replacement) probably understood the role and its magnitude much better than he ever did.

Unfortunately his leaving the show was met with huge backlash, with the British press having an absolute field day speculating about and trash-talking his attitude to the show. He told The Guardian that what happened with Doctor Who almost destroyed his career, and it is thanks only to his work ethic and adaptability that it survived.

Poor Chris!