10 TV Characters Cut From Shows (In The Worst Way)

4. Elliot - Law And Order: SVU

Elliot Stabler was one of the core pillars of Law and Order: SVU for twelve whole seasons. He was a big, handsome fella keeping criminals off the street who was so inspirational, he even has a dang good song based on him by The Prettiots.

However, Season 12 was a transitional period for the show, serving as the final year that original showrunner Neal Baer would continue his duties.

Change was afoot, and Stabler's actor, Christopher Meloni, took the chance to also jump ship, which is fair enough after playing the same character for twelve years. However, like Shannen Doherty's exit, the decision to not return for Season 13 didn't do the writers any favours.

That's because Meloni's final episode ended on a cliffhanger, with Stabler being involved in a shootout. Immediately after the finale aired, it was announced negotiations had failed between the actor and network, and the character retired from the world of killers and detectives off screen, before Season 13 started.

It was a clean break, but it was a frustrating anti-climax after so many years viewers had invested into this character, and it coming after such a shocking finale didn't help either.