10 Worst Ways TV Characters Were Written Out

The phrase “put on a bus” often relates to characters taken offscreen by convenient means. For various reasons - many of which are covered in this list - writers may need to take a character or actor out of the occasion. Grey’s Anatomy’s George O’Malley was one such character who was put on a bus.

In this case the bus was literal, only instead of being a passenger, the ever-unlucky MD is smashed to bits by the oncoming vehicle. Indeed he is so mangled that it takes a long while for any of the other characters to recognise him - and then he flatlines and dies.

You’d imagine this might have been done so as not to rule out a return for the actor, but the circumstances under which he left were unpleasant. After an altercation in which co-star Isiah Washington used homophobic slurs, Knight came out as gay. He later stated that series creator Shonda Rhimes advised him not to come out, and that his treatment in light of his public announcement was a key reason for his quitting the show.

Knight’s contract was worth a reported $14,000,000 - that’s a hell of a way to take a stand.