10 Worst Ways TV Characters Were Written Out

Cult fantasy drama Charmed offers a cautionary tale about the strength of backstage grief. For three seasons, Shannen Doherty played Prue Halliwell, the eldest of the three protagonist sisters purported to be one of the most powerful witches ever to live.

Then, between seasons, something happened. Those involved have spoken only in rumour and innuendo, but the common consensus seems to be that Doherty and co-star Alyssa Milano did not get on. Doherty stated that there was “too much drama”, also noting that she never had an issue with her other co-star, Holly Marie Combs. Milano, who claims ignorance as to the details, described the situation as like high school.

All this resulted in a cliffhanger, Prue battling evil assassin Shax, taking a surprising turn: she was dead! Far from a daring bit of creative, this put the writers in a bind. They considered re-casting Prue, but decided against it. She was just dead - let’s move on.

The bitterness continued as Doherty’s face was never seen again on the show. She was cut from flashbacks and prop photographs, apparently due to the per-episode fee the former star was commanding.