8 Actors Who Regretted Quitting Popular TV Shows
5. Chevy Chase - Saturday Night Live
As one of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live, Chevy Chase was launched into overnight stardom. Surrounded by fresh talent like John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, "The Not-Ready For Prime Time Players" had the world at their feet.
Despite the instant success of the show and the love for its original cast members, Chase chose to leave the show after only one full season, officially departing a short way into season 2. He has stated two different reasons as being his sole motivator for departure on separate occasions, but whatever the true reason may be, he regrets his choice.
One reason Chase has given was that he felt the show wasn't going anywhere for him career wise. Another was that he'd fallen in love with a woman in Los Angeles - his second wife, Jacqueline Carlin - and SNL filming in New York would have made his marriage difficult.
He has since expressed regret at leaving so soon. One anecdote he has given involved returning for the show's 40th anniversary celebrations and realising how few pictures on the wall he was in, and how many memories his co-stars had shared without him.