Actresses Who Returned After Being Written Out

Getting written out doesn’t always mean goodbye forever. TV history is packed with actresses whose characters were transferred, killed, exiled, or otherwise removed from a series—only to reappear later through a smart twist, a contract change, or a full-blown revival. Some came back for a single pivotal episode, others slipped right back into series-regular status, and a few even launched new spin-offs after their return.

Below are twenty-five clear cases of actresses who stepped away—voluntarily or not—and then came back. For each, you’ll find the role they played, how the exit was handled on-screen, and what exactly brought them back into the story, from finale cameos and flashbacks to retcons and revamped status-quo moves.

A. J. Cook

A.J. Cook played Jennifer “JJ” Jareau on ‘Criminal Minds’. The character was written out when JJ accepted a promotion outside the BAU, reflecting an off-screen decision that removed Cook from the main cast. The exit was addressed directly in the narrative, with JJ saying goodbye to the team and shifting to a new assignment.

Cook returned not long after, first in guest capacity and then as a series regular. Her comeback folded into ongoing cases and internal BAU changes, re-establishing JJ’s role in profiling, media liaison work, and leadership—work she continued in ‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’.

Paget Brewster

Paget Brewster’s Emily Prentiss was written out of ‘Criminal Minds’ after a high-stakes arc concluded with the character leaving the team. The departure aligned with cast turnover, closing out Prentiss’s tenure at the BAU within the story.

Brewster later returned, initially for limited appearances and then as a regular again. The show integrated her comeback by positioning Prentiss in senior roles, including unit leadership, with her expertise anchoring team direction in later seasons and in ‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’.

Cote de Pablo

Cote de Pablo’s Ziva David exited ‘NCIS’ when the character left the team and was later presumed dead after an off-screen attack. That exit served as a definitive write-out, reshaping Tony DiNozzo’s trajectory and closing Ziva’s active storyline.

A twist revealed Ziva had survived, enabling de Pablo’s on-screen return. She appeared in multiple episodes, aided ongoing investigations, and set up new arcs with Tony and their family, paving the way for further stories connected to the ‘NCIS’ franchise.

Sarah Wayne Callies

Sarah Wayne Callies portrayed Sara Tancredi on ‘Prison Break’. The character was written out amid production changes, with the story initially indicating Sara’s death, which removed her from Michael Scofield’s immediate world.

Callies later returned when the show recontextualized earlier events, restoring Sara to the narrative. Her comeback underpinned major plotlines involving conspiracy threads and family stakes, continuing through the series’ additional run.

Sherry Stringfield

Sherry Stringfield’s Dr. Susan Lewis was written out of ‘ER’ when the character left County General for personal reasons, concluding an early, formative run. The departure closed several relationships and ongoing emergency-room beats tied to Lewis.

Stringfield eventually returned, with the show bringing her back to the hospital staff. The reintroduction reconnected her with colleagues, revived medical storylines rooted in her previous tenure, and added new mentorship dynamics within the emergency department.

Julianna Margulies

Julianna Margulies left ‘ER’ after a long run as nurse manager Carol Hathaway, with the character moving on from Chicago and the hospital. That exit was designed to be final for the main series, wrapping her central relationships and professional arc.

She later returned for a special appearance that revisited Carol’s life after County General. The cameo re-established connections to former colleagues and provided narrative closure by showing where her character’s personal and professional choices led.

Jorja Fox

Jorja Fox’s Sara Sidle was written out of ‘CSI’ when the character stepped away from the Las Vegas lab, pausing a long-running forensic career arc. The exit acknowledged burnout and personal crossroads, removing her from the active team.

Fox returned later, first intermittently and then in an expanded capacity. Her reappearance restored key forensic expertise to the lab and continued the character’s relationship threads, which later extended into ‘CSI: Vegas’.

Marg Helgenberger

Marg Helgenberger, who played Catherine Willows on ‘CSI’, departed when the character left the lab for a different professional path. The write-out acknowledged Catherine’s experience and set up room for leadership changes within the team.

Helgenberger later returned for guest spots and ultimately rejoined the franchise. Her comeback positioned Catherine as a senior presence again, guiding investigations, mentoring younger staff, and stabilizing the lab’s culture in ‘CSI: Vegas’.

Kim Dickens

Kim Dickens’s Madison Clark was written out of ‘Fear the Walking Dead’ after a sacrifice that left her presumed dead. The series moved forward with new leaders and communities, treating Madison’s loss as a foundational shift.

Dickens eventually returned, with the show revealing Madison’s survival and folding her back into the evolving communities. Her reintroduction reshaped alliances and objectives, linking early-series history to later-series conflicts and resolutions.

Lauren Cohan

Lauren Cohan, as Maggie Greene, stepped away from ‘The Walking Dead’ when the character left the core group to lead elsewhere. The write-out occurred alongside cast changes, handing other characters the day-to-day leadership on-screen.

Cohan later returned to the main series, resuming Maggie’s arc as a strategist and community figurehead. That comeback set up additional stories, including a follow-on chapter in ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’.

Danai Gurira

Danai Gurira’s Michonne was written out of ‘The Walking Dead’ when she embarked on a search tied to earlier events, exiting the primary ensemble. The narrative pivot allowed other survivors to step into leadership and personal arcs.

Gurira returned to the universe in ‘The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’. The continuation explored Michonne’s ongoing mission, reunited core relationships, and advanced long-running plotlines originating from the main series.

Nina Dobrev

Nina Dobrev left ‘The Vampire Diaries’ after Elena Gilbert’s story was paused by a supernatural condition that effectively removed her from daily events. The write-out was embedded in the mythology, placing Elena out of action while others carried the narrative.

Dobrev returned later for a final chapter that resolved the spell and revisited central relationships. Her reappearance provided narrative completion, tied off character fates, and connected the closing moments to the show’s earliest themes.

Taylor Momsen

Taylor Momsen’s Jenny Humphrey was written out of ‘Gossip Girl’ when the character left Manhattan to start over. That move concluded her fashion-and-family storylines and cleared space for other arcs among the Upper East Side ensemble.

Momsen returned for the series finale, reuniting the cast and placing Jenny within the show’s final revelations. The appearance confirmed where the character landed and acknowledged her influence on key relationships and plot turns.

Michelle Rodriguez

Michelle Rodriguez’s Ana Lucia was written out of ‘Lost’ after a key storyline ended with the character’s death. The exit shifted group dynamics among the survivors and closed one of the show’s major backstory threads.

Rodriguez later returned in subsequent appearances that fit the series’ structure of visions, flashbacks, and alternate realities. Those returns deepened character histories and connected Ana Lucia’s choices to broader mysteries on and off the island.

Maggie Grace

Maggie Grace’s Shannon was written out of ‘Lost’ following an on-island death that pivoted several characters’ trajectories. The departure altered the survivor group’s emotional landscape and redistributed focus among other arcs.

Grace returned for later episodes that used the show’s narrative devices to revisit Shannon. The appearances provided context for earlier behavior, reinforced connections with Sayid, and helped the series complete its ensemble-wide farewell.

Charisma Carpenter

Charisma Carpenter’s Cordelia Chase was written out of ‘Angel’ when the character was placed in a coma, ending her active involvement with the team. The story marked a turning point for Angel Investigations and set up darker themes.

Carpenter returned for the landmark episode ‘You’re Welcome’, giving Cordelia a final mission that re-aligned Angel’s purpose. The appearance offered closure for open threads and restored the character’s agency before the series continued to its endgame.

Kristin Kreuk

Kristin Kreuk’s Lana Lang was written out of ‘Smallville’ when the character left Clark and the town to break a dangerous stalemate. The exit resolved long-running romantic tension and cleared the way for future arcs.

Kreuk later returned for guest appearances that addressed unfinished business between Lana and Clark. Those episodes detailed how Lana changed off-screen and established her separate path, while acknowledging shared history within the show’s mythology.

Laura Prepon

Laura Prepon’s Alex Vause was effectively written out of much of a season of ‘Orange Is the New Black’ due to limited availability, with the story shifting focus to other inmates. Alex’s absence created room for new rivalries, alliances, and facility politics.

Prepon returned to full strength later on, restoring Alex’s central relationship with Piper and re-engaging the character’s conflicts inside the prison system. The comeback rebalanced the ensemble and reconnected plotlines paused during her reduced presence.

Shelley Long

Shelley Long’s Diane Chambers was written out of ‘Cheers’ when the character left Boston, closing the chapter on a central workplace-romance arc. The series moved forward by reshaping the bar’s social dynamics and elevating other characters.

Long returned for the series finale, allowing ‘Cheers’ to revisit unresolved issues between Diane and Sam. The appearance framed the show’s last look at that relationship and situated Diane’s life beyond the bar within the final narrative.

Shannen Doherty

Shannen Doherty’s Brenda Walsh was written out of ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ after early-series departures realigned the high-school-to-college ensemble. The show redistributed storylines to other characters and introduced new leads.

Doherty later returned to the franchise, first as Brenda in ‘90210’ and then as herself in ‘BH90210’. Those returns acknowledged the character’s legacy and the actress’s history with the property, integrating both into updated premises.

Lisa Bonet

Lisa Bonet’s Denise Huxtable was written out of ‘The Cosby Show’ when the character spun off to ‘A Different World’, removing her from the primary household setting. That shift let the parent series refocus on other siblings and family stories.

Bonet later returned to ‘The Cosby Show’, bringing Denise back into the family narrative. Her reappearance reconnected threads left open by the spin-off move and placed Denise within new domestic and career developments.

Kate Walsh

Kate Walsh’s Addison Montgomery was written out of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ when the character left Seattle to headline ‘Private Practice’. The transition formally moved Addison’s surgeries and relationships to a new setting.

Walsh later returned to ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ for multiple arcs. Those appearances re-established Addison’s ties to former colleagues, involved her in complex cases at Grey Sloan, and bridged storylines between the two series.

Sarah Drew

Sarah Drew’s April Kepner was written out of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ when the character exited the hospital, closing ongoing trauma-surgery and personal arcs. The departure addressed April’s future away from the core ensemble.

Drew returned for special appearances that updated April’s circumstances and intersected with Jackson Avery’s path. The guest spots provided concrete character outcomes and resolved lingering questions raised by her exit.

Kelli Giddish

Kelli Giddish’s Amanda Rollins was written out of ‘Law & Order: SVU’ when the character left the squad for a new professional opportunity. The exit placed Rollins’s family and career in a different context, allowing the unit to shift responsibilities.

Giddish later returned in guest appearances that showed Rollins thriving in her new role while still assisting the SVU team. The returns advanced cross-series relationships, contributed to active cases, and confirmed the character’s ongoing connection to the unit.

Stephanie March

Stephanie March’s ADA Alexandra Cabot was written out of ‘Law & Order: SVU’ after a witness-protection twist removed her from the courtroom. That change cleared the way for new prosecutors and shifted the legal tone of the series.

March later returned multiple times, resuming duties in the District Attorney’s office and advising on sensitive cases. Each reappearance updated Cabot’s status, connected past prosecutions to current matters, and reinforced continuity across long-running story arcs.

Share your favorite comeback—and the one that surprised you most—in the comments.