7 Sitcom Characters Who Disappeared Without A Trace
Poor Chuck Cunningham.
On Happy Days, producers thought enough of Richie’s older brother to cast two different actors (Gavan O’Herlihy and Randolph Roberts) to play the basketball-dribbling college student. Chuck showed up 11 times during the show’s first two seasons, only to mysteriously disappear without explanation.
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Chuck Cunningham Syndrome, as described on TV Tropes, is when television characters aren’t killed off or written off — they simply vanish as if they never existed. Here are seven more sitcom characters who suffered a similar Chuck Cunningham-like fate…
Judy, ‘Family Matters’
Suffering a fate worse than Chuck, Judy, the third and youngest child in the Winslow clan, was around for a full three seasons. Come Season Four? Poof! No more Judy. You couldn’t even say she was off at an extended summer camp because, from that point forward, Carl and Harriette were pretty explicit about having only two children. You’re out of the will, kid.
Mutt, ‘Schitt’s Creek’
Mutt was Alexis’ love interest for the first couple of Schitt’s seasons. The show gave the character a perfect out when he left with his new girlfriend in Season Three. But wait — Mutt returned in Season Four, newly single and ready to mingle. Would he and Alexis rekindle those old flames? How could they when Mutt disappeared again without an explanation.
Dr. Stephanie Barnett, ‘Big Bang Theory’
All right, Leonard! In Season Two, he finds a love interest in Dr. Stephanie — or at the very least, a sex interest. She’s into booty calls, and despite Leonard trying to break up with her in multiple episodes, he keeps coming back for sex. In their third episode together, Leonard heads to her place for another sex romp… and she’s never heard from again. Guess they broke up after all?
Detective Daniels, ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’
Hitchcock, Scully and Daniels? That seemed to be the setup in the pilot of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, with Det. Daniels introduced as a cop better at making a hot cup of joe than solving crimes. She fit right in with ineffective officers Hitchcock and Scully, but evaporated after that first episode.
Senator Robert Lipton’s Son, ‘The Office’
When Angela Kinsey first meets Senator Lipton, he has a young son. Or did he? The boy disappears, and since Lipton was a widower, he didn’t head off to live with his mom. Maybe he got a place with Judy Winslow.
Tori, Saved By the Bell’
Jessie and Kelly — er, Elizabeth Berkley and Tiffani Thiessen — opted not to come back for the final-ish season of Saved By the Bell. They were replaced by Tori, a potential love interest for both Zach and Slater. But when Berkley and Thiessen returned for the final episodes, Tori was shoved into a locker. Poor kid didn’t even get to graduate.
All the Kids on ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’
In Curb’s first episode, Larry was introduced as a father. Really? Where are the kids? Maybe they’re hanging out with Jeff and Susie’s other two offspring in addition to Sammy. A daughter named Sarah was discussed during Season One, then was never heard from again. Susie was pregnant during Season Three, and there was a mention of her giving birth early in Season Four. Has anyone seen the baby?
