History Main / PutOnABusToHell

** Given that most fans feel the series had JumpedTheShark well before any of this, it's usually all treated as {{discontinuity}}.

* On ''{{Glee}}'', Lauren leaves New Directions at the start of Season 3 after breaking up with Puck and deciding that the club just isn't cool enough for her anymore, despite having bonded with some members during Season 2, explicitly not caring what others think of her, and being well-received by viewers. To add insult to injury, since this wasn't the actress's idea, her lonly speaking role in Season 3 is where she tells Puck ScrewThisImOuttaHere.

* Oz was written out of ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' by a StoryArc which ends with him acting amazingly stupid, breaking Willow's heart, and committing murder (of a villain, but this is a show where ThouShaltNotKill, usually). He does get a kinder encore episode later, though.
** Such is the coolness of Oz, however, that it's still kinda hard to hate him. [[TearJerker It doesn't make you feel much better about the ending, but still...]]

** Interestingly, Lorne from the spinoff ''{{Angel}}'' has something akin to this happen, in a case of TropesAreNotBad. His growing discomfort with the gang's EnemyMine situation, and feeling out of place as the resident comic relief guy in an increasingly dark series, is cemented in the finale. He helps out with Angel's plan to take out the worst bad guys ever -- shooting resident AmoralAttorney[=/=]ArchEnemy Lindsey in the back after they fight off a bunch of demon {{Mook}}s, but makes it quite clear that he's finished with their vigilante shtick, and that this is the last thing -- and personal MoralEventHorizon -- he's going to do with them.
*** And then he basically becomes the force that binds the universe together.

* When Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat) was written out of X-Men, apparently the writer JossWhedon didn't want to kill her, since DeathIsCheap and someone would end up bringing her back anyway. So they made a giant space bullet get fired at Earth, with the only way to save everyone (because ReedRichardsIsUseless apparently) is to have Kitty phase inside the bullet so she can phase it through the planet, saving everyone but leaving her trapped inside, hurtling through space forever...

* While The Screwjob may be the most famous incident, probably the most defining incident was the removal of Muhammad Hassan from WWE TV. After a mistimed angle (a kayfabe beating on Wrestling/TheUndertaker that resembled a terrorist attack, which happened to air on the same day as an ACTUAL terrorist attack [[hottip:*:July 7, 2005, when it happened on TheLondonUnderground]]) led to the decision that the IWC darling Hassan character was too controversial to keep around. So he got slammed through the stage by The Undertaker, and was never seen again.

* The most infamous instance of this in ProfessionalWrestling would be 1997's Montreal Screwjob. Wrestler Bret Hart had a disagreement with {{WWF}} owner Vince [=McMahon=] as to whether Hart should have to lose his final match before departing WWF for {{WCW}}. Wrestlers switching promotions are usually expected to "job" in their final match with their old promotion, so as to "give back" to the promotion before leaving. Moreover, Hart was the WWF champion at the time. Previous WWF Women's Champion Alundra Blayze had left for WCW still holding the belt, and on her first appearance on WCW, dropped the title belt in a garbage can on live TV. Vince [=McMahon=] had no desire to see a repeat of that with the WWF championship belt, and it was thus of utmost importance for Hart to lose the championship before leaving for WCW. Hart, however, was unwilling to lose in his native Canada, and did not want to give the belt to Michaels, whom he disliked. Hart and [=McMahon=] agreed on a disqualification ending for the match with Hart surrendering the title on the next night's RAW, but that's not what happened. When Michaels put Hart in a submission hold from which Hart was scripted to escape, [=McMahon=] ordered the bell rung and the match awarded to Hart's opponent Shawn Michaels as though Hart had surrendered, in order to make sure Hart lost the match and his WWF Championship before leaving. The effects of the Montreal Screwjob are still being felt over 10 years later, and it also led to a RealLifeWritesThePlot situation, as [=McMahon=]'s {{Kayfabe}} character went from nice-guy announcer to scheming politician.

*** It should also be noted that according to Eric Bischoff's 2006 autobiography (produced by WWE, no less), WCW was so restricted by Turner Broadcasting's legal team (due to a pending trademark lawsuit brought by the then-WWF over Kevin Nash & Scott Hall's debuts) that there would have never been a reprise of the "belt in trash can" incident, or any inclusion of a WWF/E trademark (such as a title belt) on a WCW program, even if Bret had been willing to do it. Ultimately, the entire "screwjob" incident did little more than serve as a catalyst for the change in Vince [=McMahon=]'s on-air character, and may have done as much as WCW's booking incompetence to ruin Bret's wrestling career.
** To this day, it's still debated whether the "Montreal Screwjob" was a work, a shoot, or a WorkedShoot. Michaels has since admitted that he was in on the job, and whenever he appears in Canada, he receives [[NeverLiveItDown "YOU SCREWED BRET!" chants]] from the Canadian fans. Referee Earl Hebner and Vince also receive said chants. Then-writer VinceRusso claimed in his autobiography that he was responsible for the screwjob, but then again, this is Vince Russo we're talking about.

* While The Screwjob may be the most famous incident, probably the most defining incident was the removal of Muhammad Hassan from WWE TV. After a mistimed angle (a kayfabe beating on The Undertaker that resembled a terrorist attack, which happened to air on the same day as an ACTUAL terrorist attack) led to the decision that the IWC darling Hassan character was too controversial to keep around. So he got slammed through the stage by The Undertaker, and was never seen again.

* In ''{{Charmed}}'', Shannen Doherty's character Prue Halliwell was killed by injuries sustained by being thrown through a wall. Younger sister Piper, played by Holly Marie Combs, suffered similar injuries. Don't worry, [[GoodThingYouCanHeal she got better]]. Though the actual events are seen offscreen, it is said that resident Whitelighter Leo only had time to save one sister and he chose Piper. No official reason was ever given as to why Shannen "left" Charmed, but most rumors state it was due to her being insufferable on set. Given that she was fired from earlier project ''{{Beverly Hills, 90210}}'' under identical circumstances that are repeatedly alleged for Charmed, this might not be too far from the truth. Whether Shannen "left" Charmed or "got fired" is up for debate. Either way, her departure was met with such animosity that she allegedly wanted a lot of money for her visage to be seen onscreen, even in archival footage from previous episodes. It got to such a point where it was almost treated as if Prue never existed at all. In fact, executive producer Brad Kern has stated that he didn't even consider bringing Shannen back for the final episode of the series, which brought in characters from ''four'' generations of the Halliwell family line, including two that were already dead. Kern states that it was because he didn't want the episode to be about "the return of Prue", but other sources dictate that Kern would've had to axe another character in favor for her because they spent their budget for the episode. Most sources also dictate that Shannen and Kern, to put it nicely, did not like each other it seems that wounds were still fresh up until the very end.

* In ''Charmed'' Shannen Doherty's character Prue Halliwell was killed by injuries sustained by being thrown through a wall. Younger sister Piper, played by Holly Marie Combs, suffered similar injuries. Don't worry, shegotbetter. Though the actual events seen offscreen, it is said that resident Healer Leo only had time to save one sister and he chose Piper. No official reason was ever given as to why Shannen "left" Charmed, but most rumors state it was due to her being insufferable on set. Given that she was fired from earlier project ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' under identical circumstances that are repeatedly alleged for Charmed, this might not be too far from the truth. Whether Shannen "left" Charmed or "got fired" is up for debate. Either way, her departure was met with such animosity that she allegedly wanted a lot of money for her visage to be seen onscreen, even in archival footage from previous episodes. It got to such a point where it was almost treated as if Prue never existed at all. In fact, executive producer Brad Kern has stated that he didn't even consider bringing Shannen back for the final episode of the series, which brought in characters from four generations of the Halliwell family line, including two that were already dead. Kern states that it was because he didn't want the episode to be about "the return of Prue", but other sources dictate that Kern would've had to axe another character in favor for her because they spent their budget for the episode. Most sources also dictate that Shannen and Kern, to put it nicely, did not like each other it seems that wounds were still fresh up until the very end.

* In ''Charmed'' Shannen Doherty's character Prue Halliwell was killed by injuries sustained by being thrown through a wall. Younger sister Piper, played by Holly Marie Combs, suffered similar injuries. Don't worry, she got better. Offscreen, it is said that resident Healer Leo only had time to save one sister and he chose Piper. No official reason was ever given as to why Shannen "left" Charmed, but most rumors state it was due to her being insufferable on set. Given that she was fired from earlier project ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' under identical circumstances that are repeatedly alleged for Charmed, this might not be too far from the truth. Whether Shannen "left" Charmed or "got fired" is up for debate. Either way, her departure was met with such animosity that she allegedly wanted a lot of money for her visage to be seen onscreen, even in archival footage from previous episodes. It got to such a point where it was almost treated as if Prue never existed at all. In fact, executive producer Brad Kern has stated that he didn't even consider bringing Shannen back for the final episode of the series, which brought in characters from four generations of the Haliwell family line, including two that were already dead. Kern states that it was because he didn't want the episode to be about "the return of Prue", but other sources dictate that Kern would've had to axe another character in favor for her because they spent their budget for the episode. Whatever the reason is, the overall theme is the same, suggesting that there was still fresh wounds over the whole ordeal.

* Happens a lot with the one-shot characters in ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'', seeing as how a new character is introduced in every episode. Most notably, [[TheMentallyDisturbed Lemongrab]]. After usurping the throne to the Candy Kingdom, he is pranked in multiple (sometimes VERY painful) ways. At the end of the episode, he is fired by his creator, who also calls him a "butt," and he is sent home to his isolated castle, where he presumably continues to live a friendless, miserable, sheltered life away from the rest of his race. But [[Spoiler: be coming back in the seasn 4 episode "You Made Me!".]]

* ''SouthPark''. Chef. [[ChurchOfHappyology Super Adventure Club]]. For those who don't watch the show, IsaacHayes, Chef's voice actor, left the show after a stroke, and a statement was issued (not by him or anyone in any legal position to speak for him) that it was in response to the show's treatment of religion, immediately after an episode mocking Scientology (Hayes was a Scientologist). In response, his character was given a final episode using audio pulled from previous episodes. It was written so as to be the ultimate in CharacterDerailment, turning him into a (brainwashed) pedophile. He is then given a RasputinianDeath... and his corpse is turned into child-molesting cyborg, in a scene that was obviously intended to resemble [[StarWars Anakin Skywalker's transformation into Darth Vader]]. Indeed, it could almost be [[PoesLaw mistaken for a parody]] of the trope, it's so thorough.

* Lieutenant Aiden Ford and [[spoiler:Droctor Elizabeth Weir]] received such treatment when their actors wanted to spend more time with their families. It did ''not'' end well for ''either'' character.

* In ''TheSpectacularSpiderman'', John Jameson, a likable and heroic character, ends up getting powers that make him a FlyingBrick, and expresses interest in becoming a superhero ali of Spidey. Unfortunately, those powers [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity cause him to become increasingly aggressive and irrational]], which is helped along by Venom attacking him while pretending to be Spider-Man. Spider-Man end up having to rather brutally de-power John in order to stop him. When last seen in the show, John is in an asylum and is a broken wreck suffering from power withdrawal and shown to be every bit as crazy as Electro, the most mentally unstable character in the series.

* When Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat) was written out of X-Men, apparently the writer JossWhedon didn't want to kill her, since DeathIsCheap and someone would end up bringing her back anyway. So they made a giant space bullet get fired at earth, with the only way to save everyone (because ReedRichardsIsUseless apparently) is to have Kitty phase inside the bullet so she can phase it through the planet, saving everyone but leaving her trapped inside, hurtling through space forever...
** ... Or not, since TheBusCameBack and a recently-revived Magneto used his magnetism to slow the bullet down, bring it to earth, and split it open so she could go back home. She had to hang around incorporeal for a while but she seems to be back.

* [[ComicBooks/SpiderMan Mary Jane Watson]] once left for a short period of time as to avoid her and Peter getting married. They did so with her returning the engagement ring he gave her and claiming that marriage just isn't her thing, doing so in a rather unsympathetic way. The anti-marriage fans [[NeverLiveItDown still haven't]] [[FanDumb forgiven her.]]

** Of course, [[YourMileageMayVary your opinion of that]] depends on how much you like his mother-in-law, a character who seems to be intended to be the show's [[TeamMom mother figure]], but more often comes across as a ControlFreak with a [[GodModeSue messiah complex]]. Many fans were cheering that a character finally [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome called her out on her behaviour]] without apologising a couple of scenes later. (And, since he didn't know that she was losing the baby or even that she'd tripped when he walked away from her, he can be forgiven that one, despite it being presented as a MoralEventHorizon to make us seem him as the [[DesignatedVillain bad guy]].)

* Miya from ''{{Mai-Otome}}'' disappeared completely from the show following her implication in Arika's AttemptedRape situation halfway through the series, while also confessing to other Arika-related incidents (in one of the situations, she was completely innocent) before being led out of Garderobe by school administrators. None of the other characters see or hear anything from her again.

* In ''TheSpectacularSpiderman'', John Jameson, a likable and heroic character, ends up getting powers that make him a FlyingBrick, and expresses interest in becoming a superhero ali of Spidey. Unfortunately, those powers [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity cause him to become increasingly aggressive and irrational]], which is helped along by Venom attacking him while pretending to be Spider-Man. Spider-Man end up having to rather brutally de-power When last seen in the show, John is in an asylum and is a broken wreck suffering from power withdrawl and shown to be every bit as crazy as Electro, the most mentally unstable character in the series.

* ''Sisterhood'' series by FernMichaels: Actually, the Vigilantes tend to resort to this as the final part of their revenge against a target. Rosemary Hershey was driven so insane that she was placed in a mental institution with little chance of ever becoming lucid again. Some enemies got thrown into prison, and some of them were sent to work in third-world countries. Little Fish and Stu Franklin certainly got this treatment in ''Cross Roads''. Despite all their PetTheDog moments and seeming to be good men, they both turned out to be a BitchInSheepsClothing. They treated their love interests with increasing disinterest, acted abusively towards them, and treated them as little more than prisoners! Furthermore, despite having sex with their love interests, both of them gave off strong vibes of HoYay with regards to Henry "Hank" Jellicoe, ''and'' they both turned out to be cold-blooded murderers! Either the author planned this all along, or she grew to hate them and wanted them gone very badly!

** And Poochie who was so bad he "died on the way back to his home planet"

*** And then he basically becomes the force that binds the universe together.

** As she appears in ''BadMachinery,'' it's clear [[IGotBetter she got better.]] [[FirstLawOfResurrection Somehow.]]

** Another example would be Homer's half-brother Herb, who is left financially ruined thanks to Homer's antics and leaves on a bus, spitefully making it clear that he has no intention to acknowledge Homer as his brother any longer by the end of the episode. Apparently the executives were left uncomfortable, so they [[ExecutiveMeddling ensured]] another episode was made in which TheBusCameBack, allowing Homer to help Herb regain his fortune and the two half-brothers to reconcile.