If you’d asked us a year ago if we could imagine NCIS without Mark Harmon as its fearless leader, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, we would’ve thought that impossible. But here it is, 10 episodes after his exit and still going strong. (And it was shocking when Julian McMahon announced his exit from FBI: Most Wanted, now in its third season.) But for some shows, that just doesn’t seem possible.
Whether due to the title or just the longevity, it’s hard to imagine them continuing on if the lead exits. What would The Flash be without the star who plays the titular character? Can you imagine Law & Order: SVU without Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), whom we’ve followed up the ranks over the years? Can Grey’s Anatomy exist without a Grey (or really, specifically, Ellen Pompeo‘s Meredith)?
Scroll down as we take a look at the shows with at least seven seasons under their belts that it seems have to end when their stars depart. (This is nothing against the rest of the casts; it’s simply what we’ve seen from the shows over the years.)
