When I heard last week that Laura Prepon, who plays Alex Vause on Orange Is The New Black, was leaving the show because she hadn’t signed a contract to be tied down to the second season, I was heartbroken. Not literally, but you get my attempt to be over-dramatic. Of course, she’s not the main character, but she’s the main reason Piper is in prison, and the sexual tension between Piper and Alex was a big part of the whole shabang. So what is she going to do next? Who knows. But she’s not the first famous person to drop out of a popular television show at its peak thinking the show needs them more than they need it. Sometimes these stars move on to bigger and better things. And sometimes…well, their careers end up at a standstill. Here are a few folks who left their massive hit shows to good and bad results.
