Quittin' Time Trivia Quiz

Answer: Elliot Stabler

Christopher Meloni played Detective Elliot Stabler on "Law and Order: SVU" for twelve years, beginning in 1999. While the show continued to air, Meloni left due to a contract dispute. While he continues to see his former co-star Mariska Hargitay socially, he has not returned to the show.

He has subsequently appeared on television shows "Happy!", and on "The Handmaid's Tale" as George Winslow.

Answer: Abbie Carmichael

Angie Harmon played ADA Abbie Carmichael on the original "Law and Order" for three seasons. When creator and producer Dick Wolf insisted the cast work extra months in case of an impending writer's strike, Harmon objected. Wolf was unshakable, and Angie left the show in 2001. She has since starred as Jane Rizzoli on the crime drama "Rizzoli and Isles", which ran from 2010 to 2016.

Answer: Ernie Pantusso

Coach Ernie Pantusso was the lovable, often confused bartender, along with Sam Malone on "Cheers". The back story was that Ernie had been Sam's baseball coach before Sam became the owner of the bar. Nicolas Colasanto played the part from 1982 to 1985 when he passed away. His last filmed episode was called "Cheerio, Cheers". He was replaced by Woody Harrelson who played Woody Boyd.

Answer: James Evans

John Amos played James Evans, the husband of Florida Evans on "Good Times" from 1974 to 1976. The show was a spin off of "Maude" which was a spin off of "All in the Family". Florida has been Maude's maid until she and her husband and three kids moved to Chicago. Amos was upset when the show began revolving around the antics of the oldest son, J.J. ("Dy-no-mite").

When he voiced his concerns to Norman Lear, he was fired and his character was killed off.

Answer: Jill Munroe

It seems that Farrah Fawcett had a contract dispute with ABC, the station which aired "Charlie's Angels". Fawcett wanted out of the show after the first season in 1976. The ensuing legal battles resulted in Farrah Fawcett's character, Jill Munroe, being written out and replaced by Cheryl Ladd playing Jill's younger sister Kris.

It didn't seem to affect her career too badly as she was later nominated for six Golden Globe Awards.

Answer: Henry Blake

On the last episode of the third season of "M*A*S*H" in 1975, McLean Stevenson's character, Lt. Colonel Henry Blake, was shot down and killed. The scuttlebutt as to the reason for his departure was that he resented not being the 'top dog', and didn't want to be part of an ensemble. He went on to star on the much maligned television series "Hello, Larry" from 1979 to 1980.

Answer: Becky Conner

Alicia "Lecy" Goranson played Becky Conner, Roseanne and Dan's oldest child on "Roseanne". Beginning in 1988, she played Becky for five seasons. At that point, she wanted to devote more time to her education, and she left to attend Vassar College. She was replaced by Sarah Chalke; she returned for season eight, left again for the ninth season, and returned for the reboot in 2018.

Answer: Francis Underwood

On "House of Cards", which first aired in 2013, Kevin Spacey played Francis Underwood, a corrupt politician who worked his way up from congressman to president. In 2017, after a number of claims of sexual assault on the part of Spacey, Netflix suspended him from the show.

The suspension was the first step toward his eventual termination. "House of Cards" added two new cast members for the sixth and final season.

Answer: Abby Sciuto

After fifteen seasons on the crime procedural "NCIS", Pauley Perrette left in 2018. Perrette played Chief Forensic Scientist Abby Sciuto for the NCIS Major Case Response Team, and was a key figure in solving crimes related to military personnel. Although she did not give specifics, Pauley claimed that there had been "multiple physical assaults" which left her terrified and having nightmares.

Answer: Mike Flaherty

Michael J. Fox first became a household name when he played conservative Alex P. Keaton on "Family Ties". His fame increased exponentially as Marty McFly in the "Back to the Future" franchise. Beginning in 1996, Fox was New York City Deputy Mayor Mike Flaherty on "Spin City", playing opposite Barry Bostwick as the ditzy mayor. Sadly, Michael had to leave in 2000, at the end of season four, due to symptoms of Parkinson's Disease.

He was replaced by Charlie Sheen.

Answer: Chrissy Snow

Suzanne Somers played the ditzy blonde on the hit show "Three's Company", opposite John Ritter and Joyce DeWitt, from 1977 to 1981. There were varying stories as to the reason for her departure, with some saying the fame and admiration went to her head.

The other side of the story was her fight for equal pay, at the same level as John Ritter who was being paid five times more. She has been on other shows since, e.g., "Step by Step" and "She's the Sheriff".

Answer: Paul Hennessy

Speaking of John Ritter, he went on to play Paul Hennessy on "8 Simple Rules", a comedy about a large family. The show debuted in 2002 and, sadly, John died of an aortic dissection on September 11, 2003, just before his 56th birthday. The show mirrored the loss with the death of the family's patriarch, bringing in the wife's parents for support.

As an aside, John's father was singing cowboy Tex Ritter, and John's son Jason has followed in his father's footsteps.

Answer: Diane Chambers

If you watched "Cheers", you will probably remember the on-again-off-again romance of Sam and Diane that began in 1982. Womanizer Sam Malone courted the educated Diane Chambers who had been reduced to becoming a bar waitress. Diane was played by Shelley Long who decided to leave the show in 1987.

She believed that her new found fame would lend itself to movie stardom. She ultimately came back to make a one time appearance on the spin off, "Frasier", in 1993.

Answer: Eric Forman

Topher Grace played Eric Forman, a character who palled around with his friends, and smoked pot in his basement in Wisconsin in the 1970s. Topher played the part through the seventh season in 2004 when he decided to leave and seek fame in Hollywood on the big screen.

The show lasted just one more season where they tried to replace Eric with a guy named Charlie who lasted for five episodes.

Answer: Derek Shepherd

Lastly, we have Derek Shepherd, "McDreamy", the fictional surgeon on "Grey's Anatomy". Dr. Shepherd, played by Patrick Dempsey, appeared in the pilot episode and up until he was killed off (by the show's writers) in season eleven in 2015. According to Dempsey, after ten years, he just lost interest in the show.

He said "it was time to go...it's nice to move on and have new challenges". Since his character died, it's unlikely he will be making any return visits.