Shocking Return: Handmaid’s Tale Star Reveals Why She Came Back!

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Warning: This story contains spoilers from season six of The Handmaid’s Tale.

Alexis Bledel gave Emily/Ofglen a final farewell.

The actress, who departed from “The Handmaid’s Tale” at the end of season four, shared her reasons for agreeing to come back for the final episode when the Republic of Gilead underwent a dramatic fall.

Alexis shared with The Hollywood Reporter on May 26th that it seemed fitting to conclude Emily’s storyline and provide the viewers with a sense of resolution. She added, “Filming for this project has been smooth and efficient; everyone involved is at their best. I can’t wait to see what they will develop in the sequel series, The Testaments.

In a heartfelt manner, the 43-year-old commended the showrunner, Bruce Miller, highlighting how he skillfully assembled a compassionate and gifted team. Remarkably, several members of this team remained part of the production even in season six.

She underscored that she hopes the audience will learn to maintain hope even in seemingly impossible situations. Just as it may appear that the seeds you sow won’t grow, still, sow seeds of hope. Miraculously, those seeds just might manage to flourish.

As for what happened to Emily/Ofglen?

In the post-Gilead world, Elizabeth Moss’s character June encountered an old friend of hers in Boston, who turned out to be Clea DuVall’s character Sylvia – a revelation made after Sylvia had returned to Gilead to fight following her initial freedom in Canada.

Emily, or Ofglen as she was known then, clarified about her life post-returning to Gilead during the uprising. “In essence,” she said, “I became Martha, and my Commander turned out to be an ally.

She shared that she’d maintained contact with Sylvia and their son Oliver, informing June that they were the “primary motivators” for her ongoing efforts.

Even though Alexis departed from the show three years back, she vividly remembers the distressing ordeal her character endured. This character was subjected to genital mutilation and forced to inhabit the radioactive wasteland of the Colonies as a consequence for committing murder.

Reflecting on the scenario, the former Gilmore Girls star found it incredibly distressful just to contemplate Emily facing such an ordeal. She was referring to being taken against her will, left without control over her own person.

Following her victory of an Emmy in 2017 and garnering three nominations for the part, Alexis made known her decision to leave the show in 2022, expressing in a statement, “After careful consideration, I felt it was necessary to part ways with The Handmaid’s Tale at this juncture.

She expressed gratitude without providing more details, thanking Bruce for crafting “genuine and impactful scenes for Emily” and acknowledging the team’s “assistance.

For more shocking TV show exits, keep reading.

Although viewers might have anticipated that Pedro Pascal’s character Joel Miller would meet his end in HBO’s “The Last of Us,” given the eerie similarity to his April 2025 demise in the game “The Last of Us Part II” and its 2020 season, the gruesome scene where his character was impaled left spectators speechless.

Meanwhile, Pascal, who met an onscreen demise in both ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’, handled his frequent deaths with humor. When asked by ‘Entertainment Weekly’, he quipped, “I get killed a lot… I enjoy dying.

Following what he referred to as “an exhilarating journey,” Peter Krause formally concluded his portrayal of Bobby Nash, the captain of the Los Angeles Fire Department on the television series 9-1-1, during a 2025 episode of the dramatic procedural.

In a statement given to The Hollywood Reporter, Krause stated, “Bobby Nash was created with sacrifice in mind, and his character is designed for this purpose.” He continued, “Just like real-life first responders who put their lives on the line every day so that others may live, Bobby’s storyline pays tribute to them.

The demise of the troubled yet cherished firefighter sparked a lot of discussion, as confirmed by showrunner Tim Minear to Variety. He explained, “After eight years, it seemed necessary if we want to continue creating stories with real impact in the future, someone needed to perish.

Prior to the start of The Sex Lives of College Girls’ third season, it was revealed that Reneé Rapp would be departing from the show.

She shared on social media in July 2023, “College friends relocated me to Los Angeles and connected me with some of my dearest companions.” After 2.5 years – it has resulted in you all and this community for me.”

The co-creator of the show, Mindy Kaling, also verified that Rapp was leaving. On her Instagram Stories, she expressed, “We adore @reneerapp so much and it’s going to be hard to say goodbye to Leighton Murray! We can’t wait to catch our friend on tour as his music career continues to thrive!

A little over a year ago, there were whispers that Kevin Costner had abruptly left the successful Paramount drama after four and a half seasons. However, it wasn’t until June 2024 that he officially confirmed he wouldn’t be coming back to complete the series during its fifth and final season.

Ellen Pompeo, who played Meredith Grey for 19 years, bid farewell to her role as a regular cast member on ABC’s drama series in February 2023, marking her final appearance under regular contract.

On The Drew Barrymore Show in December 2022, Pompeo expressed a need for change, stating “I need to switch things up a bit.” At age 53, she finds herself needing mental stimulation beyond her routine, comparing it to the monotony of solving the same New York Times crossword puzzle daily.

In a recent update, it was disclosed that “Henry Cavill” who starred in “Batman vs. Superman”, is planning to leave the Netflix fantasy series after its third season. Interestingly, “Liam Hemsworth” has been chosen to take over the role of Geralt starting from season four, and possibly continuing into future seasons as well.

In October 2022, Cavill shared on Instagram that his experience as Geralt of Rivia has been a mix of monsters and exciting journeys. Sadly, he’ll be hanging up his medallion and swords at the end of Season 4.

2022 saw the departure of long-time cast member Jesse Lee Soffer, who bid farewell to his cherished role as Detective Jay Halstead following a decade on the show.

Speaking from the heart, I must say that week after week, crafting this captivating hour-long drama has been more than just work; it’s been a passionate labor of love for every soul involved in this remarkable show. As Detective Jay Halstead, I can proudly look back on my time here and know that I leave behind something truly special.

After five seasons, Damian Lewis departed Showtime’s Billions in Oct. 2021.

In August 2021, news broke out that Emily VanCamp decided to retire her stethoscope permanently since she had left the medical drama series, The Resident, on Fox.

Following three captivating seasons on the CW reboot of ‘Charmed’, Madeleine Mantock, portraying the eldest sister Macy, announced her departure prior to season four in 2021. In a heartfelt statement, she expressed gratitude for the opportunity to work alongside our exceptional producers, creatives, cast and crew, stating that it was truly an immense privilege.

As a die-hard fan, I can now confirm that my beloved character Elizabeth Keen will never uncover Raymond Reddington’s true identity. Megan Boone, who played Liz, decided to part ways with NBC’s The Blacklist at the end of season eight. Unfortunately for Liz, she was written out of the series before she could read the fateful letter that would have exposed everything. In 2021, Megan marked the conclusion of Liz’s journey on Instagram, describing it as a “dream” come true.

In the second season of Bridgerton, one duke was missing. The charismatic Rege-Jean Page stole the show as Netflix’s popular drama series took the world by storm. However, hearts were left aching when it was revealed that he would not be reprising his role in the second season of 2021.

Later on, he clarified to Vanity Fair that he had agreed to take on a task, completed it, and then moved on to perform some additional tasks. In his own words, “That’s the gist of it. That’s the tale. I was hoping for something more exciting than that.

Back in 2018, I couldn’t believe my eyes when Ruby Rose made her sensational debut in the Arrowverse crossover, and then graced our screens as the iconic Kate Kane, aka Batwoman, in the CW drama. As a die-hard fan, it was nothing short of historic to witness a lesbian superhero leading her own show! The groundbreaking moment when Batwoman came out of the closet on TV left me utterly spellbound. However, just two days after the season one finale aired in 2020, I was heartbroken to hear that Ruby Rose would be stepping away from the role. But fear not, fellow fans, for Javicia Leslie has now stepped into the limelight as Ryan Wilder, ready to claim the Batcave and carry on the legacy in season two!

Later on in season two, Kate got a bit of a face swap and returned played by Wallis Day.

In 2020, at the conclusion of season five, America Ferrera chose to part ways with the show Superstore, leaving her character as Cloud 9’s manager vacant and the series without its main lead. However, due to the pandemic, she appeared in the first two episodes of season six. When it was decided that season six would be the last, she made a comeback for the series finale to ensure that Ben Feldman‘s characters Amy and Jonah received a satisfying conclusion.

In the 2019 finale of the Syfy series “The Magicians,” Jason Ralph’s character Quentin successfully embarked on a mission to rescue Eliot (Hale Appleman), but ultimately gave up his life in the process. Although the show often deals with deceased characters, Ralph did not reappear for the fifth and final season.

Ahead of the final season, Arrow‘s Emily Bett Rickards announced her exit in a poem of sorts.

Felicity and I are extremely close, but from the first to the seventh [day/part/event], we’ll have to take our leave.” (The context should help determine whether it’s days, parts, or events being referred to.)

She did, however, return for a guest appearance in the show’s 2020 series finale.

In the year 2018, after lengthy contract discussions, Lauren Cohan bid farewell to The Walking Dead. She briefly appeared in a few episodes of season nine, but following a significant time leap, her character Maggie Greene was absent. There were expectations that she might reappear in some form during season 10, and once her show Whiskey Cavalier was terminated, those hopes became reality. Cohan made a triumphant comeback in the 16th episode of this season, which aired in October 2020.

Shortly after Cohan and Andrew Lincoln left the zombie drama, Gurira also departed. She first appeared on the AMC series during season three as the character Michonne, armed with a katana. Her final appearance was in an episode of season 10, which aired in March 2020.

In the first season, Nicollette Sheridan was a recurring character, and she became a regular cast member in the second season, portraying the renowned Alexis Carrington. However, before the third season of the CW reboot in 2019, she decided to leave due to her mother’s poor health to spend quality time with her.

George Eads departed from the CBS remake in 2019, during the third season. At that point, he made it clear that he wanted to step away in order to devote more attention to his loved ones.

The television show Lethal Weapon, featuring Fox, has seen its fair share of behind-the-scenes turmoil. Actor Clayne Crawford was let go from the series following season two, and in October 2018, Damon Wayans, his co-star, announced his intention to leave the popular drama after completing the 13-episode third season. He stated, “I plan to quit the show in December once we finish the initial 13 episodes, so I’m not sure about their plans, but that’s what I’m planning.” Wayans, a 58-year-old diabetic, expressed his exhaustion from working long hours of 16 hours per day, echoing his character’s statement, “I’m too old for this.

The producers didn’t have to devise a new plan for the show since it was terminated after the third season had ended.

During the ninth season of Shameless, Cameron Monaghan’s character found himself behind bars. In real life, after nine years on the series, Monaghan was eager to venture into different projects. However, in a surprising turn of events for television, he agreed to rejoin the cast for season 10 and was back with the show when it came back for its eleventh and final season in December 2020.

After nine seasons as Fiona Gallagher, Emmy Rossum announced plans to leave Shameless in 2018.

Emmy Rossum will always be considered a beloved member of the ‘Shameless’ clan, according to executive producer John Wells. Her exceptional portrayal of Fiona and leadership behind the scenes have significantly contributed to the show’s success. We are currently working diligently on crafting a season nine finale for ‘Shameless’ that will provide a fitting farewell for Fiona, one that acknowledges Emmy’s outstanding performance. It is never easy when a valued cast member chooses to leave the fictional household, but we hope to keep the door open for potential visits or future returns. As we move forward with the tales of this unpredictable family on ‘Shameless’, we will all miss Emmy and her remarkable portrayal of Fiona.

Chelsea Peretti initially appeared on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” during its debut on NBC, but she didn’t stay for the entire series. In a string of tweets back in 2018, the actress revealed her decision to depart from the comedy, although she hinted at returning. Interestingly, she modeled her farewell message after Emily Rossum’s departure letter from “Shameless.” Peretti welcomed a son with husband Jordan Peele in 2017, and during this time, her character was on maternity leave and missed several episodes in season five.

In simpler terms, Andrew Lincoln, who played the role on “The Walking Dead”, bid farewell to the grueling, grimy world of the zombie apocalypse during season nine. At San Diego Comic-Con in July 2018, he expressed his gratitude saying, “This group has been my ideal surrogate family. However, I have a real family waiting at home, and it’s time for me to return.

15 years after starting her role, Pauley Perrette chose to take off her lab coat and depart from NCIS in 2018. Explaining her decision, she stated, “I have such strong faith in God and the universe that it became strikingly clear when it was time for me to go.” After careful consideration, she opted to break the news herself on Twitter to avoid any sensationalism. She emphasized that Abby’s departure was more than just a dramatic TV twist.

Pauley Perrette ended her 15-year stint with NCIS in 2018, citing her strong spiritual beliefs as the reason for her decision. She opted to share the news on Twitter rather than have it sensationalized, explaining that Abby’s exit was not just a TV plot device.

Willa Holland, a prominent cast member on The CW’s Arrow, was planning to leave the series for some time according to executive producer Marc Guggenheim in 2018. Holland requested a decrease in her episode appearances and eventually asked to be written off during season six. Interestingly, her departure occurred around the same time as the return of Thea’s partner Roy (Colton Haynes), leading them to depart together on a mission to neutralize the dangerous Lazarus Pits discovered by Thea’s late father.

Actress Grace Park, best known for her role on “Battlestar Galactica”, departed from the series “Hawaii Five-0” before its eighth season in 2017. She and fellow cast member Daniel Dae Kim chose to leave when discussions about achieving equal pay with their co-stars were unsuccessful.

Later on, Park shared with Entertainment Weekly, “I’m thankful for the insights gained, but I opted for what preserved my moral compass.” He added, “I understand that people are doing their utmost, and each person has unique experiences shaping them.

Similar to Park, Kim parted ways with CBS drama during the gap between seasons seven and eight. In a heartfelt Facebook post, Kim expressed that his decision to depart was challenging, stating that he was open for return but couldn’t reach an agreement on fresh terms with CBS regarding a new contract.

The NBC drama’s fourth season concluded with Sophia Bush’s character considering a job offer from the FBI in New York, which would take her away from the Windy City. In December 2018, the actress disclosed that she left the show following persistent instances of abusive treatment.

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2025-05-27 16:48