12 stars who walked away from their successful TV shows

Michael Yarish/Warner Bros. Entertainment/ABC

"The Big Bang Theory" star Jim Parsons decided that after 12 seasons it was time for him to say goodbye to Sheldon Cooper and the CBS sitcom. A deal that would have reportedly nabbed the actor more than $50 million over two years couldn't convince the actor to stay.

Even in its 11th season, "The Big Bang Theory" was still the most-watched show on television with an average of 18.6 million viewers, according to Deadline. Despite the strong ratings, CBS decided that with Parson's exit it was time to end the show.

Parsons' choice to leave clearly wasn't an easy one. In a lengthy and heartfelt post on Instagram, he thanked everyone involved with the show, as well as the fans.

"I will miss all of you and all of this more than I can say and more than I can know at this time," he wrote.

Of course, Parsons isn't the only actor to make the difficult decision to leave a hit show.

Take a look at 11 other stars who walked away from successful TV series below:

Kal Penn left "House" to join the Obama administration.

Heal & Toe Films

After playing Dr. Lawrence Kutner on "House" for two seasons, actor Kal Penn temporarily left Hollywood for the White House. When Penn became an associate director for the Obama administration's Office of Public Liaison, his character on "House" was killed off.

Mischa Barton had enough of playing Marissa Cooper on "The O.C."

CW

After three seasons of drama, Mischa Barton was tired of playing Marissa Cooper. After her character's death, the actress told "Access Hollywood," "My character has been through so, so much and there's really nothing more left for her to do."

Later, Barton admitted that she wasn't having a very good time on the show.

"I think I just got to the point where I was like, ‘I'm not sure I'm enjoying this anymore,'" she said in a segment taped for "Dancing With the Stars" in 2016.

Christopher Meloni walked away from "Law and Order: SVU" after 12 years.

Wolf Films

Christopher Meloni decided it was time to turn in his badge and leave Detective Elliot Stabler behind after salary negotiations hit a wall, according to the New York Times.

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