Stargate SG-1 has lost Richard Dean Anderson, but dunno if it’ll survive long now.
*The Andy Griffith Show * continued (sorta) for a few years after Andy Griffith left the show. *Mayberry RFD * ran three years and ranked #15 in the Nielsen Ratings in its final season. It was cancelled when CBS cancelled all their rural comedies at once.
ER survived the loss of George Clooney.
Star Trek TNG survived the loss of Tash Yar (though she had a couple of guest spots later as Sela).
Star Trek Voyager survived the loss of Kess (though she was essentially replaced by Seven of Nine)
Oh blast, I forgot…
Star Trek Deep Space Nine survived the loss of Jadzia Dax
They killed Kenny!
24 is in it’s 4th season with only Keifer Sutherland left from the 1st season and only one other from last year, so far.
AND Wesley Crusher, don’t forget Wesley Crusher!
Valerie became The Hogan Family and was slightly better after she left (probably because the actors seem a lot more comfortable and at ease. After her big snit when she left the show in a huff, the writers had her character die in a car accident, it drew the remaining characters together well, then added the ingredient of having their aunt take on the role of “mom”. I didn’t watch the show much, but I didn notice an improvement in Harper’s absence.
The show that popped into my head was “Laverne and Shirley.”
Though “survived” might be a bit strong.
was on for years after the star (Lisa Bonet sp?) left after season 1.
I had until now. Thanks a lot.
Pffft. I’m suprised TNG survived WITH Wesley Crusher.
If you’re going to include them, you might as well say Janice Rand from Star Trek as well. None were important or a major character even though the two you named did have their names in the opening credits.
Jadzia in DS9, which you mentioned in a follow-up post, is a good call though and one I thought about making myself.
Farscape has had more of it’s fair share of main character loss (even if some did return…)
Ka’ D’argo; blown out of Moya in season 1 finale, exposed to the hard vaccumn of space, revived in S2, killed and brainsucked in “Eat Me”, killed (or was he) in Peacekeeper Wars
John Crichton; Cave-Crichton (maybe) and Future-Crichton die in “My 3 Crichtons”, decapitated in “Look at the Princess 2”, killed (temporarily) by Harvey in “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, Talyn-John killed in Infinite Possibilities 2, crystallized in PK Wars
Aeryn Sun; killed by John/Harvey in “Die Me Dichotomy”, returned in S3, crystallized in PK Wars
P’Au Zotoh Zahn; sacrificed her life to save her shipmates in Self Inflicted Wounds 2
Stark; dispersed in The Ugly Truth
Chiana; killed and brain-sucked in “Eat Me”, “ChAeryn” killed by Scorpy in “A Constellation of Doubt”
Bialar Crais; commits suicide in “Into the Lions Den 2”
Talyn; commits suicide in “ITLD2”
Jool; nuked in PK wars
yes, most of the characters returned at some point, the only ones that stayed truly dead were Zhann and Talyn John
oh yeah, and Jool as well, looks like D is dead too, you get a kid named in your memory, you’re dead for good… 
Hey, do soap opera’s count?
You listed *Voyager *already, so I don’t see why not.
I actually had an e-mail debate with a TV critic about this. After John Ritter died she wrote in her column that no sitcom had ever survived the loss of its lead character.
I wrote her that sitcoms had been replacing characters at least as far back as Danny Thomas switching wives in the 1950s. And I specifically noted three shows: MAS*H, Cheers and The Hogan Family.
She replied (rather abruptly, IMHO) that Alan Alda had already become the focus of MAS*H when McLean Stevenson and Wayne Rogers left, and Shelley Long could only be considered one of two leads.
Even accepting her interpretation, I still have to point out that The Hogan Family did at least as well without Valerie Harper.
Maverick also continued for several years without James Garner, but I don’t think anyone would argue it was as good.
Babylon 5 survived (some say thrived) after Micheal O’Hare (Sinclair) left (tho he did return as a guest star afew times).
Doctor Who used the change in the main actor as a recurring theme. And there were several changes in companions.
Brian