Why Christopher Abbott Left HBO's Girls After 2 Seasons
In the first two seasons of "Girls," Lena Dunham's defining portrait of messy millennials, Christopher Abbott played a fairly big role as Charlie, Marnie Michaels' (Allison Williams) on-again, off-again boyfriend. In Season 1, he's a sweet, quiet guy who, like Hannah (Dunham) and Marnie, graduated from Oberlin College. Deeply devoted to Marnie, his love comes across as stifling rather than romantic; his sensitivity is almost too delicate.
In Season 2, after their initial breakup, he resurfaces as a wealthy app developer. Marnie is stunned by his newfound wealth and success while her own life is floundering. He carries himself with a confidence and swagger that he didn't have before. By the end of "Girls" Season 2, the former couple seems poised to reconcile. But when Season 3 aired in 2014, Abbott was no longer part of the series. Many speculated that he had creative differences with Dunham. In a New York Times report from 2013, Abbott remained somewhat vague about his specific reasons for leaving the HBO series, while admitting to a general loss of interest in the show.
He said: "The world that Lena [Dunham] wrote was very real, especially in New York, but it wasn't as relatable for me on a personal level. It's not that I only like to play roles I know to a T, but there's something satisfying about playing parts where you really relate to the characters."
Christopher Abbott returns in Season 5 to close his arc
When Abbott left "Girls," Allison Williams told TVLine, "It's unfortunate that [Abbott] is no longer a part of the family ... The minute I heard the news, there wasn't a single doubt in my mind that [they] would come up with great stuff for Marnie to be doing." In Seasons 3 and 4, Marnie has a toxic marriage with a musician (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and tries to make a go of a career as a singer.
Abbott ended up returning for Season 5's "The Panic in Central Park," in which Marnie randomly runs into Charlie, and they have a whirlwind night on the town only for her to realize that he lives in squalor and is using heroin.