Christopher Abbott at the Tribecca Film Fest

Dominik Bindl/Getty Images

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




Marnie (Allison Williams) in a red v-cut dress leans on Charlie's (Christopher Abbott) shoulder as they sit wet on empty subway seats with serious expressions

HBO

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.Â