When Morgan Fairchild decided not to continue on the 1995 soap opera "The City," the show had a ready-made exit strategy: a serial killer. Fairchild, a soap opera regular, had joined the series as Sydney Chase. "The City" was a spin-off of the 1983 soap "Loving," which ended after a crazed serial killer killed a large portion of its ensemble in its final arc. The survivors resettled in Manhattan in "The City" and welcomed Sydney into the group. Fairchild had signed on for one year and opted not to return when her contract was up.
Rather than devise another write-off, the spin-off repeated the serial-killer device. Sydney was killed by a new murderer, who was later revealed to be Molly, played by Melissa Dye, another member of the group. Molly left many other characters alive, but "The City" did not generate strong viewership, and ABC canceled it in 1997.
Fairchild's career continued after "The City." Her soap credits include "Days of Our Lives," "General Hospital," "The Bold and the Beautiful" and others, while her film and television work includes "Friends," "The Seduction," "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" and "Happy Days." In an interview with Yahoo! Creators, she said she enjoys seeing women working as directors, stage managers, assistant directors and cinematographers across the industry, and called it nice to see women come into their own. She also noted current efforts around women's rights and said they would keep fighting.
Sources: TVLine.