R14 actually, Did Groh's departure ruined the show.
Joe was written out by the creators, because they suddenly decided they wanted Rhoda to be "single and independent." (This was the 1970s, the height of the women's liberation movement.) However, that boneheaded decision immensely backfired.
RHODA was a Top 10 show in Season 1 and Season 2 -- the wedding episode drew a record-breaking 52 million viewers and became a pop culture phenomenon -- but when they divorced in Season 3, the ratings plummeted and never recovered. Ultimately, CBS cancelled the series midway through Season 5.
- Season 1: #6
- Season 2: #7
- Season 3: #33
- Season 4: #21
- Season 5: #95
MORAL OF THE STORY: Do not force onto your audience what they never asked for. Something that Hollywood has never learned, it seems.