Controversy around Doyle's exit from Angel

I had no idea how much drama there was about this situation. Some people thought he was taken out at the last minute because he wasn't working out (and now it definitely seems possible that it could be related to his drug use.) Joss claims they wanted to kill him all along. Wonder what the truth is?

David Boreanaz was interviewed in the March 00 issue of FANGORIA...

FANGORIA: There were rumors of conflicts on the set with Glenn Quinn, who played Doyle in the first season. Is there anything you want to say about that?

DB: Glenn is like a brother to me. It just didn't work as far as the connections with the characters were concerned. They were two dynamic, brooding people. The writers attempted to separate them, but we found that they were getting closer and closer. So it wasn't conflict, it was a breathing-room thing. He's doing great—he's a great actor, and I look forward to working with him again down the line.

Charisma Carpenter said this at the time:
The party line states that Doyle was never intended to be a permanent fixture on the show, but was to be killed off midway from the start. Scuttlebutt, however, suggests that Quinn was let go after the producers determined that the character had outlived his usefulness, that he simply wasn't working out. "I really don't know which is which and I don't ask," Carpenter says. "All I know is that I am sad. I was very sad to see Glenn go. Personally, there was a kinship. There is a friendship that forms when you work that many hours. He was very charismatic and jolly and just an all-around fun person to be with."

"As far as the characters go, Cordelia and Doyle had such a great, great relationship. There was a lot of chemistry. My Mom said, 'I was really sad to see him go because I really felt for him wanting to get to you. I felt he was going to reach you and then he pulled back. And it was so compelling.' So I think the show suffers a bit for taking that away. But Joss and David are very smart. They're very good writers, so I'm sure they'll make up for it in some other area. I don't think that our show is going to die, that we'll lose out momentum or anything. But I have a little bit of a thorn in my heart over it."

Ironic that she was the next casualty from "the wrath of Joss". Check out this site for all the juicy gossip:
http://www.loony-archivist.com/doyle/frames.htm

Also check this link out for a thoughtful piece on Joss's (sometimes poor) decision to kill off characters:
http://www.culturemagazine.ca/content/view/55/50/