“Euphoria” is the latest TV series to kill off a major character. Here are some of the biggest small screen deaths over the past decades.
[Warning: Spoilers ahead. Yes, some of these episodes aired years ago, but others are from more recent — very recent — history.]
To fans, TV characters sometimes seem like old friends. This is why their deaths are often difficult, even in the fantasy world in which they live.
Over the years, many hit shows have killed off main characters at the height of their popularity, for various reasons. Perhaps one of the actors was ready to leave; Perhaps the narrative required this; Perhaps the writers were following the original source material; Or, in some cases, there was some bad behavior going on behind the scenes.
Whatever the reason, fans are often hit hard by departures, especially since the series itself has yet to end. Here we’ve rounded up 23 of the most shocking deaths in television history. From Henry Black’s heartbreaking and tragic journey home mash To Glenn Rhee’s brutal end at the hands of Negan’s bat Lucille The walking dead To the death of Logan Roy on a plane in the fourth season of succession And Joel’s brutal ending The last of usEach of these deaths was a serious punchline. Read on for more. (This story was first published in 2023 and has been updated.)
Joffrey Baratheon, “Game of Thrones”
Image credit: HBO It wasn’t a happy wedding for King Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) after all. Thrones He made a move that changed the series, as Joffrey was poisoned at his wedding feast. Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) is falsely accused and arrested, but the true culprits are later revealed to be Lady Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg) and Lord Petyr Baelish (Eden Gillen).
Logan Roy for “Caliphate”
Image credit: HBO He escaped death in the pilot episode, but finally caught the Roy family patriarch and media mogul in three episodes of the HBO drama’s fourth season. While traveling to Sweden for work, Logan (Brian Cox) is found in the bathroom of his private plane. Despite medical care and a series of chest compressions, he died as his children (except Connor) took turns saying goodbye over the phone. Even though it’s the final and final season of the Emmy Award-winning series, there are still seven episodes left to deal with the aftermath of Logan’s death.
Gus Fring, “Breaking Bad”
Image credit: Everett Giancarlo Esposito had to face the difficult truths of Season 4 of the AMC hit Very bad When creator Vince Gilligan told him that his character, drug kingpin Gus, would have his face blown up in the final episode of the year. “He gave me a full heads-up. I said, ‘Okay, okay, as long as it’s cool!’ And he said, ‘It will be! We want to blow your face off!'” The actor said, “We both thought it would be like Gus surviving an explosion for a few seconds — where he’d button his jacket, adjust his tie — and then kneel down and die.” THR. “Vince came up with this great way for me to leave, and I give him full credit.”
Lane Price for Mad Men
Image credit: Everett Nobody messes with Don Draper. mad men’Lane Price’s (Jared Harris) office door was never the same. The character chose to commit suicide rather than resign from his position after Jon Hamm (Draper) discovered that Lane had forged a company check in Don’s name. “It’s a bad time when someone says, ‘Come into my office,'” Harris said. THR. “There was some chit-chat on our way to the elevator, but when we got to the door, [showrunnerMatt Weiner] “So,” he said, “I have something I want to tell you.” I went, “Uh oh.” He said: Yes, I’m sorry. And then he offered me some very good brandy.”
Will Gardner “The Good Wife”
Photo credit: Heather Wines/CBS via Getty Images in “good wife”In the drama Your Honor, Lockhart Gardner lawyer Will Gardner (Josh Charles) is shot in the courtroom by his deranged client, and is later pronounced dead in hospital.
Charlie Harper, “Two and a Half Men”
Image credit: Everett After a bitter – and public – firing from CBS Two and a half mencreator Chuck Lorre wrote that embattled star Charlie Sheen would exit the series when his character, Charlie Harper, was hit by a speeding subway train, opening the door for the arrival of internet billionaire Ashton Kutcher.
Glenn Rhee, “The Walking Dead”
Image credit: Gene Page/AMC With so many horrific deaths, it’s hard to choose which one was the most surprising. But the death of Glenn Rhee (Steven Yeun), who has been with the AMC drama since the beginning, particularly affected fans. His brutal death came at the hands of Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and his bat Lucille in the season 7 premiere. Glenn’s death was also reminiscent of how the character died in Robert Kirkman’s comic book series. The episode also included the brutal murder of Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz) at the hands of Negan as well.
Adriana La Cierva, “The Sopranos”
Image source: Anthony Neste/Getty Images After many years of reluctantly working as an FBI informant, Adriana (Drea Di Matteo) finally comes clean in the fifth season of the series. The soprano Only for her boyfriend Christopher (Michael Imperioli) to sell her to the family. Silvio Dante (Steven Van Zandt) did the dirty work, taking her out into the woods, never to be seen again.
Ned Stark, “Game of Thrones”
Image credit: HBO to game of thrones For fans who weren’t familiar with George R.R. Martin’s books, seeing Ned Stark (Sean Bean) beheaded in Season 1 was quite a surprise as the HBO fantasy drama took a stab at its leading man.
Charlie Pace “Lost”
Image credit: Everett Dominic Monaghan’s Charlie Pace made the ultimate sacrifice for his fellow outcasts in season three. After Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick) begins predicting Charlie’s demise in dreams and visions, the former addict rock star sacrifices himself by drowning to save the other survivors. His character later appears in flashbacks and as a guide to his friend Hurley (Jorge Garcia) as well as in the season finale.
Eddie Brett, Desperate Housewives
Image credit: Everett Nicolette Sheridan’s Edie Britt died in a fallen power line accident after discovering her new husband’s revenge plan. But behind the scenes, there was a lot of drama over her departure: the actress filed a lawsuit against ABC and… Desperate Housewives creator and executive producer Marc Cherry, claiming she was dropped after she told the network that Cherry abused and beat her and other cast and crew members while they were on set. In October 2013, the judge rejected her attempt to revive the trial.
Derek Shepherd, “Grey’s Anatomy”
Image credit: Bob D’Amico/Disney General Entertainment content via Getty Images Derek Shepherd, played by Patrick Dempsey, Meredith Grey’s husband and longtime love interest, was killed off at the end of Season 11. He reappeared in a dream sequence during the Season 17 premiere and returned for the subsequent episode as well. For Dempsey, a fan favorite, the decision to exit the veteran medical drama came early, as he still has one year to go. His contract. “There were HR issues. It wasn’t sexual in any way. He was kind of terrorizing the group. Some of the cast members were having all kinds of PTSD with him,” executive producer James D. Parriott, who was brought back to the series to oversee Dempsey’s exit, recalled in Lynette Rice’s book. How to Save a Life: The Inside Story of Grey’s Anatomy.
Mark Green, “ER”
Image credit: Everett Anthony Edwards’ favorite Dr. Mark Green was written in 2008 after he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer. It was an emotional send-off for the character that came a year after he was first diagnosed with his condition, allowing the character to marry Dr. Elizabeth Corday (Alex Kingston) and see the birth of their daughter.
Gary Shepard, “Thirty Something”
Image credit: Everett A big development for fans waiting to find out if Nancy (Patricia Wittig) has entered recovery, as the good news at the hospital was followed by word that Gary, played by Peter Horton, had died in a car accident.
Kenny McCormick, “South Park”
Image credit: Everett “Oh my God! They killed Kenny! You bastards!” became one of South ParkHis weekly show catchphrases Kenny McCormick in various ways – from getting his head bitten off by Ozzy Osbourne to getting beaten up by spastic monkeys – over the course of nearly 80 episodes. But in 2001, creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker killed off the masked fourth grader forever with a slow, painful death from a terminal illness. Stone said at the time that it was an “easy decision.” “I think a lot of people probably didn’t notice,” Stone said at the time. “I couldn’t care less. I’m so tired of that character.” He was soon replaced by Stan’s new friend Butters.
George O’Malley, “Grey’s Anatomy”
Image Credit: Frank Ockenfels/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Who didn’t have their heart sank when TR Knight’s George O’Malley, unable to speak after being hit by a bus, identified himself by writing “007” on the hand of one of his best friends on the ABC medical drama. His exit came after Knight asked to be released from him Gray’s Anatomy The decade after clashes behind the scenes over reducing screen time.
Prue Halliwell, “Enchanted”
Image credit: Everett Prue Halliwell (Shannen Doherty), one of the Three Witch Sisters, was killed in Season 3 by Shax, the personal assassin of the dangerous Source of All Evil. Doherty’s departure came amid reports of a rift with star Alyssa Milano. While Doherty denied any falling out with her co-stars, Milano admitted to some “difficult days” on set. Following her departure, Rose McGowan was brought in as Halliwell’s long-lost sister to fill the void.
Marissa Cooper, “The OC”
Image credit: Everett Marissa Cooper, played by Mischa Barton, heads to Greece to live with her father at the end of the year OC”Season three. While her boyfriend, Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie), was driving her back to the airport, her vengeful ex-boyfriend, Kevin Volchok (Cam Gigandet), ran her off the road, causing the car to roll over several times, resulting in her death. Series creator Josh Schwartz later said that the decision to kill off Marissa was purely creative: “It had a lot to do with creatively feeling like this was always in the cards for this character and she was an inherently tragic heroine, and part of the Ryan/Marissa story was him trying to save her from a fate she couldn’t be saved from.”
Rita Morgan, “Dexter”
Image credit: Everett Julie Benz’s Rita Morgan was – until the series finale claimed Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) – the biggest victim in the life of serial killer Dexter Morgan. After coming face to face with director John Lithgow’s Emmy Award-winning Trinity Killer, Dexter (Michael C. Hall) discovers his wife dead in a blood-filled bathtub — with their young son Harrison sitting nearby in a scene reminiscent of Dex’s childhood.
Henry Blake, “M*A*S*H”
Image credit: Everett Lt. Colonel Henry Blake, M.D. (McLean Stevenson) suffered one of the most tragic and heartbreaking deaths in television history. After Stevenson announced his intention to leave the show at the end of season three, it was decided to “use the character’s departure in a meaningful way,” creator Larry Gelbart said. “mash It wasn’t about everyone having a good time. mash It wasn’t about happy endings. So, after he finally got out, he said his goodbyes to Blake and left by helicopter. In the final scene of the episode, Radar (Gary Burghoff) announces that Blake was killed when his plane was shot down over the Sea of Japan. The character’s fate shocked the nation — and most of the cast and crew.
Nicholas Brody, Homeland
Photo credit: Kent Smith/Showtime Networks/Courtesy Everett Collection As one character once so eloquently pointed out, Brody (Damian Lewis) was something of a cockroach — until, of course, the Showtime series killed off one half of the central duo by hanging him in front of an angry crowd at the end of Season 3. Brody technically died a hero, although after three difficult years as a terrorist-turned-informant, his motives were still a bit muddy. However, he’s not completely gone for good: in the season 4 episode “Redux”, Brody appears in Carrie’s (Claire Danes) drug-induced hallucination.
Joel Miller, “The Last of Us”
Photo credit: Leanne Hensher/HBO In keeping with the story of the video game, it is based on the second episode of the second season of The last of us Abby saw Kaitlyn Dever bring Joel Pedro Pascal to his death. For viewers unfamiliar with the video game and who followed the hit HBO series, Joel’s death may have come as a surprise, although die-hard fans knew that Abby would avenge her father’s death. For the actors, it was the death they had been eagerly awaiting. “[Pascal] “I was looking forward to this moment because it had been hanging over everything for so long,” said co-creator Craig Mazin. THR. “But I know it’s also for him and for Bella [Ramsey]It was difficult because they became so beautifully intertwined with each other.
Nate Jacobs, “Ecstasy”
Image credit: Eddie Chen/HBO In the penultimate episode of Ecstasy In the third, and rumored to be the last, season, Nate Jacobs, played by Jacob Elordi, dies from a venomous snake bite after being buried alive in a coffin due to debts he owes to Naz (Jack Topalian). When his wife Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) and ex-girlfriend Maddie (Alexa Demme) try to save him, they discover he’s already dead after digging up the coffin. This moment marks the first time a major character has been killed off in the series. After the episode’s release, the Oscar nominee said he thought the scene was “a great way to move forward.”
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