Hit TV series are a form of addictive, long-lasting escapism. Not only are you meant to enjoy their elaborate plot, but you’re also bound to get attached to some of the main and secondary characters. Maybe you find them endearing. Maybe you admire them. They probably remind you of someone you cherish. Or it’s just that you enjoy following their arc and are invested in their demeanor and personality.
And then, lo and behold, the rug is suddenly pulled out from under your feet. you may no longer see the fictional companions you’ve come to care about because they are killed, due to a creative, contractual, or personal decision. The reason is irrelevant in the now, though you might find a plausible meaning later on in the show. You’re not thrilled that you were caught off guard, and you wonder whether that death is absolutely necessary to the advancement of the story. Sometimes you even still think about it, long after the show has ended.
Here is a selection of unforgettable TV character deaths that were not always premature, but were often met with distressed or irate objection from fans around the world. Naturally,Game of Throneshas been left out, as itdefinitely deserves a list of its own.
Alison Bailey—The Affair
The Affair, a somber and slow-paced romance drama and thriller, follows two families between Brooklyn and Montauk, and is told from each main character’s point of view. At the beginning of the first season, one might not feel particularly sympathetic towards the erratic, moody, and fragile Alison Bailey (Ruth Wilson)—but it is soon revealed that she is still grieving the loss of her little boy, who drowned at sea.
In Season 4, viewers discover that her death wasn’t a suicide but that she was killed by her emotionally unstable boyfriend, Ben (Ramón Rodríguez), after an extremely violent altercation. As Ben is carrying her bleeding and semi-conscious body to dump it into the ocean, sealing her fate with her son’s, a voice-over reveals her last thoughts:
“What in God’s name do you think you may do to me that I haven’t done to myself a million times? I have been in pain my entire life. And maybe that’s what makes people think that I’m weak. And maybe that makes people treat me like some sort of receptacle for all their grief and rage and disappointment, but I am f–king sick of it.”
Unsurprisingly, this role earned Wilson a Golden Globe for Best Actress in 2014.
Glenn Rhee—The Walking Dead
SinceThe Walking Deadis a show about zombies, people are likely to get bitten or eaten alive in every episode. That’s understandable. But in that post-apocalyptic world, it’s the humans who have proven to be the most feral. They’d do anything to protect their inner circle, even resort to cannibalism, as if people’s chances of survival weren’t already dwindling by the minute. The show’s most brutal death—a true testament to human cruelty—occurs in the Season 7 premiere, when Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) savagely bashes in the head offan-favorite Glenn Rhee(Steven Yeun) with his baseball bat in front of his pregnant wife and his friends.
Though the sweet and loyal Glenn dies similarly in the comics, the audience had been tricked into thinking he’d be spared at the cost of Abraham in the Season 6 finale. In the end, they both meet the same horrifying (and messy) fate.
Beth Greene—The Walking Dead
Beth (Emily Kinney) undergoes a survival journey that transforms her from an emotional and suicidal teenager to a determined fighter. She even manages to establish a special bond with the reserved Daryl (Norman Reedus). But then, she is abducted by a group of corrupt former police officers and held at the hospital they’ve been occupying. Daryl and the gang go through a lot to find her and are about to rescue her when she suddenly grabs scissors and stabs her kidnappers’ leader, leading him to instinctively (or accidentally) shoot her in the head. The scene of Daryl carrying Beth’s body outside the hospital to her hopeful, then distressed, sister is absolutely heartbreaking.
Related:The Walking Dead: 8 Most Memorable Character Deaths in the Series, Ranked
Lexa—The 100
In dystopian sci-fi dramaThe 100, Clarke Griffin (Eliza Taylor), the main protagonist, gets her fair share of misery throughout the seasons, but her relationship with Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carey), the Commander of the Coalition, is thought to be the most popular in the series. Lexa is a beautiful, ultra-strong woman who is revered in a harsh, post-apocalyptic world, and yet she is killed by a mere stray bullet that was actually meant for Clarke—a decision that outraged LGBTQ+ viewers, warrantedan apology from the showrunner, and lead to this hearbreaking exchange:
Lexa:My fight is over.
Clarke:No, I won’t accept that.
Lexa:You were right, Clarke. Life is about more than just surviving.
Clarke:In peace, may you leave the shore. In love, may you find the next. Safe passage on your travels until our final journey on the ground… May we meet again.
Crowley—Supernatural
In the dark fantasy dramaSupernatural, Crowley, portrayed by Mark Sheppard, is a sardonic, charismatic, and elegantly-dressed crossroads demon who used to be human and later becomes the King of Hell. Despite being a villain, he occasionally forms an alliance with the main protagonists, the Winchester brothers. In Season 12, he shocks viewers by growing a conscience and stabbing himself with an angel blade, as a necessary step in a spell to lock Lucifer away in an alternate reality.
His nonchalant and iconic “Goodbye, boys!” makes his sacrifice all the more moving.
Tara Knowles-Teller—Sons of Anarchy
In the action crime dramaSons of Anarchy, Tara (Maggie Siff) is Jax’s (Charlie Hunnam) wife and his only ray of light in his dark, messy, and bloody gangster biker life. They used to be high school sweethearts, and when Tara comes back to town to run away from an abusive relationship and pursue her medical career, they rekindle their flame, despite their different personalities and lifestyles. Together, they raise their son and the child Jax shares with his ex.
Then, in Season 6, Tara is brutally stabbed in the head and neck with a barbecue fork by Gemma, her controlling and suspicious mother-in-law, beautifully portrayed by Katey Sagal. Gemma doesn’t like Tara’s hold on Jax and doesn’t want her to influence him into making a deal that would give them a way out of the club.
Related:Sons of Anarchy: 10 Best Characters from the Series, Ranked
Ruth Langmore—Ozark
Julia Garner won 3 Primetime Emmy Awardsfor Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her portrayal of Ruth Langmore in the blue-hued Netflix family crime drama,Ozark. Ruth is a fan favorite because she is both sensitive and strong, naive and sassy, loyal and ambitious, but mostly because she delivers iconic one-liners, such as “If you want to stop me, you’re gonna have to f**king kill me!”
In the final season, Ruth kills Javi, the man who eliminated her cousin Wyatt, and she is in turn shot by Javi’s own vengeful mother.
Jadzia Dax—Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
TheStar Trekfranchise is no stranger to killing off characters in almost every single episode (especially red-shirts), but the murder ofDeep Space 9’s chief science officer Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) is one for the books. Dax is a symbiont Trill; she is fused with 7 previous hosts and has access to their memories, skills, and knowledge, and that is what makes her such a unique character. She works on the space station DS9, where her beauty, sense of humor, and combat skills win the heart of the aloof Klingon Worf (Michael Dorn).
Jadzia and Worf get married in Season 6, and their ceremony is grandiose, as one would expect from a Klingon wedding. In the season finale, aptly titledTears of the Prophets, one of the series villains, the Cardassian Dukat, possessed by a Pah-wraith spirit, teleports into the temple that Dax is visiting and kills her with bolts of energy. The station’s doctor is able to save the symbiont, which will go into another host, but it’s too late for Jadzia’s body. Worf is devastated by this loss, so soon after they’ve discussed conceiving.
Zeke Landon—Manifest
In the hit supernatural mystery drama,Manifest, Zeke (Matt Long), a former alcoholic turned counselor, may have cheated death twice, but a third time would be pushing it. After resurrecting from freezing to death in a cave and being pulled into a frozen lake, Zeke commits the ultimate selfless, heroic act. He chooses to use his empathic ability to absorb the leukemia out of his wife’s nephew, Cal, and dies in his stead.
Elijah and Klaus Mikaelson—The Originals
The fantasy supernatural drama,The Originals, is a spin-off of the popular seriesThe Vampire Diaries. It centers around the Mikaelson siblings, the very first vampire family, and their recent power struggles in New Orleans. In the finale, the noble and reserved Elijah Mikaelson (Daniel Gillies) and his passionate and cunning brother Klaus (Joseph Morgan) have one last heart-to-heart before sacrificing their lives. Because he has absorbed the Hollow, which would have amplified his darkest tendencies and endangered his family, Klaus chooses to die.
Klaus:What if there’s nothing after this, no peace, just darkness?
Elijah:We face it together. As always.
Klaus:I don’t deserve the love you’ve given me, brother. But I am so grateful.
Elijah:It’s been a glorious ride, Niklaus. And my greatest honor.
Shortly after this uncharacteristically demonstrative dialogue,the brothers stake each other, in an ultimate act of redemption. The wind then scatters their ashes all over the city, poetically signaling the end of their 1000 years of suffering.
