Character deaths are a part of any gripping television show, but some seem to have more impact than others. This list goes through some of the big shows of the past few decades and highlights a few of the more memorable, tragic ones.
Obviously a lot of this is subjective and based on the shows I loved and have seen, so feel free to add your own suggestions in the comments, and explain why a character’s death made such an impact on you. Spoilers for current shows like Sons of Anarchy, Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones follow.
Opie (Sons of Anarchy)
There have been many, many deaths over the course of Sons of Anarchy, but none were so heartbreaking as Opie’s. It was completely unexpected, coming in the early-to-middle part of the season where big characters never die. It made sense given that the man had pretty much lost everything, but it was still horrible to see, and his death has continued to affect Jax since.
Jimmy (Boardwalk Empire)
Shows rarely kill off their lead characters, but when they do, it’s shocking. Boardwalk Empire used to split time between Steve Buscemi’s Nucky Thompson and Michael Pitt’s Jimmy Darmondy. Eventually, their relationship soured and came to a head when it became clear one of them had to go. It looked like it was going to be Nucky, but in the end, Jimmy fell, and the show changed forever.
Ned Stark (Game of Thrones)
Ned Stark’s death didn’t shock book readers, but it caught the entire television audience off guard and cemented Game of Thrones as a show willing to kill off anyone and everyone, including, some would argue, its lead character. Ned learned the hard way that honor comes at a price, and that price was his head.
JR (Dallas)
JR was the head honcho on Dallas for years and years, and even had his own season dedicated to his getting shot. The series actually ended with another gunshot, JR’s implied suicide which left many shocked that he’d killed himself in the finale. It was later revealed he shot a mirror instead of himself, however so this one may be cheating.
Maude Flanders (The Simpsons)
The Simpsons never age, so surely no one on the show can ever die, right? In a surprisingly touching episode, Ned Flanders loses his beloved wife and his two sons Rod and Tod are orphaned. He initially blames Homer for causing the accident that leads to her demise, but later forgives him like the good Christian he is. Ned actually remarried years later in the series.
Alaric (The Vampire Diaries)
The Vampire Diaries has so much mythology based around it, no one ever REALLY dies at this point, but in the first few seasons when Alaric was killed, it was one of the show’s best, saddest moments. He was Damon’s only friend, and the emotion between the two characters was heartbreaking as Alaric knew he was resigning himself to death after trying to stop Klaus. Alaric has returned in ghostly form a few times, but it’s not really the same.
Robb and Catelyn Stark (Game of Thrones)
The Red Wedding will forever go down in TV history as one of the most shocking scenes of all time, and it’s the reason that Game of Thrones gets two major entries on this list rather than just one. Well, three, if you’re counting Catelyn and Robb separately. They learned why you don’t disrespect the Frey’s the hard way, and their deaths add to the already terrible misfortune of the remaining Starks.
Deborah (Dexter)
Deb’s death on the series finale of Dexter wasn’t so much sad in terms of the actual event, but sad in terms of how it was handled. Deb gets shot, goes into a coma, wakes up to absolve Dexter, and then goes back into a coma and turns into a vegetable. Dexter turns off her life support, steals her body during a hurricane and dumps it with his other murder victims. Deb dying would have been sad enough, but how poorly they handled it was the real tragedy here.
Matthew (Downton Abbey)
Downton Abbey is filled with tragic deaths, but they’re born not out of the story, but of actors wanting to leave. Matthew wanted gone, so the writers were forced to permanently end the life of what many would deem to be the lead of the entire show. Just after the birth of his child, he was killed in a horrible, random traffic accident and fans went crazy with grief over such a senseless loss.
Marissa (The OC)
After Marissa died on The OC (as a result of another car accident) things went downhill, but this episode was amazing and horribly sad all at the same time. It had many mirrors to the pilot as Ryan dealt with the loss, and the haunting rendition of “Hallelujah” is forever etched in my mind.
Charlie (Lost)
Nearly everyone ended up dying on lost in the end, but Charlie’s big finish was the saddest of them all. He used his final moments before drowning to indicate that the boat nearby was NOT Penny’s, resulting in the immortal scene where he puts his hand on the window with the information.
Seymour (Futurama)
Jurassic Bark remains one of the saddest episodes of any show ever, and in it we learn that after Fry was transported to the future, his dog Seymour waited for him every day until he died. This was actually based on a real story and a real dog who was this loyal to his master after death.
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I guess the author doesn’t care for sci-fi at all? What about Laura Roslin – BSG, John Sheridan – Babylon 5, Callie Henderson – BSG?
Michael Scofield – Prison Break
Mark Greene on ER will always haunt me.
oh and Ben (Brendan Frasier) on Scrubs.
I tear up just thinking of that episode of Scrubs. I believe John C. Reilly’s acting at the end was on par with some of the great Academy Award winners. When JD asks him where he thinks he is and the reality finally hits him….just “wow.” #Lucalean
Of course, it was just a small 2 or 3 minute scene, lol. But he was able to convey so much sorrow and grief….didn’t mean to imply that was the same as carrying a 2 1/2 hour movie but I highly recommend that episode even if you’re not a Scrubs fan.
Since you mentioned ER, let me suggest the murder of intern Lucy Knight (Kelly Martin) and attempted murder of Dr. John Carter (Noah Wylie). Carter is lying on the floor, unable to call for help, while Lucy bleeds out.
You’ve missed so so many of the really sad ones! But thanks for the Opie shoutout! #SOA
LOST! The best and saddest death (while really meaningful) was Jack’s death, perfect counterpoint to the first scene of the Pilot. Charlie’s death was just a copy of Vaughn’s “death” in the Alias season 1 finale, thus failed to impress me, and truth is… I didn’t care much about the annoying Charlie anyway, and Claire didn’t seem to care much either in the following episodes lol!
2 of them are in Got…so far. Just saying!
Leo McGarry, Mrs. Landingham, and Simon Donovan -The West Wing …River Song- Doctor Who, Data-Star Trek: Nemesis, And most Definitely Laura Roslin -BSG (She was so freaking close to making it through the show)
I was torn up by the death of Lem on The Shield.
How do you leave off the grand-daddy of all deaths, Henry Blake?
I STILL can’t watch that episode without getting a lump in my throat!
Youngsters today have no idea what quality tv is.
Almost every show on this list is pretty new. How can they claim it’s the saddest in TV history?
I don’t think this is quite true. We have Mad Men, Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, not to mention Sons of Anarchy, Breaking Bad, Cosmos, Walking Dead (not my cup if tea but a huge following) and House of Cards, to name a few.
While the years gone by had their share of good tv, I think the overall quality for acting, writing and costume/sets is just fantastic these days. Plus, diversity. Green Acres didn’t offset Perry Mason and for every Soap there was a Small Wonder. Just MHO but I can see today really being considered a terrific time for TV and so do many others.
Quite true, actually. The advent of hundreds of channels instead of the three (basically) we grew up with makes the difference — and the relaxation of the abominable “codes” forced on the writers & directors.
Jimmy Smits’ character’s death in NYPD Blue, how many episodes did that take, and ts effect on his wife.
That and Henry Blake were the first two I thought of when I saw this.
Start by ignoring all television produced before 2000, like the author of the article?
Never watched any of those shows, so they’re no loss to me (plus their FICTIONAL characters, not REAL people!) – except that I do remember watching that Simpsons episode – I thought it was more shocking in a surprise kind of way…
What about Joe Coffey (Ed Marinaro) in Hill Street Blues? That was the first of the real shockers.
or how the sarge died in the midst of well it.
Wow…no one has mentioned Edith Bunker yet?
Another good one. They really dropped the ball on this list. Come on, a death from the Vampire Diaries??? Are you serious?
Saddest of all for me was Jimmy Smits’ character Bobby Simone on NYPD Blue. I cried and cried. :-( His character had finally found love again and then he dies?!?!
this was my pick too
Totally missed Ianto Jones from Torchwood, and his heartbreaking death in the arms of his partner, for absolutely no reason. Still makes me cry…
Apparently here the word “history” means the last 7 years….
LOL
You speak the truth, potus.
The whole finale of six feet under
My List of Recent History:
1. T-Dog from TWD
2. Brian Griffen
3. Charlie from Lost
4. Laura Rosselin BSG
5. Merle from TWD
6. Lanto Jones from Torch Wood
7. River Song from Doctor Who
8. Sophia from TWD
9. Eddard Stark from TGOT
10. Charlie from 2 1/2 Men
11. Dale from TWD
12. Annastasia DEE Dualla from BSG
Just my list, but please note it is Recent History
Does River Song really count? Her essence (soul?) was “saved” after all!
And it’s “Torchwood”…not Torch Wood.
BSG??? Finally figured that one out. Battlestar Galactica. So it’s really BG.
Yeah, but calling it “BG” in fanboy/girl circles would definitely get you looked at funny.
OK this says TV history. jimmy Smits character in NYPD Blue and those birds! seriously out does cartoon characters. And Henry Blake in MASH. Some of these deaths I never heard of, but everyone knew about MASH and NYPD Blue.
What? No Kenny?!? ;)
Good Times. Death of James.
Ooh that’s a good one too. I watched this in reruns and actually saw the episodes without James before I saw the episodes with him. I bet if I saw them in order his death would have had a big effect on me.
Fred from Angel would have been number one on my list. It wasn’t enough to kill her, they had to obliterate her soul so that she could never come back! Wash from Serenity and Firefly also broke my heart. I don’t care if they’re fictional! Tara from Buffy the Vampire Slayer traumatized me also. And Joyce.
Getting away from Joss Whedon (reluctantly), Mike on Desperate Housewives was cruel and unnecessary.
Wash died in the movie, that’s why I personally left him out of my list and Fred, or at least the woman playing her, was still on the show. Again why she didn’t make my list.
That’s true about Wash, but Fred was definitely dead. Sure Amy Acker got to stay on the show and I actually liked her evil God character after awhile (especially when she beat up Spike) but Fred’s death was still the saddest that I have ever seen on TV. Especially since she had just barely FINALLY gotten together with Wesley. The “Why can’t I stay?” line makes me cry like a baby. Cordelia’s death should have been sad, but it just didn’t have the power of Fred’s. It was too dragged out and diluted by her being possessed and then in a coma. I guess you could also count Buffy’s death (the second one) as being very sad also. Sure, she came back, but it was still extremely sad when it happened.
This list is nuts. You yourself gave it the headline “12 of the Saddest Character Deaths in TV History” and yet you leave out all of the biggies:
1) Henry Blake (Mash)
2) Joyce Summers (Buffy)
3) Laura Roslyn (BSG)
4) Duella (BSG)
5) Edith Bunker (All in the Family)
6) Mr. Hooper (yes from Sesame Street)
7) Mrs. Landingham (West Wing)
8) Leo McGarry (West Wing)
9) Tara and Anya (Buffy) – Both very sad in their own ways
And if you insist on having only new shows, how about adding Finn from Glee. The memorial episode was a tearjerker for anyone who has felt the loss or can imagine feeling the loss of a child.
Ooooo I forgot about Henry Blake. That was horrible.
Mr. Hooper….whoadang! You have a heck of a good memory. A+
Ok. It wasn’t “12 important moments in Buffy Fangirl history”
That Buffy episode with her mother, Joyce, was an amazing and revolutionary piece of filmmaking that really provided a kick to the feels even after it was over. It certainly belongs on the list.
A saccharine show written for a tween mentality at its most syrupy and false is nothing to be memorialized.
Saccharine, syrupy? Of the criticisms that have been leveled against BtVS, those are particularly uncommon and make me suspect you never even watched. Most of the time it was having far too much fun to be remotely accused of either. When it did literally go in for the kill, it was usually quite effective.
(And hey, let’s not forget Jenny Calendar. Hit harder than Anya and I’d say even Joyce, due to the circumstances.)
While mentioning BSG, you have to admit that Kara’s death (until we knew that she wasn’t dead) was quite a shocker. Also, the original author pointed to Matthew’s death in Downton being a shocker – I thought Lady Sybil’s was much more of a WT? moment.
As for the rest, I agree, Henry Blake got me as a kid…. and as a PS for recent shows: how about Hershel on TWD and Layne on Mad Men?
Really!? No Hank from Breaking Bad?
That wasn’t sad. It was just a little bit of justice for his victims.
Nothing from Six Feet Under or “ER”??? I agree with some of this incomplete list, but some major deaths were left out. . .
I don’t know what BSD or TWD mean. I know you mean Game of Thrones (GOT) with TGOT.
Still haven’t figured out BSD, but TWD is The Walking Dead…ignore it!
Regarding slide #8, the plural of Frey would be Freys. No apostrophe.
You can’t leave Dr. Green’s (ER) death off of this list! I cried until I didn’t have tears left!
Missed one and it was a biggie too! Mark Green from ER. When his character passed it was one of the most watched episodes. I still can’t listen to Over The Rainbow with out thinking of Mark Green.
no sophia from the walking dead?
Or Lori. I was depressed for two weeks after that one.
Headline should have read 12 of the Saddest Character Days in RECENT TV History
I’d add a recent one. Detective Joss Carter on Person of Interest. Should have known it was coming when she was talking to Finch about how she had figured out how he and Reese do what they do to help people. That and the fact that Reese kissed her before he thought he was going to go off to die.
this is dumb how can they be the saddest when i have neer heard of most of them and despised alomst every show that was mentioned
i can think of many that where much worse as a fictional character
ranging from mike franks (ncis) to kate (ncis) and the list can go on and on who ever made this list must be very young i guess
An article about tragic or shocking TV deaths without mention of Prop Joe? Sure there are lots you may have left off, but this shows you weren’t even trying.
Here’s one more:
“Hill Street Blues”: Gina (Jennifer Tilly) gets four in the belly in a mob hit.
It’s been a while, but that sight brings tears to my eyes even today.
–RKJ
No Hank Schrader. Fail.
Henry Blake – yes! That was awful for me as I was just a kid and didn’t expect THAT to happen! Joyce from Buffy was made truly impactful because the episode went silent after Buffy found her, awaiting the ambulance without voice or music (nice trick, Joss!).
One the saddest was Ianto from Torchwood. An offshoot of Doctor Who with a whole different vibe, made great by the omnisexual Captain Jack Harkness, the character of Ianto was heterosexual yet somehow found himself in love with Jack. When the terrible time came, he recognized his love and sacrificed himself. TEARJERKER!
Obviously, Game of Thrones has a lot but how about Sansa’s direwolf, Lady? An innocent but special “dog” killed for no reason, without (but in the name of) justice.
Finally, the pregnant mom during the C-section on ER’s Love’s Labor Lost episode. NOT GOOD for a 9-months-pregnant lady or her husband!
Not a bad list, though, considering…
Saddest deaths in Game of Thrones? The Wolves!
Matthew’s death in Downton Abbey, bad as it was, was not as sad as Sybil’s while giving birth.
How about Madeline & Nate Westin on “Burn Notice”
In regards to the Simpsons death on this list: an orphan is somebody who has lost both their parents (either to death or abandonment). Rod and Tod aren’t orphaned by the death of their mother since Ned remains a good father to them.
Serously??? Of All time? Dr. Green on ER, Alan on Chicago Hope, Col. Blake on MASH, Dan on Roseanne, Kate on NCIS… ALL far sadder than any on this list. And I’m sure there are lots more that I never caught that were far more tragic…
How did you leave off Edgar from 24?
” Ned actually remarried years later in the series.”
And that wife dies (in the series and in real life too).
Its interesting that Seymour (Futurama) is on the list, because Seymour wasn’t a main character series, and I think was only in that one episode.
What about Joe Coffey on Hill Street Blues? That was a complete shocker.
Ned Stark’s death sure shocked this book reader… when I read it! Even as a written chapter, George R.R. Martin made it believable that Stark would walk away alive, and then… Nope.
Not a single death from Buffy? What kind of monster are you?
What about the dad from Good Times or John Ritter on 8 Simple Rules. Lets do some
really history serching before posting a story like this.
Somebody tell these people that was TV back in the 70s and 80s. There was even TV in the 50s and 60s. There are far more deserving deaths than the ones on this list, which is far too recent.
Clearly, the author is only about 18 years old…..
ok when Flanders wife died, the kids where not left Orphaned…they had a Dad still. Also I agree Col Henry Blake is not on here? how?
the saddest moment is when the 10th doctor regenerated!
Your click ad for this article said “Hard to BARE” – might want to proofread that.