Killing off TV characters is risky business.
You run the risk of ruining a good show, and pissing off a lot of fans in the process.
We’ve rounded up 15 deaths that completely were essentially the death knell for their respective shows.
Do you agree with these takes?
Smurf – Animal Kingdom
This one is very recent, but what the heck? Ellen Barkin’s Smurf was one of the only reasons to tune into Animal Kingdom. She was quick-witted, badass, and crazy. Those are great traits for a TV character!
Rhaegal – Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones spent years saying just how strong the dragons were, so to have Euron wipe Rhaegal out with ease left many fans wondering what the heck the creators were thinking of when they thought it would be a good twist. It was the first major disappointment in what was ultimately a terrible final season for the HBO epic.
Tara – True Blood
True Blood turned to crap long before the pitiful series finale, and that was thanks in large part to the death of Tara aka one of the best characters. Tara’s relationship with Pam was going to strength to strength when she was killed off in a pretty nonsensical way.
Laurel – Arrow
Just when it seemed like the writers were finally starting to realize that Katie Cassidy’s character had a huge fanbase, they killed her off. It was pretty bizarre, and the backlash resulted in them bringing back another iteration of the character that ultimately became known as Laurel.
Mike -Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives managed to remain fresh for most of its eight-season run, but the show will always be remembered for jumping the shark ahead of its finale when it opted to kill off Mike Delfino.
Cristal – Dynasty
When Dynasty Season 1 ended with Cristal in a burning barn with a gunshot to the abdomen, fans thought the character would make a miraculous recovery for Season 2. However, Nathalie Kelley was written out of the series, and another actress stepped in as a new Cristal. Yikes.
Jax – Sons of Anarchy
Jax killed himself for his club as opposed to running away to be a father. A ludicrous conclusion that ruined what little credibility the series still had.
Hayley – The Originals
Fans thought they were being played when someone who works on the show accidentally leaked spoilers that claimed Hayley was being killed off early into the final season. When it played out on-screen, it ruined the entire series. The Vampire Diaries brought deceased characters back on the reg, so why did The Originals not?
Madison – Fear the Walking Dead
New showrunners wanted to make their mark on the series, so they killed off Madison. It did not go down well, and many fans have abandoned the series in protest.
Marissa – The OC
The death of Marissa Cooper came out of nowhere on The OC’s third season finale. It makes sense that the show only lasted one more season after that. People were mad!
The Mother – How I Met Your Mother
Viewers spent years invested in Ted’s journey to find “the one,” but the whole show was ruined when she was killed off during the series finale.
Glenn – The Walking Dead
Glenn was supposedly killed off at the close of an episode, clearly an attempt to boost ratings. He was revealed to be alive a handful of episodes later before being killed off for good by Negan.
Tiffany “Pennsatucky” Doggett – Orange is the New Black
Pennsatucky’s storyline came to a tragic conclusion on the penultimate episode when she seemingly took her own life after not being given the appropriate amount of time to complete her GED exam. It was a cruel way to end the storyline for a character who beat the odds so many times.
Daniel – Revenge
Revenge made a big hoo-ha about how Emily and Daniel were supposed to be together forever. They parted ways in less than amicable fashion but started to find their way back together, and Daniel was killed off. It was awful.
Will – The Good Wife
The actor wanted out, but his exit would have been way more meaningful if he was not gunned down doing what he loved the best.