Killing off a character is always a conundrum for TV writers. At best, theshocking death of a TV charactermakes for a dramatic series highlight or serves as a compelling plot twist, but at worst, it can completely ruin a show. In some cases,character deaths come across as unnecessarybetrayals of a show’s audience, which undermine everything that went before them in the plot of a serial drama or comedy. Nothing breaks a viewer’s suspension of disbelief quite like the seemingly callous and conceited end to a beloved character’s fictional lifespan.
We’re not talking about the slapstick mortality of cartoon violence, best exemplified by the myriadtimes Kenny dies inSouth Park, or the macabre brutality routinely exhibited by crime and horror series. These are character deaths that upset the whole balance of a show, as in the case of one killing, which convolutesThe Walking Dead’s timeline, or flies in the face of a show’s entire canon, as withSupernatural’s novels based on its story arcs. And some shows simply never recovered from their unwarranted decision to do away with a specific character.
9Matthew Crawley - Downton Abbey
Season 3, Episode 9
Thesudden death ofDownton Abbeyheartthrob Matthew Crawley via a car crashat the end of the show’s third season signaled a premature end to the show’s initial golden years. Not only was the manner of Matthew’s death as unimaginative and underwhelming as it was upsetting, but killing the character off robbed the series of its best romantic plot thread.
ActorDan Stevens had already decided to exitDownton Abbeyafter season 3 to pursue other projects, but that didn’t make the demise of his character any less disappointing for fans of the drama. In the customary style of Britain’s upper classes, Matthew’s wife Lady Mary Crawley and the rest of the Downton ensemble maintained a stiff upper lip and carried on with the show, but it would never really be the same again.
8Crowley - Supernatural
Season 12, Episode 22
As a demon King of Hell who ended up working against Lucifer,Crowley was one ofSupernatural’s most intriguing characters. Having first appeared in the show’s fifth season, he grew into his own during subsequent years and became a fan favorite. Crowley might not have been one ofSupernatural’s most powerful characters, but he used his wits and cunning to take the throne of Hell for himself, shifting from ally to adversary of the Winchesters when it suited him.
His death in the finale ofSupernaturalseason 12 actually came just as his character arc was becoming even more exciting, as he once again teamed up with the Winchesters to lure Lucifer into a trap.What made it even more infuriating was that Crowley had only just reappeared on the scene, after we’d previously been led to believe that Lucifer had killed him.
Season 12 endedSupernatural’s efforts to intertwine the show’s storylines with its spinoff novel series, and with good reason. The final three seasons of the series just didn’t have the same pull after legions of viewers lost faith in the direction of its story following Crowley’s regrettable demise.
7Maude Flanders - The Simpsons
Season 11, Episode 14
Until season 11, legendary cartoon sitcomThe Simpsonshad an unwritten rule about never killing off any of the show’s regular characters. It finally broke this rule in spectacularly idiotic fashion in the episode “Alone Again, Natura-Diddily” bydoing away with Ned Flanders’ wife, Maude, via an accident involving a T-shirt cannon.
Forget themost controversialSimpsonsepisode, season 9’s “The Principal and the Pauper” — the death of Maude Flanders was the moment when the show’s golden age well and truly ended. It wasn’t so much thatThe Simpsonshad finally killed a recurring member of the show’s cast, but that it had done so in such a careless and uninspired way.
A defining element ofThe Simpsonsat its best was the realistic depiction of family life it placed alongside razor-sharp satire, whip-smart social and cultural commentary, and zany cartoon humor.The utterly ludicrous nature of Maude Flanders’ deathreduced the show to an empty shell of its peak seasons.
6Logan Echolls - Veronica Mars
Season 4, Episode 8
The killing of Logan at the end ofVeronica Marsis surely the very definition of an unnecessary character death. It occurred moments after Logan and Veronica were discussing their honeymoon, having gotten married in the same episode. While it’s true thatVeronica Mars' cancelationmeant that the series needed to be brought to an abrupt conclusion, this ending felt like an outright betrayal for fans who had just seen Veronica get the happy ending she deserved.
Although Logan’s unfortunate demise was the final event of the show’s original run,it retroactively managed to ruin the entire story for many viewers. MostVeronica Marsfans prefer to pretend that the car bomb that killed him never went off.
5Charlie Pace - Lost
Season 3, Episode 23
It would be unfair to suggest thatLostdidn’t have its moments of greatness beyond the double-episode finale of season 3. After all, it couldn’t have earned its reputation as one of thebest TV shows of all timewithout continuing to be an engrossing watch during the second half of its six-season run.
Nevertheless,Lost’s biggest moment still resulted in a gradual decline in quality from season 4 onwards, due to the unnecessary sacrifice of one of its most likable figures. Charlie Pace was among thebest characters to have featured inLostfrom its very first episode, a genuine hero who offered up personal growth, romance, and demons to be conquered.
The death of Charlie dealt a mortal blow to the show’s original premise, while the manner in which it happened condemned his fellow castaways to a story riddled with conflict, treachery, and subterfuge. They were no longer primarily in a battle against nature and its elements, but against one another.
4Zoe Barnes - House Of Cards
Season 2, Episode 1
Throughout the first season ofHouse of Cards, undercover journalist Zoe Barnes served as a formidable opponent for Frank Underwood in his game of political chess. The untimely death of Kate Mara’s character at the hands of Underwoodmarked the end of the serial thriller’s best narrative arc, setting it on the path towards the sensationalist fantasy tale it ended up becoming.
From that point on, it felt as though Kevin Spacey’s character could do pretty much anything and get away with it.
Many viewers gave up watching the show during its fifth or sixth season, but the truth is that it stopped being the pinnacle of Netflix original drama the moment thatUnderwood pushed Barnes in front of a metro train right at the beginning of season 2. From that point on, it felt as though Frank Underwood could do pretty much anything and get away with it — the stakes were no longer as high, and the political drama lost the edge that initially set it apart.
3Glenn Rhee -The Walking Dead
Season 7, Episode 1
Given thatThe Walking Deadwas a show about surviving a zombie apocalypse, it’s inevitable that many of its main characters eventually succumbed to the “walkers” they were running from. Several deaths during the course of the series inevitably divided its fanbase, butone character’s brutal end in particular saw it begin an inexorable slide from all-time great horror seriesto chaotic caricature of itself.
Glenn Rhee had been part of the show from the very start. He was married to a fellow survivor and expecting a child by the first episode of season 7. So it was devastating and downright offensive for many fans whenThe Walking Deadcondemned Glenn to death by NeganSmith’s baseball bat, in a scene of such barbaric brutality that it’s barely watchable, even for those who enjoyed the show’s trademark blood and guts.
Season 7 ofThe Walking Deadhas the second-lowest score of any of the show’s seasons on Rotten Tomatoes, with 66%.
Killing a character as likable as Glenn in this way felt completely uncalled for, and wasn’t necessary to show what Negan was capable of as a villain.The Walking Deadhad taken things a few blows to the head too far, and it was all downhill from there.
2Tara Maclay - Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Season 6, Episode 19
The killing of Tara Maclay inBuffy the Vampire Slayerwas onecharacter death viewers simply couldn’t get over. The importance of Tara as a key figure in the show, the timing of the death just after she’d reaffirmed her lesbian relationship with major character Willow Rosenberg, and the ludicrous way in which it happened, combined to make itan infuriating turn of events from which the show never recovered.
The fact thatTara was somehow shot in the heart in the middle of a second-floor bedroom via a stray bulletthat had entered through the window from the ground made absolutely no sense to anyone watching. It reinforced the sense that this death was a conceited act of sabotage against Willow and Tara’s relationship by the writers of the series. Even decades later, actorAmber Benson still found herself responding to questions about Tara’s deathinBuffy, which rightly created a controversy like few other character deaths on television before or since.
1Rosalind Shays -L.A. Law
Season 5, Episode 10
If Tara Maclay’s death inBuffy the Vampire Slayerwas controversial and unrealistic, thenthe demise of Rosalind Shays in legendary legal dramaL.A. Lawin 1991 was an all-out farce. Rosalind had been a villainous antagonist for much of the show’s initial run, but her complicated relationship with Leland McKenzie was one of show’s most intriguing storylines. In any case, she deserved a far better sendoff than the one she got.
The death of Rosalind Shays insulted the intelligence of those watching, and spelled the end ofL.A. Lawas a serial drama to be taken at face value.
Rosalind Shays falling down the shaft of an elevatorwould rank among thefunniest character deathsin TV history ifL.A. Lawwere a sitcom. Unfortunately, though, this plot twist was meant to be deadly serious, and horrified audiences who’d spent almost five years investing in Rosalind and Leland’s relationship, for better or for worse. The moment insulted the intelligence of those watching, and spelled the end ofL.A. Lawas a serious drama to be taken at face value. It’s since gone down as themost unnecessary character deathin the history of the small screen.
