These TV deaths continue to shock us. For this list, we’ll be looking at the most surprising, traumatizing, emotional, and unexpected deaths on television. Our countdown includes "Stranger Things," "House," "Dexter," and more! If there’s a TV demise YOU'RE astonished didn’t make our list, stun us with your picks in the comments!
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Which TV death shocked you the most? Let us know below, and watch our video of the Top 20 Most Shocking Sitcom Moments - kzhead.info/sun/jMineLSHp2OPl6M/bejne.html
MASH There were differences between the actor and the director or producer. They wanted to make sure that he couldn't change his mind about returning
# 2: Omar Little in " The Wire ". He was a stick up man who robbed low-level drug dealers. Gets killed at a store buying cigarettes..... The killer: a little kid probably all of 10 years old lookin f to show how tough HE is to "pop" Omar. #1: The killing of Zoe Luther by Detective Chief Inspector Ian Reed in the British series starring Idris Elba titled " Luther".
I think the Henry Blake death was most shocking. First, the death came after the first three seasons of MASH when the series was still entirely a comedy. It was only after this that the series began to become more poignant. Second, rather than the totally abnormal circumstances of prisons, mafia, drug dealers and serial killers, regular people die in war. We know Henry had a wife and children (one born during the show, who would never have met his father) and we can transfer our feelings about Henry to the real people who died and the families they left behind.
Shame that there was no honourable mentions but if there was one it would be Stephanie Holden from the OG Baywatch in February 1997 then in a few months later Princess Diana died in August where David Hasselhoff sung the exact song that was used in Stephanie Holden’s last episode In Diana’s funeral of dedication of her.
Antonia's death on Beverly Hills 90210 😢 Very surprised that didn't make the list, I'm still crying over it all these years later
I'm surprised nobody mentioned FBI profiler Lance Sweets from Bones. He was a great character andl losing him was heartbreaking especially cuz he was so young and had a baby on the way. RIP sweets ❤❤❤
Thank you! Came here to say this. Also, LaSalle off of NCIS New Orleans...
That’s the one I came to mention.
Yes, that only character death ever, that made me stop watching a show. The actor and character deserved better.
HONESTLY!!! or even Vincent!!!! 😭😭
@@Imzadi76I mean he went off to do the lampoon's vacation movie and direct a few others. He wanted to direct so he asked them to kill him off.
I'm surprised Kate's death at the end of second season of NCIS wasn't on this. The fact that she got shot, after taking a bullet for Gibbs, but she was saved by bullet proof vest. And when she, Gibbs and Tony were catching their breath, she was saying something, but she immediately gets shot in the head and dies. That caught a lot of people off guard.
Yeah that caught us all off guard for sure.
I came here to say this!!! I was bewildered when I saw her die
I fully expected her to be on the list. I remember her saying something like 'I'm going to be sore at yoga tomorrow' and then she was just gone.
I too came here to address Kate not being on here...and not even in the top 20??? Smh.....no way....
Was it after 2000? Because no shows exist before that year on this channel. They threw in MASH to avoid ridicule of missing the first 60 years of TV, but that doesn't cover it.
Haley Hotchner, Aaron Hotchner's wife on Criminal Minds, I cried so hard with that episode
I can’t even watch the episode.
That phone call tore me up
Yes!!!
IT is one of the saddest deaths ever. But not one of the most shocking
It disturbed me. I didn't watch the show after that.
Lance Sweets from Bones! He was so young, it was as incredibly unexpected, and he expecting his son with Daisy. Creating the family he didn’t totally have growing up. It was truly heartbreaking.
Dr Sweets death in Bones was a complete shock and for me, the show wasn’t the same after. Especially knowing why he was killed off when he could’ve simply been away for a little while instead of being dead.
He become a Hollywood producer and writer
@@jacobharris954 yes I know. But he originally intended to come back to the show after doing Vacations.
I said this in another comment, but I was DEVASTATED. I couldn't watch the next 3 or 4 episodes and then of course that episode with his 30th birthday 😭😭😭 tears just pouring
Agreed, the death of Sweets was heart wrenching and definitely should have made this list. No characters death has ever had a profound impact on me, as hey, it's just tv but somehow Sweets death wrecked me for a while.
@@UrBasicGuy the fact that they had to study his bones so they “cleaned” him was hard to watch too. It made it so much more final.
Sweets and Vincent Nigel-Murray in Bones absolutely wrecked me! 😢💔😢💔
Sweets was so outta no where. it was annoying but just heartbreaking too
The 2 that hit me the hardest. And both from the same show. I still haven't finished Bones.
Joyce's death in BtVS is made even more heart-wrenching by the fact that the entire episode has no score. It's eerily quiet and doesn't tell you what you're supposed to feel as each character reacts to the death in their own way. It's gotta be one of the top five episodes of that entire show.
Anya's monolog positively gutted me.
It is
@@WrenFaithBridgeryes!!! Emma was fantastic with that
Anya's breakdown was so heart wrenching. 😢
Even the more heart wrenching because 1. The show made us believe she would survive because she survived the surgery, and 2. That monolog from Anya/Emma Caulfield and finally, 3. The lack of score for that episode just...damn
Maeves death in Criminal Minds should have been on here - especially because it looked like Spencer had managed to save her, it was their first time meeting and you really rooted for them both. So tragic and unexpected
oh
This one was so sad 😭😭
Another brutal from Criminal Minds
The one I wish had been on this list is Vincent Nigel Murray from Bones. A he did was answer the phone and he was shot by a sniper. It's also the catalyst for Booth and Brennan to get together. His last words were "i don't want to go. Please don't make me." Lance Sweets' death was also traumatic, but imo Vincent's was worse.
This one really got to me. Vincent was a sweetheart.
Yes! I forgot about these one.
When Cam had to tell his mother he was killed and she was excited thinking she was getting a call from her son. That part hurts me.
I think for me Sweets' death was more traumatic. I would have been okay with it just being a shooting, I guess. But to have him beaten to death was just brutal
Vincent's death broke me for days.
George's death on Grey's Anatomy was the one that shocked me. Maybe because it was the first shocking death on Grey's and we spent most of the episode thinking it was someone else and he was gone to the Army.
I still see George in the lift😢. Plus him writing his name on there palms.
That still gets me 😭😭😭 My sweet 007
007
I remember the moment I realized it was him, along with Meredith. It was very shocking
I agree! I was shocked that it wasn’t on this list. I thought it was so much worse than Derek Shepherd.
Not sure how Haley's death in Criminal Minds could be left out. I know there's probably a million that could have made the list but that one I was sure would be on here
They said they really wanted more recent stuff (to offset MASH, I guess).
Gut wrenching. It breaks my heart everytime
Same, I thought for sure that would be at the top
@@LAKnightAuthornot sure how this was too old for the list. Half of this list aired before it ('09)
I still can’t rewatch that episode.
I think Ned's death was more shocking than the Red Wedding. We hadn't been indoctrinated to how brutal the show was, and Sean Bean was the face of the show. To have him killed that early in the show was shocking and showed that this was not just another show where the main characters were safe.
You watch GOT seeing him as a main character and think wow maybe Sean’s character won’t be killed off in this one. And then he’s one of the first major deaths in the series 💀
I agree with you.
Agreed. Ned’s death is what officially sucked me into the show…and season 8 turned me off of it. 😞
@@randomsandra4039characters truly didn't have plot armor until s6. Also, my friend and I would talk about our predictions for the show all the time. While I enjoyed s6 the fist time through, that was when I noticed, hey, my predictions went from being about 50% right with some being completely off, to all my predictions coming true. It took me a little too long to realize that was a very bad thing
Oz, did something similar. The pilot follows who you assume to be the main character. You really get to understand him and his struggles, you see his family and realize he's a decent person even though he's in prison. At the end of the episode you find out he's not the main character, he's just the catalyst that sets everything off.
The Red Wedding on Game of Thrones was shocking but Princess Shireen being burned alive at the stake is the one that gutted me. Her screaming for her mom and dads help to that last scream before silence was devastating. It was unexpected and shocking.
Abd ultimately karma bit them in the ass.
She was just too pure for House Baratheon and Westeros.
As I said, Game of Thrones and the Walking Dead should dominate this list. But what fun would that be just to list scenes from those two shows?
Soy shows
I'll never watch that scene again. If I'm re-watching the series, I'll skip through that scene. The most disturbing scene I've ever seen in any movie or series.
Charmed, when we lost the oldest sister Prue to Shacks.
I still cry about Prue!!!
How did her death not make this list!? Her death came out of no where and changed the show. -And it broke my little kid heart!
@@kayliemcintosh7841 I screamed when it first happened I thought Prue was gonna live! See I was just a kid back then, but when season 4 aired I was screaming when I heard Prue was dead! Paige was good, but Prue as better!!
It always confused me tbh because Piper got hit too, and also they have survived a lot of crazy things
I've always been a huge Charmed fan. I had heard that it was due to a fued between Alyssa Milano and Sharon Doherty. I heard that Sharon Doherty told the show's producers that it was Alyssa or her, and they chose Alyssa. Not sure how true that was, but I've heard it a few times.
I’m shocked Detective Frost’s death on Rizzoli & Isles was missed. It was so shocking, especially since it was caused not by some planned story arc, but rather by the tragic suicide of the actor. His will always be one of most heartbreaking deaths due to the truth behind it. 😢
I agree - no matter how many times I re-watch Rizziloi and Isles, I bawl my eyes out
I am with you there!! 100%. We knew it was coming, but when it did, the raw emotion was overwhelming. I cried like a baby.
In Downton Abbey, Sybil’s death was much more shocking for me. Everyone knew that Dan Stevens was leaving. I had no clue Jessica Brown Findlay was leaving and was completely blindsided by the whole thing. I cried for a ridiculously long time afterwards.
On top of which, you had the in fighting between the two doctors, one trying to let everyone know what might happen and then the other doctor posh and respected because of it. The most heartbreaking of that scene was the after math when Cora blames Robert for Sybil's death. That was awful.
Oh yeah
As a fan of Downton Abbey, I nearly threw the DVD remote into a wall when I first saw Sybil die.
I have seen that episode several times, and I cry the same as the first time, every time I watch it.
I broke when Buffy finally uttered '.....Mommy?"
Prue Halliwell- Charmed Tara-Buffy the Vampire Slayer Charlie-Lost Bobby Singer and Crowley- Supernatural Laurel Lance - Arrow Robin Hood and neal/Baelfire- Once Upon a Time Haley Brookes-Criminal Minds
Prue deserves better
@@R_a_y_o_n_ she returned in the charmed comics
Yeah Laurel Lance's death also caught me by surprise.
I cried so hard when Charlie died
Also Charlie from SPN. I wasn't ready and it felt pointless to
I screamed out loud when Glenn died. Everyone in my living room was in tears. Free flowing tears. Omg I’ll never forget that moment
The one that shocked/startled me was the series finale of MASH. It’s not a main or even recurring character but it still shocking that the chicken was really a child/baby
I’d add Vincent Nigel-Murray or Lance Sweets on “Bones.”
Lance!
I'm still heartbroken over Joyce's death. Joyce had a great character arc herself- going from a somewhat distant, judgemental mom to a loving, supportive mom who has complete confidence and trust in her daughter. Seeing her lying there lifeless at the end of "I Was Made to Love You" was such a ghastly shock!
Then Tara a season later :(
Fred on Angel. 😢
He got better, but Angel was always the one that hung with me. Becoming: Part II was so well-crafted to maximizing the shattering of Buffy's heart.
I had to agree with this one too, that death in the show was really, to me, the most shocking. Also, the way Sarah acted in that scene was so accurate and so heartbreaking. Like they said in the video. From her giving mouth to mouth and then throwing up, the reaction with Giles, what she says and then her realizing what was said seemed like the most honest moments of tv.
The part of the episode that got me was when Buffy imagined her mother in the hospital, visitors, flowers, Joyce saying she had gotten there just in time....and then it flashes back and she's dead. Your brain just can't comprehend what is happening. You're still looking for ways it's not real. That little bit really resonated with me.
Opie's death was by far the most shocking death in SOA in my opinion. I was so shocked and immediately started bawling. But the shock I felt when Dexter found his wife dead, is incomparable. I actually gasped and held my mouth trying not to scream "noooooo".
Opie's and maybe even Bobby's, but I expected that Tara would have been killed of sooner or later, especially after what happened to Donna. Not even gruesomeness of the death can lift it up on that list, except maybe a fact that it was Gemma who was her executioner
COP: Is this the home of Derek Shephard? MEREDITH GREY: Yes, he’s my husband. COP: Not anymore.
People who didn't watch the show know Opie died and that it was heartbreaking. Definitely the bigger death of the show.
@@wendeboyd503I was angry with myself because I read a list of shocking TV deaths while being on SOA's second season, so, from then on, I was expecting Opie to die at any time... I must say, I did NOT expected that death
I think I spoiled myself both Opie's and Tara's deaths but I felt Opie's was very sad bc Jax saw him sacrifice himself. Tara's wasn't that shocking bc before Jax agreed to turn himself in, it was a possibility. I agree that Bobby's death was more shocking
I’m gonna go way back for this one, when Mary’s baby was killed in the fire, ( Little House on the Prairie) that was probably the most devastating death, to watch from a child’s perspective. I was literally nine years old.😢😢😢
I'm going to go back even further & with a tie-in to Little House. We used watch a show called Bonanza and one if the stars was Michael Landon, who played "Little" Joe Cartwright. After years on the air, in one of the final season's episodes, Little Joe finally gets married and they build a little cabin together and are just perfectly happy (I was too young to realize that couldn't last in a TV show). Joe comes home from working the ranch or going into town or something. From a distance he sees smoke coming from their cabin. He races up on his horse to find that the local band of enemy native Americans (they were called Indians or savages in Westerns like this back then on TV in the 1960s/early 1970s) had viciously tortured his new wife and burned their cabin. I cried for two days. 🥺😭
I was traumatized by that scene.
I was about 8 months pregnant with my first baby. I was hysterical, couldn’t stop crying.
It's extra sad because, brace yourself, the real Laura Ingalls had a son after Rose and he died in a house fire - caused by toddler Rose no less. So the show was referencing her real son.
@grannyweatherwax8005 no, the infant son died of undisclosed/unknown causes just shy of 4 weeks of age.. Laura wrote that he was taken with spasms and died before the doctor could came. Perhaps a severe febrile seizure? She had a very difficult labor and the baby weighed 10 pounds at birth. They lost their home in a fire later, but it was unrelated to the baby boy's death. I've never been able to find out what they named the boy. He lived for nearly a month, but there is no record of his name as far as I know.
My mom loved M.A.S.H... I remember that moment. Radar's delivery was heartbreaking even for a young kid.
I was a kid and I cried myself to sleep that night.
Great call. I just mentioned that along with Jaime Summers which was the first time children actually faced death and Edith Bunker's death in All in the Family.
Idk if it’s “shocking” or more sad, but Ben Sullivan’s (Brendan Fraser ) death in Scrubs is just heartbreaking. You may not see it on screen, but it hits you like a brick wall. I know the show was on awhile ago, but I don’t want to spoil it for those curious. If you know, you know.
When JD says 'where do you think we are right now?' That's hard.
@@piperbird7193 it’s gut wrenching
This was the best scrubs episode. I will die on this hill. That was perfection. It's so funny and goofy, and then right at the end they come up and kick you in the nuts
Omg I teared up immediately when I read your comment. Just thinking about it is just horrible 🥲
He was one of my all time favorite guest stars and he was in what, three eps total?? I adored him!! His acting was so perfect. Amazing!! And but of course, gut wrenchingly sad to say goodbye. I honestly did not get what was happening until JD spoke and then I, too, looked around to see what was going on. 😭😭😭
Buffy really traumatized me back in the day. I was young and to see her like that, with eyes open, the whole scene and Buffys reaction. I really struggled after that.
Two deaths that should have been mentioned ironically surround Kellie Martin. The most shocking death on ER for me was that of her character, Dr. Lucy, by an unstable patient, especially how it was revealed that she had been attacked. And going back to when we really met her as a younger actress, it was shocking how her love interest, Tyler, was killed in a car accident with her brother in the car, on "Life Goes On".
I remember just being in shock watching that when it aired
This defiantly should have made the list. Just saw this episode in a rerun the other day, and it still gets me. The moment when Carter falls to the ground after being stabbed, and you're thinking "holy crap not Carter!" then he looks over and sees Lucy lying on the floor, already stabbed and bleeding out. And just when you think she might make it, Romano and Corday lose her in the OR.
The Lucy death should have been number 1 or 3, Green death was one of the saddest but not shocking Lucy was sad, and had consequents for the show because Carter was injure too
My vote would be for the character "Lucy Knight" on ER when her and Dr. Carter were attacked by a psychotic patient with a butcher knife. Although hers was the must gut wrenching actually, the most 'shocking' had to be Dr. Romano's...how many people die from a crashing helicopter fall on them?
I was coming here to say Lucy. And also damn you Ms Mojo for making be cry over Mark Greene again!
My thoughts too. It was awful!!
Yes!!! That one and Carter’s whole arc after broke my heart, but Mark's death killed me in that part of me I don’t talk about...😭😭😭😭💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔
That one gutted me. It was the most horrible, shocking and unexpected death on the series, even more so than Dr. Pratt's at the start of season 15. Seeing Mark Greene's death was a sucker punch even though we all knew it was coming.
Poor Mark, his death was very sad. Lucy's death was the most unexpected. When we saw Carter and he looked across the room it was a shock to see Lucy lying there too.
Fred's death in Angel. She was a beloved character and is basically tortured to death when a demon lord taking over her body. It is also revealed her ex-boyfriend is the reason why it happens when he unwittingly signs a random document.
I thought until the end they were going to save Fred somehow...
Fred’s death absolutely broke me
I'm not the type of person to lose sleep over the death of a fictional character, but Fred's death haunted me for weeks.
You are my sunshine Triggers me
And Wesley. He and "Fred's" last scene on the finale was very sad.
Technically it didn't happen on TV but Wash's death from Firefly had the entire theater make a collective gasp.
Yes-a horrible decision to kill him off!
The Firefly movie is called Serenity. And Yes Wash's death was shocking, I agree.
The Dexter series definitely never recovered from the loss of Rita as the only thing that really humanized Dexter, but it also felt inevitable - there was just no way she was going to survive.
She didn’t die in the book series, though the books are a bit different, and better in my opinion.
Eddie Munson’s death broke me when his last words were “I love you man”🥺
"Frog about it" 😢
For me, it was when he repeated the year was his year line
Joyce and how they handled that, was absolutely incredible. The respect they gave the moment, the acting, the raw emotion, it all just hits so close.
The fact it had very little background music and was just all the emotions. I bawled with this episode.
@@pineapplepapercrafts it hit me hard when i first watched it, rewatching as i was dealing with the loss of my father, it just hit harder. one of the most respectful death episodes ive seen, no sensationalising, just raw truth of it. i think it represented something more than a story to tell for the people involved and that came across i think. it just felt so real
Beautiful episode and one of the best of the series. Yet this death didn't shock me as much as Tara's. Maybe because we knew most of the season Joyce was sick and might die, is why I wasn't as shocked as when Tara died. Like, yeah I was shocked, but Tara, who even saw that coming? She's finally put in the credits as a main character, yay, and then at the end of the episode she's suddenly dead. No warning signs at all with that one. That had the most shock impact, I think, for me. Tbh, when Joyce died I just bawled my eyes out watching the episode. Still do. And with Tara too.
Definitely one of the best hours of television EVER.
Joyce's death and they way they did that whole episode still makes me cry when I watch it. Especially Anya and they way she reflects on death from the perspective of a creature that does not understand death.
Maeve's murder in front of Spencer Reid on Criminal Minds broke me. That poor kid could never get a break
Poussey's death in OITNB will still make me cry everytime I watch it. I think the particulair reason it hurt so much is that Poussey just wanted to do her time, she wasn't a violent inmate at all and we grew to love her. Watched this episode yesterday by chance and I cried like a baby. That and Glee's The Quarterback episode are my tear jerkers.
I was so upset when she died, so many other's should've died in her place
@@priestleysgirl The truth is or at least how I see it, it would have hit us less hard. Poussey was a love character that just wanted to do her sentence and be peacefull, she didn't even want to participate in the riot cause it wouldn't change anything in the first place if anything. If it was any other character it would have been like 'oh well' you know? But still hits like a truck :(
I found out online by accident she died. I refused to finish the show or watch that scene
It was my affection for the sweet, charming, adorable Poussey and Danielle Brooks’ ( Tastee) incredible acting during that scene that destroys me every time Danielle just put 1000% into it. She perfectly expressed the anger and the anguish we all felt.
you missed out on one that really had a lot more shocking impact to the audience than a lot of the included deaths. Edith Bunker, from "All in the Family". not only was it well outside of the expected arc of the show, Jean Stapleton was a beloved actress, and her character was one of the most loved on the show.
That really wasn't shocking. It was known for months before that the character was going to die. What wasn't known was how it would happen
@@olivegreenpants7153 I also mentioned this above. I wrote that a shocking death isn't always blood and gore. In that episode, Archie wakes up to Edith lying peacefully in her bed with him. The scene with the most impact is when Archie finds the shoe under the bed while Stefanie is trying so hard to be brave and a little wife to Archie. It just breaks my heart when I see this. This will never compare to a death in Breaking Bad or Stranger Things because of the simplicity of the entire episode and how it was done.
I find shocking on All on the Family was Beverly LaRue (Archie grew so much by being friends with her) and also the attempted rape of Edith. Not 21:57 a death but for an 11 year old it was terrifying.
Honorable mention: Arya Stark killing all of the men of House Frey in one fell swoop in revenge for the Red Wedding.
I'd call that more awesome than a shock.
GOT in screen - making you question your own humanity at finding mass murder gratifying, since 2011 😂
Kind of makes me hungry, no?
Walder Frey is misunderstood as a Character
As a young child Tasha Yar’s death on Star Trek The Next Generation was shocking! Growing older the deaths of Lucy Knight on ER, Juliet in Lost and pretty much every main character in 24
I just saw Marina and Denise about a year back at a con. They talked about this TNG episode and how everything they acted was done in one take or while acting off camera with someone else. There are some who criticize Marina for her poor acting skills, but if you knew how tight they were shooting and that there was no room for more than one or two takes, it's the best one can do. As for Denise, her hologram scene was done in one take and stand up very well to the test of time.
Aww man.. Lucy's death was so sad
Amber's death on House came as a shock because Wilson stood up and switched her off while she was saying goodbye.
Joyce’s death still hurts me. It’s my biggest fear that happens to my family.
Same. I look at my mother and wonder if that will happen to her. I selfishly hope my whole family dies in the hospital so I don’t have to find them at home.
George O'Malley's death (Grey's Anatomy) deserved to be *at least* top5 in this list. No matter how many times I watch it, it always breaks me. 😞😞😞
I agree more heartbreaking than Derek
What about Lexie's death though? I still can't watch that again. The sounds of the wolves made me physically ill
@@user-pl3ov4vx3h yes
YES George’s death was shocking and crazy
I had already knew Derek was gonna die but George’s death hit me like a train especially the way the whole episode played out with us not knowing that it was George till Meredith realized it
Mark Greene's passing gets me each and every time. The last time i binged it a few months ago, i had to skip that episode. Even watching it on this list it made me tear up and i dont know why
I remember this from when I was a kid. That show was so good. No other “doctor/hospital” show compares.
I watched it recently and cried just as I had the first time I saw it. The reactions of the staff listening to the letter at the end and they all trail off because they had a job to do. I love Mark.
There were 2 TV deaths that rocked me to the core. The first was Dan killing Keith in One Tree Hill. Lucas was finally getting a proper father-figure (someone he could actually call "dad" since Keith helped raise him with Karen), and for Dan to take that away from him, broke me. The other was Kate on NCIS. I could see something between her and Tony, especially after she stayed with him in quarantine when he got the plague from the anonymous letter, and I was bawling for Tony when she was killed off.
Keith😭😭
I always forget about Dan killing Keith & then when I remember that I’m like holy shit he really did that😂
Agreed
Two deaths were more shocking than Mark Greene (we were devistated because we loved him but it was definitely not a surprise). Dennis Gant's suicide and Lucy Knight's murder. If you were watching then you know just how bad those were.
Gant's death came out of nowhere.
@@beverlyh3822 when the pager went off 😭😭😭
I thought the same thing when they showed Mark in this clip. We knew for several episodes that he was dying so why would it be on a list of most “shocking.” But Lucy’s death was very shocking and I cried for a long time that episode.
I say also Sandy Lopez
Also when the helicopter fell on Romano after he had previously lost his arm to a helicopter
Warrick from Crime Scene Investigation the original CSI. That was shocking on the show
the show was never, ever the same!!!
You forgot: Marshall’s father in How I Met Your Mother Mrs. Walowitz in The Big Bang Bang Theory
I remember watching Dr Green's death when it first aired. I cried like a baby then, and I still tear up when I see clips now.
Same just watching that clip had me crying. He words where words live by.
I knew Glenn died because of the comics but it still broke my heart. I loved him so much!
Where is Charlie from Lost??? He was my favorite character and his death was so shocking and made huge waves back when it aired. I remember vowing to stop watching the show (I did for a few weeks then couldn’t resist watching again lol - but it was never quite the same for me)
YES!!!!!
Thank you👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
That was the turning point for me. That's when I knew they were dead, since that guy said Charlie was safe, or free, or whatever. Been so long I can't remember the details.
I am STILL not over Dr. Mark Greenes death over 20 years later 😢
He's mentioned below, but Ned Stark had to be the most shocking death on GOT. We didn't really no the series penchant for killing off main characters yet, so it was a complete shock. One not mentioned was Jimmy Darmody's death on Boardwalk Empire, that blew me away. He was such a big part of the show, and I never would have guessed they'd kill him off, I almost didn't go back to the series.
For sure. Nobody who hadn't read the books saw that one coming. Killing what was considered to be the main character, was incredibly shocking at the time
Ned Stark's death was truly the surprise of the century.
But it was Sean Bean, so his death wasn’t entirely unexpected.
Kind of ancient history (early 90s), but Gary's accidental death in "thirtysomething" was shocking because it happened just as another character, Nancy, had just received the all-clear that she was in remission after a grueling treatment for cancer.
I was just going to add this one. I remember Nancy saying, "it should have been me, I have cancer and I lived" I loved Gary. I cried so much over that death
Yes! I still get upset about it
I can still remember how they show Michael's cousin Melissa sobbing hysterically in a sequence as the other friends learn of Gary's death.
I can't believe Gary's death is not on here. NOBODY saw that death coming--it felt random and real.
I still can't believe that they killed Matthew off, and in the Christmas special too! I know that Dan Stevens wanted to leave to pursue other projects, but they could have written him off better, especially since Sybil also died under similar circumstances.
I'm still broken up about it. Nothing will ever devastate me more.
I totally agree, most of the fans in the UK would have heard that Dan Stevens wanted to leave and do other projects and though sad about it would have got over it. But to leave us with that at the end of the Christmas episode, when the previous Christmas episode had been when they got engaged, was unbelievable. Another series I watch "When Calls The Heart", had a similar situation but for me handled it much better. We hear of the male leads death in the second to last episode. The last episode of the main series shows the grief of the main female lead, but it then finishes the episode with revelation that she's pregnant, thus the audience is given hope. The Christmas episode then contains the birth of the baby. Both Downton and this series have the same basic elements in their final episodes but Downton left us with a gut punch, while "When Calls the Heart" left us with hope.
You mean Jessica Brown Findlay left under similar circumstances, because their character's deaths could not have been more dissimilar.
They both died the same day as their child's birth.
Bobby Simone - NYPD Blue. Tears were a flowing when he passed. So sad.
I'm right there with you on this one. I was balling my eyes out during that entire episode as we said Goodbye to Bobby.
The death of CSI's Warrick Brown was absolutely shocking to me. And heartbreaking.
I was surprised he wasn't on this list.
Agreed, but his death was necessitated by his real-life legal issues at the time. The show couldn't risk having his character's fate up in the air because they weren't sure if he'd be available for the next season. That said, I think it marked the downfall of the show.
@@229clarkkent Oh, absolutely! But I wasn't aware of any behind-the-scenes drama at the time. I was just a casual viewer. Losing an important character was not something I expected. And in such a brutal way, I must add. It was a shocking death alright and being completely in the dark made it even more so for me.
@@eternalxchannelCompletely agree. My wife and I just sat there staring at the screen after it happened!
I didn't know they killed him off! Then again I stopped watching when Grissom was no longer calling the shots.
When I cued up the video I instantly thought of Joyce Summers death, it was just so viciously real for a fantasy show. Another one that really shocked me was Dr. Janet Fraiser in SG-1. Her death while rendering aid in combat came out of nowhere for a show that literally resurrected characters multiple times.
Yes to both. Dr Fraiser her death and impact is handled so well.
I forgot about Fraiser's death 😭😭
BTVS handled the death of Joyce in the most honest and heart-wrenching way that I've ever seen on TV and they carried it forward into following episodes rather than just moving on which made it even more real. Brilliant writing, acting and directing.
Allyou write here is true, and I loved Buffy tvs. But Joss Whedon a perverted asshole.
Joss Whedon understood that kind of grief.
@@christinecremen4151 the perverted criminal certainly caused his share
Buffy saying "mommy?" killed me😭
Was that the episode where the little zombie logo at the end said “I need a hug”, or was that a different episode?
Buffy the vampire slayer and the Body episode were heartbreaking and heart wrenching. It was sheer perfection.
What gets me about Henry's death is Radar's reaction. The sight of happy bubbly Radar, barely able to hold it together just gets me
Eddie's death in "Stranger Things," still breaks my heart. I liked him from the start, and I came to adore him. I think Abraham's death should have been included in the #1 slot. Remember: he doesn't die that way in the comics. His death, as well as Glenn's, is shocking.
💯
Same here!! Eddie became my favorite character so fast 😭😭
Quentin Coldwater from The Magicians broke me. It was shocking and heartbreaking. What really gets me is when he sees his friends lovingly remembering him before he moves on.
I didn't watch it live and had it spoiled,so I thought I was prepared...I was not. Totally fine when he died, but broke down when he said something like "I want to live" I don't remember exactly but it was to Penny before the bonfire scene. And to this day I can't listen to Take on Me without getting a little misty.
@@MusikGeek90meanwhile I was completely caught off guard and cried about it for months
Henry Blake should have been #1. While he was a fictional character, it represented the fact that not all soldiers make it home. You also forgot Charlie on Lost.
I noticed that the people on Mojo OFTEN have no understanding of television history and the impact of the early shows.
Charlie REALLY hit me hard.
Yes, his death was devastating!
Yeah, Charlie's death should have been there, although Libby's death was very shocking
The death of Harry Blake was kept from the cast until they filmed that scene, they gave Gary Burgoff the page he was to read and yelled action, the reactions you see are on the spot and unprepared, brilliant decision on the shows part
I have to say dr. Kutner from House M.D., maybe it immediately comes to my mind because it's my favorite tv show, but I honestly couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that episode. In a way I appreciated how they portrayed depression, a lot of times it's hidden in plain sight and even the most positive person can be affected by it, but still, he was probably the sweetest and most human character of the show and it was truly heartbreaking.
I loved that show so much too and him as a character. But his death pissed me off more than anything cuz it was for such a dumb reason. Not to mention that they never went back to it and made the death make more sense.
The only shocking part about Kal Penn's character being written out (because he took a position on Obama's staff) was HOW they did it. It was lame and completely lazy. Have you ever watched a show, realized there's only 5 minutes left, and you KNOW something miraculous is coming at the last second? The writers took a fast, lazy exit for Kutner.
I would have said Carl's death was more shocking than Glenn's in TWD just because if you read the books, Glenn's death was expected. Carl's death was not.
You are so fucking right
I hated Carl's death. I think it shouldn't have happened in the first place, but I did notice after it happened, Gimble was demoted and Kang came in to take his place as showrunner. It still irks me what Gimble did. I still think it had to do with the fact that Chandler was now 17 and could renegotiate his contract as an adult thus ask for more money. He was no longer under the child contract. But that's my opinion.
Chandler Riggs was (rightly) afraid of being typecast. He also had his education to finish and had been in TWD for the majority of his young life. I know the character did not die in the comics, but I find it unsurprising and perfectly reasonable that the actor should seek other opportunities.
It ruined the show for a lot of people.
@@andrewwiltshire3212I don’t think it was his choice. He had just bought a house in Georgia and his dad was very upset about it if I remember correctly
Matthew Crawley's death (which for those watching in the U.K. was on Christmas Day, so doubly horrendous) and Henry Blake's deaths were each harsh. But watching Radar deliver the news of the death of his mentor/father figure just made Henry's death all the more devastating.
i'm still shocked,48 years later!!i saw it new
I agree totally!!
Will never forget.
Yes, Matthew Crawley`s at the end of the Christmas Special was very shocking...I mean the Christmas Special were usually uplifting episode.
The death of Billy on Ally McBeal. We knew he was sick, but when he collapsed in the court room with Ally sobbing by his side...it was heartbreaking. He died in her arms. I'll never get over that one.😭😭
I was coming here to say this too!
When his angel tells her that he will make sure it rains so he knows he's in heaven (at least that was the German translation), you're heart just melts and starts crying again.
Oh wow, yeah, I’d forgotten, but I had not expected that one then. It came shortly after a real-life sudden death for me, so I was a wreck when Billy died like that.
I still hurt when thinking about Billy, it shocked me so much.😢
This was the basis of Will's death in Good Wife. And they both ended the same way. A woman's happy ending doesn't need to end with a man
The Body - Joyce's death is the best episode on BVTS. its so raw and filled with pure emotion.
When Edith died in All in The Family a whole generation lost their Mom/Grandma.
The way that Archie cried holding her slipper...
☹️
When the actress playing Edith decided she was done playing the character the show creator asked her if she was okay with him killing the character off. She told him to do whatever he wants, she's just a fictional character. His response to that was "Not to me, she isn't". She was shocked by that.
@@pustulio81 yes I saw them together on a talk show. She seemed very pleased to see Carrol O'Conner but when asked to do an impersonation of Edith she declined. She said that was in the past. Maybe she felt the need to do that to move on from the character but I sure wanted to hear Edith one more time. Those characters were family to me as a child.
Yup I agree completely
I remember being completely floored when Matthew died on Downton Abbey. I hadn’t really recovered from Sybil’s death (another shocking death from Downton Abbey) so I was very emotional and shocked when Matthew died 😭😭
Prue Halliwell's death on Charmed will always be one of the most unexpected deaths on the show. Andy's death in season one might have also been unexpected, but Prue's death hit harder since killing off the eldest Halliwell sister was not something I thought they would do.
Honestly I found that Sybil's death in Downtown Abbey was the worst of all. It was unexpected for such a kind character and sooooo horrifying.
I can't believe that Capt. Roy Montgomery's death on 'Castle' never makes one of these lists. I am a diehard fan and have watched every single episode a bunch of times. I have also analyzed every scene regarding Johanna Beckett's murder through Season 3 and never saw one clue that Montgomery was involved. That was why it was so shocking in the Season 3 finale when he was revealed to be the third cop behind the conspiracy. It might not be a top 10 shocking TV death, but it's definitely Top 20 for me.
You're absolutely right!!! One hundred percent!
Thank you! Someone else mentions Castle!!!!
I absolutely agree!!! I think my jaw almost hit the floor. I was so shocked!!! And I loved him too!!!
I'm watching Castle right now. Montgomery was a great character and his death was awful.
@secretsquirrel7374 yes it absolutely was!!!!
Deaths that weren’t mentioned in the video but shocked me and messed me up for a while: Tara from True Blood Jadzia Dax from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Mike Dodds from Law & Order: SVU Kathy Stabler from Law & Order: SVU The young boy in the desert in Breaking Bad
la muerte de Dodds 😢😢 la recuerdo y aún me sigue dando tristeza 😭😭💔💔💔
Lucy Knight's death on ER was far more shocking than Dr. Greene's. Other shockers for me- Ianto Jones on Torchwood, Jadzia Dax (or rather, just Jadzia) on Deep Space Nine, and Dr. Sweets on Bones.
Not just Ianto. What about Tosh and Owen. As we are talking about science fiction shows. The death in that show Primeval were shocking too. Stephen, Nick and Sarah. That show killed off most of its main characters and their death shock me. 😂
Dennis Gant and Lucy were both way more shocking than Mark! His was sad but I mean we all knew he was dying.
Warrick's death on CSI was shocking! The series went on, but it was never the same after that.
I was only chocked by that because they finally killed a major character after what happened with Nick and Sarah and every other major character who almost died in the season finale.
But they showed him spiralling so badly you KNEW something had to happen. Speed's death in CSI: Miami wasn't foreshadowed at all.
@@laurab5750Speed’s death made me legit throw a fit of grief. I was old enough to watch it but still young enough to have a deep crush on a tv character. This was many many years before I’d have the understanding of my mental health issues and medicating for them and I had no knowledge on how to deal with feeling things so deeply even things that I knew weren’t real. The ending of movie franchises, character deaths in books or films. I understand how my brain works now and have found medication that actually helps but looking back on how I used to act is saddening.
I’d sadly also like to point out that Warwick’s actor, Gary Dourdan, wasn’t doing well either. He’s had run ins with police and arrests for drug possession 😔
Poussey's death broke me. I couldn't stop crying. Watching that episode again recently I noticed some subtle foreshadowing.
That clip just made me cry all over again.
It wasn't exactly Baileys fault though, like they claim. If Suzanne wasn't attacking him, odds are he would have gotten off of Pousey before it turned fatal.
i remember watching that episode and just coming out of the room sobbing to my husband.
@@jeffreycairns767 I don't harshly blame Bailey, but most of those women were in there for far lesser crimes than manslaughter.
@heatherpayne1995 I agree. Unfortunately, there are far less jails for women then men. Other then the final season, the regular "inmates" were in the minimum security section, while the maximum was just down the hill. Most of the inmates in minimum section were in for anything less then murder or equivalent. Between the inmates acting out, a supervisor that hated inmates and was on a power trip, plus the guards not properly trained, it was a disaster waiting to happen. Baily was young, sweet and innocent and I truly believe, based on his character, that he would have never regularly hurt anyone but when he was told to do so and Suzanne attacking him, again, it was a disaster waiting to happen. If anyone of many things had of been different, she wouldn't have died. Although I've never blamed Baily or anybody else, I was sad when Pousey died. She was one of my favorite characters. I had a few that I really liked, a few I really didn't and a few that I felt neutral about. Although she wasn't my favorite, Uzo was BY FAR the best actor/actress on the show. For one of her first roles, she was absolutely amazing at playing Suzanne. The only character I really didn't like throughout the entire series was Piper. I don't like the actress' acting, atleast not as that character. If you've ever watched Wentworth, I had the same issue with the lead character/actress that played her.
I still remember Gus walking out of the room, straightening his tie, then seeing his face. My jaw was open! I am surprised Princess Shireen on GoT wasn't mentioned.
Charlie and Bobbys death on Supernatural still make me cry...
Cate on NCIS and Charlie on Lost are on the top of my list, along with Brendon Fraser on Scrubs. Absolutely devastating emotional damage there.
#1 should definitely be Col. Henry Blake on M*A*S*H. No one saw that coming, and the cast themselves didn't know until just before it was filmed, as they weren't given the full script ahead of time because they wanted the casts's shocked expressions to be genuine. It was supposed to be a happy occasion, Henry was going home and then his plane to Tokyo gets shot down! Even McLean Stevenson himself said he didn't know until his last day of filming that his character was being killed off, the obvious way to write him out was to just let Henry go home.
Totally agree-still the most shocking one ever.
I agree
I'm probably the only Boomer generation person who has never seen an episode of MASH.
Honorable mentions- Haley Hotchner- Criminal Minds John Ritter- 8 simple rules Lance Sweets & Vincent Nigel Murray- Bones George O'Malley- Grey's Anatomy Bizzy Forbes- Private Practice Prue Halliwell- Charmed
Meanwhile I’m over here still processing Mike’s death in Desperate Housewives 💔
I'm still traumatized with the death of Nate in Six Feet Under 😢
Yes!! That whole show is a kick in the stomach
@@seanm77654Oh God, yes! I rewatched the series recently and sobbed like I was seeing it for the first time.
I was 10 when Mark Greene died. It was the first tv death to have an impact to me, where it still messes me up all these years later and probably why i consider Somewhere over the Rainbow a sad song.
I was much older than 10 But his death hit me hard, too. I still think of that when I hear that song. 😢
I consider "Over the Rainbow" a sad song because it was my bird's favorite when I practiced my ukulele and I played it at his funeral. I haven't touched the ukulele since.
Sweets from Bones and, holy crap, Carter from Person of Interest. The scene itself and the following episode was amazing and heartbreaking.
A death that I thought might rank was the death of Dean Winchester on Supernatural. It's tough to get me to cry and I was blubbering like a baby on that one! Another one, from years ago, that was a complete shock was Catherine on Beauty and the Beast end of 1989. That ripped my heart out!!! To kill off one of the two main characters at the start of the last season ... OMG!!! Not only was it completely unexpected but it was so painful to watch, as well! I wept through the rest of the season!
I disagree about Mark's death on "ER." Don't get me wrong, it's probably the single saddest moment in TV history for me. I've never been that affected by a TV death, it still makes me cry to this day. With "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" playing in the background? 😭😭😭 But if you're going for shocking? The answer is Lucy. That was one of the most shocking moments in TV history. I can tell you exactly where I was, who I was with, and what we said to each other after that episode aired. My college roommate and I were screaming at the TV. LOL They also had an episode similar to "House" where one of the doctors killed himself. I can't remember the character's name, but they spend the whole episode working on this unrecognizable patient who I believe had been hit by a train, and they kept saying, "Where's Dr. X? He should be on duty. Someone find him." It wasn't until the end of the episode when they realized that the patient they were working on (who didn't survive his injuries) was the missing doctor. If I remember correctly, they figured it out because someone paged him and the patient's beeper went off. 😳Now that's a shocking death! EDIT: I went back and watched the Dr. Gant scene. My memory wasn't 100% correct on how it all happened, but it was actually more shocking than I even remember. The way that everyone reacts when they realize it's him? Ugh! That was heartbreaking.
Your comment is perfect in every way!
Agreed 100%
Also, Sandy Lopez (Kerry Weaver’s firefighter girlfriend) dying in the line of duty was more shocking than Mark Green’s death. Mark’s death was sad, but expected.
I came here to say this, Lucy's death is still so shocking. I was petrified in my seat when the episode ended.
The suicide was Dr. Dennis Grant - played by Omar Epps who later starred as Dr. Eric Foreman in said "House" episode. But yes, Lucy Knight's death in an era when you didn't kill of main characters often (and NEVER in the middle of the season) will forever rate #1 in my personal list.
Poussey's death had me bawling my eyes out. She was my favorite character and to see her die like that really hurt.
Glenn's death was the reason I stopped watching TWD and it very well was the point of no return for the series.
Both deaths that night fcked me up lol. Two of the best characters gone like that. And in the horrific way we got to see it. Still watched the show, but that was one of the hardest deaths in the show
Killing off Carl was what made me stop watching, I have read the novels since they were released and the story was always Carl's story, not Rick's and producer Scott Gimple killed off Carl as a big F you to Kirkmans vision since they were locked in a legal battle at the time but yes Glenn and Abes deaths were brutal
I also stopped watching after they killed off Glenn.
I did too it was so emotionally disturbing I never watched the show again
Clare Kincaid in L&O. And the effect it had on Lenny, who had asked Clare to pick him up when he drank too much.
I was a kid when Henry Blake died on Mash. My dad cried. I loved that show! I still cry when I watch Dr. Green die on E.R. And Derek on Grey’s. But imo George O’Malley’s death on Grey’s was way more devastating and shocking than all of these!!! I’m surprised it wasn’t on this list.
Doctor Greene's death still brings a tear to my eye. For me, Rita's death on Dexter is still by far the most shocking death in TV history, especially as a season cliffhanger.
Colonel Henry Blake was the first TV death that destroyed me emotionally. So unfair.
Where is Vincent Nigel Murray or Lance Sweets from Bones?! I’m still traumatised
Not that Dr. Greene dying wasn't shocking and very sad but I think the death of Dr. Lucy Knight was even more shocking. I remember when I watched it my jaw dropped and I was so shocked because I had to wait until the next episode to see what would be her end and Dr. Carter's, who also got stabbed.
Lucy Knight?
@@DrGregoryHouseIT Yes, that's it. Thanks
Adriana wailing and trying to run away on all fours just gutted me the first time I saw that scene - she played that scene so beautifully, with the slow realization on her face that she was being taken out to a remote spot to be murdered.
Pousey's death really hit me. Especially what's happened in the past. All of these tv deaths are so shocking
One of the most shocking deaths to watch for me was on The Ghost Whisperer. Aisha Tyler's character, Andrea Marino, was dead & we didn't know it until the end of the episode. I was screaming at the TV, "Nooooo!" when it was revealed.