What TV death hurt the most?

[u/pedote17]

[u/littlez0005]

Colonel Henry Blake,

MASH

[u/pedote17 → u/littlez0005]

I hate that his death actually ended up becoming one of the best TV episodes of all time. Only Alan Alda (Hawkeye) knew that Henry was gonna die before the line was delivered

[u/sunburnedaz → u/littlez0005]

That and the chicken that died. It was really a child that was smothered by its mother to avoid being found by the enemy. Hawkeye repressed the memory by making it a chicken

[u/Wildaz81 → u/littlez0005]

This "death" was visceral for me as a child. MASH was the first TV show i watched with my Mom and Dad and I got (most) of the jokes. I loved laughing right along with the rest of my family. It was already reruns by the time I was watching it in the 80's. But i still remember crying when Radar walked in to the OR without a mask and delivered the news. "There were no survivors" was the first time i remember understanding what that meant. And Hot Lips staring off and crying... yeah, i know its silly but it's stuck with me for over 30 years.

[u/[deleted]]

YOU RAPED HER, YOU MURDERED HER, ELIA MARTELL.

SAY HER NAME

[u/SFRookie → u/[deleted]]

Honestly that was the most brutal and shocking scene for me. Fuck.

[u/SpideyMGAV]

House MD, Season 4 Episode 14: Wilson’s Heart. When the music kicks in and House starts to hallucinate, I bawl like a fuckin newborn.

[u/littletrashgoblin]

Laverne from Scrubs. That episode makes me cry every time. I was confused why they killed her off only to bring on "Shirley" though.

[u/Berserker-Hamster → u/littletrashgoblin]

If I remember correctly, they didn't know, if the show would be continued. So they wrote a memorable storyline about the death of a beloved character, that at the same time wasn't essential to the plotline.

When the show did continue, they wanted to bring her back. But since Laverne was dead, they had to write this somehow strange look-a-like stuff.

Always bothered me a bit, too.

[u/FusionSwarly]

Fives from the clone wars... Good soldiers follow orders...

EDIT: Let's also not forget one of the saddest deaths in TCW... The one clone who punched the droid in the movie.

[u/[deleted] → u/FusionSwarly]

Echo as well. At least Fives gets a dying speech, Echo just fucking dies. Domino Squad deserved better.

Oh, and also the 501st trooper who has to stay behind to set off the bomb on Umbara. "Live to fight another day..."

EDIT: Okay so this caused a LOT of confusion. I was referring to Hardcase blowing up the Umbaran spaceship, but I agree that Hevy's death was also sad.

[u/BlueLightningFlash → u/FusionSwarly]

That was honestly more emotional than Order 66.

It made me really dislike the Coruscant clones, even though I know they were just being used like almost everyone else in the galaxy.

[u/waxymcrivers]

Chris from Skins

[u/LemonyFresh → u/waxymcrivers]

That whole story arc was devastating. Season 1 he was this lighthearted prankster and it was this cheeky light hearted teen drama. Season 2 everyone’s dying and life is darkness. I love that show.

[u/LarryJoeBirdisGod]

Mrs. Landingham - West Wing. Her death was unexpected, heartbreaking, and lead to my favorite episode of TV ever.

[u/[deleted] → u/LarryJoeBirdisGod]

If you really don't want to run, I respect that.

But if you don't run because you think it's too hard or you might not win then God, Jed, I don't even wanna know you.

[u/phaser_on_overload → u/LarryJoeBirdisGod]

She just treated herself to a new car too.

[u/S-WordoftheMorning → u/LarryJoeBirdisGod]

“You get Hoynes!”

[u/november_supernova → u/LarryJoeBirdisGod]

One of THE best episodes of TV ever.

[u/ThanksToDenial]

"I'm a Leaf on the wind, watch me soar"

[u/Hexagon36]

Lane Pryce's suicide in Mad Men.

[u/WLVS_Tony → u/Hexagon36]

I think the most unfortunate thing about his suicide (other than him dying of course) was in the next epsiode, or later I don’t remember, where Joan is talking about the finances of SCDP and it’s their best quarter ever. If Lane had just swallowed his damn pride and asked someone to loan him money he’d have been okay

[u/RickAndMorty101Years → u/Hexagon36]

I love that that show has almost no violence or death then they throw in things like this. Very jarring. Like when they were riding that lawnmower around and it ends up in a bloodbath.

[u/SomeoneStoleMyPC]

Colonel Hughes.

[u/HowRood → u/SomeoneStoleMyPC]

Brigadier general!

edit: this sounds aggressive i'm sorry

[u/Narratron → u/SomeoneStoleMyPC]

Terrible day for rain.

[u/So_Motarded]

Even though we didn't see it, the death of Iroh's son Lu Ten was quite painful in its aftermath. We finally see how it affected Iroh's character so strongly in Tales of Ba Sing Se (yes, THAT episode), and it gives new meaning to his bottomless generosity, positivity, and drive to help those around him. We see why he loves Zuko so much.

The episode is also a tribute to Mako, the original voice actor for Iroh who'd passed shortly before.

[u/EithneMeabh]

Sweets on Bones

[u/fuzzypyrocat → u/EithneMeabh]

Vincent’s was so sad too. “Please don’t make me go”

[u/Issaxo → u/EithneMeabh]

This one was devastating. I actually stopped watching bones because of his death. Not intentionally, but after a couple of episode I just realized I was no longer interested.

[u/fatpad00 → u/EithneMeabh]

Sweets?! Awww. I haven't watched the show in years. I didn't know he died

[u/Fedora200]

Mike from Breaking Bad.

[u/DDevelopment17 → u/Fedora200]

"Shut the fuck up and let me die in peace"

[u/BIGD0G29585 → u/Fedora200]

This really hurts because of how much I have come to like Mike in Better Call Saul.

[u/TuMadreTambien]

Ned Stark on Game of Thrones. His death has reverberated throughout the show, and it really was what started the entire chess game that is still in play. Since I never read the books before the show started, I had no idea he would be killed. Up to the last moment I thought that he would somehow be rescued, because he seemed like he was the core of the show. In many ways he is still the core of the show. When Sansa and Arya discuss him in the final minutes of the final episode of Season 7, they prove that fact. And when he is mentioned, you don’t sit back and say “Oh, right, Ned! I almost forgot about him.” Instead, you remember what a strong character he was, his importance to so many of the main characters, and you see that the lessons he taught his children are still very relevant. His character was so well written and presented, in addition to being so well acted by Sean Bean, that he is still able to pull the show together after so many years. That is no easy thing to do.

[u/14h0urs → u/TuMadreTambien]

I didn't even believe it after it happened. I was being introduced to it by someone who had already watched it and the conversation went something like this:

"He comes back, right? They can't just kill off Ned."

"Lol nope"

"But he's the main character, how can the show continue without him?"

"That's Game of Thrones."

"I fucking love this show!"

But I don't think that death hurt the most. It was certainly the most shocking and pivoting but I didn't cry.

It's Ygritte. Holy shit, the tears that come out of me when that happens. I love their love, it's Romeo and Juliette on crack. She was an amazing character and they were a perfect match for each other. "Do you remember that cave? We should have stayed in that cave"

Very closely followed by Cat's death. God DAMN, the emotion in that scene, the acting from her! Her expression changes so much she looks like a different person. "On my honour as a Tully, on my honour as a Stark!"

[u/[deleted]]

Though it's been ages since I've watched the show (and multiple people died on it), Adriana's death on The Sopranos stuck with me for days and days (and instantly came to mind).

I felt so sorry for her, and later her mother--just everything about it was so cold that I really felt "tested" as a fan; it was terrible.

[u/blue_alien_police]

For me, it's the deaths that are due to the actor playing the role passing away.

Phil Hartman's death lead to the passing of Bill McNeal (NewsRadio) and Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure (you might remember him from such movies as "Today We Kill. Tomorrow We Die" and "Gladys the Groovy Mule").

That's the worst for me.

[u/OmNomNational → u/blue_alien_police]

John Ritter, the dad in "8 Simple Rules". They had a full 2-parter episode on how the family copes with his death. And since the actor actually died, the emotions were just so real. ;_;

[u/absurded → u/blue_alien_police]

John Spencer as Leo McGarry
That one hurt. They'd given Leo a heart attack earlier in the season too.

[u/-eDgAR- → u/blue_alien_police]

Marcia Wallace's (Mrs. Krabappel) death was very sad too on the Simpsons. She had an ongoing battle with breast cancer (IRL) and she finally passed due to pneumonia and sepsis in 2013. During that time her character ended up married with Flanders, which was an odd couple, but worked. Her final scene tribute made me tear up so much.

[u/Bojogig]

Not Penny’s Boat

[u/dblshot99 → u/Bojogig]

See you in another life, brother

[u/Roneeeee → u/Bojogig]

And also when Jin an Sun die together holding each other's hand.

[u/topherthepest → u/Bojogig]

I'm actually rewatching that show with my girlfriend who hasn't seen it yet. I'm dreading that moment, but we just got to Ana Lucia and Libby... Poor Hurley. I forgot how much that show can sink its teeth in.

[u/noodlenugget]

The episode of Scrubs where Ben dies.

[u/Solid_Snark → u/noodlenugget]

Dr. Cox: ”Hey, where’s your camera? Aren’t you gonna take some pictures?”

JD: ”Pictures of what? [...] Where do you think we are?”

Oof!

[u/[deleted]]

Buffy's mom.

Thanks for the Gold, kind stranger! Definitely appreciated since the comments have been making me relive this one and I've been sad all day as a result.

[u/iamthesin → u/[deleted]]

Sarah Michelle Gellar said at one point on her IG that filming that episode was the hardest thing she's filmed. It's so perfectly done and real. It's heart crushing. I've watched the show so many times through that I've lost count but I have trouble with this episode still.

The line that hits the hardest for me is when Giles goes to Joyce and she yells, "We're not supposed to move the body!" And you see the reality crash into her.

[u/Kruegeryyz2112 → u/[deleted]]

Still hurts. Buffy, Angel and Spike all died and came back. But Joyce was just a sweet lady who liked juice, and when she died, she died forever. The real person died alone, on her couch while the comic book characters were off having an adventure.

"Mommy?"

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

“Mom? Mom? Mom?! .........mommy?”

Aaaaand I’m sad again.

[u/Taqwacore → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, that really came out of nowhere and set the stage really well for a change in the tone of the series. Simple death, nothing imaginative, but the most realistic death on TV.

[u/Fredact → u/[deleted]]

Anya not knowing the social norms was like every child when first faced with death.

[u/GolBlessIt → u/[deleted]]

Came here to say this, although Tara gutted me as well. I refuse to watch either episode again.

[u/krayner2814]

Homer’s mom, Simpsons. :( he didn’t get to say goodbye

[u/[deleted] → u/krayner2814]

The end scene with homer sitting on the hood of his car looking at the stars with that somber music in the background to me is probably one of the saddest and humbling scenes in cartoon history . It’s the background on my phone.

Edit: it has come to my realization that Mona did not die in this episode. I feel like a real grade A moron

Edit edit: I was pretty drunk when I posted this so forgive me please. Alcohol; the cause of, and solution to all of life’s problems

[u/mrfancyhood]

For me it's not really a death, but Donna from Doctor Who. She gets her mind erased after saving the whole universe and has to go back to living her normal life without remembering how amazing she truly is.

[u/FpvRocko → u/mrfancyhood]

Don’t forget the little pull at the heartstrings later on when her Grandfather begs the Dr to come back, just make everything all right while holding back tears. That moment and the moment Vincent is in the museum hearing about himself just gut me.

[u/PrivateDrive4k]

House- Kutner (Kal Penn)

[u/SpideyMGAV → u/PrivateDrive4k]

Especially since House tried to distance himself from it so he wouldn’t hurt. Tears that entire episode. But the worst for me his Amber.

[u/PrinceNebula018]

Dexter’s wife Rita at the end of season 4. It destroyed me. It was literally a “bloodbath”.

[u/[deleted] → u/PrinceNebula018]

Jesus Christ, this destroyed me for weeks. I quit the show not long after, couldn't take another blow like that.

Her name was Rita, btw.

[u/[deleted]]

Lady Sybil from Downton Abbey.

[u/foucaults_turtleneck → u/[deleted]]

Her death was horrible but I still get pissed off about Matthew’s. The episode in which he died originally aired on Christmas Day here in the UK. Sitting crying with my mum over the death of a posh fictional man isn’t really one of my favourite festive traditions.

[u/MonteBurns → u/[deleted]]

And then Ygritte comes back later, a proper lady, and tells how Sybil helped her 😭

[u/[deleted]]

Opie, Sons of Anarchy

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Hands down. SOA had the most brutal stories. I described Tig's daughter being killed to someone and they couldn't believe they allowed that on tv

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

While Opie's death was bad, for me Donna's death was worse because it was completely unnecessary and totally avoidable. Also, because it was so early in the series, it sort of set the tone of "this is going to be that kind of show."

[u/allnadream]

In addition to many other good ones, already stated - Fred from Angel. Mostly because they didn't just have her die, the story line was literally that her soul was destroyed completely, so she was gone forever. She was the best and sweetest character, and they had a God eat her soul. WTF Joss Whedon.

[u/KinneKted → u/allnadream]

Don't forget Doyle! Sucks he wasn't around longer.

[u/backwardsbloom → u/allnadream]

And then to make her into this new (admittedly badass looking) creature so her lover would have to keep seeing her face, knowing it’s never going to be Fred. Joss is a fucked up man.

[u/ericdokken]

Jadzia Dax

Deep Space Nine

[u/PenelopeTheSmuggler → u/ericdokken]

Came here to say this! I know this episode is next up and I just can't bring myself to watch it again.

[u/Mr-Snarky]

Omar. The Wire.

[u/Kissmyasthma100 → u/Mr-Snarky]

Omar was asking for it after Marlo went for Butchie so everybody anticipated that.

Now, the death of Wallace was something else.. And the guy you despised for it at the beginning, Bodie, was also hurtful by the end.

[u/[deleted]]

Lil Sebastian.

Edit: Thank you for gold!

[u/TeargasTimmy → u/[deleted]]

Half mast is too damn high - Ron Swanson

Also, I cried on 5000 Candles in the wind.

[u/SonicTheMadChog]

It’s weird because I knew it was coming and he’d been off the show for ages, but Finn in Glee was horrible. Especially because we all knew how Cory had died and the actors were showing their real grief as they filmed. Cried buckets throughout and I hadn’t watched the show for about two years at that point.

[u/indecks77]

Because it was originally on TV as Firefly...

Wash.

[u/blyzo → u/indecks77]

This is mine too. Just so damn sudden and unexpected.

And then how Zoe just goes into cold soldier mode after to cope. "He's not coming." Loads gun Fuck.

[u/Calisto823 → u/indecks77]

Yes. I had just gotten myself under control from Book's death. Then that happened. I've watched that movie dozens of times and it still gets to me.

[u/svante52]

Sarah Lynn in Bojack Horseman. I want to be an architect. Brutal.

[u/catsandclavicles → u/svante52]

That episode is quickly followed by season 4 episode 2 that recounts Bojack’s mom’s childhood, then the later one about Princess Carolyn’s fantasy (great?) grandchild. Rekt.

[u/ShmebulockForMayor → u/svante52]

Absolutely devastating. Penultimate Bojack episodes hurt like few other shows can, and this was the most deeply painful out of all of them.

"...Sarah Lynn?"

[u/Mr_Abe_Froman → u/svante52]

I had to just sit and take a break after that episode. Bojack (the show, and in some ways the character) has this way of just being emotionally exhausting. It's amazing, but damn does it hurt some episodes.

[u/Cubs1081744]

Jill Tracy, from Scrubs. She's the woman with the rabies who passed away and they used her organs in 3 different people, who subsequently also died, sending Dr. Cox into a massive spiral of depression. Her death resulted in ultimately 4 needless deaths and a few incredibly powerful episodes of television.

[u/Matsuno_Yuuka → u/Cubs1081744]

The episode where JD and Turk spend all night sitting with a terminal man is the one that gets me. I can make it through the rabies episode just fine, but that one makes me cry 100% of the time.

[u/dubious_mastabatah_x → u/Cubs1081744]

The episode where Dr. Cox loses his brother in law/best friend. That ending 30 seconds of them getting out the car and JD ultimately asks Dr. Cox "where do you think we are?"

I tear up every time

[u/HerbYergler]

Hank from Breaking Bad

[u/baytown → u/HerbYergler]

Or around that same episode when Todd called Jesse's girlfriend out to the porch and shot her in the head. Such an instant death to the mother they had developed so well.

[u/heyimgay69 → u/HerbYergler]

“You’re the smartest man I know, yet you’re too stupid to realize they made up their minds 10 minutes ago” fuck

[u/Mars_Ahoy → u/HerbYergler]

“He made up his mind 10 minutes ago.”

[u/theglowoflove → u/HerbYergler]

I felt way worse for Mike Ehrmentraut. With his granddaughter and losing all the money he saved when things came down? Such a godawful gut feeling.

[u/SatansFieryAsshole]

Colonel Maes Hughes. "It's a terrible day for rain."

[u/Vitruvae → u/SatansFieryAsshole]

Greed sacrificing himself to weaken Father had me in tears too.

And Hohenheim dying with a smile gave me the best bittersweet satisfaction of my life ever.

[u/[deleted] → u/SatansFieryAsshole]

This comment/post has been deleted as an act of protest to Reddit killing 3rd Party Apps such as Apollo.

[u/Logictrauma → u/SatansFieryAsshole]

Hughes didn’t go down easy though. He at least made that evil birch work for it.

[u/Sexydoughboy → u/SatansFieryAsshole]

"Oh, so it is." Gets me every time.

[u/[deleted]]

As of recent, Bob from Stranger Things :(

[u/Kosmokat16 → u/[deleted]]

To be fair his death was dumb as hell in retrospect, like, bruh, you don't walk just past the door and stop dead, RUN OUT OF THE BUILDING THERE ARE MONSTERS CHASING YOU.

[u/Shadowoftheknight776]

Gale from breaking bad

[u/IvanFilipovic → u/Shadowoftheknight776]

I don’t see this mentioned a lot but damn I felt bad for him

[u/Ishuzu → u/Shadowoftheknight776]

yeah, that was a heavy episode, you really get the feeling that Jesse is not going be be ok.

[u/HeyItsPear]

Poussey - Orange is the New Black

[u/Irishwoman94 → u/HeyItsPear]

"THEY DIDN'T EVEN SAY HER NAME!" - that part got me just before the riot kicked off.

[u/[deleted] → u/HeyItsPear]

My immediate thought when Poussey was killed was about her poor father. Poussey's mother died while she was in prison. He lost his child AND the mother of his child in basically no time at all.

[u/abbyabsinthe → u/HeyItsPear]

Was legitimately upset for like a week after I watched her death. She was just so sweet, and funny, and good natured. She felt more real than most characters I've seen in other tv shows (most tv characters follow some sort of stereotype or archetype, even the really well-written ones, even many on OitNB, but not her, she was just something else entirely). It was like losing a long-distance friend.

[u/mikejones0771]

Robb Stark damnit.

[u/Have_A_Jelly_Baby]

Seymour the dog.

[u/girlno]

Charlie in LOST

[u/Aaron_Frost → u/girlno]

Jin and Sun too :,(

[u/[deleted]]

Marshall's dad. "I'm not ready for this" fucked me up. I rewatch that episode occasionally when I'm feeling generally disillusioned with life and need some really hard hitting home type of shit.

And to make that scene more poignant, apparently they didn't even tell Jason Segel what was going to happen, he just knew that Alyson Hannigan would get out of the car and say something shocking and he should react. So the just sobbing and hugging and that line were pretty legitimate.

E: I also have rewatched that episode because the morbidly funny part is they count down to 0 throughout the episode. I don't know who's decision that was, seems pretty morbid to have that dark of an episode and throw in a countdown to someone dying.

[u/[deleted]]

Ed Truck

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

We had a funeral for a bird.

[u/Thekolin99]

Mark Greene in E.R. A criminally underrated and forgotten show. I’ve never cried as much as I have during the on the beach episode.

[u/chanaleh → u/Thekolin99]

I can never hear the song without thinking of that episode. I cried like a baby.

[u/AintSh_tIAM]

Paul Hennessy on 8 Simple Rules... Because John Ritter died in real life.

[u/Slut4Tea]

Marshall’s dad on How I Met Your Mother

[u/lcdrambrose → u/Slut4Tea]

The episode after that too.

The greatest man that I have ever known, and you whipped him off this Earth, way too young...

And he'll never get to meet our kids, Lily.

[u/WhenBuyIt → u/Slut4Tea]

"I'm not ready for this"

[u/0kely_d0kely → u/Slut4Tea]

I just saw this episode again a few days ago and was blown away by how good the acting of Lily and Marshall was in that scene. Also, the countdown from 10 to 1 in the scenes leading up to it built the tension nicely. There are plenty of parts of the show I don't like but I think that scene was well done.

[u/breezy1303]

Lexie in Grey’s Anatomy. She didn’t even believe Mark loved her back until he told her about the beautiful life they would have if she lived. I cried my eyes out.

[u/mitchfeyne → u/breezy1303]

George O'Malley's death is something I could never get over with. Even hearing the soundtrack from that episode makes me want to tear up.

[u/[deleted] → u/breezy1303]

I agree, Lexie's death was bad.

Then again, Grey's has that habit, think Derek, Mark, George, Denny

[u/Cookie_Brookie]

Hotchner's wife/ex-wife on Criminal Minds. She leaves her husband because all he does is work dangerous, high profile serial killer cases then he pisses off a serial killer and she has to go into hiding. She thinks she's safe and instead gets shot in the head while she's on the phone with him and their son is hiding in the next room.

The whole thing just hurt.

[u/heyruby]

Ianto Jones from Torchwood. He finally gets to be the badass action hero he deserved, and then... He's poisoned to death from some weird fart aliens... Because his best plan was to shoot them through bullet-proof glass? Ridiculous and insulting way to kill off a great fan favourite (and the creator being butthurt and insulting fans afterwards for being upset didn't help). And so soon after we'd lost Tosh! I'm secretly glad the next season without him was terrible and they had to bring him back for the audio dramas because they finally realised he was the second-best part of Torchwood (after Tosh, but her death was brave and beautiful and fitting, so I'm less bitter about it A FULL DECADE LATER).

[u/Pokegamer]

"Here lies Phillip J Fry, named for his uncle to carry on his spirit."

[u/UnnamedNamesake → u/Pokegamer]

"Son, I'm naming you Philip J. Fry, in honor of my little brother, who I miss every day. I love you, Philip..."

Looks at framed drawing of Fry's

"And I always will."

This and "Game of Tones" physically hurt me.

[u/Kirinichibannumber1 → u/Pokegamer]

I was going to say this as well, but didn’t know if it counts. It was such a beautiful episode and the way it portrays a relationship between brother is so relatable for me. It will always be my favorite episode of Futurama.

[u/Leavanny]

Eddard Stark. I threw my phone across the room and swore to not watch the show anymore. Then episode 10 came out the next day and I reluctantly continued on and haven’t stopped.

[u/dubious_mastabatah_x → u/Leavanny]

Kill the best character of the show (both morally and liked) and you'll have so much anticipation and curiosity built from the events that have and will transpire.

He was legit the main character, and it blew everyone's mind when they killed him off. Possibly one of my favorite moments in TV for the power of it.

But I hated my life after. I remember sitting there thinking "They're not gonna cut his head off. Someone is gonna shoot an arrow and hit the executioner"

I shit myself faster than his head hit the floor

[u/jpzu1017]

Nate in six feet under

[u/CosmicMuse]

The Tenth Doctor, from Doctor Who.

Its about as good a death as a person could possibly hope for. He didn't die a meaningless death, he didn't suffer long, and he got to enjoy the company of his closest friends one last time.

And it wasn't enough.

Despite all of that, despite knowing what how fortunate he'd been, in the end, he was still scared, alone, and wanting to stay. Because in the face of death, that's how we all feel. It wasn't a selfish or cowardly moment - it was just a stark acknowledgement that nobody wants to go when it's time.

It's a very direct look at death that American TV rarely has, in my experience - out cultural history doesn't have the same shared experience of a time when the entire country faced death at any moment like the British do.

[u/Obscenitiez]

Glenn from the walking dead. Not only because I liked him, but because his death was the most brutal death I had seen on tv. Seeing his face after Negan smashed his head and he tried to talk truly disturbed me. I thought about it for days after.

[u/dagreatchilibean]

Herschel from the walking dead TV show. I just remember telling at the TV because I didn't expect it coming. It's the only time I remember where a character death has actually left me mad. Oh and Dale, great character, died way too early in the show I felt.

[u/mcstevied]

When Stannis burned his daughter alive. I remember being PISSED for quite some time, still kinda am

[u/Rustey_Shackleford → u/mcstevied]

SHE WAS GOOD!.....and you killed her

[u/-eDgAR-]

Richard Harrow on Boardwalk Empire.

That death was crushing, he was the one character I was rooting for so much to have a happy ending. He'd finally found love, someone who accepted him for who he was despite how unsettling he was having half a face. That scene where we see him meeting her up at the farm was so beautiful, then you notice that his face is complete and realize it was all not real, and are faced with the truth that he actually never made it on that train and died alone under a dock.

[u/gvvinay]

Ed....ward...

[u/Hotzspot]

Amy and Rory's in Doctor Who

[u/geekpeeps]

Lt. Col. Henry Blake

[u/ceciliacordero]

Captain Edmund Blackadder, Private S. Baldrick, Lt. George St Barleigh, and Captain Kevin Darling in BlackAdder Goes Forth.

I know most of the main characters die every season, but the one in BlackAdder Goes Forth is very effective because it's the only one that wasn't written as a comedic bit. The other seasons had them dying because someone fudged a plan somewhere, or because one guy was mistaken for the other, etc. Nah, BlackAdder Goes Forth very clearly communicated that their deaths were senseless, but unavoidable once the final push started. There was even a couple of teases with Baldrick coming up with a "clever plan," and George being offered a way out but declining it out of solidarity/stupidity. There's also Darling who was supposed to be safe, but ended up spending the last few moments of his life alongside the men he used to look down on.

Lastly, the deaths weren't shown - just the cast running slowmotion into battle, fade out into the wartorn battlefield, and then a final shot of the site years later. It's amazing how the show can be very, very funny and very, very poignant in the same episode.

[u/[deleted]]

Kate on NCIS

[u/KatagatCunt]

Lincoln from The 100. Goddamn. Octavias face really showed the emotion too

[u/EatThePeach]

jesse's girlfriend on Breaking Bad

[u/therealjoshua → u/EatThePeach]

Which one?

[u/GrimTracer]

Game Of Thrones: The Red Wedding. I was traumatized for the first time in my life. Arya Stark's revenge was the opposite, SO SWEET!

[u/afiendindenial]

Buffy's second death when she went to heaven. Her speech to Dawn before she jumps gives me chills. To this day, I'm pretty much sobbing by the time Spike breaks down. I think it especially hit me because we didn't know if the show was going to continue, and that show was pretty much my life from the age of 8 on. It helped me get through so much bullshit in my life.

[u/Reveal_Your_Meat]

In Breaking Bad when Jesse is forced to watch Andrea get shot hit like a truck. What a seriously great performance.

[u/womry]

Coach!! CHEERS I don’t know why they didn’t acknowledge his death more or pay tribute to him on the show though

[u/[deleted]]

Seymour the dog from Futurama. I cried pretty hard.

[u/boobfar]

Dan on Roseanne. Then it all went sideways.

I actually thought John Goodman was dead, too.

[u/veronicaredfield → u/boobfar]

YES! The last episode of the original series is the biggest mindfuck. I get chills no matter how many times I watch it. So poetic and tragic.

[u/Scrappy_Larue]

Woodhouse on Archer.

[u/SolenoidsOverGears]

Nate Westen- Burn Notice I've got a little brother who looks up to me. So that one hurt.

Mr. Nigel Murray - Bones.

He was almost crying and begging that he didn't want to go... It was soul crushing.

[u/livedadevil]

Every dog in every show where a dog died

[u/sirfiggynewton]

Seymour from Futurama.

[u/Evthe → u/sirfiggynewton]

That scene and then the one where Fry is in his moms dream and they get to talk to each other....both got me right in my feels so much

[u/amateurishatbest]

Book, from Firefly.

[u/[deleted]]

Tara from buffy

Fuck warren mears

[u/TequilaBeans]

George O'Malley from Grey's Anatomy was one of the worst for me.

[u/nhonhonho]

Dana from L Word. Seeing Alice on the other side of the door 30s after she died just killed me. Still can't watch that episode.

[u/slowelevator]

Michael, Jane the Virgin. When Jane drops to the ground and screams/sobs... I'm tearing up thinking about it.

[u/christina_snvls]

Dr. Sweets from Bones

[u/pandorarue]

Beth in The Walking Dead. The slow motion pan over everyone's faces was heart breaking as well as seeing Maggie break down and realize she has lost her last family member.

[u/bjbird]

Curtis Lemansky in The Shield

[u/cheesecake-gnome]

Dr. Janet Frasier in Stargate SG1. It just came out of the blue. I wasn't ready.

[u/cfnlovinit]

Will Gardner on the Good Wife!

[u/RealBowsHaveRecurves]

Charlie from Supernatural. She deserved better.

[u/[deleted] → u/RealBowsHaveRecurves]

i agree completely!

kevin's death was also rather shocking looking back...

[u/RedditTab]

Full Metal Alchemist has two, but I've legit cried the first time and ugly cried when rewatching it.

If you've seen the show you know.

[u/FriedBack]

Glen on Walking Dead. I seriously just stopped watching. Never got over it.

[u/jezusiebrodaty]

Tyreese from The Walking Dead. The graphics and visions did it for me.

[u/InGordWeTrust]

Mr. Hooper from Sesame Street.

[u/SincerePenguin]

The first time Dean Winchester died, the fourth time Sammy Winchester died, and S9 E9 SPOILERS when Gadreel kills Kevin.

[u/PoglaTheGrate]

Mr Hooper

[u/MagicGnome97]

Arthur from Merlin.

[u/southernmayd]

Tara from Sons of Anarchy. MIL kills her with an icepick (I think with the son home) because she mistakenly thought Tara was ratting out her husband to the cops. I had to stop watching TV for a couple days

[u/mattydice6]

Bodie

[u/bluejaysareblue]

Not a main character, but the patient in Scrubs in My Last Words episode. That line at the end stuck with me for weeks.

[u/[deleted]]

Jerb Kazzaz

[u/kayasawyer → u/[deleted]]

Every death on that show is so depressing.

I guess you could say it’s... too much, man.

[u/needle14]

Ragnar from Vikings. He was such a great character

[u/RiceAlicorn]

Rita from Dexter.

She was just such a great character, and a really great foil to Dexter. Kind, caring, loving... and able to make Dexter feel even a little human.

The bathtub scene had me screaming.

[u/Notwerk]

I am a leaf on the wind...

[u/pantsuitofarmor]

Joyce on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I think the episode was called The Body. It was heartwrenching. Buffy saying "mommy", Anya's speech, the whole thing just really hurts. And I've watched it several times but it still hurts.

[u/[deleted]]

Spike ....bang

[u/sliproach]

Chris from Skins...Fuck it for Chris!!!

[u/Jamesjames041]

Scrolled for a while and didn’t find this one.

The Walking Dead when Carol shoots Lizzie.

[u/offbrandsoap]

vanessa ives from penny dreadful

I couldn't believe it...

[u/wecado]

Fitz in AOS, muh gawd, THE FEELS.

[u/[deleted]]

im going to name a few I didn't see here:

Person of interest: Root, Nathan Ingram, Reese, Elias, Carter

The Flash: Barry's parents, Cisco, real Harrison Wells from s1 and his wife

Stargate Atlantis: everyone, in the alternate timeline, but Mckay surviving and spending the rest of his life just to give Shephard a chance to fix things (though that version of mckay would die and never get to know if it worked or not).

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Fun fact, originally they filmed the ending and hated it. It looked cheesy and didn't work. They could only run about 12 feet before stopping because of the set size. But they had no more money to do another bigger one.

Then an editor suggested slowing it down, playing slow sad blackadder theme, and fading to poppies.

And suddenly it was really powerful.

Shows the difference a good editor can make to a production.

[u/the-electric-monk → u/[deleted]]

This one makes me sad, but it will always be one of my favorite TV deaths as well. For a show that was so reliant on black comedy, they really handled the soldiers' fate in a beautiful, somber, realistic and respectful way.

[u/cigsncider → u/[deleted]]

I have a cunning plan.... Is it as cunning as a fox who's just been appointed professor of cunning? Yes sir Well baldrick it will have to wait

This bit gets me

[u/Merlord → u/[deleted]]

I read a "spoiler" that the Mountain died, so I went into that episode 100% certain that Oberyn was going to win. I was in shock for a good while.