Part of watching TV means growing connected to characters over a long period of time. The medium supports it. Unfortunately, that means you eventually experience the absolute gut-punch of a character dying shockingly. Sometimes, it’s because an actor wants to move on from a role. It can also be because the story moves to a place where a character’s death shakes up everything and everyone else. Regardless, it’s never easy to watch a beloved character die, even if it makes sense for the show—and especially when it doesn’t.
With the sheer number of shows on TV right now, this list is far from exhaustive. It is, however, 10 of the most jaw-dropping deaths to have occurred on the small screen since 2016. (One of which happened recently with Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) on NCIS (2003). I’m still in disbelief about that one!) You can catch these shows on HBO Max, Hulu, and more.
10. Logan Roy - Succession (2018-2023)
Logan Roy’s (Brian Cox) death is foreshadowed in the name of the show, Succession. For there to be any succession with his children, Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook), and Roman (Kieran Culkin), Logan must die. Yellowstone (2018) deals with a similar conflict after the death of its patriarch, John Dutton (Kevin Costner). However, Succession makes the expected unexpected in one of the most well-crafted episodes of TV in the last 10 years.
It’s no real shocker that this cast and crew turn out a truly impressive episode of TV; they have the awards to back up their craft. This episode is a snapshot of it, though. Logan’s children find out about his death in a single take that spans nearly 30 minutes—half of the episode’s runtime. It’s also a narratively stunning choice to have Logan’s death occur off-screen and that early in the final season. Even though the character’s death is inevitable, Succession makes it shocking.
9. Joel Miller - The Last of Us (2023-Present)
The Last of Us finds itself in an interesting spot with the death of Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal). People who have played the video game source material will know that this devastating twist is coming. They will almost be anticipating it, watching through their fingers. However, fans who come to the show without prior knowledge will be stunned by the choice.
I imagine it’s not an easy task to translate something that makes such an impact in its original form to another medium. Prime Video’s Fallout must do the same as it actualizes elements of the video game for TV. The Last of Us follows the video game’s lead, with Abby Anderson (Kaitlyn Dever) killing Joel in revenge for her father’s death. It’s brutal and graphic, and everyone, including Bella Ramsey’s Ellie, delivers visceral performances that stick with you.
8. Stefan Salvatore - The Vampire Diaries (2009-2017)
The Vampire Diaries was no stranger to killing off characters during its eight-season run on The CW. Usually, though, its main trio, Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley), Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder), and Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev), were safe. If they did die, there was a supernatural loophole that pulled them from their previous fate. When Dobrev exited in Season 6, The Vampire Diaries put Elena in a coma to preserve the character until the final season. Sadly, Elena’s return occurred at the same time as Stefan Salvatore’s death in the series finale.
Strangely, shows on The CW tend to kill off their leads in their final episodes. But Supernatural’s (2005) choice with Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) is a bit more confounding than The Vampire Diaries’ with Stefan. Stefan and Elena share one last moment in the space between life and death before Stefan sacrifices himself to Hellfire to ensure that a persistent antagonist (to say the least), Katherine Pierce (also played by Dobrev), dies, too. It’s a lot. The only silver lining for me is that Stefan eventually reunites with his brother, Damon, in the afterlife. Bittersweetly, the Salvatore Brothers are not immortal by the show’s end, but they are together.
7. Michael Cordero - Jane the Virgin (2014-2019)
Given the fact that Jane the Virgin pays homage to telenovelas, it shouldn’t be shocking that Jane Villanueva’s (Gina Rodriguez) husband, Michael Cordero (Brett Dier), dies. The show gives the audience false confidence when Michael survives a gunshot on the night of his and Jane’s wedding. A side effect of said injury comes back to haunt the happy couple a season later, killing Michael and changing the trajectory of the whimsical show and its lead.
I remember being floored by this TV death. I thought Jane had her Happily Ever After with Michael. I was then confused for Jane when Rose (Bridget Regan), a series-long antagonist who also goes by Sin Rostro, revealed that she faked Michael’s death and gave him amnesia. Any attempt at the couple reconciling felt impossible when Michael returned as “Jason,” who had built a whole life for himself in Montana. It was a shocking and unforgettable time. If you want to see more of Regan as an antagonist, watch her as Monica Stevens on The Rookie (2018).
6. Poussey Washington - Orange Is the New Black (2013-2019)
Poussey Washington’s (Samira Wiley) death in Orange Is the New Black is just as impactful now as it was when the episode aired in 2016. The character’s death is accidental. An untrained correctional officer tries to restrain Poussey during a peaceful protest against, ironically, prison guard brutality. The CO, Baxter Bailey, puts Poussey on the ground face-down and unintentionally suffocates her. Her body is left there, on the floor, for over 24 hours.
To make matters worse, Bailey lives with immense guilt but faces no criminal consequences. Despite her death being accidental, Poussey still died, and Bailey should have been held accountable for killing her. If you’re looking for another show that deals with real-world issues inside a women’s prison, the Australian drama, Wentworth (2013), has eight seasons.
5. Wes Gibbins - How to Get Away with Murder (2014-2020)
During How to Get Away with Murder Season 3, it was clear that a main character would be killed off. Thrillingly, every episode revealed a new clue that kept the guessing game going. It was evident that even members of the “Keating 5” (five law students picked to work with Viola Davis’ Annalise Keating) could be the victim. I remember theorizing with friends about how it could be. Still, it was jaw-dropping when the legal drama revealed Wes Gibbins (Alfred Enoch) as the victim. Of all the characters, he felt the safest because he was so integral to the show.
The circumstances of his death were absolutely wild. To condense them: Wes was killed to stop him from testifying against the Castillo family’s illegal activities, before being put into Annalise’s house, which was then set on fire to cover up the initial cause of death. Then, Enoch returned as Wes and Laurel Castillo’s (Karla Souza) son, Christopher. All of which is an emotional and nostalgic wrecking ball. How to Get Away with Murder was a part of the iconic TGIT line-up with Grey’s Anatomy (2005) and Scandal (2012). It still holds up as an exciting trio of shows to watch together.
4. Bellamy Blake - The 100 (2014-2020)
The 100 became synonymous with shocking deaths by the time the post-apocalyptic YA series wrapped up its seven-season run. I’m sure I’m not alone in knowing that I will never be over the controversial and back-to-back deaths of Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carey) and Lincoln (Ricky Whittle). Lexa’s death was so jarring that it continued conversations about the “Bury Your Gays” trope, which found one of its earliest examples in Tara Maclay (Amber Benson) from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997). It continued its bizarre track record with Bellamy Blake’s (Bob Morley) death.
Again, a show on The CW killed off one of the main characters in its final season. That said, Bellamy is one of the most confounding cases. Whether it was romantically coded or not is an argument for another day, but Bellamy and Clarke Griffin’s (Eliza Taylor) dynamic was one of the show’s strongest. Therefore, it was utterly mind-boggling to watch Bellamy betray Clarke’s trust in record-breaking time, only for Clarke to shoot and kill Bellamy, when his death was entirely avoidable. It made the rest of the final season even tougher to watch. If you’re looking for a show with a similar vibe but a more satisfying ending, try 12 Monkeys (2015).
3. Logan Echolls - Veronica Mars (2004-2019)
Veronica Mars has had many lives: two seasons on UPN, one on The CW, a movie—funded by a Kickstarter—released in theaters, a fourth and final (for now, I suppose?) season on Hulu. Over time, the romance between Veronica (Kristen Bell) and Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring) evolved. The latter of whom had come a long way from who he was in high school. Even then, Logan’s “epic” monologue stood out among other iconic, romantic moments from early 2000s teen dramas, like Lucas telling Peyton, “It’s you,” in One Tree Hill (2003).
Needless to say, it came as a massive shock when the Season 4 finale killed Logan just after he and Veronica married. He was tragically killed by a car bomb planted by Penn Epner (Patton Oswalt). Logan’s death was in the final seconds of the season finale, too, so Veronica Mars never got the chance to show the fallout with Veronica. As a fan of the original series and this relationship, I wish there were a way to avoid Logan’s death or at least have another season to see why the show thought it was necessary. For now, it still hurts that it happened.
2. Leon Vance - NCIS (2003-Present)
Leon Vance, the Director of NCIS, who has been on the show since its fifth season, was killed off in the show’s 500th episode. That sentence alone is an extraordinary reflection of TV’s longevity and this show’s presence. That consistency from the character alone makes the absence of him now shocking. The landmark episode revealed that Vance had died after being shot by a CID Agent named Dolan Thompson (Matt Cook).
The reveal itself is done with such care and drama. Vance seemingly debriefs the situation with someone who eventually reveals themselves to be a young Dr. Ducky Mallard (Adam Campbell), and that’s when the truth starts to unravel. In one of the most devastating line reads, Vance asks, “I wasn’t wearing my vest, was I?” Even typing that dialogue stirs up the emotions from watching the episode. It’s just stunning, and it’s not even the first time a character has been dead all along. I’m looking at you, Lost (2004).
1. Bobby Nash - 9-1-1 (2018-Present)
There was never going to be a different #1 spot for me. Bobby Nash’s (Peter Krause) death on 9-1-1 Season 8 is something I don’t think I will ever get over. I’m hoping the same is true for the show, honestly, because it’s impossible to imagine the first-responder procedural without him. Yes, Howard “Chimney” Han (Kenneth Choi) is the captain of the 118 now, and it’s been a year since Bobby died in the show’s timeline. Still, the loss feels fresh because 9-1-1 so rarely kills off characters. It isn’t akin to Game of Thrones (2011), where anyone can die.
In fact, 9-1-1’s characters often defy death in even the most bizarre of circumstances. So, it was shocking when Bobby contracted Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever in the lab where the 118 was responding to a call and died. It was especially strange considering Chimney and Hen, who had an open wound at one point, didn’t die. Bobby’s death didn’t make sense. Honestly, it still doesn’t. Maybe it never will. Maybe that’s the point. Regardless, Bobby left a mark on the show.
