Have you ever had your favorite character get violently killed off or disappear from a show? A lot of the time, it has to do with things that are going on behind the scenes…
Dr. Derek Shepherd – Grey’s Anatomy
Everyone’s favorite doctor met his grizzly fate due to his infidelity off-screen. Patrick Dempsey was caught having an affair with a crew member, so Shonda Rhimes decided that enough was enough and killed him off.
Rayna James – Nashville
There’s only speculation about what happened with Connie Britton’s character. The show switched networks, and soon after, Rayna James was hit by a car. Hmm… A bit coincidental!
Jimmy Darmody – Boardwalk Empire
Michael Pitt didn’t really do anything wrong, per se, but he turned out to be the least favorite on set. He forgot lines, showed up late, and wasted a lot of people’s time. After he was killed off on the show, his agent dropped him.
Marissa Cooper – The O.C.
All 2000s teens loved The O.C. and wanted to be Marissa Cooper. Apparently, actress Mischa Barton was quite the diva, and the crew couldn’t take it anymore. She was killed off mid-season and fired from the show.
Laurie Forman – That ’70s Show
Lisa Robin Kelly became a problem onset due to her substance abuse issues. She had to be written off and was eventually replaced. Sadly, she passed away in 2013 due to her abuse.
Denise Huxtable – A Different World
Who doesn’t love Lisa Bonet? She got quite popular from her role on The Cosby Show. During filming, there was a conflict between her father and Bill Cosby over a racy photoshoot. Instead, she was given a spinoff show, A Different World.
Jenny Humphrey – Gossip Girl
Taylor Momsen is known as the gothic frontwoman of The Pretty Reckless. While on set of Gossip Girl, she kind of took on that hard rocker edge and became quite erratic. Producers were not into her hardcore aesthetic and booted her from the show.
Charlie Dattolo – Girls
This situation is a bit different. The actor, Christopher Abbott, said that he simply didn’t relate to his character and wanted to leave the show. There was no drama and no hate, it simply wasn’t a good match anymore…
Ana Lucia Cortez and Libby Smith – Lost
The writers were trying to play off the deaths as a creative decision, but they couldn’t keep the real decision quiet for long… In real life, the actresses both got DUI’s.
James Evans – Good Times
John Amos started to notice that this show was turning into a “whimsical antics” show more than covering important topics and social issues. Before he could take his opinions to the creators, they wrote him off in a car accident. Rough.
Terry Crowley – The Shield
Terry Crowley was made out to be the main character of this series, but he was killed off at the end of the episode. It’s unclear what happened…
Stuart Minkus – Boy Meets World
No, no. Minkus wasn’t killed off, but he was moved homerooms! Actor Lee Noris actually went to star on One Tree Hill.
Maude Flanders – The Simpsons
Children growing up watching The Simpsons were basically given a death and grief lesson through the killing of Maude. Maggie Roswell was fired when she complained about not getting a raise… So, sweet Maude was killed.
Charlie Harper – Two and a Half Men
It’s no secret that happened with Charlie Sheen. After his bizarre public meltdown, the creators kicked him off. They killed him via train. Ashton Kutcher famously took his spot.
Ned Stark – Game of Thrones
For all Game of Thrones fans, this came as a shock. This was the first time the writers of the show were able to truly shock the fans and let them know that no one is safe. The worst part is that little Arya was watching… This was a very integral part of the show, unfortunately.
Erlich Bachman – Silicon Valley
It was said that TJ Miller left the show on a mutual agreement, but others onset would have to disagree. He was known to be unpredictable and explosive.
George O’Malley – Grey’s Anatomy
When Isaiah Washington called TR Knight derogatory words during an argument, Knight decided it was time to come out of the closet. Apparently, it was recommended by Shonda Rhimes for him to leave his role as George O’Malley.
Tara Knowles – Sons of Anarchy
Just when you thought things were going to get somewhere, Tara was straight-up murdered. Whoops! This death was definitely out of pocket…
Aaron Hotchner – Criminal Minds
Thomas Gibson was not a fun person to film with during Criminal Minds. He was known to be abusive and aggressive towards cast and crew. His unpredictable mood swings eventually got him booted.
Prue Halliwell – Charmed
Apparently, the Charmed writers weren’t too worried about Shannen Doherty’s previous experiences on set… She was written out of 90210 after being difficult to worth it. Well, they learned the hard way, and kicked her off of the set of Charmed as well.
Harrison Wright – Scandal
Columbus Short was killed off of Scandal after his wife accused him of domestic abuse. Later, he pleads guilty in those same domestic abuse charges. He also admitted to having substance abuse issues as well as anger management problems.
Lt. Henry Blake – M*A*S*H
McLean Stevenson committed a huge faux pax in the acting world: He complained to producers that his character wasn’t big enough in the show. Annoyed with his poor attitude, they kicked him off.
Dale – The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead knew how to surprise its audience. Dale had the worst death reaction of them all… People were not happy!
Zoe Barnes – House of Cards
Instead of having a big death at the end of a season, House of Cards did it at the beginning. Zoe was pushed in front of a subway train to kick off the second season.
Kate Lockley – Angel
They did a nice job of killing off Kate Lockley. The actress was offered a netter role on Law & Order.
Bill Henrickson – Big Love
Bill Hendrickson was a huge character in this show… So, it was a bit of a shock to fans when he got shot and died. Needless to say, this was a death waiting to happen…
Jason Gideon – Criminal Minds
Mandy Patinkin played Chief Jason Gideon for two seasons before he felt the burnout… He just realized the role wasn’t for him anymore.
Cordelia Chase – Angel
If you didn’t know, Angel is the spin-off of Buffy. Unfortunately, Charisma Carpenter got pregnant while filming… That part was written into the show. But, when she gave birth, her character went into a coma and, essentially, died.
Grace Kelly – Grace Under Fire
Brett Butler couldn’t hold up her role as perfect mother Grace Kelly. Her drinking problem got in the way, and they had to cancel the show altogether.
Judy Winslow – Family Matters
This one is quite funny. The producers of the show felt that the family had too many kids, so they eventually just pretended that young Judy didn’t exist… Whoops.
Tuco Salamanca – Breaking Bad
If it seemed like Tuco’s death came on quickly, that’s because it did! Actor Raymond Cruz requested to be killed off because he was pretty much over the show. The writers asked for at least eight more episodes to nail down the exit, but Cruz refused.
Valerie Hogan – Valerie
In a weird twist, the show all about Valarie was left without its namesake. She got booted because she wanted more money, and NBC didn’t agree.
Lucy Knight – ER
ER always took people by surprise… Lucy Knight was stabbed to death in a really emotionally gripping scene.
Joyce Summers – Buffy the Vampire Slayer
This one truly hit hard for a lot of fans. This supernatural show got all too real with the death of Buffy’s mom…
Dee – Battlestar Galactica
The show’s finale was really gripping! Audiences were excited to see the return of Dee, but not for long… It was extremely alarming to see her raise her gun to her head.
Steve Corsetti – Homicide: Life on the Street
In an attempt to diversify the cast, Jon Polito was written off. He was told his character would come back, but that wasn’t the case…
Matthew Crawley – Downton Abbey
Matthew Crawley survived World War I and the Spanish Influenza… But a truck? He didn’t stand a chance.
Mrs. Landingham – The West Wing
Mrs. Landingham for into an unfortunate wreck after getting her driers license… In reality, she was tired of the show and wanted to leave.
Kenny – South Park
Just because it’s South Park, they decided to kill Kenny. Why? For fun. It was a bit for a while that Kenny got killed and then magically came back, but at one point… He was actually killed. It got dark. Then, he possessed Cartman, and few a season or two, found his human body again. Ya know, cartoons.
Dr. Grace Miller – Scrubs
Fans of the show simply didn’t like Bellamy Young’s character. So, the writers decided to have her literally just walk out of the hospital and never come back. Okay, then.
Omar Little – The Wire
Since Omar was quite the character himself, fans of the show should have seen his death coming… Granted, it took five years, but still.
Cody Lambert – Step By Step
Cody Lambert was supposed to be the comedic relief, but the actor’s real-life was anything but. He had many problems at home and was sentenced to prison. When he went away a second time, the writers had to write him off.
Lawrence Kutner – Lost
The suicide of Lawrence Kutner shocked fans all over. It seemingly came out of nowhere… And, it did! Turns out, the actor wanted to go to a job in the White House.
Lori Grimes – The Walking Dead
There’s a lot going on with Lori in this show. She really didn’t have an easy time… Then, pregnant, she dies. It was rough.
Eddie LeBec – Cheers
Jay Thomas was not a fan of kissing Rhea Perlman. So much so, that when people asked what working on the show was like, he said that the worst part was kissing Rhea. It said that it was, “unbearable.” Well, then he was killed by a Zamboni.
Maximillian Arturo – Sliders
When John Rhys-Davies told producers that he didn’t like where the plot and writing were going, they knew that had to boot him. Rough.
Edie Britt – Desperate Housewives
Nicollette Sheridan didn’t really get along with the rest of the cast on the show. She was dismissed from the show, and Edie was electrocuted to death. Sheridan tried to sue creator Marc Cherry for wrongful dismissal and assault, but she lost.
Moira Queen – Arrow
Moira’s death was planned for the entire series, but when it came to time to kill her, it was rough. Fans think she did a lovely job.
Charlie Pace – Lost
Dominic Monaghan didn’t realize that he would be working with his ex-girlfriend on the show, which made things difficult. He was given a small role but ultimately died a hero.
Caitlin Todd – NCIS
Caitlin had quite the fiery death. She took a bullet for her friend (with a vest on! but was then shot in the head. Well, at least she tried!
Dan Conner – Roseanne
Avoiding the topic of the newest rendition of Roseanne, we’re going to talk about Dan. Turns out, Dan died at Darlene’s wedding and everything after was conjured up as a coping mechanism (and a way to keep the actor on the show!)
John Locke – Lost
This death was a little weird, and it’s possibly because they thought of it quickly. The actor wanted to leave the show, so they had to move quickly.
Chuck Cunningham – Happy Days
Chuck Cunningham walked upstairs and was never seen again. That’s literally how they wrote him off the show.
Susan Biddle Ross – Seinfeld
When sealing the wedding invitations, George’s fiance died from investing too much of that glue. Whoops! Of course, it became a bit.
Cousin Oliver – The Brady Bunch
Cousin Oliver was written in as an “adorable” face since all of the other kids were growing up, but it didn’t go well… He was written off because fans found him very annoying.
Will Gardner – The Good Wife
Will Gardener accidentally found himself in the middle of a shoot out, which caused his death. Fans were not ready for this one!
James Novak – Scandal
This death was quite scandalous itself! James found out about a bit too much about an affair, and that resulted in his death.
Gary Shepherd – Thirtysomething
Sorry, Gary, you ain’t got a chance. He died in a car crash. That’s a bit too easy, isn’t it?
Diana – V
Diana was killed by her daughter in a bizarre twist that fans weren’t sure if they liked. I guess the only way the OG Femme Fatale could die was by her own daughter…
Ianto Jones – Torchwood: Children of Earch
This was a rough one. People were vividly angry over this death. The creators did not budge and were happy with their decision.
Allison Argent – Teen Wolf
Basically, Allison was only brought onto the show to die. This gave Tyler a lot of meaning to his character, though.