The following article contains spoilers for the shows discussed. Writing a character off from a TV series often cannot be avoided. No matter the character or the circumstance, losing the character is bound to impact the show and the viewers. However, some characters' deaths are much more poignant than others.
Whether it was the heart-wrenching but required killing of Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones or the devastating loss of Derek from Grey's Anatomy, there are just some character deaths that can essentially destroy a TV series.
10 Villanelle from 'Killing Eve' (2018-2022)
An MI5 analyst, Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh), is assigned to locate and capture psychopathic assassin Villanelle (Jodie Comer) in the TV series Killing Eve. The longer the hunt persists, the more powerful the mutual obsession between Eve and Villanelle evolves.
Yes, Villanelle was the villain. Yes, Villanelle was careless and had no morals. But when Villanelle and Eve accept one another for who they are, and just as they finally share their first kiss, Villanelle is shot. Fans were disappointed by Villanelle's death because it appeared as an extreme way close the relationship and show.
9 Derek from 'Grey's Anatomy' (2005-)
Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) is a soon-to-be surgeon at Seattle Grace Hospital in the medical drama Grey's Anatomy. The series follows Meredith and her fellow surgeons struggling to balance their work and professional lives.
After being a member of the series for a decade, watching Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), Meredith's true love, die after he was involved in a horrible car crash was agonizing to viewers. Many fans stopped watching the series after that episode because they were astonished and outraged.
8 Glenn Rhee from 'The Walking Dead' (2010-2022)
The AMC TV series The Walking Dead follows a group of survivors led by Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) scouring for a place to call home. The world is now overrun with "walkers," the titular walking dead of the show. The group struggles with personal conflicts and confrontations with outside groups along the way.
Fans of The Walking Dead who read the comic it is based on knew the fate that awaited Glenn Rhee (Steven Yeun) but still hoped that writer Robert Kirkman would spare Glenn from a violent end. Sadly he did not. Probably one of the most brutal deaths on TWD and certainly one of the most emotional; fans were furious. Long-time fans struggled to continue watching the season, and if they did, most only did in the longings of witnessing Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) get his comeuppance.
7 Grace Shelby from 'Peaky Blinders' (2013-2022)
A period crime drama focused on a family in Birmingham, England, after the end of the First World War, is the show Peaky Blinders. It tells the story of the Peaky Blinders, a street gang, and their ambitious boss Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy).
Grace Shelby, played by Annabelle Wallis, was adored by Tommy and fans of the show. When an Italian assassin shot Grace as a revenge hit ordered by Vincente Changretta (Kenneth Colley), fans were brokenhearted and bitter. While the death of Grace was crushing and surprising, it did enable the arc of Tommy's character to come to completion.
6 Poussey Washington from 'Orange Is the New Black' (2013-2019)
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Orange is the New Black is a comedy-drama Netflix series. It describes the story of Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling), whose past relationship with a drug dealer Alex Vause (Laura Prepon), ultimately causes her to go to jail for a 15 months prison sentence.
Poussey Washington (Samira Wiley) dies by accidentally being suffocated by Office Bayley (Alan Aisenberg) during a peaceful protest. Fans loved Poussey: she was compassionate and abided by a rigorous ethical code. Her death took a bit of the soul out of the show.
5 Ragnar Lotbrok from ‘Vikings’ (2013-2020)
Telling the story of Ragnar (Travis Fimmel), a farmer who ultimately becomes a Scandinavian King, the TV series Vikings is a historical drama television series created and written by Michael Hirst. In the later seasons, the show follows Ragnar's sons and their experiences.
Since Ragnar was the patriarch of the series, fans took his death hard. Given that Ragnar was the central character of the series, it was stunning when he died. Not that it was unusual for a Viking to die, given their harsh lifestyle, but the rationale for the death and the actual trip to the pit full of venomous snakes was more than some viewers could accept.
4 Maya St. Germain from 'Pretty Little Liars' (2010-2017)
Five girls who rule the school at Rosewood High in the TV series Pretty Little Liars are horrified when the leader of the group, Alison DiLaurentis (Sasha Pieterse), goes missing. The remaining girls get together a year later to figure out what happened to their missing friend.
Murdered by Lyndon James (Sterling Sulieman), Maya (Bianca Lawson) had attempted to become friends with the tight group of girls at Rosewood. Most fans' sentiments ranged from irritated to enraged over the seemingly unnecessary death of Maya. She might have been a minor character, but she was savvy, dynamic, engaging, and undoubtedly a fan favorite.
3 Daenerys Targaryen from 'Game of Thrones' (2011-2019)
The HBO series Game of Thrones follows nine families in the land of Westeros. These families have fought for generations for control of the Seven Kingdoms and the ability to rule by sitting on the Iron Throne.
The death of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) was one that most fans saw coming. Her gradual slip towards "Mad Queen" status and then the discovery of Jon's Targaryen all but ensured it, but the way it transpired did not sit well with die-hard GoT fans. Dany shifted from hero to villain seemingly overnight. While the death occurring at the hand of Jon (Kit Harington) was the right move, it felt degrading and undignified for Daenerys to heave a ghastly shadow on an otherwise incredible series.
2 Logan Echolls from 'Veronica Mars' (2004-2019)
Working as a private investigator Veronica (Kristen Bell
unravels a different case in each episode of the TV series Veronica Mars. The series is set in the fictional town of Neptune, California, and aired on the CW network.
When a bomb explosion killed, Logan (Jason Dohring) fans were in a clamor. The death of the rebel who finally won over Veronica seemed undeserved and downright frustrating. Most fans felt it was done only for shock value and added nothing to the storyline.
1 Lexa from 'The 100' (2014-2020)
After a nuclear war decimated civilization, a spaceship lodging 100 juvenile delinquents returned to Earth, hoping to repopulate the planet in the TV series The 100. The series is loosely based on the young adult novel of the same name and aired on the CW.
Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carey) was a complicated, provocative character that earned fans with her strong LGBTQ+ representation. Shot by a stay bullet, her death triggered fury in the fan base. Many fans had a visceral reaction to the character's death and never returned to the series.