10 TV Deaths That Left Us in Shock

Characters on the small screen often become family, even though they are fictional and portrayed by actors despite never having met in person. Despite that, the deaths of beloved TV characters are often hard to take. Some deaths we will never get over.

Shocking television deaths are not a new thing. It could be the result of a real-life death, the result of someone wanting to further their career, and even just clever creative turns in series. They have always been a part of the medium. And the shock value is what draws in interested parties watching at home.

In other occasions, they are done because an actor does not want to come back for another season. In some cases, the writers just feel there is no where else to go with the character aside from cutting them from their mortal coil.

Here is a look at 10 recent TV deaths that left us shocked. Of course, there are plenty of spoilers ahead.

Rayna James, Nashville

When the former ABC series Nashville moved to CMT and kicked off with a bang. In an early episode of the fifth season, Connie Britton’s Rayna James character died from injuries sustained in a car crash. Britton wanted to move on, and the death gave her the best exit. The former Friday Night Lights star then went on to appear on Fox’s 9-1-1.

Jack Person, This Is Us

We knew it was coming, but that did not make actually seeing Jack Pearson’s death on This Is Us any easier. For a season and a half, creator Dan Fogelman had the entire country talking about how Jack died. The show’s central mystery was solved on the big Super Bowl Sunday episode, when we learned Jack had a heart attack after saving his family and their dog from a fire. This Is Us will continue to explore Jack’s past, so actor Milo Ventimiglia was still around.

Michael Codero, Jane The Virgin

In season three of Jane The Virgin we saw Jane’s husband, Michael, die from heart failure in dramatic fashion. Brett Dier, who played the character, told Vulture that he learned about the death after the end of season two, which saw him marry Jane.

“I found out at the end of season two, officially by Jennie, but I had an idea as early as season one that that was going to happen,” Dier said. “No one told me, just that narrator thing [the narrator says that Michael will love Jane ‘until he drew his very last breath’] made me go, ‘Wait a minute, what?’ And he’s a cop, so being a cop and having that line said about you, I was like, Okay, I feel like I’m not going to be on the show for very much longer.”

None of this matters in the end because Michael returns to life and his death was faked. Television magic!

Derek Shepherd, Grey’s Anatomy

Shonda Rhimes’ shows have built a reputation for shockers, and Grey’s Anatomy had one that many still cannot get over. In 2015, Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) died after helping the survivors of a car accident he came upon. McDreamy was blindsided by a speeding truck and was severely injured. After being taken to a substandard hospital, doctors there could not save him. 

Since leaving Grey’s, Dempsey has starred in Bridget Jones’s Baby. He also made a return in a recent season after Meredith Grey contracted COVID-19 and dreams about meeting several key characters on a beach.

Zoe Barnes, House of Cards

House of Cards‘ second season started off with the shocking death of Zoe Barnes, the journalist played by Kate Mara. Frank Underwood, played by Kevin Spacey, pushed her in front of a train after she began asking more questions about another congressman’s death. 

As Entertainment Weekly points out, Zoe’s counterpart in the original U.K. series died in a similar fashion, but many American viewers had not seen that yet. House of Cards‘ final season came and went without Spacey. He was fired because of sexual misconduct allegations.

Eddard Stark, Game of Thrones

No list of recent shocking TV deaths is complete without mentioning Eddard “Ned” Stark’s death during the first season of Game of Thrones. This was depicted in George R.R. Martin’s book, and was no surprise to readers. But for viewers who had not read the books, this was proof that no one on this show is safe. Fans were so caught off guard with the loss of Sean Bean’s character and it set the tone for what was to come.

John Locke, Lost

A Lost fan could make a whole list of deaths that were surprising throughout the series run. One of the biggest was the death of Terry O’Quinn’s central character, John Locke. His belief in the importance of the Island made him so important that he could not be killed right? Wrong. Ben Linus (Michael Emerson) strangled him to death long before the series finale. That did not stop Terry O’Quinn from appearing on the show later on though, becoming the final form of the Man in Black and the ultimate villain on the island.

Adriana La Cerva, The Sopranos

One of the most unforgettable deaths on The Sopranos was Adriana La Cerva’s. The character, played by Drea de Matteo, hoped to start a new life with Christopher (Michael Imperioli), but it was not to be. Once the word spread that she had spoken with the FBI, she was driven to the woods and killed. De Matteo won an Emmy for the role in 2004 and was nominated for a Golden Globe.

Tara Knowles, Sons of Anarchy

FX’s beloved Sons of Anarchy is chock full of deaths of major characters. One character who didn’t make it to the end was Maggie Siff’s Tara Knowles. Jax (Charlie Hunnam) thought he could turn himself in and save Tara. Meanwhile Gemma (Katey Sagal) discovered that Tara once planned to betray Jax, so she killed her daugher-in-law with a fork. Fans had to see Jax discovering the body.

Teri Bauer, 24

Fox’s 24 proved it deserved to be taken seriously when its first season ended with Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) finds his wife’s dead body. Jack thought he saved the day and was excited to reunite with his wife. But she was dead, killed by a mole. Sutherland won a Golden Globe for the first season in 2002, and was nominated for an Emmy.