Summary

On television , actors are systematically entrust and reappearing on dissimilar appearance and meshwork , but how a series handles the absence of a beloved character does n’t always go over well . A character ’s death , disappearing , orfarewell of any sort can feel forced and heavy - handed if it is n’t part of the initial plot of the series . Whatever the reason for the player leaving the show , if it ’s not handle aright , it could throw off the entire series .

The lot of both a TV show and its player is often uncertain , as the chances of cancelation or scheduling fight are always on the visible horizon . Additionally , there can be creative conflict , professional conflicts , or new chance for actors that cause a character to require to be written off . In the casing that a sudden departure occur , the fiber deserve a meet ending that satisfies the audience and the arc of the lineament .

There are a lot of dramatic and shocking fiber Death in the world of TV , but some are still talked about years after they bump .

A collage of Brian Cox as Logan Roy from Succession, Sean Bean as Ned Stark from Game of Thrones, and Steven Yeun as Glenn from The Walking Dead

10Aaron Hotchner - Criminal Minds

Played by:THOMAS GIBSON

Cast

Aaron " Hotch " Hotchner was the anchorman of the Behavioral Analysis Unit , BAU , for many seasons , and provide important leadership for the team , as well as serving as a begetter build to some of the younger member . WhenGibson was give the axe fromCriminal Minds , the writers did not make a fitting way to send off his theatrical role . Hotch had gone through a lot with the team , including the death of his wife at the hands of a infamous serial killer .

However , when it came time for him to leavein season 12 , he and his son conjoin Witness Protection due to the actions of a consecutive killer and disappear . Over the series , Hotch gave up a lot of time with his crime syndicate to work out with the BAU , and he had been successful in finding a work - life balance in the seasons before his exit . to boot , he was never a man to back down from a fight , especially one with a outlaw he could outsmart .

9Charlie Harper - Two And A Half Men

Played by:CHARLIE SHEEN

Two and a one-half Menwas never the same after Sheen was go and left the gob that was Charlie ’s part . After it was resolve that Sheen would be get go , his character was pronounce idle in the season 9 premiere , after being hit by a train in Paris . Although accidents happen , Charlie getting kill off in this path , and not even getting a right arrivederci , was unfair for the audience and the development of the other characters on the show . disregardless of the reason for his leaving , Charlie deserve a lot more .

8Cordelia Chase - Angel

Played by:CHARISMA CARPENTER

Charisma Carpenter did an splendid occupation portraying the developing that Cordelia undergoes through her time on bothBuffy The Vampire SlayerandAngel . However , it ’s inAngelthat Cordelia gets a luck to glow . Sadly , at the end of season 4 , Cordelia is in a coma , andit ’s give away in the first sequence of season 5 that she has died .

Although Cordelia had grown into herself by this point , there was still so much result for her to do onAngel . Even though the final include plenty of convulsion , suffer Cordelia felt unjust . Her brief return in time of year 5 made it seem like she was back for good , but it was only a visual modality she sent to Angel ( David Boreanaz ) to say so long .

7Alex Karev - Grey’s Anatomy

Played by:JUSTIN CHAMBERS

When a series has run for as long asGrey ’s Anatomyhas , it has to oft conduct with actors follow and fit , and bump ways for the plot to continue no matter . One of the most withering outlet of the show , was when Alex Karev on the face of it reneged on all his character growth andabruptly abandoned Jo ( Camilla Luddington ) , to reunite with his long - lost love , Izzie ( Katherine Heigl ) , who leave the serial just as dead many age before .

While Alex did have sex Izzie , his choice to leave not only Jo but everyone at the hospital get to no horse sense for his character . He had become a stiff and secure image in theGrey ’s Anatomyworld . His final actions counteract that , and bankrupt what could have been an amazing series - longsighted character electric arc .

Chambers ' jot at a potential Alex take to Seattle in Grey ’s Anatomy make a finical outcome more potential , or his character would be ruin .

Katherine Heigl as Izzie Stevens and Justin Chambers as Alex Karev in Grey’s Anatomy S06E12 and Justin Chambers as Alex Karev in Grey’s Anatomy S15E25

6Lexa - The 100

Played by:ALYCIA DEBNAM-CAREY

Lexa cursorily became a firm and well - be intimate character inThe 100 , and her death was altogether irregular . She was known for her relationship with Clarke ( Eliza Taylor ) and her purpose as commanding officer of the Grounder clans . Whenshe is unexpectedly killed in season 3 by a member of her clan who was trying to kill Clarke , it ’s a crushing conclusion to a human relationship that was veer scant and bring home the bacon excellent LGBTQ+ representation . Her exit was criticized for capitulate to the figure of speech of homophile characters pass tragically and too young . Outside of her family relationship with Clarke , Lexa was a compelling fiber and still had more to kick in to the show .

5Fiona Gallagher - Shameless

Played by:EMMYROSSUM

The Gallaghers did not always have the best hazard onShameless , and Fiona was no exclusion to this . However , in the finale of season 9 , and Fiona ’s last visual aspect , it seems as though she ’s come everything she ever need . She comes into a large sum of money and decides to use it to pull up stakes Chicagofor the long haulage . While it ’s heartwarming to see Fiona get a happy ending , it does n’t make a lot of gumption for her grapheme . There were many reasons whyFiona ’s leaving was a well thing forShameless , but it also offend the show .

A large part of what makesShamelessthe show that is it is that there are no happy termination . Life goes on , and it ’s a invariant battle . A windfall of money would not solve all of Fiona ’s problems and is not a replacement for the employment that she needs to do on herself . to boot , after so many years of caring for her siblings and defending the Gallagher name , it seems unlikely that Fiona would suddenly give all that up and start over without her family .

4Matthew Crawley - Downton Abbey

Played by:DAN STEVENS

When Matthew and Mary ( Michelle Dockery ) finally got together onDownton Abbey , it was a joyous occasion . It was almost as exciting as the birth of their child . unluckily , not long after that , Matthew was killed in a car crash at the ending of time of year 3.After role player Dan Stevens did n’t renew his contract on the show , it have in mind that the Crawley family would have to be torn aside , even if viewers would be upturned . Though there was no avoid his exit , it could have been in a much more hearty means . The randomness of his stroke made it clear that the show was not groom for him to leave .

3Troy Barnes - Community

Played by:DONALD GLOVER

While Donald Glover did leaveCommunityto expand on his euphony life history and has created some amazing music , his departure from the show leave alone a hole that was difficult to fill . He left in time of year 5 , after a rocky season 4 that was written without Maker , Dan Harmon . Troy was an amazing case , and a vital part of what made the show so good was Glover ’s personal magnetism and comedic timing .

He suddenly depart to sweep around the world with his hero , LeVar Burton , and even though he bids farewell to the rest of the cast , it does n’t feel quite good . It ’s obvious that the Almighty did n’t want him to go , and thatCommunitywould face a difficult slip in his absence seizure . Other character came and went after he left , but none had the same chemistry with the other characters .

2Poussey Washington - Orange Is The New Black

Played by:SAMIRA WILEY

Poussey promptly became a vital part ofOrange is the New Blackand her sudden last was super emotional . During her participation in a peaceful protest against the wrongful treatment of con in the infirmary , Baxter Bayley ( Alan Aisenberg ) asphyxiate Poussey while endeavor to restrain her . It is a trigger-happy and lurid outcome that turns the life of everyone in the prison house upside down . As a character , Poussey was compelling and still had more maturation to do . While the show might have intended to make a full stop about violence against inmates , Poussey got caught in the crossfire and did n’t get the spark she merit .

1Elena Gilbert - The Vampire Diaries

Played by:NINA DOBREV

Without Elena there was noThe Vampire Diaries , but after Nina Dobrev said her goodbye , the show kept on motivate . After being a human and a lamia Elena had gone through a lot , let in the departure of many loved ones . However , the show opted not to let her leave peacefully , or to vote down her off , but a foreign in - between whereshe is put into a magical coma at the end of time of year 6 .

Dobrev did make a brusque return in the series finale several twelvemonth afterwards , but her true exit from the show pass in time of year 6 . However , it seems impossible that her loved ones would let her ride out in the coma without finding a way to reverse it . There were plenty oftimes inThe Vampire Diarieswhen Elena should ’ve drop dead but did n’t . Magic and the laws of the universe are ofttimes out to inThe Vampire Diariesand if Elena was going to leave , it should have been in a way where she was sincerely gone .

Cassian in Andor Season 2

Alex Karev in Grey’s Anatomy and Elena Gilbert in The Vampire Diaries

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Alycia Debnam-Carey as Lexa holding a spear in The 100

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Lady Mary and Matthew Crawley with their child in Downton Abbey

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