When fans have a favorite show, oftentimes, they get attached to favorite characters on that show. But these characters don’t always stay. As shows likeGame of ThronesandThe Walking Deadhave proven, no character is safe from being written out of a show. Even other types of shows, from dramas and comedies, have seen fan favorite characters depart as well.
The most common way is death, the character being killed off for various reasons, either due to the plot or real life. One of the saddest TV character exits to come will certainly be Andre (Chance Perdomo) fromGen V, written off due to the actor’s untimely death in real life. But looking back through the years, there are several other characters that fans were disappointed to see go, via death or being written out for other reasons.
10Michael Scott
‘The Office’
After making fans and his workmates laugh for seven seasons of this mockumentary sitcom, Michael Scott (Steve Carell)onThe Officewas replaced by Robert California (James Spader)for the final two seasons. Despite how great Spader is,Carellwas sorely missed. He was at the center of the show as the goofy regional manager of the Scranton branch of a paper supply company.
Now engaged, Michael announces that he will be leaving the company to move to Colorado with his wife Holly (Amy Ryan)to help her support her aging parents. The moment when he says his goodbyes, including Jim (John Krasinski)telling him he’s the best boss he has ever had and Pam (Jenna Fischer) running to give him a big embrace before he leaves for the airport, is tear-inducing. Fans of the show call the episode, entitled “Goodbye, Michael”, one of the best, if notthe best episode, of the entire series.
The Office
9Alex Karev
‘Grey’s Anatomy’
Alex’s (Justin Chambers) departure onGrey’s Anatomycame abruptly and strangely. After supposedly leaving to see his mother in Iowa, the others discover that he never went there. He claims to have reconciled with Izzie (Katherine Heigl) and learns that she gave birth to twins, the result of embryos the pair had frozen years prior. He had two children he didn’t know about and wanted to stay with her and raise them.
Though the group was sad to see him go, they understood how important it was for Alex to ensure his children didn’t grow up without a father like he did. While Chambers wanted to leave the show, according toCBR, fans didn’t like the way he was written out. He not only left without goodbyes, he also completely betrayed his wife Jo (Camilla Luddington), sending her nothing more than a letter and divorce papers. It was sad to see the character leave after 15 seasons, but fans were more angered than upset at the storyline devised to explain his exit.
Grey’s Anatomy
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8Elliot Stabler
‘Law and Order: SVU’
For a dozen seasons,Law and Order: SVUwas all about Detective Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Detective Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni). So, when Meloni announced his departure from the series, fans were torn apart. The pair, one ofthe best detective duos of the 21st century, worked so well together. The chemistry between them on the police procedural crime drama is among the best ever on television.
A harrowing situation that forced Elliot to shoot and kill a 16-year-old young woman was too much for him to deal with, even though it was a justifiable kill. He decided it was time to retire and fans were gutted at the news. Thankfully, Meloni returned to reprise his role forLaw & Order: Organized Crime. While fans don’t get the same Benson and Stabler dynamic, Benson does appear in crossovers throughout the seasons.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
7Finn Hudson
Sadly, sometimes a show has no intention of writing off a character, but a real life death of an actor forces this to happen. Such was the case forGleewhenCory Monteithsadly passed away. Thus, his fan favorite character of the sweet jock Finn Hudson had to be written off the otherwise joyous and musical comedy-drama.
Watching the characters act out the scenes mourning his death was heart-wrenching, knowing that they were grieving in real life, too.Gleenever reveals how Finn dies, using the moment to focus on the positives, which makes it even more emotional. In one scene, Kurt (Chris Colfer), his stepbrother and friend, says “everyone wants to talk about how he died, but who cares? One moment in his whole life. I care more about how he lived.” It’s evident these words pertained to the actor as much as the character. The episode features a memorial for Finn along withLea Micheleas Rachel (who dated Monteith in real life as well as on the show) belting out an emotional performance ofBob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love.” When she tells Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) that Finn was “her person,” the waterworks for viewers watching at home began to stream.
6Fred Andrews
‘Riverdale’
What made Fred’s exit fromRiverdaleespecially sad is that it came completely out of left field, only written into the script because the actor who played him,Luke Perry, passed away in real life. The series, based on characters from Archie Comics, was already dark, brooding, and ominous. But the episode dealing with Fred’s death was especially emotional as the kids sat around to grieve Archie’s father. He had been, at one point or another, like a father figure to all of them.
His death was felt beyond that as well, with Archie (KJ Apa) making bad decisions as he tried to deal with his pain and his mother returning to help pick up the pieces. Considering Fred was such a bright light in a show that touched on serious subjects made his absence felt even more.
5Charlie Pace
“Not Penny’s Boat.” These are the last words Charlie (Dominic Monaghan) was able to get across onLOSTbefore perishing in one ofthe most upsetting TV character deaths. It was a word of warning to a friend in hopes that it might save him. Charlie was a fan favorite character, a musician and drug addict who found a new meaning for himself with friends and even a romantic partner after becoming shipwrecked.
Once Charlie learned that he was fated to die and there was nothing he could do to change that, fans felt for him. He died in a suicide mission that allowed him to leave as a hero. But seeing his hand pressed against the glass, knowing he was about to drown but still concerned for his friend, had fans sobbing.
4Eddie Munson
‘Stranger Things’
It’s rare for a brand-new character to join a show in a later season and become such a fan favorite. But Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) did just that inStranger Things. Fans were instantly rooting for the charming yet misunderstood outcast high school senior. When he’s accused of killing a popular girl, however, he goes on the run. The core group of kids on the show are the only ones who believe him, knowing all about the Upside Down, its creatures, and what they can do.
Eddie is part of one of the most epic scenes of the fourth season, and arguably of the show as well. Seeing his heroic death was absolutely perfect. But fans were sad to see him go. Even after his death, people believed he was a cult leader and a murderer. Dustin’s (Gaten Matarazzo) conversation with Eddie’s uncle, explaining to him that none of that could be further from the truth, brought on tears. After the season, fans were calling for Eddie’s return. Quinn hasvaguely hinted at his possible return, so it might not be the last fans have seen Eddie yet.
Stranger Things
3Rita Morgan
Dexterhit its height in season four when the lead character and vigilante serial killer Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) meets his match in Arthur Mitchell (John Lithgow), a decades-long serial killer known as Trinity Killer and posing as an upstanding citizen. The cat and mouse game that begins with them was compelling, but Arthur always seemed to be a step ahead of Dexter.
In their final moments together, when Dexter has Arthur on his table and is about to kill him, Arthur makes a remark and Dexter realizes that Arthur may have gotten the last laugh. As he races home, he arrives to find his son Harrison crying while sitting in a pool of blood. Beside him is his mother Rita (Julie Benz), lying lifeless in the bathtub filled with blood. Along with this vision triggering the traumatic memory of his own childhood, the fact that Dexter looks genuinely upset had fans reeling. But the camera panning over to Rita’s expressionless face, and knowing how sweet of a character she was, was devastating for fans. Hers was one of those TV deaths that no one saw coming. It was a scene people talked about for weeks and had trouble getting out of their heads.
2Poussey Washington
‘Orange is the New Black’
WhileOrange is the New Blackwas supposed to be centered around protagonist Piper Kerman (Taylor Schilling) and her time in a women’s prison for a minor crime, the attention quickly shifted to the ensemble cast of characters. One such scene-stealer was Poussey Washington (Samira Wiley). A promising young woman, she is serving an unreasonable sentence for possession of cannabis with intent to sell and trespassing.
Poussey’s death was impactful in many ways because it was meant to be a form of social commentary as much as a dramatic scene. When she tries to diffuse a situation during a peaceful demonstration in the cafeteria, she ends up being pushed to the ground by CO Bayley (Alan Aisenberg). With his knee on her back and her face to the ground, Poussey struggles to breathe and eventually passes away. It’s clear, the moment is meant to be powerful social commentary about police violence and the use of unnecessary force, especially against people of color. Though it was also argued that Bayley’s actions were the result of both being distracted by Suzanne (Uzo Aduba) and improper training. Seeing Taystee (Danielle Brooks) collapse by her friend’s body sobbing is one of the most emotional scenes of the show. It’s a powerful scene that will instantly make the room go quiet, hands cupped to mouths in disbelief.
Orange is The New Black
Watch on Netflix
1Glenn Rhee
Glenn’s (Steven Yuen) death reverberated through the following seasons long after it occurred, and into the spin-off seriesThe Walking Dead: Dead City. It’s the precursor to Maggie’s (Lauren Cohan) intense hatred of Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and allows for much of the tension between the group and Negan in the latter seasons of the series. It also allows for Negan’s redemption story to be that much more polarizing.
After being captured by Negan and his Saviors, Negan has everyone on their knees in a circle, deciding who to kill in retaliation for their senseless murder of many of his people in their sleep. He chooses Abraham (Michael Cudlitz), but Daryl (Norman Reedus) angrily protesting leads Negan to kill Glenn, too, a guilt that haunts Daryl from that point on. The terror in Maggie’s eyes as Glenn’s head is bashed in, along with the deep sadness everyone feels for years to come, show how meaningful a character Glenn was. Fan reactions were just as emotional.
