20 TV Deaths That Caused Massive BACKLASH

#20: Matthew Crawley

“Downton Abbey” (2010-15)

What could be more heartbreaking than this? Matthew Crawley survived the war, finally got his happy ending with Mary, welcomed his newborn, only to die suddenly on Christmas day. That’s about as cruel as TV gets and “Downton Abbey” fans weren’t having it. The backlash that followed was intense. Many felt betrayed after tuning in for warmth and comfort, only to be hit like a ton of bricks. Dan Stevens, who played Matthew, later apologized for the devastation, though his decision to leave the show ultimately sealed his character’s fate. Julian Fellowes even admitted how painful it was to write Matthew’s death, while insisting it was inevitable. It didn’t just ruin Christmas for many, it also became one of TV’s most traumatizing deaths.

#19: Poussey Washington

“Orange Is the New Black” (2013-19)

We all know Poussey Washington deserved a better ending than she got. While she dreamed of a life of freedom, her life was sadly cut short during a protest. What made it so heartbreaking was how this fan-favorite’s death played out. Of course, the moment was meant to reflect real-life issues about police brutality, yet that intent did little to soften the blow. Livid fans spoke out about how unfair it was that Poussey had to be sacrificed to teach a lesson. For some, it reinforced the troubling trope of killing off LGBTQ characters. Even so, her death sparked conversations about racial injustice and abuse of power—but that didn’t make it easier to accept.

#18: Laurel Lance

“Arrow” (2012-20)

Talk about a colossal waste of a great character! Laurel Lance had so much to offer on “Arrow”, yet the writers consistently mishandled her. From her complicated history with Oliver, struggle with substance use disorder and evolution into Black Canary, Laurel was far more than just a love interest. Did that stop the show from killing her in a narratively hollow and anti-climatic way? Not at all. Characters far less compelling received meaningful sendoffs while Laurel’s death felt abrupt and oddly staged. Fans were quick to voice their anger, arguing that she was killed because the writers didn’t know what to do with her. Honestly, it seemed so. It remains one of “Arrow’s” most frustrating missteps—a betrayal fans never truly forgave.

#17: Love Quinn

“You” (2019-25)

Joe and Love’s romance was doomed from the start, but at least she was his match. With her, Joe couldn’t control the narrative and that made her more dangerous than anyone he’d ever faced. But since the show belonged to Joe, the writers chose to kill Love in one of the series’ most heartbreaking turns. For such a compelling character, her death was both shocking and deeply sad. Some fans openly wished Joe had died instead, struggling to accept her fate. Even in later seasons, her absence was impossible to ignore, with many expressing how much they missed her. She was indeed a narrative spice that made the show all the more intriguing. Sadly, she had to die to keep Joe’s story going.

#16: Carl Grimes

“The Walking Dead” (2010-20)

When it comes to delivering senseless and traumatic deaths for beloved characters, “The Walking Dead” takes the crown. Carl Grimes’ death is the poster child for deaths which burn audiences. We watched him grow from a scared child into a hardened compassionate survivor. He was meant to be the future of the show—Rick’s eventual successor. Instead, the writers stripped Rick's core motivation by killing his son in a most pointless twist. Carl didn’t even get a heroic showdown, he died from a bite from a walker and was forced to shoot himself. What a deeply frustrating ending! Despite explanations from showrunners, Carl’s death is seen as one of the show’s biggest mistakes to this day.

#15: Opie Winston

“Sons of Anarchy” (2008-14)

Years later, Opie Winston’s death still stings. If anyone deserved a peaceful ending, it was this sad character. His life was tragedy after tragedy. He lost his wife, his sense of purpose, and he was constantly pulled back to his gang. The way his death played out didn’t help matters. While in prison, Opie chose to sacrifice himself to save his brothers. Brutally beaten to death, his brothers watched him die, powerless to save him. Honestly, it was emotionally exhausting and fans weren’t just deeply affected, they were livid. It honestly felt Opie was being punished, which was too much for someone who had already suffered enough. For many fans, it remains one of the most upsetting deaths television has ever delivered.

#14: Charlie Pace

“Lost” (2004-10)

For much of his time on the island, Charlie Pace was reckless, and off-putting. Yet, he had some qualities that made viewers root for him. By season 3, the show transformed this deeply flawed character into a selfless hero. After realizing the boat they’d been waiting for wasn’t Penny’s, Charlie sent others a message at the expense of his life. How noble indeed! While the writers were clearly crafting a redemption arc, his death felt jarring and strangely avoidable. It left many viewers wondering if he couldn't have escaped or at least died in a better way. Was his death really necessary or did the writers run out of ideas for him? These questions continue to trouble fans even today.

#13: Eddie Munson

“Stranger Things” (2016-25)

Even though he didn’t have a long run on “Stranger Things”, Eddie Munson quickly became a fan favorite. Introduced as the charismatic, misunderstood meathead, he ultimately died a hero. At this point, fans were already too invested and completely shattered by his gruesome end. Many took to social media, expressing their disbelief and slamming the Duffer Brothers for killing off a lovable character so soon. Some even started petitions demanding that Eddie be brought back. Overall, the reaction from his death was huge. Memes, tributes, and heartfelt posts flooded social media, making it pretty obvious how much of an impact Eddie left in such a short time. His death still stands as one of TV’s most gut-wrenching and unforgettable losses.

#12: Marissa Cooper

“The O.C.” (2003-07)

We can’t say Marissa Cooper was without flaws, but did the character ever catch a break? From struggles with substance use disorder, toxic relationships, and constant upheaval, her life was pretty sad. Yet, the show’s creators added to that misery by killing her off just as she was about to leave town. Fans weren’t upset simply because they loved Marissa, but because her death felt pointless. Many felt it crossed from tragic to cruel. Over time, even the creators admitted regret over the decision. Still, it didn’t come out of nowhere. The network wanted a jaw-dropping moment and Mischa Barton was ready to leave the series. The result? A death that left a lasting ache and a fandom that never fully forgave it.

#11: Debra Morgan

“Dexter” (2006-13)

With Debra’s death, we have to ask: what was the reason? Was she just collateral damage, sacrificed to make viewers turn on Dexter one more time? A final statement that Dexter didn’t deserve peace or redemption after everything he’d done? To make that point, the show chose Debra—the same character who had already suffered enough and deserved so much better. Let’s not even get started on Rita Morgan’s death, used in a similar way to push Dexter further into darkness. But Debra’s felt worse, cruel, needless and brutal. Having Dexter unplug her life support and dumping her in the ocean like one of his victims? For many, that moment marked the instant “Dexter” crossed the line and never fully recovered.

#10: Derek Shepherd

“Grey's Anatomy” (2005-)

From the opening moments of the pilot, Meredith and the cheekily nicknamed McDreamy always felt destined for love. Their romance felt almost as integral to the series as the hospital itself. But the internet had a collective meltdown when Derek met his maker after eleven seasons in a hasty car accident. Fans were always going to be displeased with the idea of Dr. Shepherd getting a tragic and sudden exit. However, what really upset them was seeing Meredith herself pull him off life support. Forcing the burden of ending Shepherd’s life on a character that has frankly seen enough tragedy for a dozen lifetimes was too much. Some fans were ready to walk away from the hospital after his demise.

#9: Dan Conner

“Roseanne” (1988-97; 2018)

While the final season of this popular sitcom left fans disappointed in more ways than one, the shocking fate of the Conner patriarch was the most poorly received plot point. In the finale of the ninth season, Roseanne reveals she fabricated a good portion of the story we’d been following. She glanced over events like Dan’s fatal heart attack at Darlene’s wedding because she couldn’t cope with it. Not allowing fans to say a proper goodbye to one of the show’s lead characters left many feeling justifiably cheated. In fact, public disapproval proved so powerful that the show treated it like he never died in the tenth season. Bringing John Goodman back to his rightful role as Dan finally corrected season 9’s biggest misstep.

#8: Adriana La Cerva

“The Sopranos” (1999-2007)

Rule number one of character deaths: if you don’t see the body, there’s always a chance for a return from beyond the grave. Fans clung to this rule when the ambitious Adriana’s double life as an FBI informant finally caught up to her. After realizing her fiancé was clued into who she was, audiences got an downright agonizing slow car ride. It culminated with Adriana being shot off screen. This heartbreaking demise had fans clamoring for a miracle… that never came. Her non-traditional end left some members of the audience completely crushed. Adriana’s hard-to-watch end solidified that anyone could die in this show.

#7: Beth Greene

“The Walking Dead” (2010-22)

Since this zombie-apocalypse series is no stranger to offing main characters, fans are always ready to watch someone go. But most of the real controversy of Beth’s expiration didn’t actually come from the scene itself. Although fans were upset that her great season 5 character development was cut short, the real fan anger came from a huge social media mistake. After Beth’s death was seen on the East Coast, her fate was posted on the official AMC facebook. But the episode hadn’t actually aired yet in other parts of the U.S. Although the imagery was taken down after a few minutes, the damage was already done. This spoiler made an already hard to watch death even worse for a huge number of fans.

#6: Colonel Blake

“M*A*S*H” (1972-83)

According to several reports, Colonel Blake’s demise was the first time in American television history that a comedy series lead was written off in a tragic manner. When actor McLean Stevenson asked to be written out of the megahit series, the character was discharged and sent home. But the other characters later received a message that Blake’s plane had been shot down. This poignant yet tragic ending caused CBS to receive over a thousand angry letters from fans who were upset to get such upsetting news in the self proclaimed comedy series. The reaction proved so intense that CBS ended up removing the scene confirming his end from initial reruns. While Blake’s fate is much more optimistic in that edit, the truth is still bleak.

#5: Shireen Baratheon

“Game of Thrones” (2011-19)

While this grand tale of dragons and conquest routinely pushed the envelope, the loss of this innocent greyscaled Baratheon was simply a step too far for some. In a desperate attempt to guarantee future victory, Stannis Baratheon agrees to sacrifice his own daughter. This abysmal action especially hurt because Shireen was a gentle soul that was guilty of not one single crime. Many fans felt like Stannis would never sink this low. And to make matters worse, the method of her end was horribly drawn out. This unnecessarily gross and brutal end assassinated Stannis’ integrity and had many viewers crying out against Shireen’s dismal fate.

#4: Tara Maclay

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (1997-2003)

At a time when positive depictions of LGBTQ+ couples on the small screen were hard to find, this teen gothic series drew praise for its nuanced portrayal of Willow’s and Tara’s romance. However, the happy couple was ripped apart due to Tara’s abrupt and unearned death to a stray bullet. It was bad enough that this moment wrecked a landmark of representation for television. But it got worse when this event caused the show’s remaining prominent LGBTQ+ character to become a villain for the rest of the season. Fans who finally felt like they saw themselves portrayed onscreen were left fuming as all the positivity from this storyline evaporated in an instant.

#3: Will Gardener

“The Good Wife” (2009-16)

Even in a show known for its white-knuckled plot twists and nail-biting cliffhangers, no one could have predicted this event. In a shocking turn, lead character Will Gardner is suddenly shot in a courtroom. His abrupt demise at the end of an innocuous episode left fans wondering how the show could possibly handle all his unresolved relationships and storylines going forward. Co-creators Robert and Michelle King released a statement immediately after the episode aired to explain their reasoning behind Will’s drastic exit to grieving fans. But this move didn’t make this pill any easier to swallow. In the end, many viewers believed that the show never fully recovered from the unsatisfying end of the male half of Lockhart & Gardner.

#2: Tracy

“How I Met Your Mother” (2005-14)

If you looked up the most polarizing television finales of all time, this defining sitcom would definitely come up. During the show’s nine seasons, fans had been waiting to figure out who the mother mentioned in the show’s title was. They were very satisfied when Cristin Milioti’s Tracy was revealed as the matricach. But despite her undeniable chemistry with leading man Josh Radnor, a couple lines of dialogue and a quick scene confirmed that the character passed away. In the end, the long-awaited character ended up feeling like a cheap plot device to add an emotional gut punch in Ted’s story. The events of the entire series were cheapened in the eyes of longtime fans due to Tracy’s fate.

#1: Lexa

“The 100” (2014-20)

Since they led warring clans, Lexa and Clarke’s relationship was captivating for the story. It also was another great milestone for LGBTQ+ representation in the genre. Unfortunately, all that praise quickly turned to vitriol. Shortly after the two officially got together, Lexa was fatally wounded by a stray bullet. Viewers were up in arms that the industry seemed to still be sticking to the harmful tendency to kill off LGBTQ+ characters. The wave of criticism was so severe that the showrunner openly apologized for how the story played out. But at the end of the day, it was impossible for fans to accept this sudden and unearned loss. It’s a shame that one of television's greatest couples couldn’t end on a better note.

Which TV death annoyed you the most? Let us know in the comment section.