Two hit shows were rocked by character deaths recently. Fans of “The Last of Us” are still reeling from the shocking death of a main character, as are “9-1-1” fans, who tragically lost a series mainstay in the same week.
It’s not the first time a series has knocked off an essential cast member: Here are some precedents that caught audiences by surprise.
For this list, we ruled out deaths that occurred during series finales. (Sorry, “Lost.”)
The Last of Us (2025)
Fans of the video game knew the day was coming when lead character Joel would be killed off, but for those who never played the game, his death came as a complete shock. Pascal is, of course, busy and booked on a number of other projects, including “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” which is out on July 25, and the upcoming “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” the capper to the hit Disney+ series “The Mandalorian.”
9-1-1 (2025)
The death of beloved fire captain Bobby Nash was out of character for the hit first-responder series, since its characters had survived shootings, near-drownings, lightning strikes and even serial killer attacks over the course of its eight seasons. But there was no last-minute reprieve for Bobby, who sacrificed himself to save teammate Chimney (Kenneth Choi) after a deadly lab leak. Fans floated theories that the death was a fake out, with Bobby miraculously coming back to life in his coffin, but showrunner Tim Minear insisted that the character is not coming back. According to Minear, it was finally time to raise the stakes for the series and its larger-than-life heroes.
FBI: Most Wanted (2022)
Although Julian McMahon’s departure was announced ahead of time, viewers did not expect his character Jess LaCroix to be killed at the end of Season 3. He was shot in the neck during a confrontation with a domestic abuser and bled out before his team could save him. Dylan McDermott joined the series as the Fugitive Task Force’s new leader Remy Scott for the next three seasons.
This is Us (2018)
While viewers learned early on that Milo Ventimiglia’s doting dad Jack Pearson had died years before, they were still not prepared to say goodbye when the fateful episode finally happened in Season 2.
Sleepy Hollow (2016)
Nicole Beharie’s exit from the supernatural Fox series came amidst dramatic clashes and allegations of racism behind the scenes, as documented by Maureen Ryan in her book, “Burn It Down.” Her character, Abbie Mills, sacrificed herself in the third season finale, to the dismay of fellow main character Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison).
Grey’s Anatomy (2015)
The long-running medical drama never had any qualms about killing off members of its ensemble, including George (T.R. Knight), whose death in the Season 5 finale nearly went unnoticed as his character was too injured to be identified. But when Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) died in a car accident in the Season 11 finale, his onscreen wife Meredith (Ellen Pompeo), as well as the fans, were not okay.
Law & Order: Los Angeles (2011)
The “Law & Order” franchise has killed off numerous regulars over the years, but viewers of this one-season spinoff did not expect one of its main characters, Skeet Ulrich’s Detective Rex Winters, to bite the dust quite so soon. He was shot and killed by members of a drug cartel. At the time, executive producer Dick Wolf told the LA Times, “Sometimes someone has to die so that everyone else can live. It was a very, very painful call to make.” He admitted that the show, which was rushed to air, was not working and needed a jolt.
The Wire (2008)
The body count was never low on this classic HBO series, but when main antagonist Omar Little (Michael Kenneth Williams) was gunned down in a convenience store, by a kid no less, fans were not prepared. Naturally, his legend, and the show, lives on.
Game of Thrones (2007)
As with “The Last of Us,” people who had read George R.R. Martin’s book knew full well that good guy Ned Stark (Sean Bean) did not make it past the first season. But not everyone had read the book, so it was a complete shock to those who were in the dark when the show’s main character was beheaded in front of a crowd at the king’s orders. And then there was the infamous Red Wedding in Season 3, which wiped out the rest of the Starks in arguably the most brutal TV episode of all time.
Vanished (2006)
This short-lived Fox series is not well remembered today, but it did make headlines when Gale Harold’s FBI agent was killed in Episode 8 while investigating the show’s central mystery of a senator’s missing wife. Eddie Cibrian took over as the show’s new leading man.
