Saddest TV series character death

[VeloClone]

I was too young for that episode but I have heard people talk of how they were shocked at Henry Blake's death.

It really was a curveball. And the way it was presented really hit you. They have a big good-bye for him. After the commercial break you see everyone in the OR. Radar comes in without a mask and Trapper hollers at him that he needs to put a mask on. Hawkeye quips something like, "If it is my discharge give it to me straight, I can take it." Then a shocked Radar gives the news that Henry's plane was shot down and there were no survivors. Everyone stands in stunned silence and tries to get back to work.

It was so unexpected from a show that while it had some serious undertones was still mainly a comedy. On top of that no half hour series up to that point had killed off a main character so no one really expected anything like that.

I have heard stories that the studio received hate mail for killing off Henry.

 

[1UNI2ISU]

Jimmy Darmody in Boardwalk Empire was pretty rough.

He'd already lost everything and then the way it happened just made it even more impactful.

 

[KidSilverhair]

Dr. Mark Green's death on ER was pretty bad even though you saw it coming

As far as Dr. Green goes, the death of the pregnant mother (and baby) in the Love‘s Labor Lost episode of ER hit pretty hard.

I was just looking up something about that episode and they filmed the last scene - with Anthony Edwards falling apart in the subway on his way home - before they filmed the rest of the episode, and before they even had the entire script. They could only tell Edwards his character had had an unexpectedly bad day at work, and he had to play off just that information.

They only needed one take.

 

[KnappShack]

 

[Stewo]

Even though the episode aired before I was born, I'm going with Henry Blake as well. I've watched MASH many times, so I feel that "connection" to the show and that hit hard af. And reading about how essentially no one in the cast knew about the death until the day they shot the scene makes it even more sort of gut wrenching. I mean, that episode probably had 50+ million viewers. Seems like that would have been the most profound t.v. death of all time.

 

[EnkAMania]

Henry Blake - Mash.

 

[MeanDean]

Jimmy Darmody in Boardwalk Empire was pretty rough.

He'd already lost everything and then the way it happened just made it even more impactful.

I actually felt worse for Eddie (The German right-hand man of Nucky) and Harrow's deaths than Jimmy's

 

[GMackey32]

As far as Dr. Green goes, the death of the pregnant mother (and baby) in the Love‘s Labor Lost episode of ER hit pretty hard.

I was just looking up something about that episode and they filmed the last scene - with Anthony Edwards falling apart in the subway on his way home - before they filmed the rest of the episode, and before they even had the entire script. They could only tell Edwards his character had had an unexpectedly bad day at work, and he had to play off just that information.

They only needed one take.

The Dr. Barnett injuries from being hit by that bus was also incredibly shocking but he didn't die so it doesn't qualify for this thread.

 

[alarson]

Amber in House MD.



Marshall's dad on HIMYM

 

[JM4CY]

Wallace's death definitely hit me hard. Ugh.

Other contenders for me:
George O'Malley on "Grey's Anatomy"
Kyle Bishop on "Smash"
Rayna James on "Nashville"

George Omalley. I was genuinely unaware that show was still going. I remember watching that episode when it happened like over a decade ago and being floored.

 

[theshadow]

It really was a curveball. And the way it was presented really hit you. They have a big good-bye for him. After the commercial break you see everyone in the OR. Radar comes in without a mask and Trapper hollers at him that he needs to put a mask on. Hawkeye quips something like, "If it is my discharge give it to me straight, I can take it." Then a shocked Radar gives the news that Henry's plane was shot down and there were no survivors. Everyone stands in stunned silence and tries to get back to work.

It was so unexpected from a show that while it had some serious undertones was still mainly a comedy. On top of that no half hour series up to that point had killed off a main character so no one really expected anything like that.

I have heard stories that the studio received hate mail for killing off Henry.

Alda was the only cast member who was let in on it ahead of time, but all he knew was that the character died.

It wasn't part of the original script that was distributed to the cast -- the writers/producers kept it a secret until after the rest of the episode was shot. Then they came in and said, "Oh, BTW, we have one more page to shoot."

So the stunned reactions were pretty much authentic.

 

[KnappShack]

Mother *******.....

 

[MeanDean]

Both Boardwalk Empire and The Wire have been mentioned. I'm super impressed by the actor who played Chalky White in Empire and Omar in The Wire. That said, I realize I'm late to that party. RIP Michael K Williams.

 

[dahliaclone]

George Omalley. I was genuinely unaware that show was still going. I remember watching that episode when it happened like over a decade ago and being floored.

long time ago. 2009 i think

 

[StormnClone58]

Amber in House MD.



Marshall's dad on HIMYM

Being roughly about the same age as Marshall, now, this really hits me, hard.

 

[Cyinthenorth]

Glenn in the Walking Dead. Mostly because I felt that the show never really recovered from the moment. So my sadness was more the loss of a great show than the loss of a great character (Glenn was fine)

 

[cyclone4L]

Rita Morgan in Dexter

this

 

[Isualum13]

Marshall's father in How I Met Your Mother

 

[CRCy17]

Marshall's dad on HIMYM. Was just unexpected and hit hard about the harsh reality that things can happen in an instant.

 

[CRCy17]

Marshall's father in How I Met Your Mother

Ugh beat me to it by a hair!