Watching long-running TV shows can be dangerous for the fans - especially if they grow to like the heroes. The reason is that many TV shows have no problem with killing their protagonists, the characters the audience learned to love.
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It happens when the actor portraying the character decides to leave the series or when the story demands it. However, no matter what the reason is, the end result is often shocking for the audience, especially if they had no idea something like this could happen.
8Charmed
Charmedis now a fantasy classic that even spun a recent remake version. Since it has multiple main characters, the three magically-gifted sisters Prue, Piper, and Phoebe, it was easier to kill one of them and allow the show to go on anyway. After Shannen Doherty decided to leave the show, her character Prue died after being attacked by a demon who threw her through a wall.
It happened in the final episode of the third season. That wasn’t the end for the sisters' adventures, though. Instead of Prue, their half-sister Paige (Rose McGowan) joined them andCharmedran on for another five seasons.
7The O.C.
Even shows focused on teenagers don’t spare their heroes.The O.C.sees one of the main characters, Marissa, died shortly after her high school graduation. It happens when she and her boyfriend Ryan are driving to the airport and get into an accident.
Ryan survives but Marissa doesn’t which is a shock both for Ryan and for the audience. The show continued for one more season without Marissa but was canceled after that.
6Grey’s Anatomy
As one of the long-running shows,Grey’s Anatomykilled its fair share of the main characters. The first major character who died long before the show ended was George O’Malley in the fifth season. George died after he was hit by a bus.
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From there on, the series didn’t shy away from killing other characters and since it’s still running (with currently 17 seasons under its belt), it can continue to do so in the future as well.
5The Vampire Diaries
Technically, Elena Gilbert isn’t dead. Instead, she ends up in a magically induced coma, courtesy of the murderous Kai Parker. However, from a practical point of view, Elena’s as close to death as they come (especially when her body later burns to ashes, or so Damon believes).
Once the actress Nina Dobrev left the series, the show focused on the Salvatore brothers instead and had Dobrev come back as Elena in the final episode, two seasons after Elena had gone to her deathlike sleep.
4Misfits
The popular British showMisfitsoffered a newsuperhero tale- whose main characters may have had special powers but weren’t always heroes. A group of young offenders who more often than not make things worse, most of them eventually died or moved on. The first character, who died, was Nathan but he later came back to life and realized he was immortal.
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Unlike Nathan, the death of Alisha was permanent when an angry ghost slit her throat. Alisha’s death motivated her boyfriend Simon to go back in time where he also died. The main characters were eventually all replaced by a brand new group of young misfits who had a different set of special powers (such as Rudy who could split in two).
3American Horror Story
With the word “horror” in its title, it’s no wonderAmerican Horror Storyexcels at killing its characters. For example, in the first season titledMurder House, the main character Violet dies after taking pills and she remains in the house in the form of a ghost, unaware she’s dead until her dead almost-boyfriend Tate tells her the truth.
In the third seasonCovenhas the power-hungry witch Fiona kill one of the daughter’s pupils, Madison. Unlike Violet, Madison later comes back to life but for a time, the series seamlessly continues without her. And these aren’t the only timesAmerican Horror Storyresults in killing its main characters.
2Game Of Thrones
Game of Throneskilled so many of its main or supporting characters that the audience soon got the message: nobody was safe. But back in the first season, this wasn’t yet a given. As a result, many people were shocked whenNed Stark (Sean Bean) truly diedat the hands of the Lannisters.
Those who expected a miraculous last-minute rescue since Ned started the series as one of its main characters, were disappointed. The series later did the same with Jon Snow, but unlike his adoptive father, Jon did eventually come back to life.
1Teen Wolf
Crystal Reed is no stranger to major TV series roles but the part of Allison Argento inTeen Wolfwas her breakthrough. Allison was much more than just the pretty girl Scott fell for. At the end of the third season, she unexpectedly died after being stabbed.
Despite her importance for the story,Teen Wolfran for another three seasons and Reed went on to appear inthe DC superheroshowsGothamandSwamp Thing.
