Top 10 Shocking Times a Sitcom Character Was Killed Off

[@WatchMojo]

Which sitcom character’s death left you the most shocked? Let us know in the comments! For more content like this, click here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aIjCno2Vbd1nhMk Don't forget to play our Live Trivia (www.watchmojo.com/play) games at 3pm EST for a chance to win cash! The faster you answer, the more points you get!

[@Jeremiah_Rivers76]

I feel like Susan’s death was more of a shock than a grief-maker, but Marvin’s really got the waterworks going.

[@jsutton0010]

I will say Letitia Cropley in The Vicar of Dibley. It would be great if you guys could include British Sitcoms in these type of lists instead of always using American Sitcoms.

[@joshuacarson6576]

When I was a kid I would say it was between Dan Connor and Chet Hunter. The one that scares me the most is the one on mothers. As I'm a recovering addict. N I've seen friends go back out and die.

[@99guizmo]

Paul Hennessy (8 simple rules) because of John Ritter’s death will always be a sad one for me

[@pyroslev]

"Where do you think we are?" Still one of the absolutely just heart shredding moments in TV in the last 20 years.

[@WinsberryEntertainment]

Definitely a surprise moment. Maybe I was too young, but I didn't see that coming. I just thought, "Well, this isn't the Scrubs I'm used to."

[@Shebeast3]

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏🏼👏🏼

[@Michelle-DiPalo]

Ben on Scrubs wasn't just a Cancer patient. He was Dr. Cox's brother in law, whom he was very close to.

[@michaelherrera4914]

Watch Mojo didn’t do their research 😂

[@kiaramurray832]

Also his best friend. Cox called him that himself.

[@KeffLeTalker]

i just watched that episode this week .. man. Started scrubs last month

[@WatchMojo]

Sorry yes that important fact should have been mentioned! Made everything so much more personal.

[@RossIsFine]

Was the first time you saw Cox being vulnerable

[@chelseacanales8763]

Chet Hunter’s death hurts the most for me. Just when he promised that he would be there for Shawn and Jack he died from a heart attack 😢😢😢😢😢

[@Lynn17]

YES, same, I remember being a teenager seeing that episode and believing he'd really make it. Damn those writers for yanking that carrot away. :( But praise them for giving us such a legitimately heartbreaking moment.

[@hhairball9]

John Amos' death on Good Times had devastated my family. To this day, my mom thinks Mr Amos had died for real!

[@WatchMojo]

It's incredible how certain performances can leave a lasting impact on our lives.

[@taveonhurd8152]

Absolutely. I actually came here to state that exact thing. Good Times was way before my times but a patriarch being killed off and seeing how a low-income family has to adapt and move forward to survive probably speak volumes to many families around the world

[@nuwildcat90]

What's worse is the reason why John Amos' character had been killed. John Amos and Esther Rolle had both complained to Norman Lear that Jimmie Walker's J. J. was a bad influence for African-Americans. Lear retaliated by killing James Evans Sr. instead of changing J. J. Interestingly enough, Sherwood Schwartz intended to do the same thing with Robert Reed's Mike Brady, but ABC and Schwartz jointly decided to cancel the series after the fifth season instead.

[@michelletackett9489]

"Where do you think we are." The second I heard that from JD, I cursed loudly and it hit me. I knew what had happened and it was only 7 years removed from me losing my father, so I cried for the next 30 minutes. It was the sucker punches to end all sucker punches.

[@travisanderson8305]

"Where do you think we are"? Gets me EVERY TIME

[@persaunna]

Yes

[@williamsummerson1204]

As a massive scrubs fan, Ben's death hit me really hard and I still get emotional when I watch it. Love the performances from the whole cast.🙏🥰

[@Firepuma27]

The Growing pains episode with Matthew Perry hits different these days

[@varunsrinidhi4747]

May he rest in peace

[@crystalshaw8744]

Exactly. I almost started crying.

[@tjdoescosplay]

Ben on scrubs was actually pretty cool plus I love brenden Fraser favorite actor met him at galaxycon and he held my peacemaker helmet so super proud of it

[@ferox965]

Edith Bunker is easily number one for me. Archie's monologue is painful.

[@ScottSpaulding-s2e]

I think Lavern’s death on Scrubs was more painful. She was in almost every episode and when Carla had to say goodbye it ripped my heart out. I still can’t watch those episodes.

[@mycenia2113]

Agreed. Ben's death was shocking and the episode was great, but Carla talking to Lavern before she passes makes me ugly cry.

[@PhantomWanderer]

JT from Degrassi, still makes me cry. I know the actor wanted to pursue other opportunities but the way they killed his character was just like, “why?!”

[@Lynn17]

I was so relieved when the revival had Dan alive and well. And even given the reason WHY she was killed off, the show did a good job making the character's death a painful thing for the rest of the family. Chet still hurts. He wasn't a good dad and knew it but he TRIED and he really wanted to get it together. Edith's death was well done. Jean Stapleton wanted off the show and they gave her character a genuinely heartbreaking sendoff, Carroll O'Connor's acting was so damn good.

[@ricmar92]

The Scrubs one threw me for a loop the first time 😢

[@joermnyc]

Ben’s death is foreshadowed in a very clever way. He’s obsessed with his camera the whole time, taking pictures and refusing to part with it. Until JD tells Dr. Cox they lost the patient, then Ben appears without his camera for the rest of the episode, and it’s only when Dr. Cox notices the camera is missing that Ben disappears and we get the scene between Dr. Cox and JD asking him “Where do you think we are?” The only other time Dr. Cox was hit that hard was the end of “My Lunch” when they accidentally gave donor organs infected with rabies to 4 patients who all died (including another friend of his.) That went into the next episode where Dr. Cox is refusing to return, not speaking to anyone, and is drinking heavily. Again it’s JD that gets him out of it, though in a funny way when JD tries to drink Dr. Cox’s whiskey, “You don’t drink whiskey.”

[@theonedraven8007]

"My lunch" is hands down the saddest most impactful episode of a sitcom i think ill ever watch

[@SentaiYamaneko]

And the fact that in his very first appearance, he said he'd wear that camera 'til the day I die'. Clever and painful foreshadowing.

[@ebecenti]

Scrubs is the greatest

[@c00mgoblin]

The entirety of season 9 of Roseanne was awful but her monologue in the very last episode was very heart wrenching. Dan Conner is the best TV dad of all TV dads and finding out he had been gone almost made season 9 make sense with the feverish-feel to about 80% of it.

[@NekoHime93]

Agreed. So glad the writers retconned Dan's death in the revival season.

[@SuperYouFox]

I thought Mrs Wolowitz's death from The Big Bang Theory would make the list, given Howard's reaction to it, but I guess that would be more for a list of Sitcom Characters who died because the Actor Died.

[@shiroukun7432]

Nurse Roberts passing was also rough in scrubs

[@supposedhumanmars]

Losing a parent is a unique kind of pain. My dad and I were extremely close and his sudden death in 2019 was a shock to us all.

[@darkmoon0219]

As someone who's lost three dads in my 40 something yrs of living I can say...it never gets any easier and never take time spent for granted...

[@WatchMojo]

I'm so sorry to hear about the losses you've experienced. Your words resonate deeply, emphasizing the importance of cherishing every moment with our loved ones. It's a reminder to hold onto the memories and appreciate the time we have together. Sending you warmth and strength.

[@deborahblackvideoediting8697]

I don't usually hear of other people who have had three dads. I'm sorry you've lost all three, especially since you're still so young. I've lost two - one very suddenly 22 years ago, and another over the course of last year from cancer. The pain is sometimes overwhelming. I still have one dad left, and I feel eternally grateful to have had three.

[@kevinriley6320]

Now do top 10 reactions from characters after loved one dies. Like when Florida threw the punch bowl (Good Times) Miss Ellie destroying the kitchen after accepting Jock's death (Dallas). 2 from Knots Landing. 1. Karen holding Erin Molly after Sid's death & Greg watching Laura's video will.

[@nicolelylewis]

Papoli (spelling?) from "Full House"....Michelle and Uncle Jesse's breakdown in the boat, so sad!

[@joelmavity1467]

Eric’s grandpa in That 70’s Show was really sad too. Him eventually dying in the hospital his daughter works at made it even more gut wrenching.

[@rglocks]

James on Good Times

[@jamalvargas6146]

Muriel Goldman and Diane Simmons Family Guy (1999-2002;2005-) Muriel Goldman's death was shocking enough but Diane being the killer was a huge surprise eventually leading to her end by Stewie Griffin great episode

[@quizmandan95]

Scrubs could have had another moment in here with Laverne's death

[@99guizmo]

Paul Hennessy (8 simple rules) because of John Ritter’s death will always be a sad one for me

[@LoyaltyNECO]

One of the best emotional Scrubs episodes of the series.

[@mikeburkhart8336]

Lt. Colonal Blake's death in M*A*S*H* hit hard,even though it was all off screen.

[@WatchMojo]

The way MAS*H handled Lt. Colonal Blake's departure was a poignant and emotionally impactful moment. The decision to keep it off-screen added a layer of realism, making it even more powerful.

[@Jeremiah_Rivers76]

I felt everyone’s pain in that episode.

[@Irisheddy]

I was (am) a big fan of M*A*S*H. I still can't watch the episode where Henry Blake was killed. It was like losing beloved uncle.

[@herrypottier4201]

Scrubs was ahead of its time!!!! It was funny but damn it hit you hard not only Ben's death but another for me is when all of Dr cox transplant patient's start dying and he's powerless to save them😢

[@Jenifer_R_]

The worst part of Col Blake was how pointless his death was. It didn't even affect the plot, because he was already written out of the show.

[@thomasblersch6839]

Also one of the best points, dramatically. MASH was so often preachy moralizing about its anti-war message, that Col. Blake's sudden and pointless death stated simply as a factual event was the most powerful anti-war moments of the series.

[@lilletrille1892]

The conditions on the set was horrendous and the actor portraying colonel Blake was the one who spoke up about the problems. When he was fired there was an outcry for Blake to come back. So the producers had the character killed.

[@Jenifer_R_]

@@lilletrille1892 Wow! I didn't know there was a sinister back story - cheers.

[@MetxsightseerRailfan]

One you forgot on this list is Howard's mom from The Big Bang Theory.

[@ftolead]

Henry Blake's, still one of the earliest memories of balling my eyes out at a tv characters death.

[@kevinriley6320]

I know the character was only on 1 episode but what about Cynthia from The Facts of Life. It did bring up the subject of trrn suicide.

[@VanessaSamuels-v5x]

Tracy in himym was also a shocking death

[@twist58]

And here I thought losing good characters on crime dramas were hurtful, but even sitcoms can run deep with losses.

[@justanotherinternetwiseguy8018]

According to Jason Alexander, at the time he didn't like working with the actress who played susan. felt he couldn't play off of her well. At a dinner party with the main cast and larry david, jason mentions how he hates working with her and the character then julia louis Dreyfuss brought up the idea of killing her character ( susan) off. This was mostly an odd complaint from jason and with that the story was back to being basic. in an article i read awhile ago jason said he regretted doing that. he complimented the actress and said she was great and said he wish he could have gone about it differently instead of killing the character off.

[@jacobdrolet4262]

Amazing video watch mojo of sitcom characters that being killed off there shows,fantastic job.

[@mattalan6618]

bot

[@PIXPromosMore]

All of these are very worthy entries; but one you didn't mention that haunts me to my core *TO THIS DAY* was Parker Posey's Liz on "Louie"...probably the Only time I ever Flat-out BAWLED for the demise of a TV character...and she was only on for 3 episodes.

[@BrynHarding]

Where's George O'Malley from Greys Anatomy?! That shit came outta nowhere!

[@hhairball9]

That whole episode with the shooter had me in shock...

[@Margann1987]

This is a list only for sitcoms.

[@jackiegillies4165]

If you are in recovery, Mom is a must watch. It's showcases how your brain has been changed from addiction and distorts thought processes!

[@mattalan6618]

i was in drug rehab at the time and that show helped me. i knew it was a sitcom but they handled issues like rehab seriously

[@gabetelevisiononline]

Big Bang Theory… Howard’s mom (iconic voice) Beverly Hills 90210… Dylan McKay’s wife which led to him leaving the show on that same episode 8 Simple Rules… John Ritter’s character (because of his actual death) To mention a few more

[@RajaReign78]

I know the first character was only on one episode of a sitcom called ROC, but the episode Terrance Get Your Gun shocked me when it aired. Also Kevin Arnold’s math teacher Mr. Collins dying in The OG Wonder Years. I bawled every time those episodes were on in reruns.

[@deborahblackvideoediting8697]

My son and I binge-watched How I Met Your Mother last year. I had just gotten off the phone with my dad, who was dying of cancer. I sat down with my teenage son to watch an episode, expecting a few laughs - something to take my mind off things for a little while. And wouldn't you know, it was the episode where Marshall's dad dies. I remember the sweet look of compassion my son gave me. I started crying and crying. I couldn't stop. It will always be the television death that hit me the hardest, because all I could think about was losing my dad.

[@KenKlasser-bj7nr]

Mrs Wolowiz from the Big Bang Theory.😅

[@thechillindude4478]

Similar to John Ritter, they weren't including characters who had to be written out due to real life passing

[@Corozivu]

There is a scene in MASH where Hawkeye actually says that war isn't hell,as you said in the intro. War is war and hell is hell because there are no innocent people in hell. Also killing off a character in order to remove him from a TV show was called to McLean after the name of the actor that played Henry Blake. 2 minor details that would have made the last entry better.

[@chadkennedy7855]

War is hell, bub.

[@mikememine1423]

You said that one best, I always remember Hawkeye saying that...

[@AndreaDoesYoga]

😮💔 Unexpected turns really add depth to sitcoms!

[@tjwash2]

When a fellow recovery person dies of the disease, it’s impact is palpable no matter how long you’ve known them

[@infinitystudiosltd.5121]

Why not Pops from The Goldbergs... Or Pops from Regular Show? Or Maude Flanders from the Simpsons?

[@swtgrl4321]

Dr. Mike would be freaking out. "Chest compressions, chest compressions, chest compressions!!"

[@Filthyism]

I was devastated when they killed off Jodi, like WHY? That was such a low blow. Loved her character. Should’ve taken Kristy’s daughter instead. Ben from scrubs and marshals dad also was a swerve.

[@bjorndamrong3289]

Hi Kirsten have a great weekend and love your voice 😍

[@WatchMojo]

Thank you so much!!

[@4fortune1984]

Chet Hunters death him me so hard as teen like I think I never cried so badly

[@jackharrington2996]

Literally just watched the Mom episode when Jodi dies. Omg it was heartbreaking. They get the call right after a wedding too

[@CutterHistorical]

I wouldve went Mrs WOlowitz from big Bang Theory on this list

[@dimidrugg9592]

Carol Ann Susi passed away in real life, so that wasn't a shocking sitcom character death, similar to John Ritter.

[@mattalan6618]

@@dimidrugg9592 yeah we already knew they died. they just happened to write them into the shows

[@catholicactionbibleonlyist1813]

Yet to see the episode however Mash

[@Jackal2099]

Cordelia Chase from Buffy and Angel

[@mattalan6618]

no. i say that cause she came back to life both times

[@newageBoundhippie]

@@mattalan6618 no she didn't...she died in the coma she was left in after the dumpster fire of season 4's plotlines. She was with Angel in spiritual/incorporeal form in that season 5 episode, with Angel getting the news she'd died at the end of the episode after saying goodbye

[@mattalan6618]

@@newageBoundhippie see i dont care about either show so i said what i said an i am not taking it back

[@hustleman85]

James Evans Sr doesn't even get an honorable metion. WTF

[@crystalshaw8744]

U know why...

[@elineff2791]

I took John Ritter's passing EXTREMELY hard I absolutely bawled, even watching Three's Company again he was already gone literally a year or more

[@torkelsvenson6411]

Claire's dad in Derry Girls

[@juliolabayen9860]

Was this uploaded last week?

[@jons.6216]

Actually long prior to all of this was the death of Margaret Williams on Make Room for Daddy in the 1950s when actress Jean Hagen quit the show during its run! They moved everything forward to a time long after the fact when the show picked up again.

[@dantealoving]

Alice Garvey from Little House On The Prairie was the most horrible death! Seeing her breaking the window while flames engulfed her killing her and Mary's baby was so tragic!

[@jestina1292]

good times James Evans?!

[@antoniacosta6221]

Regarding 5, Chet also died on Jack's birthday

[@crystalshaw8744]

Why did I watch this? Now I am bawling...😢😢😢

[@nuwildcat90]

Tracey Gold didn't take the death of Sandy to heart since she would plead guilty to a DUI after crashing her SUV with her husband and their three children (at the time) following a party. Her husband was drunker than she, but neither presumably considered getting a hotel room or calling a cab.

[@waittillfamewtf2385]

Eleanor / Tahani / Chidi / Jason "The Good Place" 🏡 (Deaths revealed in flashback)

[@connorerhart6038]

Charlie from Two and a a Half Men

[@michaelgallagher3640]

The Scrubs death was well hidden till the very end, best death on tv to me

[@DarKDimX]

John Ritter in Scrubs and 8 simple rules

[@mayaeiland]

Dan Connor wasn’t dead in the reboot!

[@GamerFunOriginallyAarush]

Sad…

[@jefyanke8168]

Matthew Perry even though the show went off 30+ years ago

[@joonassummanen6130]

Why didn't you mention Mrs. Wolowitz's death form The Big Bang Theory.

[@MarvinMoore-yq3id]

Uh, u said that were not mention Paul being killed off because John Ritter who played him, died for real, well they killed Colonel Blake off of Mash because McLean Stevenson who played him died for real , so how is this anything different?

[@serendipitydoodah21]

Colonel Blake was killed off at the end of Season 3 in 1975. McLean Stevenson didn't pass away until 1996.

[@dantealoving]

He left Mash and got another role after. The show Hello Larry

[@CheeksMcGillicutty]

That's what Archie got for how he treated Mr Jefferson... yeah i said it lol

[@jorgeadairramos7469]

Hello good morning

[@ThePinkDragon]

I liked Sandy

[@jh6925]

Sadly we would lose matthew perry thirty two years later

[@lilletrille1892]

Susan Ross Still don't get it this part. From my POV the Americans love their lawsuits. Licking an envelope to seal it is common so the producers should have known better. Why was there never a lawsuit following Susan's death? I think that could have been funny.

[@tandemcross]

Phil Hartman hello?

[@shawnuel]

At the very beginning they stated they would be omitting instances that were brought about by real life deaths and used John Ritters’ passing during filming of 8 Simple Rules as an example. Bill’s passing in Newsradio fits that criteria.

[@tandemcross]

@@shawnuel Phil Hartman? HELLO!

[@Margann1987]

​@@tandemcross Shawnuel is right; the disclaimer was made.

[@mattalan6618]

@@tandemcross he was already dead in real life idiot

[@tandemcross]

@@Margann1987 Yeah. No shit. They should have mentioned the guy that, ya know, was a part of TWO sitcoms, like Ritter. One of which is still on the air. And maybe mention that he was murdered by his coked up wife. Thank you both for pointing out the obvious. I should make a spelling mistake so both of you could correct that too.

[@JusticeFortheSilenced]

Opie or Tara Sons of Anarchy hello!

[@serendipitydoodah21]

Both shocking deaths for sure, but not exactly a sitcom!

[@dantealoving]

How the hell is James Evans from Good Times not top 2????????? He was one of the main characters! This list is trash! 🗑️

[@JoshieCakez]

How is Billy from Ally Mcbeal not on this list?!? That was one of the most painful scenes/episodes ever recorded

[@newageBoundhippie]

that closing argument just before he dies gets me crying every damn time....his death was partially expected at some point due to his brain tumor but having him succumb to it while arguing a case in court was a definite shock

[@JoshieCakez]

@@newageBoundhippie omg SAMMME!! When he called Ally his “wife,” I almost died with him lol

[@deanpesaturo6401]

Funny thing you should mention the Rosanne series seeing as how they ( leftist liberal media) killed her off due to her opinions about our back in action come the next year presidential nominee Donald J. Trump on live television. Q: So how does one end up being fired from a show which bares her name in The Conners? RIP to Blake Clarke..

[@zackinwald9581]

They killed off Paul way to early on black ish 💯

[@tipsysmichigander6483]

3:35 How is life not fair? He was drinking and driving... Learn how to write a script.

[@dimidrugg9592]

Not everyone who drinks & drives must die because of that.

[@tipsysmichigander6483]

@@dimidrugg9592 No one suggested that... I'm suggesting people who drink and drive and crash do not deserve a second chance... Why is it people on youtube have serious comprehension problems? Why do you all jump to conclusions that are not even there?

[@crystalshaw8744]

​@@tipsysmichigander6483Everyone deserves a second chance.