We’ve all had our fair share of devastating fictional character deaths over the years, such as the ending of Titanic painting cinema floors with tears or the collective “oh no” America groaned when they realized Adriana was doomed in The Sopranos.
But you know a book, game, film, or television series is truly great when there’s enough audience investment on hand to elicit a major reaction when a bad character gets their comeuppance, whether you’re cheering for the evil family to bite it in Get Out or the shared celebration viewers had when The Governor met his end in The Walking Dead.
Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with a little fictional schadenfreude, as so many television series have hinged those feelings to help bring back their viewership week in and week out, so I’ve assembled 20 examples of television characters whose demise fans actively applauded.