31 TV Character Endings That Were Bad, Frustrating, Or Simply Unnecessary

    I will forever be screaming about Lexa from The 100.

    Nora Dominick
    by Nora Dominick

    BuzzFeed Staff

    We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which TV characters deserved much better endings. Here are some of the best responses:

    🚨Warning: There are massive spoilers ahead!🚨

    1. First, Cordelia Chase from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel

    Cordelia and Angel kissing, then Angel picking up the phone and learning Cordelia is dead
    Warner Bros.

    "She went from a vapid mean girl to a selfless heroic woman. Then, the writers left her in a coma for half a season and then they have her just 'ascend,' aka die. What made it even worse is that it was all because Joss Whedon objected to Charisma Carpenter getting pregnant!"

    —geedeeque

    2. Castiel from Supernatural

    Castiel telling Dean he changed him and that he loves him
    The CW

    "Castiel needs to be here. He sacrificed himself to the empty just in time to not even see the final fight with Chuck. Also, his surrogate son Jack was the one who saved the universe. He didn’t even get an 'I love you too' from Dean. Cas deserved so much more."

    —srhkthew2

    3. Dean Winchester from Supernatural

    Dean telling Sam that he'll always be with him and he loves him
    The CW

    "15 years of 'saving people, hunting things' and he gets taken out by getting impaled, on what was basically a giant nail, by a random vampire. Now I understand that the series finale we got was not the one they had originally planned (thanks, COVID) but if they were going to kill off a Winchester, they could have at least made it a little more epic."

    —emma1515

    4. Regina Mills from Once Upon a Time

    Hood telling Regina that he's always with her and Regina saying she misses him
    ABC

    "Even though she still got her 'happy ending,' it wasn’t fair for her to lose Robin. They did all of this character growth with her and made the reason for her going evil was losing her first love. I don’t understand why they killed him off and took him away from Regina when they could’ve brought him back like they did with Hook. Everyone else got their happy endings with the loves of their lives, even Rumple and Belle, but poor Regina couldn't have the happy ending she deserved with the love of her life."

    —sxmmerroche

    5. Bellamy Blake from The 100

    Bellamy pleading with Clarke to let him take the book and saying sorry before Clarke shoots him
    The CW

    "I’ve honestly never seen an ending for a main character that was more of a slap in the face both for the character and for the remaining fans. Not only did he die cruelly at the hands of his very best friend, but he ended up being right all along in the way that he was trying to save them. Not only did Bellamy die alone just trying to protect the people he loved, but he never got to experience the very 'transcendence' that he was fighting for, and that he was killed for. He was barely even mourned. It was gross."

    —annahill95

    6. Lexa from The 100

    Lexa telling Clarke, "My fight is over. You were right, Clarke. Life is about more than just surviving"
    The CW

    "Listen, I feel like this is one of the go-to answers for this question. Lexa deserved so much better than the way she was treated on The 100. Not only did her death add to the growing list of unnecessary LGBTQ+ TV character deaths, but she had so much potential to do more alongside Clarke. I know Alycia Debnam-Carey had to leave the show for Fear the Walking Dead, but her exit deserved to be handled WAY better."

    —noradominick

    7. Beth Greene from The Walking Dead

    Beth saying, "I get it now" before dying and Maggie crying as Daryl carries Beth's body
    AMC

    "She had such great character development while she was alone with Daryl. They brought out such interesting parts of each other, and Beth was really turning into a badass. But then, she was just snuffed out by one of the STUPIDEST deaths of the series. She had so much potential and her death was so ridiculous. It brought nothing to the series."

    —elizawithaz

    8. Bonnie Bennett from The Vampire Diaries

    Bonnie saying, "I'm determined to keep my promise to Enzo, I'm gonna live this life to the fullest. I want to see the world"
    The CW

    "Throughout the series Bonnie sacrificed so much. The most selfless character in the show. I was thrilled when Bonnie and Enzo got together because she finally found love and appreciation. But, then the writers killed Enzo off and Bonnie couldn't even get a happy ending with the person she loved."

    —queen_of_the_world

    9. Enzo St. John from The Vampire Diaries

    Bonnie crying over Enzo's body
    The CW

    "The fact that Bonnie kept making sacrifices for her stupid friends all throughout the show and when she finally found someone who really loved her, the writers decided to kill Enzo. It just makes me so mad. They should've turned Enzo into a human and he and Bonnie should've spend their whole lives together and die peacefully. The most annoying thing is that Enzo didn't die fighting some big evil or saving some people, he died just because he got in the way of Stefan. I hate that his death was so useless."

    —s4bb472acb

    10. Alex Karev from Grey's Anatomy

    Jo crying while reading Alex's letter that says, "What's also true is I'm in love with Izzie"
    ABC

    "I am not blaming the actor or the writers for Alex having to leave the show because I understand the circumstances. I just wish that my favorite character wasn't written as a bad person who would hurt Jo. I just wish he didn't go back to the person who hurt him so badly."

    —s4bb472acb

    11. Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones

    Jon stabbing Dany and her dying
    HBO

    "Daenerys' ending made no sense whatsoever. Her entire character arc since the beginning of the show was that she wanted to help the common people from getting taken advantage of by the rich and powerful. People followed her, not because they were forced to, but because they wanted to and believed in her. She was a strong independent woman when that was not the norm. However in Season 8 they destroyed her character. She was no longer written to be kind or caring about regular people. They made her to be a mad queen who has to resort to begging Jon not to tell anyone his true parentage. She deserved better and we, as the fans, deserved a better and more coherent ending to the show."

    —juvebuffon

    12. Cersei Lannister from Game of Thrones

    Cersei pleading with Jaime saying she doesn't want to die
    HBO

    "I hated Cersei and she was a great villain. She deserved a grand, gruesome death that was more cathartic for everyone. Not getting hit in the head by a rock."

    —j1z1

    13. Missandei from Game of Thrones

    Missandei saying, "Dracarys"
    HBO

    "If someone had to die between Missandei and Gray Worm, it should've been the latter. At least Gray Worm's death would've impacted Dany's army and morale. Missandei dying felt like it accomplished nothing other than just making the Mother of Dragons mad."

    —varga040

    14. Justin Foley from 13 Reasons Why

    Clay telling Justin he saved him, then Justin saying he loves Clay while in his hospital bed
    Netflix

    "He admittedly started off as a horrible person but as the seasons passed he grew as a person and became a surprising fan favorite. Justin spent the entire last season talking about college and how all he wanted to do was survive, only to be killed off in the series finale."

    —purplebake

    15. Poussey Washington from Orange Is the New Black

    Taystee crying over Poussey's body
    Netflix

    "I'll never not be mad about Poussey. It hurt so bad I actually had to take time to get over it. She deserved the great life she had planned!"

    —ohlookitszoe

    16. Logan Echolls from Veronica Mars

    Logan smiling and Veronica looking concerned
    Hulu

    "I'll never will get over his ending. In my head, he and Veronica are married and solving crimes together forever!!"

    —margolehane44

    17. Penny from The Big Bang Theory

    Amy asking Penny, "What happened to 'I'm never gonna have kids'?"
    CBS

    "It was cute tying in the line from earlier in the series about Penny and Leonard's babies being smart and beautiful, but why go through half a season of her not wanting kids only to have her be pregnant in the end? They could have had a happy ending without kids! It just bugged me that they included a whole storyline about how she didn’t want kids only to end with her almost apathetic response. Come on, you already did the hesitant-to-have-kids-until-having-their-own storyline with Bernadette, so why do that to Penny?"

    —am301394wne

    18. Raj Koothrappali from The Big Bang Theory

    Sarah Michelle Gellar holding Raj's hand and saying that it's not a date
    CBS

    "His character had changed so much since the beginning. Right before the show ended, he broke up with a girl who seemed perfect for him. Then, when all the other main characters were winning Nobel Prizes or having kids, his happy ending was meeting (a married) Sarah Michelle Gellar."

    —jamie_bex

    19. Oliver Queen from Arrow

    Oliver telling Mia to find Felicity and William and that he loves her
    The CW

    "He deserved to grow old with Felicity and raise their kids."

    —stormieelaine

    20. Nairobi from Money Heist/La Casa de Papel

    Gandia telling Nairobi, "I said I was going to kill you"
    Netflix

    "Funny, loyal, and spirited, she was a fan favorite with a heart-gripping backstory. The writers made me love her, see her struggle, believe she was really going to make it, then I had to watch her get shot in the head. She deserved more."

    —hiitsnicetomeetyou

    21. Tracy McConnell, aka The Mother, from How I Met Your Mother

    Ted reading to Tracy while she lies in a hospital bed
    CBS

    "The entire series was supposed to be a buildup to Ted meeting Tracy and getting their happy ending together, but the show killed her off as soon as they really introduced her. It made it seem like the Mother was just a throwaway character and once she served her purpose of making Ted a dad because Robin didn't want/couldn't have kids, they killed her off so Ted could be with Robin."

    —xomollykatxo

    22. Fiona Gallagher from Shameless

    Fiona asking Lip, "Take care of them for me, will you? Promise?"
    Showtime

    "She sacrificed her entire life taking care of her siblings and no one appreciated it. When she started taking care of herself, doing stuff SHE wanted, it all came crumbling down and she lost everything and everyone. Her siblings ignored and blamed her when she turned into an alcoholic and they didn't offer any help. Then she left without saying goodbye to everyone and no one seemed to care. She deserved a way better ending, especially after everything she went through."

    —xdaniellax

    23. Isaac Lahey from Teen Wolf

    Isaac talking to Mr. Argent
    MTV

    "After everything he had been through with his dad and losing Boyd and Erica, he FINALLY had something good going for him. Plus, Isaac and Allison getting together was great. But then, Allison dies and they just write him off and he leaves the country. ISAAC DESERVED BETTER!"

    —peynor

    24. Shiro from Voltron: Legendary Defender

    Shiro and his husband kissing
    Netflix

    "The final season of Voltron was a mess for a lot of the characters, but Shiro was the worst. He had been through so much and then he found out his fiancé was killed during a raid. Then, the series ended with a montage of him marrying some guy for his happy ending which was random because who was that guy? It was a very How I Met Your Mother–like ending."

    —eahall0718

    25. Ruth Wilder from GLOW

    Debbie telling Ruth that she has an opportunity to make them famous, but Ruth saying she doesn't want that
    Netflix

    "She worked so hard and deserved to reach her goal of becoming a famous actor and director. I can't believe they canceled the show before it happened."

    —emmanz

    26. Wallace from The Wire

    Wallace saying, "That's us, man" before being shot
    HBO

    Suggested by: ariellej4

    I didn't watch The Wire until recently and I somehow remained completely unspoiled by this heartbreaking ending. It's wild to look back now and watch Michael B. Jordan as a little kid. He commands this show in the very little time he was given and Wallace should've gotten his happy ending.

    27. Ellie Bishop from NCIS

    Nick asking Ellie who leaked the NSA files and who is she training for
    CBS

    "What even was that crap ending for Season 18? Her leaving was so out of character, and yes, we get that the actor had to leave, but did they have to write her out as a disgraced NCIS agent that helped leak classified NSA files? They spent four seasons building up her relationship with Nick and it was going somewhere this season when they had 'the talk' but then we just conveniently forgot about that!"

    —anotherpetrova

    28. Eliot Waugh from The Magicians

    Charlton asking Eliot if they could ever be together because he won't be going anywhere
    SYFY

    "In Season 3, Eliot learned how compatible he was with Quentin as a life partner, but he chickened out instead of opening up about his feelings. He then spent 99% of Season 4 possessed and unable to control anything he was doing. Quentin spent the duration of that season either mourning Eliot or trying to figure out how to save him. After Quentin sacrificed himself, Eliot was saved, but he didn't get to see Quentin before he died. There was so much unfinished business between the two of them. Eliot spent the final season dealing with his feeling for his lost love, rebounding, and eventually 'ending up' with Charlton, which felt like a total cop out. After everything Eliot went through, he deserved more."

    —vermor

    29. Rita Castillo from Why Women Kill

    Rita saying, "Perhaps not. But I can certainly make some noise"
    Paramount Plus

    "Rita Castillo deserved a way better ending than what she got. Not only did Lana Parilla bring her to life incredibly well, but over just ten episodes she grew so much as a character that I was rooting for her by the end. Her future was starting to look brighter when she planned to run away with Scooter, and then she had the most anticlimactic death in the series thus far. I was so disappointed."

    —mariatessa

    30. Donna Noble from Doctor Who

    Donna pleading with the Doctor not to go back and Doctor saying, "I am so sorry. But we had the best of times"
    BBC America

    "They did my girl dirty. She didn’t die, but in some ways what happened was worse. All the beautiful character development that she had gained from her adventures was just erased in a matter of seconds. Eventually, Donna believed in herself as something bigger than just a temp, but now she’ll never remember that."

    —dishas2

    31. And finally, Andy Bernard from The Office

    Andy saying he has his dream job, but wishing he could go back to Dunder Mifflin and saying, "I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them"
    NBC

    "In the last season, he turned into a major a-hole and I never understood it. He was a bit annoying early on but you end up coming around to him only to see him turn into a jerk, get fired, and go viral in the worst way possible."

    —yeahimrad

    Now, we can't fit everyone into one post, so tell us what other characters you think deserved much better endings in the comments below!

    Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.