25 Horrible TV Character Deaths That Never, Ever Should Have Happened

What the heck were the writers thinking on some of these?!

We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community which TV characters should never have been killed off. Here are some of the best responses:

🚨 WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!!! 🚨

1. Freddie McClair from Skins:

E4

"His death was uncalled for and made no sense. The writers messed up on that one."

—dapperdog

2. Justin Foley from 13 Reasons Why:

Netflix

"He was just starting to recover from his addiction, and he had gotten into college, and then all of a sudden they killed him off. It was so heartbreaking."

—theatrekat

3. Jocelyn Fray from Shadowhunters:

Freeform

"In the books, she lived and married Luke, giving Clary’s whole family a happy ending. Instead, she was killed off to fuel the drama between Clary and Alec."

—paigesmoon

4. Sharon Raydor from Major Crimes:

TNT

"Giving her a heart condition made no sense. Killing her off four episodes before the series finale was even worse."

—cassies4b2ac9122

5. Derek Shepherd from Grey's Anatomy:

ABC

"He and Meredith had just decided to get back together, and then he had to go and get in a car crash. Every time I rewatch his death scene, I am traumatized."

—bhenaultbassett

6. J.T. Yorke from Degrassi: The Next Generation:

CTV

"I know the show wanted him gone, but they didn’t have to break our hearts in a million pieces. The actor revealed that he didn’t even know about the decision but wondered whether he should continue or go to college. They decided to take him off, but in the worst way possible. His death did nothing. It didn't even present a conflict that is real. The school rivalry was forgotten about pretty soon afterward, so his death was for nothing. Not even a lesson learned."

—ilitterallylovethis

7. Logan Echolls from Veronica Mars:

Hulu

"Killing Logan was just so unnecessary. It added nothing to the show and only happened for shock factor."

—greenbluepurple

8. Tara Maclay from Buffy the Vampire Slayer:

The WB

"Her death did contribute to the story, but I still don’t think it was necessary. She and Willow were my favorite couple on the show and they had just gotten back on track too. Her death was especially disappointing because it fell into the trope of gay characters being killed off."

—gop11

9. Jenny Calendar from Buffy the Vampire Slayer:

The WB

"There were plenty of ways to move the plot along without having someone die! Not only does it send a really bad message about sex (having sex changes people and kills others), but she was a really interesting character who deserves better."

—claired18

10. Neil Melendez from The Good Doctor:

ABC

"It was the most pointless death ever. He was such a great character, and not to mention POC representation! He grew so much throughout the show, only to be killed so pathetically. I will forever be angry about it."

—mokalshree1211

11. Marissa Cooper from The O.C.:

Fox

"She deserved a redemption arc! Once she died, the whole show went off the rails. I will never not be mad about this."

—chantallrodger

12. Allison Argent from Teen Wolf:

MTV

"I completely understand why, but it still never should have happened!"

—oviewankanobi

13. Sammy Lieberman from Dance Academy:

ABC1 / ABC3

Suggested by: sarahcat18

I never expected Sammy to die when I watched Dance Academy. Sammy was the heart of the show and definitely the best character. His death felt super random and he deserved much better than to die a tragic death for no reason.

14. Pennsatucky from Orange is the New Black:

Netflix

"They killed her off just because someone had to die in the finale for shock value. She deserved better."

—user27478467

15. Kyle Bishop from Smash:

NBC

"I just can’t get over his death. He was probably the best part of the series for me."

—annabeljane2006

16. Lance Sweets from Bones:

Fox

"He was one of the best characters, which really helped Brennan and Booth's relationship develop. It also help Brennan get better with her communication. He deserved more storylines and a family with Daisy."

—lukasikolivia

17. Lexa from The 100:

The CW

"She was an amazing character who had such a promising future with Clarke and made the show much more enjoyable. The fact that they killed a lesbian warrior queen with a stray bullet? WTF!"

—24brown

18. Bellamy Blake from The 100:

The CW

"All of Season 7 was a dumpster fire, but Clarke killing Bellamy because of that unnecessary cult/transcendence plot was incredibly stupid. Killing a main character off in the last few episodes of a series brought back memories of Season 8 of Game of Thrones."

—deliamae0321

19. Poussey Washington from Orange is the New Black:

Netflix

"Her death was the most traumatic TV death for me. It all happened so fast. She was doing nothing but trying to help her friend calm down. And you wanted to hate the guard who did it, but you know he didn’t mean to do it. It was tragic in just about every way."

—courtneyj4b40503e4

20. Quentin Coldwater from The Magicians:

SYFY

"He was the main character, the way in for the audience, he didn't get the happy ending fans wanted him to have, and the writers deprived us of the beautiful and deep Quentin/Eliot relationship. I literally never watched another episode. It broke my heart that they killed him off."

—t4db3e0aa5

21. Abby Morgan from Dawson's Creek:

The WB

"She loved the drama, and the episodes she was in were always amazing. They could have given her a redemption arc or shown another side to her before they decided to kill her off, though!"

—aeriawitch87

22. Robin Hood from Once Upon A Time:

ABC

"Regina finally found love again, only for it to be taken from her. Honestly, they should have let Robin/Regina be together for their Disney-type happy ending and ended the series with that season instead of the actual haphazard last season."

—vasato

23. Quentin Fields from One Tree Hill:

The WB

"He had so many parallels to Nathan as a teen. He wanted to have a family and turn his life around and then he just got shot instead?!"

—ernatolale

24. Lexie Grey from Grey's Anatomy:

ABC

Suggested by: ernatolale

Lexie dying is definitely the top two saddest deaths from Grey's Anatomy. She was just beginning to form a great relationship with Meredith. On top of that, we were finally starting to see her grow as a surgeon. She had so much potential, and we never got to see it to its fullest extent. I'll never get over this.

25. And finally, Maya St. Germain from Pretty Little Liars:

ABC Family

"Maya's death was horrible and 1000% unnecessary. She was Emily's best girlfriend by far and I'm still so bitter the writers killed her off, especially so early on in the show. What was even the point of her death?!"

—kellymartinez

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