The most brutal TV deaths of all time that fans can’t get over – from The Last of Us and Lost to Game of Thrones
SOME TV deaths are so shocking that it doesn’t matter how long ago they aired, we’ll never really forgive the writers for making us emotional wrecks.
From fantasy shows to soaps and crime dramas – here are the most heart breaking and brutal deaths over the years.
The Last of Us – Joel Miller
The Last of Us season 2 episode 2 revealed one of the most shocking TV deaths in many years.
At the end of season one, Joel (Pedro Pascal) brutally murdered members of the Firefly militia group after he discovered that Ellie (Bella Ramsey) would die in the process of them finding a cure.
One of the people he shoots and kills is an unarmed doctor, and after five years of waiting, the doctor’s daughter Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) finally gets her revenge.
After Joel helps her, she beats him to a pulp and then stabs him in the neck with a broken golf club, with a traumatised Ellie forced to watch him take his final breaths.
Fans have said that they “won’t ever recover emotionally” from this moment, and that it was one of the “best episodes of series in TV history.”
Game of Thrones – Ned Stark
In season one, Ned (Sean Bean) is beheaded in front of the crowds at King’s Landing after spoiled King Joffrey Barathon (Jack Gleeson) demands: “Bring me his head!.”
An order that’s executed by Ser Ilyn Payne (Wilko Johnson).
Fans are still horrified by how shocking Ned’s death was and some have said on Reddit: “Ned Stark is probably the most popular and mourned character in ASOIAF.
“It’s easy to see why. He is Mr. bravery, Mr. integrity and maybe the only man man in all Westeros who had a happy marriage.”
Lost – Charlie Pace
Charlie’s (Dominic Monaghan) death in Lost was one of the show’s most tragic events.
Charlie had quickly became a fan favorite on the series as he overcame a heroin addiction, became a father figure to Claire’s son and hit it off with island best friends Hurley and Desmond.
Viewers were teased through Season 3 that Charlie might die via Desmond’s visions.
But nothing could prepare fans for the sight of Charlie drowning to death so that he could save his friends.
Orange Is The New Black – Poussey Washington
During a peaceful protest in the prison cafeteria, Poussey (Samira Wiley) was accidentally suffocated.
Distracted by the distressed behavior of Suzanne (Uzo Aduba),an untrained guard pinned Poussey to the ground with his knee on her neck.
Despite the improper training of its guards, Litchfield prison attempted to blame Poussey for her own murder, sparking outrage among the inmates and igniting a three-day riot.
Her death shocked viewers and echoed the “I Can’t Breathe” slogan and the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement.
Line of Duty – John Corbett
Line of Duty shocked viewers by killing off the leader of Organised Crime Group (OCG) John Corbett (Stephen Graham) in savage scenes.
John, who had been working undercover in a secret operation, was at a meeting with Lisa McQueen (Rochenda Sandall) where they were going to trade off women they’re trafficking.
As they sat around playing cards, John picked up a gun that was on the table as they could hear one of the girls being assaulted.
John and Lisa walked out of the room in an attempt to free the girl being raped, but he quickly realised he’d been set up – with Lisa in on the whole thing.
John’s throat was then slashed in a brutal death scene as viewers all over social media cried: “Holy Mother Of God.”
EastEnders – Tiffany Mitchell
Played by Martine McCutcheon, the popular barmaid became Tiffany Mitchell upon marrying Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp).
But a tragic chain of events beginning in late 1998 led to Tiffany’s tragic death.
By New Year’s Eve, she planned to flee Walford along with daughter Courtney – unaware Grant had been released on bail from jail.
Snatching Courtney, he then fled with a hysterical Tiffany following after.
However, she ran into the path of a car driven by Frank Butcher (Mike Reid) and died at the scene.
Fans of the soap were devastated at her shocking death and Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) paid homage by naming her own daughter Tiffany.
The Walking Dead – Glenn Rhee
Glenn (Steven Yeun) was one of the most loved characters in the show and managed to get himself out of constant life-threatening situations.
He faced being overwhelmed by walkers, a deathly case of the flu and nearly being killed by cannibals.
However, it was Negan and his bat Lucille that ultimately murdered Glenn in a horrifically brutal scene.
His death was both shocking and heart breaking and left some viewers saying they’d never watch the show again.
Grey’s Anatomy – George O’Malley
In the season finale, Meredith Grey and the team tend to a John Doe who was hit by a bus and has severe facial trauma.
The John Doe writes “007” on Meredith’s hand to reveal that he is actually George (T. R. Knight) – 007 was the nickname given to him in the show’s first season.
It remains one of the most shocking twists in the show’s history and George succumbs to his injuries and is revealed to be brain dead in the Season 6 premiere.
Fans have said it was worse because they just never saw it coming.
Unforgotten – Cassie Stuart
The character’s life was left hanging in the balance in episode five, after being crashed into by a speeding car in a nailbiting cliffhanger.
Unfortunately, Cassie (Nicola Walker) who was just days away from retirement, didn’t make it, and it left DI Sunny Khan (Sanjeev Bhaskar) devastated.
Cassie’s father, who she had been looking after as he suffered from dementia, was later seen listening to a voicemail from her on repeat.
Viewers were left destroyed by the heart breaking scenes and one said: “Cassies heartbroken Dad at the end listening to his daughters last words to him on voicemail were devastating….his expression tore a hole in my heart.”
EastEnders – Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell
EastEnders New Years Day episode in 2017 saw the infamous Mitchell sisters die on Ronnie and Jack’s wedding day.
The emotional episode started with joy but it didn’t take long before the big day took a turn for the worse.
After a drunk Roxy decided to take a swim, she soon found herself in trouble.
Ronnie jumped into the pool to save her but the dress weighed her down and the pair met their untimely deaths by drowning together.
After the episode had screened, viewers threatened to boycott the BBC soap when the sisters drowned.
One viewer wrote: “Why do you always kill the best characters?? I’m never watching again”
While another blasted: “What is EastEnders without ronnie n roxy though wtf”
Another upset fan added: “I swear I’m never watching EastEnders again.”