In the best TV shows, no one is safe.
One of the recent examples is - HBO's Euphoria. The finale, which aired in May 2026, shocked fans with an unthinkable act: the death of the main character.
In the Season 3 finale, Rue Bennett (Zendaya) dies of an accidental fentanyl overdose. This practically foreshadowed the series' end—and creator Sam Levinson later confirmed the news.
Killing off the main characters may seem like a sin, but «"Euphoria"» — isn't the first series to employ a shocking plot twist. In fact, the courage required to subvert expectations and shake up a cast can breathe new life into an existing series or leave a lasting impression on fans.
Below, we'll look back at 10 times TV shows dared to kill off their main character.
01 of 10
Game of Thrones
Sean Bean as Ned Stark in Game of Thrones. Photo: Everett.
Ned Stark's death in season one «Game of Thrones» , the first such blow in a long series of similar tragedies, left unsuspecting spectators in shock.
Ned (Sean Bean) was a major character early on in the series, so his sudden death was an even greater blow. What might happen next for the series? (Interested fans subsequently enjoyed reading George R.R. Martin's book series.)
Following the untimely death of Ned's friend and ally, Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy), Robert's mad son, Joffrey (Jack Gleeson), becomes the next in line for the throne. Ned then learns that Joffrey and his siblings were not Robert's biological heirs, but the result of incest between Robert's wife, Cersei (Lena Headey), and her brother, Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau).
Ned wants to expose Joffrey's bastardhood, but instead he is betrayed by Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen), imprisoned by Cersei, and publicly beheaded by Joffrey on his own orders. Ned Stark's death is now considered one of the most shocking scenes on television of all time.
02 of 10
Great love
Ginnifer Goodwin as Margene Heffman, Bill Paxton as Bill Henrickson, and Jeanne Tripplehorn as Barbara Henrickson in "Big Love." Photo: Everett.
A beloved series about polygamy, «"Big Love", concluded its five-season run in 2011 with the death of one of its main characters. The series, which starred Bill Paxton, Chloë Sevigny, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Ginnifer Goodwin, followed a modern-day polygamist Mormon sect led by Bill Henrickson (played by Paxton) and their lives in suburban Salt Lake City.
Although Entertainment Weekly magazine predicted that Bill would go to jail before the series finale—not because he was a terrible person, but because "that's probably what would happen in real life"—but what we saw went even further.
In the final series Bill is shot and killed by his mentally unstable neighbor, Carl (Carlos Jacotte). Feeling humiliated by Bill's successful life, which only served to remind him of his own shortcomings, Carl spiraled further into madness until he reached a breaking point in a dispute over lawns, ultimately killing Bill.
03 out of 10
This is us
Milo Ventimiglia as Jack Pearson on "This Is Us." Photo: Everett.
In the first few seasons of the melodrama «"This is us", Set in time, Jack, played by Milo Ventimiglia, is introduced as the patriarch of the Pearson family, but is only shown in flashbacks to the family's early years.
While Jack's death was heavily hinted at in the show's first and second seasons, that didn't make it any less shocking (or heartbreaking) - especially because fans didn't know yet. , How he died.
In Season 2, Episode 14, they found out. When the Pearson family home was engulfed in a massive fire, Jack led his wife, Rebecca (Mandy Moore), and their three children to safety. However, he quickly realized their dog was still trapped inside. Jack went back inside, successfully retrieved the puppy, and escaped the blazing house. Everything's great now, right?
Unfortunately, Jack inhaled a massive amount of smoke and later died of a heart attack in the hospital.
04 out of 10
Breaking Bad
Bryan Cranston as Walter White in Breaking Bad. Photo: Everett.
Walter White's (Bryan Cranston) descent into corruption, ruthlessness, and moral decay was so precipitous that any redemption for the teacher-turned-drug lord became increasingly unlikely. However, the series finale« Breaking Bad"» gives him a small chance to atone for it.
While on the run, Walt eventually makes some amends before leaving this world. He provides financial stability for his estranged family and frees his former protégé Jesse (Aaron Paul), who has been kidnapped by Todd (Jesse Plemons) and his gang of white supremacists. In the ensuing scuffle, Walt is shot.
Walt asks Jesse to kill him, but Jesse refuses and tells him to do it himself. Walt then bleeds out as the feds arrive. Death is little better than death by cancer, but certainly deserved.
In an exclusive interview with EW, series creator Vince Gilligan discussed the decision to end the series the way he and his creative team did. "I think our instincts told us it would be nice for Walt to at least begin to make amends for his guilt and all the grief and suffering he'd caused his family and friends.".
He continued, "Walt will never redeem himself. He's too far down the road to ruin. But at least he's taking a few steps along the way.".
05 out of 10
Nashville
Connie Britton as Rayna Jaymes in "Nashville." Photo: Everett.
In one of the tragic episodes of the 5th season of the popular musical series «Nashville» The story of one of the two main characters has ended.
From the very beginning, Connie Britton, known from the TV series «Friday Night Lights, played aging country singer Rayna Jaymes, whose stage career is threatened by rising star Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere).
In season five, everything changed. After a confrontation with a stalker, Rayna was in a car accident and hospitalized. Although it initially seemed likely she would survive, she later died from her injuries, leaving her family in grief.
In an interview with EW, Britton called her character's death "devastating," adding, "It was very surreal and difficult. There was definitely a big part of me that wasn't prepared for it, but that's how it turned out. I wanted to make those moments as powerful as possible for Rayna.".
06 out of 10
Roseanne and the Conners
Roseanne Barr as Roseanne Conner in "Roseanne." Photo: Everett.
ABC has canceled the series reboot. «Roseanne» 2018 after its star, Roseanne Barr, sparked controversy with a racist tweet. The series was subsequently reworked «The Conners, which continued without its previous name.
When did the premiere take place? TV series "The Conners"« , it was revealed that Roseanne died of an opioid overdose off-screen. The episode didn't treat the death lightly; it depicted the family trying to process Roseanne's loss and understand how it could have happened.
The show's seventh and final season revisited Roseanne's death, with a storyline in which widowed Dan (John Goodman) sues a pharmaceutical company for Roseanne's overdose and receives a paltry settlement.
07 out of 10
House of cards
Kevin Spacey as Frank Underwood in "House of Cards." Photo: Everett.
Near the end of Netflix's political thriller, Claire Underwood (Robin Wright) succeeds her husband Frank (Kevin Spacey) as leader of the free world. This was a significant turning point, as up until that point, the focus had been on Frank himself. (And if you're wondering why Spacey left the series, that's a whole other story.)
At the end of Season 5, Frank resigned as president amid numerous scandals, and so his character was written out of the storyline at the beginning of Season 6. In the first episode, Claire announces to the audience that Frank died of an accidental overdose.
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However, in the series finale, the true cause of Frank's death is revealed: he was poisoned by his right-hand man, Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly), who did it because Frank planned to kill Claire.
08 out of 10
The Last of Us
Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller in The Last of Us. Photo: Everett.
Killing off one of the main characters in the second episode of the new season is certainly a bold move, and that's exactly what the game did. The Last of Us .
Based on the video game series of the same name, the film «The Last of Us» follows Joel and Ellie, survivors of the Cordyceps pandemic and living in a post-apocalyptic society, played by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.
In the second episode of season two, titled "Across the Valley," fans of the series were shocked when Joel was brutally murdered by Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), a woman seeking revenge for the death of her father at Joel's hands. However, fans of the video game series on which the show is based were prepared.
Pascal, for his part, also knew this was how it would be. "They didn't say, 'Hey, we're going to kill you off at the beginning of season two,'" he told EW. "But there was always an understanding that the show would remain faithful to the source material in certain respects, and that, let's say, the practical and exclusive commitment would only apply to the first season. It was just a question of how and when.".
09 out of 10
Boardwalk Empire
Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson in "Boardwalk Empire." Photo: Everett.
In the HBO crime drama "« Boardwalk Empire» Steve Buscemi played corrupt politician Enoch "Nucky" Thompson.
Nucky was far from perfect, like numerous criminals and antiheroes on the show. But Nucky's greatest sin comes back to haunt him in the series finale, where he dies in revenge at the hands of Tommy Darmody (Travis Tope).
Tommy Darmody is the son of Jimmy Darmody (Michael Pitt), Nucky's former protégé, whose life and family were closely tied to Nucky's actions and ultimately destroyed by them.
It's a fitting end for a miserable man, and a satisfying conclusion to an underrated series from the prestige television era.
10 out of 10
Charmed - Prue Halliwell
Shannen Doherty as Prue Halliwell in "Chaarmed." Photo: Everett.
It's symbolic that Shannen Doherty ended up directing an episode of the series "« Charmed» , in which her own character died. In the WB series, Doherty, Holly Marie Combs, and Alyssa Milano played a group of powerful witch sisters.
In the Season 3 finale, "All Hell Breaks Loose," Piper (Combs) is seriously injured by a Wiccan fanatic after the sisters' abilities are revealed to the public. While Prue (Doherty) is rushing Piper to the hospital, she dies in her arms, and Prue vows to bring her back to life.
Prue convinces Phoebe (Milano) to make a deal with the Source to reset time and save Piper. However, the Source betrays her, and Phoebe finds herself trapped in the Underworld, unable to warn her sisters about the initial attack.
Prue is left for dead, and Doherty is replaced by Rose McGowan starting in Season 4.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.