Major television deaths are almost always sad, butthey’re especially devastating when viewers barely get to spend time with the character in question. While the death of a longtime favorite dramatically impacts the show and its audience, the demise of smaller players can hit just as hard.
This is especially true when they’ve made a good impression, igniting hopes that they’ll take on a more prominent role in the story. In some cases, they’re met with an early end instead, leaving viewers to wonder what their character arc could have looked like if they’d lasted longer than a handful of episodes.
10Syrio Forel (Miltos Yerolemou)
Game of Thrones (2011-2019)
Game of Thrones’Syrio Forel is the perfect example of a fan-favorite characterwho makes an impression in just a few episodes. Syrio is introduced in season 1’s “Lord Snow,” when Ned tasks him with training Arya in the art of swordplay. Syrio proves an adept teacher and a charming character, and his lessons stay with Arya long after he’s gone.
Game Of Thrones
Cast
Based on George R. R. Martin’s ongoing A Song of Ice and Fire novel series, Game of Thrones is a fantasy drama set in the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos. It follows noble families like the Starks, Lannisters, and Targaryen vying for control of the Iron Throne while a rising threat from the undead looms in the North. The series received significant critical success and amassed a loyal fan base due to its high production values, sprawling sets, iconic characters, and shocking twists.
Sadly,Game of Throneskills Syrio after just three episodes, with him holding off the Kingsguard when they attempt to collect Arya for Cersei. Syrio’s death is amongGame of Thrones’most heroic exits, but it’s upsetting that the First Sword of Braavos doesn’t get more screen time.
9Wells Jaha (Eli Goree)
The 100 (2014-2020)
The 100isn’t shy about killing off characters, and it proves as much in its first three episodes. During the series premiere,it seems like Wells Jaha will be an important characterthroughout the dystopian series. After all, he’s Clarke’s former best friend, who seemingly betrayed her, and he’s the son of the chancellor.
The 100
The 100 is a sci-fi post-apocalyptic TV series set ninety-seven years after a nuclear war has destroyed civilization. When a spaceship housing humanity’s lone survivors send one hundred juvenile delinquents back to Earth in hopes of possibly re-populating the planet, they discover that Earth is still inhabited. Now constantly in a state of power flux with warring clans, cannibals, and mountain-dwellers, the juveniles must attempt to survive while re-establishing contact with the Ark.
However, just asThe 100reveals that Wells didn’t actually get Clarke’s dad killed, he’s murdered by another member of the group.Charlotte killing Wells remains one of the most shocking and devastating turns of the CW series, and it’s made worse by the revelation that Wells is actually a good person and loyal friend. It’s a shameThe 100couldn’t lean into this more.
8Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr)
House of the Dragon (2022-Present)
House of the Dragon’s take on Westeros is just as brutal asGame of Thrones',so it’s no surprise characters are killed off quickly.Harwin Strong, the father of Rhaenyra’s first three sons, is one of them— and given how much he seems to care for her and their children, it’s a shame he departs so soon.
House of the Dragon
House of the Dragon is a 2022 fantasy drama set in the world of Westeros, chronicling the Targaryen dynasty at its height. The story revolves around King Viserys’s controversial decision to name his daughter Rhaenyra as heir to the Iron Throne, sparking tensions and divisions within the realm.
Of course, given Harwin and Rhaenyra’s need to hide their relationship — and the inevitability of her ending up with Daemon — there isn’t much more for him to do inHOTD.Still, the fact that he has to die doesn’t make his demise inseason 1, episode 6 any less heartbreaking. The three episodes he is around for make you want him to survive.
7Barbara Holland (Shannon Purser)
Stranger Things (2016-2025)
Stranger Thingshas a knack for killing our favorites, andthat starts during the very first season of the Netflix show. Barb Holland is introduced as Nancy’s best friend in the series premiere, and she seems to be the voice of reason in their relationship. She’s initially easier to root for than Nancy, so it’s tragic when she dies in episode 3.
Stranger Things
Stranger Things is a Netflix series set in the 1980s, where the mysterious disappearance of a young boy leads a small town to uncover secret experiments and supernatural forces. A significant focus is on a peculiar girl who may hold the key to the unfolding mystery.
Barb’s death at the hands — or more accurately, claws — of the Demogorgon is hailed as one ofStranger Things’biggest injustices.Many viewers wanted to see more of Barb, but her fate remains a bleak reminder of the series' stakes.
6Luke Riordan (Patrick Schwarzenegger)
Gen V (2023-Present)
The first episode ofGen Vends with the shocking death of Luke Riordan, or Golden Boy— one of the Supes it seemed would play a larger role inThe Boysspinoff. Although it’s hard to root for Golden Boy while he’s attacking Marie, there’s no denying he’s a complex and interesting character.
Gen V
Gen V is set at America’s only college for superheroes, where students challenge their moral limits while competing to join Vought International’s elite team, The Seven. As dark secrets of the institution are revealed, they must determine the kind of heroes they aspire to be.
The first episode ofGen Vproves this on its own, but the recollections of characters like Sam, Cate, and Andre also highlight how much potential Golden Boy had in hindsight. Golden Boy’s death is a necessary part ofGen V’s story, but it would have been more powerful if viewers spent more than one episode with him.
5Lexi Branson (Arielle Kebbel)
The Vampire Diaries (2009-2017)
Lexi Branson is one of the most positive influences on Stefan Salvatore inThe Vampire Diaries,but the show kills her as quickly as it introduces her. Lexi’s debut is inThe Vampire Diariesseason 1, episode 8, andDamon Salvatore stakes her in the very same installment. She does show up again later, but it’s either as a ghost or in flashbacks.
The Vampire Diaries
Based on the novels by L.J. Smith, The Vampire Diaries is a story about the developing love triangle between Elena Gilbert and two vampiric brothers, Stefan and Damon Salvatore. Set in the town of Mystic Falls, Virginia, the show follows the trio from high school through college as they battle for one another’s affection.
And these later appearances prove aharsh reality aboutThe Vampire Diariesseason 1: it kills Lexi too far quickly. Her dynamic with the Salvatore brothers would have added an interesting layer to the series, and her friendship with Elena could have been so much more.
4Crystal (Nuha Jes Izman)
Yellowjackets (2021-Present)
Yellowjacketsseason 2 introduces several characters who aren’t in season 1 but are said to have been in the wilderness all along. One of them is Crystal (or Kristen, as she later reveals), who becomes fast friends with Misty. This doesn’t last long, asMisty kills her inYellowjacketsseason 2, episode 5— just five episodes after she first appears.
Yellowjackets
Yellowjackets is a television series exploring the survival ordeal of a high school girls' soccer team stranded in the remote wilderness after a plane crash. It interweaves psychological horror and coming-of-age themes, simultaneously depicting their harrowing transformation and its lasting impact on their lives 25 years later.
Despite being annoying to some of the other Yellowjackets, Crystal seems like a sweet person and good friend during her short run on the show. Sadly, we’ll never know how she would have fared as the wilderness got more ruthless. Her tragic death ensures that.
3Colin Zabel (Evan Peters)
Mare Of Easttown (2021)
Kate Winslet’s title character is the focus of HBO’sMare of Easttown,butEvan Peters' Colin Zabel is an undeniable highlight of the mystery series. Unfortunately, Detective Zabel is only around for four of season 1’s seven episodes, as he’s introduced in the second installment and shot to death in the fifth.
Mare of Easttown
Mare of Easttown is a mystery crime-drama that stars Kate Winslet as a detective attempting to solve a murder as her life crumbles around her. Marianne “Mare” Sheehan is assigned to investigate the murder of one girl while trying to tackle a cold case of another missing girl. Having recently lost her son, Mare’s world is steeped in chaos as she attempts to reclaim her life in the eyes of the town - and herself.
Zabel is a great detective, andthe bond he forms with Mare inMare of Easttownseason 1 has a lot of potential. This makes it sadder that he perishes on the job, eliminating the possibility of that dynamic developing further — or of him returning in apotentialMare of Easttownseason 2.
2Bill (Nick Offerman)
The Last Of Us (2023-Present)
The Last of Usseason 1kills several charactersin fewer than five episodes, Nick Offerman’s Bill among them. Bill’s story is told over the course of just one episode, which introduces him as a resourceful ally to Joel but kills him off later on. To be fair,The Last of Usseason 1, episode 3 gives Bill and his partner, Frank, a lifetime together — it’s just squeezed into one episode.
The Last Of Us
The Last of Us is a post-apocalyptic drama series set two decades after a global catastrophe. It follows Joel, a seasoned survivor, who is tasked with escorting Ellie, a teenage girl, across a desolated United States, transforming into a harrowing journey of survival and companionship.
This installment ofThe Last of Usseason 1 is easily one of the show’s best, soit’s disappointing we won’t see Bill and Frank again. Their deaths are perfect, but as one might expect from supporting players, their narrative is tragically short.
1Jessica (Adrianne Palicki)
Supernatural (2005-2020)
Jessica’s death is the event that kicks off Sam’s story inSupernatural,so it has to happen early on. And the CW series wastes little time getting there, introducing and killing Jessica in its pilot episode. We see very little of her during this installment, but she makes a good impression all the same.
Supernatural
Supernatural is a television series that follows brothers Sam and Dean Winchester, who were raised by their father to hunt and combat supernatural entities after losing their mother to a demonic force. Traversing the American landscape in their ‘67 Chevy Impala, they face numerous paranormal threats.
Jessica’s few scenes in theSupernaturalpilot drive home how much she supports and loves Sam. She seems like a decent person, andshe certainly doesn’t deserve the end that awaits her during the pilot’s final moments.
