Top 10 Shocking Times a Sitcom Character Was Killed Off
#10: Jodi Hubbard
“Mom” (2013-21) The issue of substance use and recovery is a central theme within the narrative of “Mom.” Introduced in Season Three, Jodi is taken in off the street by Bonnie and Christy Plunkett, despite a mutual, apprehensive distrust. Eventually, however, Hubbard becomes close with the pair, even joining their Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. However, things take a dark turn when Jodi joins her boyfriend in a relapse, resulting in her death. There are no laughs here, replaced instead by stages of grief and mourning that include shock, disbelief, blame, and, most of all, pain.
#9: Paul Johnson
“Black-ish” (2014-22) The modern situation comedy benefits greatly from the ability to showcase family scenarios that might not have been allowed under previous cultural mores. The separation of Dre and Rainbow Johnson that’s explored in Season Four comes to a head when the latter’s father unexpectedly dies. This brings the couple together, and it’s from their shared grief that the decision is made to try and save their marriage. Naturally, real life doesn’t always work in this fashion, but “Black-ish” does a great job at presenting a potential outcome that may occur between two adults who find solace in one another during a difficult and stressful time.
#8: Sandy
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“Growing Pains” (1985-92) The writers of “Growing Pains” may not have cared enough about Sandy to give him a last name, but generations of sitcom viewers never forgot the impact of this twist ending. Matthew Perry gives a great performance as Carol’s boyfriend, who winds up in a hospital after drinking and driving. The episode “Second Chance” leads us to believe that, at first, Sandy will survive his ordeal, only for the character to actually pass away from his injuries. The Seaver Family’s grief at the loss of Sandy underlines how life isn’t fair, that those titular “second chances” aren’t always given, and that they will have to carry on with only the memory of Sandy in their hearts.
#7: Edith Bunker
“Archie Bunker’s Place” (1979-83) This spin-off from “All in the Family” didn’t wind up having the cultural impact of its predecessor, but it was responsible for one of the most palpably emotional goodbyes in television history. Archie Bunker’s wife Edith made a number of appearances on the show, but was eventually killed off-screen by a stroke. The resulting monologue from Carroll O’Connor as Bunker is one of the most harrowing and heartfelt performances ever committed to the medium. The veneer of Bunker’s bluster and bravado had been shattered before, but here it was exposed at its rawest point. Archie cries out with love for his lost wife, and we truly feel the character’s pain, and yearn to comfort this flawed, but grieving man.
#6: Dan Conner
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“Roseanne” (1988-97; 2018) Let’s forget, for a moment, that this next death was eventually retconned on the show. The death of Dan Conner was a moment that nobody who had followed this sitcom saw coming from a mile away. Dan’s heart attack that occurs at his daughter’s wedding, at first, seems just like a health scare. It’s then revealed during the following season, however, that Dan actually succumbed to said scare. Our hearts were mended almost two decades later when Dan was revived for the reboot. Of course, it was only a matter of time until death befell the Conner household again.
#5: Chet Hunter
“Boy Meets World” (1993-2000) The world of the TGIF sitcom lineup wasn’t exactly bereft of engaging, and occasionally heartbreaking stories. The death of Chet Hunter on “Boy Meets World” has to be chief among these moments, thanks primarily to how well the show handles the material. The overall effect is similar to Sandy’s demise in “Growing Pains,” although here, we’re given a lot more information about Chet as a character. His relationship with son Shawn serves as the crux of Chet’s personal arc, yet his brief familial reunion is cut short when he suffers multiple cardiac episodes. Shawn’s pain is particularly palpable, as is this feeling of helplessness in a world that’s not always fair to the living left behind.
#4: Susan Ross
“Seinfeld” (1989-98) In hindsight, fans of “Seinfeld” probably should’ve known that a show about nothing wasn’t going to take even the death of a recurring character seriously. However, this doesn’t make the death of Susan Ross any less shocking. Here, it’s the manner of Ross’ death that’s the most bizarre and troubling, as she’s poisoned by the cheap glue present within the budget wedding invitations picked out by George Costanza. The latter’s apparent relief at his fiancee’s death and almost immediate attempts to date again make this plotline perhaps one of the funniest exercises in bad taste (pardon the pun) ever.
#3: Marvin Eriksen
“How I Met Your Mother” (2005-14) There are a number of reasons why the death of Marvin Eriksen in “How I Met Your Mother” is so shocking. For starters, there’s the swiftness with which the news is dealt: an out-of-nowhere declaration by Lily to Marshall that his father has suffered a fatal heart attack. Since most of the episode deals with the pair’s attempts at becoming parents, Marshall is left gobsmacked by the news. This is where the fact that both Jason Segel and Alyson Hannigan were only given their lines on the day of filming comes into play. The reactions are real, the revelation shocking, and the audience feels as blindsided by Marshall at the news.
#2: Ben Sullivan
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“Scrubs” (2001-10) “Scrubs” did an excellent job at marrying moments of gleeful levity with some of television’s most effective drama. This balance is fully displayed in the episode “My Screw Up,” whereby John C. McGinley’s Dr. Cox spends the lion’s share of its running time reconnecting with a cancer patient named Ben Sullivan. It’s initially stated that Sullivan is in remission, but the audience soon gets the feeling that something’s not quite right. The eventual revelation is that Sullivan is actually deceased, and Dr. Cox’s guilt has manifested Brendan Fraser’s appearance as a means of dealing with the reality of a funeral. Knowing all of this does nothing to dampen the impact of this episode, however, and it remains a mandatory sitcom viewing.
#1: Lt. Colonel Henry Blake
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“M*A*S*H” (1972-83) “M*A*S*H” never shied away from showcasing how war was hell, and that nobody was safe. However, it could be argued that, prior to the death of Lt. Colonel Henry Blake, these “nobodies” were primarily guest stars, not recurring, main characters. This is what makes Blake’s exit from the series so shocking and dramatic. The Commanding Officer gets his marching orders home, and McLean Stevenson’s character gets the hurrah treatment from his friends, all of whom are happy for his good fortune. Then, Gary Burghoff’s Radar O’Reilly delivers the tragic news that Blake’s plane has been shot down over Japanese waters en route to its destination. The filmed reactions are real since none of the cast was made privy to this information until the last moment.
