Top 10 TV Characters Who Were Denied Their Happy Ending

If there’s one thing “The Big Bang Theory” had going for it, it was just how great its lead characters were. We all expected great things out of this group of boys, and for the most part, we saw that come true. Except in the case of Raj. At the end of “The Big Bang Theory,” pretty much everyone was both romantically and professionally fulfilled, except for Raj. Before the series’ end, he broke up with a woman who was seemingly perfect for him. He then watched as two of his friends won Nobel Prizes while his career remained stuck where it was. Sure, it’s fun to see him flirt with Sarah Michelle Gellar, but it doesn’t fix things.

When it comes to “Gilmore Girls’” side characters, Lane Kim was one of our favorites. Apparently, however, the writers didn’t like her quite as much as the rest of us. Otherwise, they might have thought a little harder about her ending. Lane had dreams of being a rockstar when she was a teenager, and actively bucked her mother’s attempts to make her settle down. And yet she ends up married to a guy named Zack and raising twins. Yes, this might be more realistic than Lane’s dreams of the big stage, but we wish she was given the chance to rock on.

When you think about where Jin and Sun started at the beginning of “Lost,” it’s pretty amazing that they became one of the audience’s favorite couples on the show. Jin’s controlling manor made it hard to root for this couple at first. But as we learned more about the characters’ backstories, and as their relationship evolved, they became one of the best romances we’d ever seen. As “Lost” went on and got weirder, the two lost each other and traversed across time (literally) to find each other again. But when they do find each other again, almost immediately they end up dying. Their relationship’s end is tragically romantic, but we wanted more.

Pretty much every character on “The Vampire Diaries” has been through a great deal of trauma. But almost no one went through more than Bonnie Bennett. Throughout the series, Bonnie repeatedly sacrifices her own happiness and puts others before herself. And then she meets Enzo. Audiences were so excited to finally see Bonnie get a taste of romance. But then it was all ripped away, and by Stefan no less. To see Stefan kill Enzo, leaving Bonnie alone with no happy ending, was devastating. Honestly, we’re still having trouble forgiving Stefan.

At the beginning of “13 Reasons Why,” Justin Foley was far from a fan favorite. But as the series progressed, Justin’s story became far more complex and his character evolved greatly. So it was devastating for fans when season four began teasing fairly early on that Justin would die. He contracted HIV and ended up passing away as a result. What’s worse, at his funeral, each eulogy uses his diagnosis as a warning for the other students in attendance. It’s not a very sensitive way to treat the disease, and uses Justin’s death as nothing more than a plot device.

For most of the run of “Shameless,” Fiona Gallagher is the beating heart of the family. She serves as a surrogate mother for her siblings and is really the reason everyone is alive. So it was quite surprising when Fiona decided to leave the family at the end of season nine. We understand why Fiona might have wanted to follow her own dreams for once, but to leave without so much as a real thank you from her family felt forced. And the fact that she didn’t return for huge family milestones, such as Mickey and Ian’s wedding, feels improbable at best. That’s not the Fiona we know.

When fans finally got a fourth season of “Veronica Mars” in 2019, they were ecstatic. Everyone was excited to see our favorite detective back and in action. And we were also pumped to see how Logan and Veronica’s relationship would progress. Logan was always the show’s quintessential bad boy, but he got an amazing redemption arc, especially throughout the last season. Then his arc was used to heighten the tragedy of his untimely death. After Logan and Veronica got married, Logan was blown up by a bomb. It was shocking, and ultimately incredibly unfair to both Logan and Veronica.

Listen, we always knew there was a chance Daenerys Targaryen might break bad. Madness runs in the bloodline after all, and we might not have minded this turn if it was done well. But if there’s one thing most fans agree upon, it’s that the final season of “Game of Thrones” was everything but done well. The downward spiral for Dany’s character development was sped through so quickly that the arc seemed like it came out of nowhere. To sit and watch a character who had been through so much and developed over the course of seven seasons all of a sudden go bad? It was tortuous.

There are a lot of characters in “Grey’s Anatomy.” But one of our favorites out of the crop who were introduced after the series’ beginning was Lexie Grey. And one of our favorite couples that the show ever produced was Lexie and Mark. It seemed like Lexie would finally be the girl to halt Mark’s playboy ways, and his love for her was some of the strongest the show had ever seen. The iconic plane crash episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” is memorable for a lot of reasons, one of which is Lexie’s horrible death. Crushed under the plane, she knows she is going to die, and her last moments with Mark are heartbreaking. She and Mark both deserved more.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Lexa, “The 100” (2014-20)
Another Example of the Kill Your Gays Trope

Regina Mills, “Once Upon a Time” (2011-18)
She Got Romance with Robin, But It Was Ripped Away

Ruth Wilder, “GLOW” (2017-19)
Ruth’s Storyline Was Interrupted By an Untimely Cancellation

Cordelia Chase, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (1997-2003)
Cordelia the Character & Charisma Carpenter the Actress Deserved More

Villanelle, “Killing Eve” (2018-22)
This Is One Psycho We Will Always Miss

Over the course of “Orange is the New Black,” Poussey Washington became one of the most beloved television characters ever. She was a sweetheart, and her smile could light up a room. Of course, the writers knew her death would be the one that would affect audiences the most. But that doesn’t mean they should have done it. Poussey was killed by a police officer because she tried to help Crazy Eyes. The murder was one of the most horrifying things we’d ever seen in the show. And for this show, that’s saying something. We will always wonder what Poussey could have achieved, and we will always miss her.

If we missed any of your favorite TV characters who didn’t get the ending they deserved, let us know in the comments below!