9 Shocking TV Deaths of 2014

We cried, we gasped, we wanted to throw things at our television screens. 2014 was certainly a shocking year in television, with many beloved (and some, not so beloved) TV characters being killed off when we never saw it coming.

Scroll down for a list of some of the most shocking TV deaths of the year.

Warning – Spoilers Galore! Read at your own risk…

 

Join Amazon Prime – Watch Over 40,000 Movies & TV Shows Anytime – Start Free Trial Now

 

1. James Novak — Scandal

This is a character death that really took me off guard. Even though it shouldn’t have. James was bound to get hurt with everything he’d learned, especially now that he knew the truth about Sally Langston killing her husband. Of all the people to kill him, it was Jake Ballard. After shooting James and letting David go, Jake sat with James as he died a slow, painful death. Jake apologized that it wasn’t going to be quick like the others, but promised that James wouldn’t die alone. It was a horribly difficult scene to watch, but even worse was knowing that we had lost such a beloved character.

2. Tracy McConnell – How I Met Your Mother

I realize that a lot of fans were angry about the way How I Met Your Mother ended. Yes, Ted finally ended up with the mother, and she was his perfect companion. But as we saw their future, we also saw that Tracy had to die, leaving Ted the chance to try once more with Robin.

3. Harrison Wright — Scandal

Scandal was full of difficult surprises as it ended it’s third season. In the season finale, Harrison figured out Rowan Pope’s plan, but the price of knowing too much cost him his life. He was shot, dying with important information much like James Novak did. The difference, of course, was that we didn’t see him die on screen. Season 4 of Scandal has been markedly different without Harrison as part of the team, reminding everyone of the important question, “Are we gladiators, or are we bitches?”

4. Conrad Grayson — Revenge

This wasn’t the sort of shocking death that made me cry. Conrad was manipulative, cold-hearted villain, but he was still a key character for the series. To see him be killed was certainly surprising, but the bigger shock was the murdered. In an act of perfect justice (or maybe, not so much) Conrad was killed by a very alive David Clarke.

5. Shay – Chicago Fire

On a show full of guys, Shay was one of two central female characters on Chicago Fire– and that’s one of the main reasons fans were shocked, and some outraged, when she was killed in the Season 3 premiere. Shay was a character that was popular with fans, as she was also one of network television’s most prominent gay characters, but she also shared a special bond with Dawson and Severide in particular. The writers were looking for a death that would “really pack a punch,” and unfortunately Shay was the perfect candidate for that. Her death will be one that fans and characters on the show will never truly get over. Sure, there were some rough times with Shay, especially in Season 2, but her friendships with Dawson and Severide were one of the best reasons to tune in to Chicago Fire.

6. Lance Sweets — Bones

Of all of the character deaths this year, this was the one that hurt me the most. I didn’t see it coming at all, and watching Sweets die was devastating. Booth and Brennan arrived just in time to be with him as he bled out on the pavement. Sweets was beloved, and lets not forget his influence on Booth and Brennan finally getting together. The worst part is that Sweets had recently found out he was going to be a father, and that’s something I would have loved to see. Even as Sweets was dying, he had positive words for Booth, and said that Booth would have been proud of him for the way he fought back. If that scene wasn’t tough enough, Sweets’ body was brought to the Jeffersonian to be examined by the people who he considered to be family.

7. Sara Lance – Arrow

The Season 3 premiere of Arrow lulled fans into a false sense of security and then, like an arrow to the heart, Black Canary a.k.a. Sara Lance was dead. Sara had just returned to Starling City to help Oliver and the gang out of their latest jam when, out of nowhere, she was pummeled with arrows by someone she recognized. Killing off a major character and fan favorite is a risky move, but it was a calculated one that the Arrow writers chose to take– and one that really gave a sense of urgency to its characters this season. Her death has sent ripples through the entire Arrow team, as Diggle named his baby after her, and Laurel seems poised to assume the Black Canary role. The mystery of her death has been the overarching story all season long, and we still aren’t quite sure if we know the whole truth behind who killed her.

8. Charlie Skinner — The Newsroom

This one is also on my list of serious tearjerkers. Charlie Skinner was such a fantastic character — passionate, funny, and always willing to say it like it is. Poetically, he died of a heart attack in the middle of the newsroom as everything was going to hell. It’s an image I simply cannot forget, as Charlie collapsed, hitting his head on the way down, with everyone rushing toward him in slow motion.

9. Daniel Grayson — Revenge

This is the one that really takes the cake. We knew someone was going to die on the mid-season finale of Revenge, but I’d have guessed a much more minor character. I didn’t see this one coming until a few moments before Daniel was shot. What made his death even more tragic was that Daniel’s character was changing for the better.  It was also looking as though he and Emily might end up together after all– and I was actually rooting for that to happen! Then, Daniel learned that Margeaux was pregnant with his child. Like Sweets, Daniel was robbed of the opportunity to be a father.

Here are a few other deaths that surprised us this year:

• Will Gardner — The Good Wife
• Aayian Ibrahim — Homeland
• Fara Sherazi — Homeland
• Zoe Barnes — House of Cards
• Neal Cassidy — Once Upon a Time
• Vee Parker — Orange is the New Black

Which death hurt the most, and which ones are we missing? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

– Written by Ashley Bissette Sumerel, with contributions from Bridget Liszewski.