24 Absolutely Gut-Wrenching TV Funerals

17. Ben Sullivan (Scrubs)

On Scrubs Season 3 Episode 14, “My Screw Up,” fans were not expecting the episode to take the emotional turn that it does at the end. Throughout the whole episode, it’s got the same light-hearted fun vibe the show is known for, which in this case leads everyone into a false sense of security.

The writers spend the episode making us believe that Dr. Cox’s brother-in-law and friend, Ben, is doing okay now that his cancer is in remission. Instead, the focus is on preparing for Dr. Cox’s son’s first birthday.

Through comedic timing and only subtle hints at the true nature of the story, Scrubs is able to really punch us in the gut with the emotional heartbreak in store.

It’s Dr. Cox’s unaware persona that really catches us off guard when he shows up at the funeral. He thought he was going to his son’s birthday when in reality he was going to bury his friend. Completely crushing.

18. Henry Saracen (Friday Night Lights)

For this list, Henry is one of a kind. Unlike everyone else on it, he is a character that is never really seen but still manages to have an impact on the characters. On Friday Night Lights Season 4 Episode 5, “The Son,” the course of the show changes forever.

Henry’s son Matt is the main focus of the entire episode, and it’s his run through of all the emotions as he deals with the death that really makes the whole experience unique and memorable. This is a case of a son not loving the father he is burying but still feeling grief over the loss of him — a complicated portrayal of death but a real one, to be sure.

Matt gives a speech about a time that his father got angry about toilet paper and then turned it funny by buying all the brands of toilet paper available. It is heart-wrenching, because underneath his story stems years of pain caused by his father’s consistent absence.

To top it all off, Matt choosing to bury his own father after the funeral is over really hits viewers with the feelings of pain, brokenness, and confusion.

19. Liz Forbes (The Vampire Diaries)

Liz Forbes has been a force of nature on The Vampire Diaries since her first introduction in the first season. Her strength prevails even in the face of a cancer diagnosis.

On The Vampire Diaries Season 6 Episode 15, “Let Her Go,” two different viewpoints are presented on the death of Mystic Falls’ Sheriff. First, there’s the view of her daughter struggling to cope with her beloved mom’s death. Then, there is the view of Damon Salvatore trying to reconcile his feelings about the loss of his friend.

Damon isn’t much for sentimental moments, but his eulogy for Liz is the height of sentimentality.

Damon: Liz was a hero to this town, she was a hero to all of you, and she was a hero to me. Goodbye, Sheriff. You will be missed.

Ultimately, Caroline learns that no matter where she goes in life, her mother will never be that far behind her. She will carry her mother’s lessons with her always.

20. Chuckles the Clown (The Mary Tyler Moore Show)

This funeral is a rarity in that it’s not a sad one, but a funny one. The humor is a way for The Mary Tyler Moore Show Season 6 Episode 7, “Chuckles Bites the Dust,” to show the world that death doesn’t always have to be so sad.

Funerals can also be used to honor someone’s life and celebrate what they’ve accomplished instead of just mourning them.

Minister: Go ahead, laugh out loud. Don’t you see? Nothing would’ve made Chuckles happier. He lived to make people laugh. Tears were offensive to him. Deeply offensive. He hated to see people cry.

Of course, Mary does eventually end up in tears. Through humor, she is able to accomplish the task of processing her grief.

21. Kate Todd (NCIS)

Kate’s death marks the end of the second season of NCIS. So naturally, on NCIS Season 3 Episode 2, “Kill Ari (Part 2),” the team says their final goodbyes to their colleague and friend.

It’s a tough moment for all of them, but none more so than Tony and Gibbs. For Tony, he was standing right next to Kate when she died, and he’s dealing with survivor’s guilt. For Gibbs, the bullet was fired in order to break him, and therefore he feels immeasurable amounts of guilt.

As the team says their last goodbyes, they lean on one another to continue feeling whole. Abby directs their exit from the funeral with a song choice that she believes Kate would approve of, and they all leave together.

It’s a change in course that the show didn’t realize it needed until the moment was upon them. Without her death, Ziva would’ve never joined the team and created the dynamic that drove everything: the sexual tension-filled affair between Tony and Ziva.

22. Nate Fisher (Six Feet Under)

It’s hard to make a funeral stand out and be unique when your entire show’s premise consists of funerals and funeral directing. However, on Six Feet Under Season 5 Episode 10, “All Alone,” the writers make the complexity of dying that much more poignant, showing that even people who see death daily aren’t immune to feeling the raw effects of it when it’s someone close to them.

At the funeral, David is the hardest to watch. His body language is almost as heartbreaking as Nate’s limp body, seen when lowering him into the pit sans coffin. Michael C. Hall is a true talent when it comes to conveying the grief David feels over his brother.

“All Alone” truly personifies just how complicated and messy grief can be, especially when we see Brenda struggle to reconcile exactly how she feels about the loss. After all, Nate had just told her he didn’t want to be with her anymore while she is pregnant with his child. The grief and anger she must feel as she watches his body buried in the ground is enough to level any viewer.

23. Jean Sylvester (Glee)

As we’ve stated before, comedic shows choosing to showcase the pain of losing someone dear is a hard pill to swallow. Such is the case for Glee Season 2 Episode 21, “Funeral.”

Sue Sylvester loses the one person who loved her completely, faults and all: her sister Jean. It’s a hard episode to watch because of how unfunny it all is. There isn’t a single moment of cheer in the entire episode.

Sue isn’t the glee club’s biggest fan, but even she can’t deny how beautiful the club makes her sister’s memorial service. They honor Jean through her favorite film, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. The feelings of loss and love meld together during their glorious rendition of “Pure Imagination.”

It’s a moving moment that actually gives Sue a more human quality. The death ends up changing Sue for the better.

24. Lance Sweets (Bones)

Sometimes, funeral scenes are more than just the actual funeral. Occasionally, they are better expressed through the moments before or after them. On Bones Season 10 Episode 2, “The Lance to the Heart,” the team deals with their grief in a myriad of ways.

For Daisy, Hodgins, Angela, and Brennan, it’s a matter of examining his skeleton and figuring out the story that his bones tell. It’s the only way their characters really know how to convey all the complex emotions they are feeling: by focusing on the work instead.

For Booth, it’s also centered on his work. He immerses himself in the hunt for the culprit behind his colleague’s death. He doesn’t convey any deep emotions, but he does visibly deal with his grief. Slowly, his guilt falls away, and he comes to terms with it all.

The group ends up on a hill overlooking DC in order to lay their close friend to rest. They give him a worthy sendoff that ends with a group rendition of “Coconut,” one of Sweets’ jams.

 

With contributions from Samantha Coley, Ashley Bissette Sumerel, and Charles Henning

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Which TV funerals had you hugging your friends tighter or reaching for the tissues? Did we miss any that left an impact on you? Let us know in the comments below!

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