One of the signs of a successful show is the characters and their ability to win the hearts of viewers. Often, it’s these fan favorites that keep audiences on their toes season after seasoneagerly waiting to see what’s next for the characters. Most of the time, characters are rewarded at the end of their stories: defeating evil, finding love, getting their dream job, and more.
However, there are some who fail to achieve a fairytale ending or plot, ruining once-beloved characters. For example, fans of Gilmore Girls were horrified to see Lane Kim (Keiko Agena) conform to the traditional lifestyle she questioned throughout the show, as well as Daenerys Targaryen’s (Emilia Clarke) shocking turnaround after her long and difficult journey to the Iron Throne. Despite its popularity among fans several award-winning characters fell victim to their fate in the writer’s room.
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Meredith Gray
Grey’s Anatomy (Seasons 1 -)
Few characters have endured more tragedy and loss than Grey’s Anatomy protagonist, Meredith Gray (Ellen Pompeo). Over the course of the hit medical drama’s twenty-one seasons, Meredith has built a strong fan base, who love the doctor for her intelligence, charm, and outspoken nature. Although she may be successful in her profession, Meredith makes poor decisions in Grey’s Anatomy and is portrayed as having a complicated personal life.
Unfortunately for Meredith, much of her chaotic life is made worse by the countless tragedies that befall her. Although she is a leading medical professional in the last season of Grey’s Anatomy, Meredith has suffered the loss of many loved onesincluding the deaths of her husband, Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), and her sister, Lexie Gray (Chyler Leigh). Additionally, Meredith survives several accidents, including a plane crash and shooting. Considering the amount of growth and trauma Meredith has experienced in Grey’s Anatomy how she’s changed, she deserves a peaceful ending, which the show hasn’t given her yet.
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LaneKim
Gilmore Girls (Seasons 1 to 7)
Rory Gilmore may have been one of the stars of Gilmore Girlsbut her oldest friend, Lane Kim (Keiko Agena), was a scene-stealer on the show. Through the seasons, Lane continually fought for her independence and freedom of expression. This often meant Lane had to defy her overbearing mother. In fact, she even pursued her dream of studying music and forming a band.
Tragically, many fans believe that Lane’s hard work was undermined in the show’s 6th season when she marries her bandmate and becomes pregnant soon after at the age of 22. it seems like this goes against everything Lane fought against: a traditional family and a marriage. Instead, Lane’s dreams of leaving Stars Hollow and pursuing a career in the music industry are seemingly ignored by the show.
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Daenerys Targaryen
Game of Thrones (Seasons 1 to 8)
One of the most infamous series finales is Game of Thronesand no other protagonist in the series has an ending as unexpected as Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke). The “Mother of Dragons” quickly ascended toward the Iron Throne in the series finale, but not without facing an arduous path to get there.
Daenerys’ journey is incredible, from her beginnings being sold as a bride to Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa), to her capture of King’s Landing, viewers watch her not only grow, but also mature into the confident and powerful leader she is. becomes in season. end. However, it isn’t long before the show ruins her happy ending, and she descends into madness driven by the deaths of her dragons, friends, and family. Unlike her previous strong but compassionate character, Daenerys’s transformation into a villain forces Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) to take her life in the final episode.
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Marisa Cooper
The CO (Seasons 1 – 3)
The OCs Marissa Cooper (Mishca Barton) is another beloved protagonist who died an untimely and shocking death. Throughout her run on the hit television show, Marissa was plagued by drug addiction, alcoholism and abusive men. However, his selfless and fun-loving nature endeared him to the show’s fans.
In the third season of The COMarissa Cooper was recovering from her troubled past. This included breaking up with her abusive ex-boyfriend, getting clean, and healing her relationship with her mother and her boyfriend, Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie). However, his chance at redemption was cut short when Marissa was killed in The CO Season 3 after being involved in a dangerous car accident caused by her jealous ex. Although the show aired decades ago, fans are still heartbroken over Marissa’s sudden death after all of her character development.
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Justin Foley
13 reasons why (Seasons 1 – 4)
13 reasons why It was tragic for several reasons, but one of them was the treatment of the character Justin Foley (Brandon Flynn). Flynn’s character, the troubled but well-intentioned party boy has experienced perhaps the most hardship and growth throughout the seasons of the hit Netflix show.
In the last season of 13 reasons whyJustin faced a lot of difficulties with money and addiction, but he did his best to make things right. For example, Justin becomes good friends with troubled students like Tyler (Devin Druid) and Clay (Dylan Minnette), as well as protecting his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Jessica (Alisha Boe). However, Justin meets a dark end when he is diagnosed with AIDS and dies shortly after. Given the difficulties he overcame, Justin’s abrupt death in 13 reasons why it was a huge mistake and a heartbreaking one for fans to witness.
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Chrissy Cunningham
Stranger Things (Season 4)
Chrissy Cunningham may have only made a brief appearance in season 4 of the hit Netflix series, Stranger Thingsbut she quickly became a fan favorite. The popular Hawkins High School cheerleader was more than just her image, but he showed a big heart and a caring soul that was hard not to fall in love with.
Your growing closeness to colleagues Stranger Things escape Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn), despite his outcast identity, only revealed his kind heart and open mind when making friends. Unfortunately, her time on screen was short-lived as she became Vecna’s first victim in the first episode of the season.. During her haunting, Chrissy’s nightmares revealed her mother’s abusive behavior and her struggle with an eating disorder. For a character as kind as Chrissy, who remains that way despite her difficult home life, it’s difficult to watch her sad ending play out on screen.
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Haley Dunphy
Modern Family (Seasons 1 to 11)
Modern Family follows a blended family through the years as they grow and learn more about themselves and each other. Although each child in the family changes throughout the show’s eleven seasons, few undergo a greater transformation than Haley Dunphy (Sarah Hyland)the extroverted party girl of the family, at the end of Modern Family.
In the first season of Modern FamilyHaley is portrayed as a popular high school student dating questionable boys, such as her musician boyfriend, Dylan (Reid Ewing). Although Haley makes attempts to improve her life, the show often seems to get in her way. For example, when Haley gets into a good college, she is immediately kicked out. She also falls in love with Andy Bailey (Adam DeVine), but unfortunately things don’t work out for them both when he moves away. When she finally reaches the pinnacle of her career as a fashion editor, she becomes pregnant by Dylan and the two quickly marry. This decision upset fans who expected Haley to end up independent and with a flourishing career.
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Lady Kenna
Reign (Seasons 1 – 2)
It’s no surprise that the lives of the protagonists of Reign are challenging considering the time period and their high court roles. However, Mary’s lady-in-waiting, Lady Kenna (Caitlin Stasey), has one of the show’s saddest exits and the public is left without knowing what Reign the character’s destiny is. Known for being an aggressive person with a bold nature, Kenna quickly stood out among her more reserved ladies-in-waiting.
Kenna’s journey is certainly not an easy one, seemingly making one reckless decision after another after arriving at the French court in season one. However, after coming to terms with her folly in becoming King Henry’s lover, Kenna tries to make the best of her situation by settling into her marriage to Bash (Torrance Coombs). However, Disaster seems to follow Kenna, and her marriage to Bash falls apart when she becomes pregnant by another man in Season 2. Despite her efforts to remain at the French court and clean up her life, Kenna is sent to have the baby privately and is never seen again in the following episodes.
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Miranda Hobbes
Sex and the city (Seasons 1 – 6)
Fans of Sex and the city Know that Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) is perhaps one of the most obstinate and ambitious characters in the series. Although she may have the same love problems as her friends, Miranda is demanding with her standards and rarely likes to compromise when it comes to matters of the heart.
However, for a character with a no-nonsense attitude like Miranda, Sex and the city showed her being more content than she originally expected as the show progressed. An example of this is her doomed relationship with Steve Brady (David Eigenberg). Although the couple was popular at the time among fans ultimately took away much of Miranda’s characteristic independence. For example, her decision to keep her unplanned pregnancy despite not yet wanting to be a mother caused Miranda stress in her career and home life. She later moved away from Manhattan to take care of Steve’s mother and settle into family life, something the original Miranda always questioned.
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Audrey Horne
Twin Peaks (Seasons 1 – 3)
Although most of David Lynch’s characters Twin Peaks had significant challenges in the program, Audrey Horne (Sherilyn Fenn), was particularly mistreated by the writers’ room. Audrey, who was known as the troubled daughter of greedy businessman Benjamin Horne (Richard Beymer), became a fan favorite for her signature style, fiery personality, and sense of determination. Despite her rise from secondary character to the show’s protagonist, Audrey’s journey has been one of struggle.
Her love for Detective Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) is unrequited, despite her efforts to help him with his investigation. Along the way, she was mistreated by her absent father and constantly underestimated by those around her. However, by the show’s season finale, Audrey appeared to have received the rewards for her hard work, becoming her father’s business partner. For a character as significant as Audrey, her end was tragic, ending up in a coma after being involved in a bank explosion. In the series’ final third season, years later, Audrey suffers from mental problems due to her injuries.