10 Hilarious Character Deaths in Sitcoms

It’s often said that if life is a joke, death is the punch line, and many great sitcoms have found hilarious ways to kill off their characters over the years. Dark humor allows us to laugh at taboo subjects that people don’t like to talk about, and death is at the top of the list. Comedy has always had a perverse fascination with death, and there are many classic sitcoms that exploit this.

Dark sitcoms often kill off minor characters in ridiculous ways to highlight the absurdity of the form and the fragile, fleeting nature of life. These jokes provide an immediate shock and a cathartic release, but they also reveal something deeper about human nature. Some sitcoms even have funny deaths for some of their main characters, which undercuts the serious tone that TV shows usually have for such situations. The cause of death, the timing and the reactions of other characters can all contribute to hilarious deaths.

10

Susan – Seinfeld

Season 7, Episode 24, “The Invitations”

The actions of the characters in Seinfeld They are always hurting themselves and others, but the season 7 finale took things to a new level by killing George’s fiancee, Susan Ross. Susan dies after ingesting too much toxic glue from some cheap envelopes That George picked out for their wedding invitations. He spends most of season 7 looking for a way to break off their engagement, and he finally gets his wish granted in the most disturbing way possible.

Susan’s death in Seinfeld is one of the most famous moments of the show. The “Show About Nothing” rarely did much to advance the overall plot, and George’s engagement was one big exception. By killing off Susan, the friends could get back to business as usual without either of them being married. The only change to the dynamic of the show was that George was saddled with the burden of the Susan Ross Foundation after her death. Even from beyond the grave, Susan finds a way to monopolize George’s free time.

9

Country Mac – It’s always sunny in Philadelphia

Season 9, Episode 5, “Mac Day”

It’s always sunny in Philadelphia has seen many characters die over the years, including Dennis and Dee’s mother, Shelly Kelly and Maureen Ponderosa. The show also isn’t afraid to kill off random characters as a punch line, like when Frank arranges a fatal game of Russian roulette in the back room of the bar. The death of Country Mac is the punch line to an entire episode in which the band finds a version of ​​Mac that they all like much better.

Land Mac is Mac’s cousin. He rides a motorcycle, flexes some serious karate skills and even jumps off a bridge for Project Badass. He is everything Mac claims to be and more, until his hilariously pathetic death. Although Land Mac clearly lives life on the edge, he dies in a low-speed motorcycle crash, tipping over while traveling at walking speed. with It’s always sunny Season 17 is coming up, It’s a strong bet that the show’s dark humor will result in a few more deaths.

8

Gerard – peeps show

Season 8, Episode 1, “Jeremy Therapized”

Gerard is Mark’s main rival for Dobby’s affections. Even when Mark and Dobby are in a relationship, Gerard gets in the way with his chronic illnesses, which requires Dobby to go and take care of him. One night, Mark has had enough, and he convinces Dobby to ignore Gerard so that she can stay with him. This just so happens to be the night that Gerard dies. The timing couldn’t be worse for Mark, who sees Gerard’s death as the latest insult.

Of all things, Gerard dies of the flu. Jez puts it best when he dismisses the news as a joke, before taking it and saying “That’s right Gerard.” Only Gerard could die of such an illness while in the prime of his life. It wouldn’t make sense for either Peeps show‘s other iconic supporting characters to meet their end along the way. Gerard manages to keep his rivalry with Mark from beyond the pit, as he leaves enough money to Dobby to make her think twice about moving in with him.

7

Frank Grimes – The Simpsons

Season 8, Episode 23, “Homer’s Enemy”

The Simpsons is famous for its one-off lettersFrom the slimy monorail huckster Lil Lanley to Hank Scorpio, the villainous megalomaniac who says goodbye to a shoe. Frank Grimes ranks up there with the best of them, although he is remembered most fondly for his hilarious death. Frank’s hatred of Homer pushes him over the edge, and he embarks on a rampage that ends with him grabbing several high voltage power lines with his bare hands.

Frank Grimes is the most rational man in Springfield, and witnessing Homer’s stupidity in such an important task drives him crazy. This is a great meta joke from the writers that points out the quirks of the show that no one ever mentions. Frank is the only person who understands that it’s absurd for a lazy slob to have everything he wants in life, including a Grammy and a trip to space. The layers of comedy in Frank’s death add up to one of the best Simpsons Episodes of all.

6

Jason Mendoza – The Good Place

Season 1, Episode 11, “What’s My Motivation?”

In season 1, The good site Shows how each of the main characters die, as well as providing some important backstory from their lives. Jason, the lover of the group, dies in the most absurd way. His life of crime with his best friend Pillboi is cut short when he suffocates in a safe as part of his dark-witted heist. Their plan is foiled immediately, but Jason dies before being released.

The cop who arrests Philboy sums it all up when he says that Jason got the life he deserved.. Someone who believes that a snorkel can help them breathe in an airtight safe, gets what’s coming to them. However, that doesn’t stop Jason from redeeming himself in the afterlife. He doesn’t necessarily get smarter in the many years after his death, but he at least shows that his heart is in the right place.

5

The Black Swan – Curb your enthusiasm

Season 7, Episode 7, “The Black Swan”

Larry David is constantly getting into Horanda’s social blunders in curb your enthusiasm, And he is forced to take the blame for several deaths. While It’s not really Larry’s fault that Norm dies of a heart attack or Kenny Funkhouser gets trampled by bulls in SpainHe takes the blame for killing Mr. Takahashi’s beloved black swan Kyoko on the golf course.

The image of the black swan charging at Larry with its wings spread wide is the perfect prelude to Larry bludgeoning it with his golf club. While death itself is strange, Tame Stretch the joke out brilliantly, as Larry becomes the focus of Mr. Takahashi’s investigation into the murder. The episode is popular enough to warrant a recall in the Curb your enthusiasm Series finale. Mr. Takahashi holds out long enough to try to get Laurie into prison when the opportunity presents itself.

4

Captain Dozerman – Brooklyn No-No

Season 3, Episode 1, “New Captain”

Bill Hader had a brief but memorable role in Brooklyn no-no. After Captain Holt’s promotion, Seth Dozerman steps into the precinct as his replacement, and he immediately emphasizes his commitment to efficiency and hard work. Of course, his high-intensity lifestyle comes with a high level of stress, and he has a heart attack before he can even finish his speech. He learns nothing from this sound scare, and his second heart attack later that day kills him.

Bill Hader is a master of deadpan comedyAnd he makes every line he has in Brooklyn no-no Hilarious. Whether he’s telling his squad to get to work while he’s collapsed or announcing with a stony face that he’s having a heart attack, Dozerman is all business. It’s probably for the best that he gets killed off early, because he’d be pushed beyond his limits by Jake in a few days either way.

Season 5, Episode 4, “Cooperative Polygraphy”

Chevy Chase’s controversial exit from Community It was coming for a while, but it still provided a problem for the show. Chase was part of Community From the beginning, killing off his character risks disrupting the dynamic of the group. However, after disagreements with Dan Harmon and allegations of racist remarks, Chase had to go. Harmon gave Pierce a death that provided a final insult to the actor who portrayed him.

When Pierce’s will is read out to his study group, each of his friends is presented with a comically large vial of his frozen sperm. It is one last disgusting and unpredictable act that sums up Pierce’s character. The revelation that his cause of death is dehydration from filling the vials is a hilarious punch line to his absurd life. It can also be seen as a meta joke that reveals Harmon’s feelings about Chase.

2

Denholm Reynholm – The IT Crowd

Season 2, Episode 2, “Return of the Golden Child”

Chris Morris’ character is a whirlwind of bluster and machismo in the first season of The IT crowd, But the actor decided not to stay too long. To give him the hilarious send-off he deserves, The IT crowd delivered one of their most memorable moments. As Denholm Reinholm takes a meeting in the boardroom, an assistant comes to tell him that the police are waiting to talk to him about some financial discrepancies. Without missing a beat, he politely dismisses the assistant and immediately goes out the window.

Denholm has such a casual approach to his suicide that the other executives hardly even register that anything has happened. He takes a step out of the window with the same nonchalance that he would do if he were simply walking down the corridor. There is no big speech and no dramatic leap; Only a man who realizes without any hint of emotion that the jig is up, and he can choose between prison or a tumble off a skyscraper.

1

Kenny – South Park

Many episodes over many seasons

Kenny dies in almost every episode of South Parks early seasons, and many more times thereafter. His frequent deaths become a running gag unlike any other, with the show seemingly trying to make the most gruesome kills imaginable. He’s cooked in a microwave, mauled by mutant turkeys and run over by a train all in the first season. This is just the beginning for poor Kenny.

Kenny’s horrific deaths are one way that South Park It stands apart from other animated sitcoms, and it typifies the show’s controversial status in its early years. over this, These jokes provide a clever way for the show to comment on the moral panic over cartoon violence. Just as some commentators have suggested that cartoon violence desensitizes children to the real thing, Stan and Kyle become increasingly tired and apathetic as they say the catchphrase: “Oh my god, they killed Kenny!” Eventually, they just go through the motions.