10 Horrifically Violent TV Character Deaths That Traumatised The Fans

What's worse than being killed? How about having your kidneys removed before being cut into strips by a buzz-saw and preserved in glass? Yep, that'll do it.

Whenever a character dies in a television show it is usually dealt with as a big, dramatic affair. Most often in popular dramas at least one death occurs every other season, such as in Grey's Anatomy or Dexter. Other shows, such as Lost or Game of Thrones, usually offer a big character death every season. The manner of deaths always varies between dying from an illness, getting shot, stabbed, car accident or other 'normal' ways to go. Once in a while, though, there's a show that not only gets audiences talking about the deceased character, but kills them off in a horrific manner that truly shocks people. It is as if it is not enough to simply have them shot, but go overkill on the character, sometimes for the sake of the story, other times purely for shock value. Whatever the case, there can be no denying the following deaths made audiences jump out of their seats or suffer from their jaws having fallen to the floor.

10. South Park - Oh My God, They've Killed Kenny!

Though it is an animated show, South Park has never shied away from controversial topics or adult humour, and perhaps its most famous running gag is the constant death of poor (both literally and figuratively) Kenny McCormick. Not many shows, much less cartoons, are brave enough to kill a child in such a violent manner, let alone at all. Kenny, though, has died numerous times, often very gruesomely. From spontaneously combusting, torn in half, run over, beheaded, impaled, lit on fire, shot or a botched surgery by George Clooney, the multiple ways Kenny has died has been endless. It's as if Matt Stone and Trey Parker set out to top themselves each time Kenny died. Eventually Stone and Parker decided to kill Kenny off for good due to fear of their joke getting stale. They also felt Kenny had become a mere prop and not a developed character, so for the majority of Season 6 Kenny remained dead. Occasionally they kill Kenny off, but he has now become a fully fledged and developed character, going so far as to provide a reason for his multiple resurrections. In fact, his death was the entire premise for the Emmy winning 'Best Friends Forever'. Regardless, Kenny's deaths continue to be quite brutal.
Contributor
Contributor

Richard Church has a Bachelor of Arts in English and a diploma in Television Writing and Producing. He is an aspiring writer for short stories, novels and screenplays. He is also an avid fan of comic books and graphic novels.