10 TV Characters Nobody Expected To Survive

10. Samwell Tarly - Game Of Thrones

For those who hadn't read George R. R. Martin's novels, Game of Thrones quickly established itself as a ruthlessly blood-thirsty show where basically any major character could die.

And as likeable as Samwell Tarly (John Bradley) was throughout the show's run, the guy just wasn't cut out for fighting, and it seemed like just a matter of time before some n'er-do-well would put a knife to his throat just to prove a point.

Despite his lack of physical prowess and generally retiring demeanour, Sam inexplicably survived all of the show's eight seasons, even with a number of close calls which had some fans screaming "plot armour!"

Sam survived a barrage of wights during the Battle of Winterfell, and has generally scraped his way through a number of combat encounters which have killed men considerably more adept than he.

Sam's death would've been hugely devastating to fans, which seemingly made it all the more likely that it'd actually happen in Thrones' final season. But Sam instead made it out alive and ended the series as Grand Maester to King Bran the Broken (Isaac Hempstead-Wright). Who saw any of that coming?