10 TV Character Deaths That Pissed Off Fans

Almost a decade after Downton Abbey's season three Christmas special aired, fans still haven't forgiven creator Julian Fellowes for killing off dapper fave Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) in such cruel, sudden fashion.

Basically, Dan Stevens' career was beginning to take flight and he decided that he wanted to exit the show, but given that Matthew had gotten Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) pregnant, there really wasn't any plausible reason for him to suddenly leave.

Without dying, that is.

And so, the decision was made to have Matthew perish in a car accident while driving home from the hospital after meeting his son for the first time.

Matthew's corpse laying underneath his wrecked car is heartbreakingly intercut with footage of Lady Mary cradling their newborn, which while clearly intended to move fans simply left many frustrated at how suddenly Matthew died, and how blatantly Fellowes tried to manipulate their emotions.

Fellowes was clearly written into a corner to an extent here, but a sudden heart attack or brain aneurysm would've at least been slightly less horrifying than a bloody car wreck, right?