10 TV Characters Killed In Desperate Attempts To Boost Ratings
8. Derek - Grey's Anatomy
Fans of Grey's Anatomy are certainly no stranger to an on-screen death. Plenty of fan favourite characters have bit the dust in some truly shocking and memorable ways, however few of them had the punch with both audiences and critics alike as Derek's in season eleven.
Portrayed wonderfully by Patrick Dempsey ever since the debut of the show in 2005, McDreamy had become part of the walls of the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital and undergone his fair share of dramatic storylines over that course, most notably with his longtime partner, Meredith.
His death actually came about following the supposed happy conclusion to this relationship, with Meredith and Derek finally giving what the fans what they wanted and reconciling. Viewership figures for the show however were on the downward spiral at the same time, dropping from nearly twelve million in the US for season nine to just over nine for season ten, which spelled bad news for Derek.
After his reconciliation, Derek was involved in a shocking car crash that led to the doctor being put on a life support machine after being declared brain dead. It was undoubtedly one of, if not the, most shocking and solemn moments in the show's history at that point, however the show still hasn't managed to hit over ten million views since Derek's departure and has actually seen a fairly sharp decline since season fourteen.