10 TV Characters Killed Right In Their Prime
TV's shining lights that were snuffed out at their brightest moments.
Sometimes a character just seems to be getting going when they're snatched from our screens as quickly as they appeared. Whether for the shock factor or to try and change up the perceived stale dynamic of a show, these deaths often surprise and stun viewers. A tried and tested trope of modern television, it is a shock moment like this that can get people talking about a show or, sometimes, turn a once loyal audience away completely.
Any death feels hard to swallow when we are really getting to know a character but it can be down right impossible to take when it feels like these characters had so much more to give us. Uncompleted arcs, unfinished business and unfillable voids are all that's left when a character meets their premature end and it can be down right gut-wrenching.
Whether it's the right or wrong thing for the show often feels secondary when we were just beginning to invest in these characters and their stories...
10. Mike - Breaking Bad
Gruff hitman Mike Ehrmantraut was a bona fide fan favourite when he was so cruelly ripped from our screens, and although it was an unfortunate event that took place in the final season of the show, it always felt as if Mike had so much more to give to Breaking Bad.
Mike was something of a slow burner, an interesting character who seemed happy to sit in the background and get sh*t done; but as the seasons piled up, Mike's deceptive sensitivity and mentoring of Jesse endeared him to us all. A testament to Vince Gilligan's ability to write truly great and interesting characters; Mike constantly surprised and impressed with his sadly limited time on screen.
It really felt like we were only just getting to know the real Michael Ehrmantraut when he was needlessly gunned down by an increasingly unstable Walter.
God bless Better Call Saul for giving us all the Mike fix that we so desperately needed after Breaking Bad ended.