10 TV Characters Who Got Undeservedly Brutal Deaths

8. Dr. Lawrence Kutner - House

Method Of Death

Suicide by gunshot.

Why It Was Undeserved

Dr. Lawrence Kutner (Kal Penn) was one of House's most likeable characters and skilled doctors, so his wildly unexpected suicide near the end of the fifth season came as a hugely devastating shock for fans.

In reality, Penn accepted a job at the White House, and yet rather than give Kutner a more typically benign exit, the decision was made to kill the character in a sudden fashion to highlight how unpredictable suicide can be.

The violent nature of the death only makes it that much worse, and rewatching the show with full awareness of both Kutner's silent suffering and eventual fate paints his scenes in a whole new light.

Fans and critics have been divided on Kutner's shock demise ever since, some deeming it lazy while others commended it for drawing attention to how effectively depressed people can mask their true feelings.

Either way, it gave the rest of the cast some mighty dramatic meat to sink their teeth into and was treated with appropriate solemnity, as painful as it was to watch despite not being remotely explicit.