10 TV Deaths We All Saw Coming (That Still Left Us Stunned)
8. Ben Sullivan - Scrubs
Simultaneously the most jaw-dropping and foreshadowed death in Scrubs history. Ben Sullivan was Dr. Cox's best friend who was diagnosed with cancer early on in the show. In a television hospital setting this is the kind of news you expect to hear on a weekly basis. And when he returned to the hospital a couple of seasons later, still suffering from Leukemia, it was expected that something heart-breaking would happen. The only problem was, it happened and we didn't even notice.
Working with the "imaginary person" trope that wasn't as common in the early 2000s, Brendan Fraser's character was present for the entire episode as a figment of Dr. Cox's imagination. And we should have noticed, and many would have done, the hints. Ben was never seen talking to another character. They were suited up for a kid's birthday party? The writing made it more of an exploration of Cox's coping mechanisms than about it being a stunning twist.
It still remains one of the most memorable television moments, especially considering the character that broke our hearts was only present for a handful of episodes throughout the shows run.