10 TV Deaths We All Saw Coming (That Still Left Us Stunned)
6. Jack Pearson - This Is Us
The American drama-comedy This Is Us followed the same family in two separate time periods: past and present. And early on in the first season they took advantage of this structure by shocking us with a main character's off-screen death. While we'd been wondering when the father would show up, turns out he wasn't even alive in the present day.
It still took another season for the writers to finally reveal the truth about how he died and I don't think anyone could have expected such a destructive ending for the character. Their family home burns down and the dad, Jack Pearson, dies in hospital from complications of smoke inhalation. For a show that focused on the trials and tribulations of day-to-day life, this reveal was pretty shocking.
Having said that, when a television show forecasts a character's death using flashbacks and toys with the audiences curiosity for so long, then the drama had better be worth it when it comes.