10 TV Shows That Killed Characters Unexpectedly Early
5. D'Angelo Barksdale - The Wire
The only other character on this list lucky enough to survive his introductory season, D’Angelo Barksdale was one of The Wire’s first season’s heavy hitters.
The Wire’s story was based around drug dealers in Baltimore and the detectives trying convict them, and most of the time spent on the drug dealing side of Season 1 focussed on D’Angelo and his crew of youngsters trying their best to survive.
D’Angelo had been demoted within his criminal organisation after killing a rival drug dealer and being acquitted. Season 1 revolved around him trying to work his way up and regain the trust of his uncle, who ran the gang, but the finale saw him receiving a hefty jail sentence when the law caught up to him.
It was surprising when, in Season 2, Barksdale only made a handful of appearances before being strangled in prison. His gang had become paranoid that he may rat them out after a disagreement and decided to eliminate the threat. With so much dedication to D’Angelo in the first year, it was disappointing, but realistic, to see him offed in this fashion.