20 Most Important TV Deaths This Decade

17. Curtis Lemansky - The Shield (Season 5, Episode 11)

Superb cop drama The Shield delivered one of its most shocking moments at the end of season five, as Strike Team member Lem was preparing to do a stretch in prison for possession of heroin, as organised by Forest Whittaker's determined internal affairs officer Jon Kavanaugh. However, when Vic and the rest of the team realised that Kavanaugh would be feeding Lem to gangster Antoine Mitchell, who would most certainly have Lem killed, and that his original plea deal had gone bust, it was decided that Lem would instead go on the run. Due to manipulations on the part of Kavanaugh, Strike Team member Shane became worried that Lem had in fact turned on the Strike Team, and upon meeting up with Lem, dropped a grenade into his car, killing him. What makes the death extra grueling is that Lem doesn't die instantly: his charred body is able to see Shane break down from the guilt. This was a major turning point for the show, and Vic attempting to discover who killed Lem became the dominant plot point of the following seasons.