9 Worst TV Show Fake-Out Deaths

Shocking deaths have really become the hot trend on television in the last decade, where a beloved character will meet a sudden, devastating demise. Shows like 24, The Walking Dead and Game Of Thrones have turned this into an art form, and seem to delight in breaking our hearts.

A major death isn’t something a show should approach lightly, however, and if they’re going to upset the fanbase it should be for a good reason. What they absolutely shouldn’t do is pretend to kill that character, have the supporting players and audience mourn them, only to reveal the whole death thing was faked.

It’s a cheap gimmick that hurts the show’s credibility and makes audiences distrustful and angry. It rarely benefits the story either, often being a meaningless distraction. Many shows have tried this out at least once, and sadly it’s a ploy that refuses to just go away. Let’s look at some of the worst examples of fake-out deaths on television, and see how they impacted the show.

While Family Guy’s scattergun approach to comedy rubs some people the wrong way – the creators of South Park included – it’s built a huge fanbase based around this. Unfortunately, in the last few years, it’s become a pale shadow of its heydey, where any sense of character or warmth has been replaced by lazy pop culture gags, mean-spirited humour, and dumb gimmicks,

This includes The Simpsons / Family Guy crossover, and Brian’s death from season twelve. Brian is run over by a car during one episode, which has a devastating effect on the family. Longtime fans were upset too and immediately petitioned to bring him back. He was replaced by a new dog and for a few weeks it seemed the show might stick to this twist; of course, it didn’t last long.

Thanks to some time travel Brian was back soon enough, and fans – already annoyed by the show’s slipping quality – complained loudly about the ploy.