Killing off a character is rarely going to please everyone, but usually the show's at least got it right and it's time for the character to go.
But how about those times when there was clearly someone else who should have gone instead? Someone who would fulfil the same plot obligations, while not being as missed as the one who did get killed off. Someone expendable.
We've rounded up seven occasions where shows really should have set their sights on someone else.
1. Stranger Things
Who they killed: Bob
Who they should have killed: Jonathan
We all knew Bob was too pure for Hawkins and wouldn't last season two, but imagine how much more of a surprise it would have been if Jonathan had been the unfortunate victim of a demodog? We've already spoken about how Stranger Things needs to shake things up to be more unpredictable and if they'd have kept the loveable Bob around, they'd already be doing it.
2. The Walking Dead
Who they killed: Denise
Who they should have killed: Abraham
We get why The Walking Dead would want to kill off Denise as a way of showing that it wasn't rigidly following the comics and could still surprise fans. However, given that Abraham ended up dying shortly after at the hands of Lucille via Negan, there was little point in knocking off a character who had shown such promise.
3. Agents of SHIELD
Who they killed: Trip
Who they should have killed: Raina
It's almost like Agents of SHIELD knew they had made a mistake by killing Trip off in season two's midseason finale as they brought him back in season four – well a virtual version of him anyway. Instead of axing a likeable character, the show could have killed off Raina instead of having her become an Inhuman, mope around for a bit as she didn't like her new look – and then get offed anyway by Jiaying a few episodes later.
4. 24
Who they killed: David Palmer
Who they should have killed: Wayne Palmer
David Palmer served as the US President during the first four seasons of 24 and everyone was happy. Then he got shockingly killed off in the first moments of season five, with his brother Wayne eventually taking over as President.
However, he was no David – even the actor who played him, DB Woodside, didn't like Wayne in season six – and since he was in the room when David was shot, it wouldn't have taken much for Wayne to get shot instead, would it?
5. Dexter
Who they killed: Rita
Who they should have killed: Debra
Killing Rita off at the end of Dexter season four was undoubtedly a shocking move, but it robbed Dexter of the need to actually pretend to be a normal family guy and seemed to lessen what he had at stake. Imagine instead if Debra had been killed off, keeping a shock death in the show. We wouldn't have that dodgy incest plot, which is about the only thing Debra did in the later seasons, and Dexter would still have his personal life shaken up. It's a win-win.
6. Luther
Who they killed: DS Justin Ripley
Who they should have killed: DSU Martin Schenk
Since killing off DS Justin Ripley in series three, Luther has been trying to find someone else to act as the heart of the show. Rose Leslie tried in the two-part series four and isn't returning for series five where Wunmi Mosaku will give it a shot, but the show could have avoided all of this by not killing Ripley in the first place.
Instead, have vigilante killer Tom Marwood target Luther's boss DS Martin Schenk and you still have a notable death that affects Luther, while keeping his BFF around.
7. The Wire
Who they killed: Russell 'Stringer' Bell
Who they should have killed: Brother Mouzone
After plotting against his boss Avon Barksdale, Stringer Bell met an anticlimactic end when he was gunned down by Omar and Brother Mouzone for trying to create a rift between them, robbing us of a chance to see Stringer in charge of a whole organisation. If only Omar had decided to shoot Brother Mouzone – who we don't see after season three anyway – and then The Wire's two most charismatic characters could have forged an uneasy business relationship. That's a show we'd want to see.
Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
