Rating the 10 Most Traumatic Character Deaths of the Year in Television (Spoilers, Obvs)

By Dustin Rowles | Lists | December 15, 2011 |

By Dustin Rowles | Lists | December 15, 2011 |

If you consider it, it’s been a really strong year for shocking television deaths, save for one major exception where a certain writer p*ssed out. But otherwise, television dramas have not been shy away about killing off major characters, and in some cases very major: Characters that have been around for seasons or even characters who it seemed shows were built around. Below, we rank the 10 Most Traumatic Character Deaths of 2011. There are spoilers, obviously, so if you haven’t caught up on any of the following shows and expect to at some point, you might be wise to skeedaddle: “The Killing,” “Dexter,” “The Walking Dead,” “Boss,” “Sons of Anarchy,” “Boardwalk Empire,” “Parks and Recreation,” “Justified,” Game of Thrones,” and “Breaking Bad.” I have, however, linked to the art (instead of posting it) and only included character names, so if you skim really fast, you may avoid certain spoilers.

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10. The Killing: Rosie Larsen

Shock Value: 1.
Emotional Attachment: 1.
Means of Death: 8

Total Score: 10

9. Dexter: Brother Sam (See the Existence of a Likable but Pointless Character)

Shock Value: 4.
Emotional Attachment: 5
Means of Death: 3

Total Score: 12

8. The Walking Dead: Sophia Peletier (See the Image)

Shock Value: 8
Emotional Attachment: 1
Means of Death: 7

Total Score: 16

7. Boss: Ezra Stone (See the Image)

Shock Value: 9
Emotional Attachment: 6
Means of Death: 3

Total Score: 18

6. Sons of Anarchy: Piney Stone (See the GIF)

Shock Value: 7
Emotional Attachment: 7
Means of Death: 6

Total Score: 20

5. Boardwalk Empire: Jimmy Darmody (See the Multipane)

Shock Value: 10
Emotional Attachment: 7
Means of Death: 5

Total Score: 21

4. Parks and Recreation: Lil Sebastian (See the Obituary)

Shock Value: 10
Emotional Attachment: 10
Means of Death: 2

Total Score: 22

3. Justified: Mags Bennett (See the Multipane)

Shock Value: 8
Emotional Attachment: 10
Means of Death: 7

Total Score: 25

2. Game of Thrones: Ned Stark (See the GIF)

Shock Value: 10
Emotional Attachment: 7
Means of Death: 8

Total Score: 25

1. Breaking Bad: Gus Fring (See the GIF)

Shock Value: 8
Emotional Attachment: 9.
Means of Death: 10

Total Score: 27