Do Big Shows Dare Kill Major Characters---Like Izzie?

In the modern TV landscape, offing big players is just part of the math, for a variety of reasons

Would they really dare to kill such a major character like Izzie on Grey's Anatomy?
—Veux, via the Answer B!tch inbox

Oh, yes. Yes, "they" might very well do that, all whilst I cackle into my chardonnay and twitter every cruel little detail. Unlike many decades past, when main characters were like investments to be horded, producers these days are all about hacking and slashing.

And assassinating (Dennis Haysbert, 24). And pool-cuing (Joseph R. Gannascoli, The Sopranos). And suiciding (Kal Penn, House).

Exactly why might a producer do this? And how does Izzie fit into all this? Well...

First things first. For the record, it's still unclear what's going to happen to Izzie. The latest relevant comment, from Katherine Heigl herself, indicates even she may be in the dark. Or at least she was back in March.

As for other TV characters and why they disappear, the offings come in three distinct categories: The actor is getting squirrelly and wants out; the producers or the network don't like the character anymore; or the storyline just needs someone to die already (*cough, Jack Shephard, cough*).

"Sometimes it's contract negotiations that can't be resolved, sometimes it's personality conflicts and it's better to kill them off on the show than actually kill them," says Claire Simon, who cast the first season of A&E's The Beast.

But even if Izzie does get offed by some creative disease, don't count on her being dead forever.

"Sarah Wayne Callies was beheaded on Prison Break," Simon points out. "They killed her because she was pregnant and leaving the show, and then they brought her back! They re-attached her head apparently."

Let's just hope that whoever might get offed from Lost this week, he or she stays dead.
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