Brody, Homeland
OK, so we knew this day would eventually have to come, as the executive producers always said their original plan was to off the conflicted war vet-turned prisoner of war-turned terrorist-turned-maybe a good guy. But then you take into account that Damien Lewis is Damien Lewis. He won a Golden Globe and an Emmy for his performance and he's the male freakin' lead, so yes, we were completely thrown off-guard when Brody was hanged in public in the season three finale as as devastated (and pregnant!) Carrie (Claire Danes) watched.
The Red Wedding, Game of Thrones
Remember that time that show killed off an entire family of lead characters? The ones you thought would surely make it to the very end? Fans of the Game of Thrones book series knew this was coming, but even they got a surprise when Robb's (Richard Madden) wife Talisa (Oona Chaplin) got stabbed in the stomach at the feast (she wasn't supposed to be there!), killing both her and their unborn baby. Rob tried to avenge her, but took too many arrows to the chest, and Roose (Michael McElhatto) finished him off with a sword. Catelyn (Michelle Fairley), overcome with grief, slits Walder Frey's (David Bradley) wife's throat moments before Black Walder Frey (Tim Plester) cuts her throat. Thanks for killing everyone we love, GoT writers!
Rita Morgan, Dexter
We are still in therapy over this one, which goes down as the most horrific thing that has ever happened on a TV show, in our book. Even though Dexter (Michael C. Hall) has killed Trinity (John Lithgow), there is one last murder he had yet to discover: his wife. Dexter walks in on Rita (Julie Benz) in a bathtub full of blood and their son Harrison crying on the ground, coverd in his mother's blood. Rita's head and lifeless eyes are turned toward the baby she cannot help. The memory of that awful scene is stuck in our brains forever. And let's be real. It wasn't just the death of Rita, but the death of a show we couldn't ever feel the same about afterward. RIP, Rita Morgan and Showtime's Dexter.
Jon Snow, Game of Thrones
Noooooooo! The season five finale of the HBO hit series' delivered one of its most devastating deaths: Jon Snow (Kit Harington). Yep, they actually freakin' did it, with Jon being stabbed to death by his fellow Night's Watch brothers who didn't approve of Jon's mercy towards the Wildlings. And having young Olly, Jon's protégé, deliver the final stab? Too. Freakin'. Much.
Thankfully, our heartbreak didn't last for long, as Jon was brought back to life the next season. But, at the time, we knew nothing. So, it still hurt.
Derek Shepherd, Grey's Anatomy
When Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) discovered that her hubby hadn't made it to his last DC meeting, right after they had reconciled and he was moving back home, we couldn't have dreamed that Derek (Patrick Dempsey) would actually be dead. He had already survived death so many times that he almost seemed invincible. Then, he spent half an episode saving the lives of some car crash victims, only to be t-boned by an 18-wheeler right after he got back into his own car. He could have lived, if the ambulance hadn't taken him to some dinky hospital with incompetent doctors who didn't think he was stable enough for a brain scan. A hallucination made us think for a second that he survived, but then the truth was revealed: he was brain dead. Meredith then had to pull the plug, both on Derek and on our hearts, while "Chasing Cars" played in the background. The death may have been spoiled a couple hours before the episode aired, but it was still a total shock a serious bummer to basically the entire world. We may never get over it.
Will Gardner, The Good Wife
Talk about a death no one saw coming. The CBS hit, well into its critically acclaimed fifth season, pulled a fast one on fans, killing off the show's male lead Will Gardner, played by Golden Globe nominated fan favorite Josh Charles. The worst part? He was gunned down in court while representing one of his deranged clients (guest star, and a former favorite of ours, Hunter Parrish).
"Every moment has been a pleasure. We'll more than miss you. With all our gratitude, Michelle & Robert." The Good Wife co-creators Robert King and Michelle King tweeted at Charles after the shocker went down. All the tears...and Will and Alicia feels!