Watching a main character walk away is tough for any TV show. In the case of The Office, Michael Scott chooses love over his job, moving to Colorado to be with his fiancée, Holly Flax. The departure feels right at the time, but the comedy series never really finds its footing again after the end of Season 7. Andy Bernard tries to take Michael’s place, and he ends up losing his way and becoming the butt of all the jokes rather than the one making them. However, some shows take even bigger swings than The Office, going as far as to kill their main characters off instead of just sending them away.
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Typically, a show will wait until it’s about to call it quits to do something so drastic, such as Sons of Anarchy killing Jax Teller in its series finale. There have been times, though, when the lever gets pulled much earlier than that. Here are seven TV shows that survived the death of the main character.
7) Game of Thrones
Ned Stark is the heart of HBO’s Game of Thrones from the very first episode. In fact, the entire first season centers around his choice to head to King’s Landing to work alongside his old friend Robert Baratheon. Of course, Ned finds himself in the middle of a dark conspiracy, which backs him into a corner and ultimately puts his head on the chopping block. Despite losing its moral center, Game of Thrones continues for seven more seasons, most of which are fantastic.
6) 8 Simple Rules
Like most sitcoms, 8 Simple Rules puts its main character, Paul, in a challenging situation, asking him to look after his three kids, including a teenage daughter, while his wife is out of the house. Sadly, Paul’s actor, John Ritter, died after the first season, breaking the hearts of the crew and throwing the story off track. While 8 Simple Rules continued for a couple of more seasons, it never hit the highs of Season 1 again.
5) Two and a Half Men
Very few sitcoms have as much success as Two and a Half Men, which initially follows Charlie Harper as his brother, Alan, and his nephew, Jake, come to live with him in his bachelor pad. Issues behind the scenes forced star Charlie Sheen off the show at its peak, and his character was killed off in an accident. Ashton Kutcher came to fill Sheen’s shoes for a couple of lackluster seasons before the show went off the air.
4) Homeland
When conspiracies and political intrigue are on the table, it’s hard to keep many characters alive. Homeland bucks that trend by putting the spotlight on Damian Lewis’ Brody for three seasons until his death during a mission in Iran. However, the tragic event pushes the show to new heights as it tackles the fallout from his death and other impactful stories.
3) Charmed
Three sisters learn they’re more than just regular people in Charmed Season 1. They have a great time learning about magic and fighting dark forces initially, but all the fun comes to an end in the third season when the eldest sister, Prue, is killed. Rather than throwing in the towel, Charmed keeps the party going for five more seasons by bringing Paige into the fold.
2) Taggart
Long-running detective shows, such as Law & Order: SVU, rarely replace their main characters, as they want to avoid ruffling too many feathers. Well, the Scottish crime show Taggart didn’t have a choice when its lead actor, Mark McManus, passed away in 1994. The series continued without its star, killing him off-screen but never changing its name.
1) This Is Us
NBC’s This Is Us boasts a brilliant ensemble cast, with every character having a significant arc throughout the show’s run. It’s honestly difficult to decide who the main character is. However, if the title has to go to someone, Milo Ventimiglia’s Jack Pearson is the one who brings the entire thing together. He dies via flashback in the second season, but continues to show up when the drama series deems it necessary.
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Image courtesy of Focus Features.
