Sitcoms often bring laughter and lightheartedness, but when a beloved character has a disappointing or tragic farewell, it can leave a lasting impact on viewers. Here are 12 sitcom characters who had particularly memorable yet somber send-offs:
Seymour from “Futurama”
In the episode “Jurastic Bark,” Fry discovers his fossilized dog Seymour and wants to clone him. However, Fry changes his mind not to do it and assumes that Seymour must have gotten over him when Fry was frozen for 1000 years. However, the episode shows that Seymour was sitting outside the pizza place daily and dying with the hope of seeing Fry again.
Ben from “Scrubs”
Ben Sullivan, is a close friend of Dr. Cox and is played by Brendan Fraser. In the episode “My Screw Up,” Ben is shown and portrayed as being alive and in good health after battling leukemia but the truth is that he actually died. Dr. Cox has been imagining him throughout the episode and the last nail is driven in when it is revealed that the meeting he is attending is a funeral for Ben.
Henry Blake from “M*A*S*H”
In the episode, McLean Stevenson’s character, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake, gets an order from headquarters to be sent home and the camp rejoices in his transfer. However, happiness is cut short and turns to sorrow when the man is shown to have died in a plane that was shot down and there was nobody who survived. This dramatic and sensitive scene was rather radical for television during that period.
Marvin Eriksen Sr. from “How I Met Your Mother”
In Season 6, Marshall loses his father, Marvin due to a heart attack. The show’s ability to express Marshall’s raw grief listening to his father’s last words in the form of a but dial in the episode “Last Words” is rather impressive. However, amid the conversation, Marvin utters the words “I love you” to Marshall; it is a simple statement but one that is very meaningful.
Mrs. Wolowitz from “The Big Bang Theory”
Even though the viewers never actually saw her, Mrs. Wolowitz was one of the show’s favorites. The death of the actress Carol Ann Susi was incorporated into the show after she had died and they had killed her character. Howard receives the news of his mother’s death in a rather indirect manner, and the viewers see how much she is valued by the man.
Coach from “Cheers”
The actor who played one of the main characters, Nick Colasanto, who portrayed Coach, died during the shooting of the show. His character was ‘fired’, although Sam later talks about Coach and says that he is dead. In this show, Woody Boyd was added to the team, and even though there were no dramatic scenes about Coach’s death, his spirit was mentioned in the series up until the end.
James Evans Sr. from “Good Times”
In one episode from the 1970s sitcom, the family receives a devastating blow; James, the father and the rock of the Evans family, has been killed in a car accident. The dramatic and naturalistic performances of the characters, especially the mother, Florida, were one of the most memorable moments in television history.
Nana Mary from “Roseanne”
The show had a sad tone when Roseanne’s grandmother, Nana Mary, passed on, though the show was still funny at some points. Even though she was a popular character who appeared more than once, her departure symbolized the end of a stage in the Conner family’s life, who always turned to her for advice and laughter.
Susan Ross from “Seinfeld”
Appropriately in a black comedy style, Susan, who is George Costanza’s fiancée, dies after licking poison envelopes for the wedding invitations. Although the scene is comedic, the abruptness of her death was memorable to the audience.
Maude Flanders from “The Simpsons”
Maude Flanders, the wife of Ned Flanders, is killed in a t-shirt gun accident during a sporting event. Her death greatly affected Ned and the rest of the inhabitants of the town of Springfield, as the series is mostly filled with comedy, here is a brief representation of loss.
Gary Shepherd from “thirtysomething”
Gary dies in a car accident and this was shocking to the viewers, mainly because his death was sudden. His death left his friends and family to continue suffering from the loss and the emptiness left by his death.
Charlie Harper from “Two and a Half Men”
Even though the show had off-screen problems with Charlie Sheen, his real-life firing was also a significant event in the series, as was the actual on-screen death of his character. The show decided to cut off the character, signifying the end of one chapter and the start of a new chapter in the series.
