TV Characters Who Had Disappointing Endings

Few things sting more than when a beloved TV character doesn’t get the proper send-off they deserve.

Audiences invest years of their lives into their favorite television characters’ stories, often embarking on emotional journeys alongside their fictional faves—and nothing is more disappointing than when those beloved characters are given lackluster or even downright tragic swan songs.

Alas, this is exactly what happened to characters from so many TV shows.

READ MORE: This Might Be One of the Most Disappointing TV Shows Ever

Warning: Spoilers below!

There’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina‘s titular teen witch, for example, who literally dies and descends to Hell in her final season.

Then there’s Carl Grimes from The Walking Dead, who was suddenly killed just as he began to embrace his growth into manhood.

Below, check out these TV characters and more who deserved way better and happier endings than they got on screen.

Sabrina Spellman, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina 

Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina ran two seasons from 2018 to 2020 and wrapped in a way that left many fans feeling uneasy: The titular and main character literally dies at the end of the show.

From the beginning of the series, teen witch Sabrina Spellman, the unwitting daughter of Lucifer, wanted to find a way that would make it possible to live in both the mortal and immortal world.

So, when Sabrina sacrifices herself to save her loved ones (and the world), she becomes the Queen of Hell, but is also robbed of her autonomy.

Even sadder, she was reportedly meant to be resurrected in a third season, but the show was prematurely canceled.

Daenerys Targaryen, Game of Thrones

Daenerys “Dany” Targaryen was one of the most compelling and beloved characters on Game of Thrones during its eight-season run from 2011 to 2019.

While the strong-willed, largely just and kind character seemed poised to make the transition from scrappy hero to rightful queen of Westeros, she suddenly finds herself as the villain of her own story, and is brutally murdered by her lover, Jon Snow, after finally ascending to the throne.

Rather than completing a satisfying and autonomous character arc in line with her characterization and growth, Daenerys unravels in just a few final episodes, becoming victim to the supposed “madness” inherent in her lineage.

To this day many fans believe Dany’s final scenes and actions as the “Mad Queen” undid all of her progress, leading to a tragic and frustrating ending that even the actress who played her has expressed distaste over.

Raj Koothrappali, Big Bang Theory 

The Big Bang Theory is often regarded as one of the biggest sitcoms of the last 20 years and during its run of 12 seasons from 2007 to 2019, many of the show’s characters were given significant happy endings… except for one, according to fans.

A true romantic, Raj Koothrappali was left single at the end of the series.

To make matters worse, he almost had a happy ending when he was going to move to London to be with his girlfriend Anu, but his friend stopped him, ending his chances of a romantic ending.

But this isn’t the only time the treatment of Raj’s character was the subject of criticism from fans.

Some viewers believed his character was not as developed as the rest of the main cast, so the lack of a satisfactory romance was the final nail in the coffin for some fans, while others argued that him ending up single highlighted his journey of self-love.

Dani Clayton, Haunting of Bly Manor 

The second entry in Netflix’s The Haunting anthology series, The Haunting of Bly Manor aired for one season in 2019 and centered around Dani Clayton, a woman hired as an au pair for the Wingrave family.

A bleak series from the get-go, many of the characters suffered unfair deaths or the loss of loved ones.

Tragically, once escaping the manor, Dani attempts to make a life far from the house only to end up dead from suicide so the vengeful spirit of Bly Manor can finally rest and so she can protect her loved ones.

Making her story even sadder, Dani leaves behind the love of her life, Jamie.

Betty Draper, Mad Men 

Betty Draper was Don Draper’s wife in the show Mad Men, which ran for seven seasons from 2007 to 2015.

During the course of her time on screen, Betty had to face several challenges including her husband’s affairs, having a lack of purpose and her resentment toward being a mother.

While her life was full of suburban discontent, her death marked the pinnacle of a tragic life.

Betty was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, which resulted in her death, capping off a seemingly unfulfilled arc.

Eddie Munson, Stranger Things 

Fans of Stranger Things, which premiered in 2016 and finally wraps in 2025 after five seasons, have hardly forgotten how dirty the show did poor Eddie Munson.

Introduced during the show’s fourth season, the lovable metalhead swiftly became a fan-favorite due to his sweet nature hidden under a tough guy persona, which set the stage for a complex character in a show already full of compelling personalities.

However, Munson was tragically killed off at the end of the season when he sacrificed himself to save the other kids, wasting the potential for a truly fulfilling character arc or justice for the unfairly treated high schooler.

Fiona Gallagher, Shameless 

Fiona Gallagher was the Gallagher family’s sturdy rock during the course of Shameless‘ 11-season run from 2011 to 2021.

However, her departure from the show came as a rather divisive send-off for many viewers.

During Season 9, Fiona suffered from alcoholism while discovering her boyfriend had a secret family.

Though she was able to turn her life around, even earning a life-changing $100,000 after being bought out of a failed investment, her series’ run ends with her parting ways with her seemingly ungrateful siblings, who blame her for her struggles with alcohol even as she leaves them with a generous $50,000.

Many fans believed she deserved more for her swan song.

Taystee Jefferson, Orange Is the New Black  

Netflix’s hit Orange Is the New Black ran for seven seasons from 2013 to 2019.

While the show received heaps of critical acclaim over the course of its run, many fans were devastated by the ending received by inmate Tasha Jefferson, a.k.a. Taystee.

During the show’s final season, Taystee, one of the series’ kindest and smartest, most hard-working characters, unjustly receives a life sentence for a crime she didn’t commit.

It’s a tragic end that left a bad taste in many viewers’ mouths, made only slightly bittersweet by Taystee finding some purpose in teaching financial literacy to other inmates.

Carl Grimes, The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead was a massive phenomenon for many of its 11 seasons from 2010 to 2022.

Unfortunately, it also featured many tragic character endings, including the send-off of Rick and Lori’s teenage son Carl Grimes, who suddenly dies just after finally coming to terms with the violent world around him and learning how to navigate it.

His character development and progress unravels with one swift, unexpected zombie bite, marking one of the more depressing deaths on the show.

Rory Gilmore, Gilmore Girls  

Airing between 2000 and 2007, Gilmore Girls was one of the most pivotal and popular shows of the aughties.

One of its titular girls, however, Rory, has become retroactively disliked in recent years. Still, that doesn’t excuse the somewhat disappointing ending her character receives at the end of Netflix’s 2016 revival, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.

The four-part revival neglected Rory’s previous character development and growth, leaving the former bright bookworm pregnant with no stable career and an affair with her not-so-single ex-boyfriend, undoing much of her mom Lorelai’s sacrifices and hard work to give her a better life with more choices.