Great TV gives fans characters that they grow to be passionate about, either with love or hate. Even greater TV then knows how to rip the passion completely away from those same fans by then killing off those very same characters.

2016 was perhaps one of the bloodiest, goriest and deadliest years on TV thus far, with characters dying on almost every show (or so it seemed). While some were deaths that gave fans satisfaction, so many others were ones that fans were not happy about-and are still mourning. Here are the 7 times that fans were stunned by the path a show took:

Lexa, The 100 
 

Fans nearly revolted after Lexa's shocking, sudden and unexpected death immediately after the show's first lesbian sex scene, which involved her and Clarke. Thankfully, her character did return briefly in spirit form to help Clarke win the battle against A.L.I.E., but the loss overall is still one that is felt.

Norma Bates, Bates Motel
  

Considering that the show is a prequel to Psycho, and Norma has to be dead for things to get to that point, the way she died was still a surprise. After Norman's return from the Pineview Institute and Norma's all too short honeymoon period with Alex Romero, , Norman tried to die beside his beloved mother when he flooded the house with carbon monoxide. His plans of course don't work as intended, with Norma passing on and Norman makimg it out alive.

Ziva David, NCIS
  

It didn't even matter that the character had been off-screen for two years, because her (presumed?) death was still profound because it helped usher Tony DiNozzo off the show when he quit the team after learning he and Ziva had a daughter, Tali.

Pretty much every single death that occurred on Game of Thrones

 

Season 6 may have been the most deadly yet that the show threw at fans, and one of the most devastating since the Red Wedding took out Catelyn and Robb Stark. While some deaths were satisfying and long overdue (looking at you Ramsay Bolton and High Sparrow), others, specifically Hodor, Rickon, Margaery and the rest of the Tyrell clan, Osha and both Summer and Shaggy Dog were all devastating. Hodor's, where it was revealed his sole purpose of existing was to sacrifice himself for Bran's safety was devastating, and seeing power player Margaery taken down because of the High Sparrow's stubborn refusal to believe that Cersei could outplay him was also a cruel blow.

Poussey Washington, Orange Is The New Black
  

Losing one of the characters at Litchfield who managed to touch everyone's life was a devastating blow, but it also opened things up to something more intense, as a riot broke out, and Daya was left holding a gun.

Sgt. Abraham Ford & Glenn Rhee, The Walking Dead
  

Considering the fates their characters both suffered in the comics, in the end, Abraham and Glenn's deaths weren't all that surprising for fans who waited months to find out who's head was met with the barbed wire side of Negan's baseball bat. Still, the gruesome nature of their deaths was hard to watch, and knowing that sweet Glenn was leaving behind his sick, pregnant wife, was hard to stomach.

Wes Gibbins, How To Get Away With Murder
  

After hinting for the entire beginning of season 3 that a major character would die with constant reminders someone would be "Under the Sheet." No one ever expected it would be Wes of all people-and now that he's been revealed as the one who died, things may only get more complicated and heartbreaking for the Keating 5.

Tags: TV Character Deaths 2016