What's with killing off characters lately?

[GotNoRice]

I've noticed, just within the last week, many of the shows I watch all had main characters being killed off. I won't name which ones due to potential spoilers, but in many situations it was really random, like all of a sudden "bam" main character is dead without any real lead-up to it or anything like that.

I have to wonder, is this due to the current economic downturn? Some of these deaths seem so arbitrary I can't help wonder if some exec just came in and said "ok guys, time to cut some cast".

 

[Ptrope]

I've noticed, just within the last week, many of the shows I watch all had main characters being killed off. I won't name which ones due to potential spoilers, but in many situations it was really random, like all of a sudden "bam" main character is dead without any real lead-up to it or anything like that.

I have to wonder, is this due to the current economic downturn? Some of these deaths seem so arbitrary I can't help wonder if some exec just came in and said "ok guys, time to cut some cast".

I think I know one of the ones to which you refer, in which case the actor had chosen to leave the show in order to pursue a political career. His 'death' was certainly a shock, but it was a great episode as a result.

 

[Top41]

In the age of 24 and Lost, it seems to me that characters are killed off fairly frequently. Sometimes it's for shock value, sometimes to advance the plot. I imagine with the nets asking shows to cut their costs, we'll see some cast-related departures due to budget issues, too.

 

[auntiehill]

It's shock value, as well as a sign of bad writing. "We need something exciting. Let's kill someone off!" Of course, there are ways of doing it well and having it be relevant and advancing the plot. Of course, sometimes actors just want to leave--or are asked to leave--and the writers have to find a plausible way to get rid of them.

When cast cuts are due to the studio pinching pennies, it usually ends up hurting the show, as it's often interfering with already established plot-lines and story arcs.

 

[species5618]

I don't think any show can compete with the final season of Oz--it seemed the writers were hellbent on killing off nearly every character they could get away with killing. It really, really strained the show's credibility IMO...yes it's a prison show and lots of people are killed in prison, but they took it to new heights of ridiculousness.

 

[The Sneeze Police]

Unless the actor is leaving the show, I think it is generally a sign of lazy writing and a cheap play on emotions...it has become a crutch for modern screen writers.

 

[TGTheodore]

I think calling it "lazy writing" is a lazy comment.

And, once again, it's not the writers who decide to kill a character off.

--Ted

 

[The Sneeze Police]

Yep, I agree...it is a lazy comment, but I am not a professional writer.

In my past I have been associated with death on a daily basis, and I have not found it to be entertaining, and the last thing I wish to see on a TV show or movie is some random death of a main character for shock value. There are exceptions of this for me when the death forwards the storyline and the aftermath isn't just a token mourning scene with no further significant impact.

The first time I remember a well written death was in Little Women. Beth's life, illness and death helped her sister be a better person, a better writer.
Random deaths of main characters in shows like Trek bug the ever living daylights out of me. I watch Trek for pure entertainment and escapism. The last thing I want to see is the death of a beloved character. When I was watching nuBSG, I accepted that this was not a Trek universe and the characters in the show were on the edge of survival...some people were not going to survive the show.

I know very little about the development of screen plays, if it is not the writer's fault, then I will gladly lay my dissatisfaction at the feet of the show's creators or producers or wherever the blame belongs.