
HBO
When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. And you definitely die less often if you are playing in a shady way.
A new study published in the journal Injury Epidemiology on Monday concluded that the survival rates of “important” characters on “Game of Thrones” decreased if they “were male or lowborn,” “had not switched allegiance during the show,” and were “featured more prominently.”
So being a highborn, female backstabber has its perks, right? Yeah, we’re looking at you, Cersei Lannister, the current occupant of the Iron Throne.
Also Read: Richard Madden Didn't Make It to the 'Game of Thrones' Reunion Special
While Daenerys Targaryen’s consistent loyalty may be her undoing before the end of the series, Sansa and Arya Stark’s fates are a bit more secure than that of the Mother of Dragons, according to researchers.
The survival of the men is more up in the air, as Jon Snow switched his allegiance to Daenerys in season seven, making him less of a target (he has already died once). Then we have the Lannister men, who have been notorious turncoats, and Bran Stark who possibly switched loyalties when he became the Three-Eyed Raven.
Another fun fact: “the probability of dying within the first hour after first appearing on screen was about 14 percent. The vast majority of these deaths were due to injury, burns, or poisoning at the hands of other characters.”
Also Read: 'Game of Thrones' Season 8 Teaser: Fire Meets Ice on the Map of Westeros (Video)
Read more from the study here.
“Game of Thrones” eighth and final season premieres in April 2019 on HBO.
22 Most Shocking TV Character Deaths of 2018, From 'The Affair' to 'Westworld' (Photos)
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TheWrap
If there was one thing 2018 taught us, it's that "shocking" is a truly relative term -- and we're not even talking about real-life instances here. Yes, it's pretty hard to blow anyone's mind these days, including that of TV viewers, making truly gasp-worthy small-screen character deaths few and far between. But that didn't stop several showrunners from doing their worst -- er, best, to totally kill you with these on-screen passings. Obviously, spoilers ahead.
Also Read: 18 Most-Watched TV Specials of 2018: Oscars, Emmys and Everyone Loves a Parade (Photos)
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NBC
Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia) -- "This Is Us": We've known the Pearson family patriarch was going out long before the second season got around to showing how he died. The wham episode (which aired after the Super Bowl) packed a punch because of the twist that sees Jack of cardiac arrest due to smoke inhalation after a house fire the entire family manages to make it out of alive.
Also Read: ‘This Is Us’ Finally Identifies Future Tess and Randall’s ‘Her’ on Fall Finale
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Starz
Kanan (50 Cent) -- "Power"
RIP Fitty.
Also Read: ‘Power’ Crew Member Killed in On-Set Accident, Starz Series Shuts Down Production
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AMC
Madison Clark (Kim Dickens) -- "Fear the Walking Dead": Madison's death was one of several bombs the "Walking Dead" franchise dropped on fans this year. Dickens' exit left fans in a zombie-like haze they had barely recovered from by the time Andrew Lincoln's Rick Grimes said farewell to the main series.
Also Read: ‘Fear the Walking Dead’ Showrunners Break Down the Season 4 Finale
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CBS
Agent Reeves (Duane Henry) -- "NCIS": Pauley Perrette's planned exit was far less dramatic than Henry's surprise goodbye in the same episode.
Also Read: ‘NCIS’ Alum Pauley Perrette Shares Her ‘Lovely’ George HW Bush Dream After His Death
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HBO
Many, many residents of Westworld -- "Westworld": Several characters on Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy's HBO sci-fi series died on the Season 2 finale, including Bernard, Charlotte Hale, Elsie, Robert Ford, Dolores and Maeve -- to name of a few of the many. The shocker here is the group is divided into those who stayed dead, didn't stay dead, and may or may not still be dead.
Also Read: Reddit’s Most Popular TV Shows in 2018 (With No New ‘Game of Thrones’)
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CBS All Access
Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) -- "Star Trek: Discovery": Dr. Culber's death marked the passing of another small-screen LGBT characters death, made even more frustrating because the beloved doc was one half of "Star Trek's" first gay couple on TV.
Also Read: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Finds Its Spock
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Fox
Jerome (Cameron Monaghan) -- "Gotham": Goodbye, Jerome. Hello, The Joker.
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Showtime
Alison (Ruth Wilson) -- "The Affair": Allison's death at the end of Season 4 was a shock, but not as much of a shock as the behind-the-scenes story of Wilson's exit. Read about that here.
Also Read: ‘The Affair': Joshua Jackson Will Not Return as Series Regular for Final Season
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Fox
Anika (Grace Byers) -- "Empire": The death of "Kitty Boo Boo" was clearly a long-time coming, as "Empire" co-creator Danny Strong told TheWrap, but knowing Anika had it coming didn't help us contain our gasps during her Andre-assisted suicide.
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ABC
David Rosen (Josh Malina) -- "Scandal": Truly the only real White Hat on the Shonda Rhimes political drama, David Rosen was never going to make it to the end of the series finale.
Also Read: ‘Scandal’ Star Tony Goldwyn Cast in Netflix’s ‘Chambers’
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FX
(Almost) everyone on Earth -- "American Horror Story: Apocalypse": This season was literally named after the end of the world, so it really would have been more shocking if no one died. Yes, pretty much everyone kicking the bucket (at one point or another) by the end of "AHS" Season 8 was expected. But the real "OMG!" for Ryan Murphy fans came when the clock was turned back and (mostly) everyone on the good side of the end-of-days battle was revived, thanks to Mallory (Billie Lourd).
Also Read: ‘American Horror Story’ Crossovers Continue? Ryan Murphy Says ‘Witches Will Be Back’
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Netflix
So many Crains -- "Haunting of Hill House": Netflix's TV adaptation of the horror novel of the same name is packed with tragic moment upon tragic moment for the Crain family, but the deaths of Nellie and Olivia cut deeper than anything else the show throws at you. Oh, and if you didn't cry over Hugh's sacrifice in the finale, then you are truly dead inside.
Also Read: ‘Haunting of Hill House’ Creator Shuts Down Red Room Theories: Fans Can Take Ending at ‘Face Value’
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BBC America
Bill (David Haig) -- "Killing Eve": It's hard to say there's anything about the Sandra Oh-led BBC America spy thriller's first season that isn't shocking. But Bill going out was, uh, definitely up there.
Also Read: Why AMC Networks Chose Sarah Barnett to Be Entertainment President: ‘Killing Eve’ Didn’t Hurt
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Amazon
June (Maya Rudolph) and Oscar (Fred Armisen) -- "Forever": Basically the premise of the whole show is that they're dead, but it was a secret. Surprise!
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Fox
Martin Riggs (Clayne Crawford) -- "Lethal Weapon": Riggs' death was definitely a kick in the head -- in-universe, that is. Roger Murtaugh losing his partner suddenly would have hit fans harder if it wasn't already very clear Fox was killing off Riggs before the Season 3 premiere even aired, due to on-set spats between Damon Wayans and Clayne Crawford. Now that behind-the-scenes drama? Yeah, that was shocking.
Also Read: Ratings: With No Midterm Election Coverage, Fox Finishes Last Among Big 4 Broadcast Nets
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ABC
Dede (Shelley Long) -- "Modern Family": The ABC sitcom teased a major character death leading up to its annual Halloween episode, and fulfilled that grim promise with the sudden passing of Mitch and Claire's mother.
Also Read: ‘Modern Family’ Creator Explains Why They Killed Off THAT Character on Halloween
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Netflix
Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly) -- "House of Cards": Doug outlived his idol, Frank Underwood, making it all the way to the end of the series before being taken out by Claire herself.
Also Read: ‘House of Cards': Robin Wright-Led Final Season Draws Fewer Viewers, But Skews More Female
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AMC
Jesus (Tom Payne) -- "The Walking Dead": Hardly the first death for the long-running AMC series, but definitely one of the hardest to hit fans so far.
Also Read: From ‘The Walking Dead’ to ‘House of Cards': 8 TV Shows That Went on After Star Exit
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AMC
Nick (Frank Dillane) -- "Fear the Walking Dead": Before Kim Dickens' exit, Dillane was killed off the series and we thought we'd never recovery. Nick, one of the few remaining original characters, was shot in the chest by Charlie, sending us into tears for days. The death was made even more shocking by the fact that Dillane asked to be written off.
Also Read: ‘Fear the Walking Dead’ Alum Kim Dickens to Star in Showtime Pilot ‘Queen Fur’
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Hulu
Eden (Sydney Sweeney) -- "The Handmaid's Tale": Young, sweet Eden's execution marks a turning point in Season 2 of the Hulu adaptation. The moment horrifies Serena Joy and makes her question her beliefs about Gilead's dystopian society.
Also Read: Golden Globes Snubs and Surprises, From ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ to Sacha Baron Cohen
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AMC
Werner Ziegler (Rainer Bock) -- "Better Call Saul": Werner's death proves that Mike Ehrmantraut is becoming the man you always knew he would be before "Breaking Bad."
Also Read: AMC Opens Writers’ Rooms for Rashida Jones Comedy, Drama From ‘Better Call Saul’ EPs
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Hulu
Alan Pangborn (Scott Glenn) -- "Castle Rock": Pangborn is accidentally offed by his lover Ruth Deaver (Sissy Spacek) just over halfway through the first season of Hulu's Stephen King-universe series.
Also Read: ‘Castle Rock’ Finale Teases the Truth About Ruth Deaver’s Condition
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ABC/Netflix
Honorable mentions for least shocking deaths go to Roseanne Conner (Roseanne Barr) and Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) -- for obvious reasons.
Also Read: Here’s How ‘House of Cards’ Wrote Out Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood
Here are all the small-screen demises that packed a big punch this year
If there was one thing 2018 taught us, it's that "shocking" is a truly relative term -- and we're not even talking about real-life instances here. Yes, it's pretty hard to blow anyone's mind these days, including that of TV viewers, making truly gasp-worthy small-screen character deaths few and far between. But that didn't stop several showrunners from doing their worst -- er, best, to totally kill you with these on-screen passings. Obviously, spoilers ahead.
Also Read: 18 Most-Watched TV Specials of 2018: Oscars, Emmys and Everyone Loves a Parade (Photos)
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