Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Tuesday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best show currently on TV?” can be found at the end of this post.)
This week’s question: What’s the most memorable death — scripted please! — you’ve seen on TV? It could be disturbing, crazy, heartbreaking, etc. Old and current shows fair game.
Tim Surette (@timsurette), TV.com
I can’t seem to scrape the death of Charlie in the Season 3 finale of “Lost” from my mind — I can remember every part of that scene so many years later. There was something about the way the scene was written and shot that was just perfect, and even though it was the perfect time to say goodbye to the character, it was still hard to let him go. Charlie died a hero, dudes. Driveshaft forever!
This week’s question: What’s the most memorable death — scripted please! — you’ve seen on TV? It could be disturbing, crazy, heartbreaking, etc. Old and current shows fair game.
Tim Surette (@timsurette), TV.com
I can’t seem to scrape the death of Charlie in the Season 3 finale of “Lost” from my mind — I can remember every part of that scene so many years later. There was something about the way the scene was written and shot that was just perfect, and even though it was the perfect time to say goodbye to the character, it was still hard to let him go. Charlie died a hero, dudes. Driveshaft forever!
- 10/31/2017
- by Hanh Nguyen
- Indiewire
Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher will be buried among many other famous stars at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles.
Reynolds’s son and Fisher’s younger brother Todd Fisher told ABC’s 20/20 that he is planning a joint service with Billie Lourd, 24, his niece and Fisher’s daughter. According to Todd, his mother and sister will be buried “among friends,” at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.
Fisher, 60, was aboard an 11-hour flight from London to Los Angeles on Friday, Dec. 23, when she went into cardiac arrest. She later died that following Tuesday in the hospital. Reynolds died a...
Reynolds’s son and Fisher’s younger brother Todd Fisher told ABC’s 20/20 that he is planning a joint service with Billie Lourd, 24, his niece and Fisher’s daughter. According to Todd, his mother and sister will be buried “among friends,” at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.
Fisher, 60, was aboard an 11-hour flight from London to Los Angeles on Friday, Dec. 23, when she went into cardiac arrest. She later died that following Tuesday in the hospital. Reynolds died a...
- 12/31/2016
- by Blake Bakkila
- PEOPLE.com
County Lines (Short Film)
Director: Henry BlakeProducer: Victoria Bavista / TwoBirds EntertainmentDates: 20th October - 23rd OctoberLocation: LondonBudget: 30k (All roles are Paid)
The Film:‘County Lines’ is a national issue involving the use of mobile phone ‘lines’ by groups to extend their drug dealing business into new locations outside of their home areas.
The writer and director Henry Blake has spent 5 years working in prisons and with young offenders and through first hand interviews he has written a harrowing, powerful and thought provoking film that will raise awareness to the public as it illustrates the exploitation of very vulnerable people.
This short film has been financed to become a feature film in 2017 and hope that the roles we cast will come onboard to the feature film the following year.
We are casting for:
Tyler - Lead role13 Years (will consider slightly older&younger)Mixed RaceLondon accent
A tough young drug dealer,...
Director: Henry BlakeProducer: Victoria Bavista / TwoBirds EntertainmentDates: 20th October - 23rd OctoberLocation: LondonBudget: 30k (All roles are Paid)
The Film:‘County Lines’ is a national issue involving the use of mobile phone ‘lines’ by groups to extend their drug dealing business into new locations outside of their home areas.
The writer and director Henry Blake has spent 5 years working in prisons and with young offenders and through first hand interviews he has written a harrowing, powerful and thought provoking film that will raise awareness to the public as it illustrates the exploitation of very vulnerable people.
This short film has been financed to become a feature film in 2017 and hope that the roles we cast will come onboard to the feature film the following year.
We are casting for:
Tyler - Lead role13 Years (will consider slightly older&younger)Mixed RaceLondon accent
A tough young drug dealer,...
- 6/21/2016
- by noreply@blogger.com (ScreenTerrier)
- ScreenTerrier
“I could say that our minds are temples to the Seven and should be kept pure, but the truth is, I don’t like the taste.”
Laws are what we make of them. In the High Sparrow’s self-deprecating explanation as to why he doesn’t drink wine is a deeper, darker truth: we obey laws for our own reasons, reasons which often don’t touch on right or wrong. ‘Sons of the Harpy’ is an episode concerned with what makes people tick, the manifold fallible motivations behind why we do what we do.
For Jaime, voyaging to Dorne with a skeptical Bronn in tow, it’s a chance at redemption and validation. Robbed of his skills as a swordsman and of the love of his sister, a woman he killed for more than once, he’s desperate to see himself as useful. When Bronn needles him, asking “Why not send forty of me,...
Laws are what we make of them. In the High Sparrow’s self-deprecating explanation as to why he doesn’t drink wine is a deeper, darker truth: we obey laws for our own reasons, reasons which often don’t touch on right or wrong. ‘Sons of the Harpy’ is an episode concerned with what makes people tick, the manifold fallible motivations behind why we do what we do.
For Jaime, voyaging to Dorne with a skeptical Bronn in tow, it’s a chance at redemption and validation. Robbed of his skills as a swordsman and of the love of his sister, a woman he killed for more than once, he’s desperate to see himself as useful. When Bronn needles him, asking “Why not send forty of me,...
- 5/6/2015
- by Gretchen Felker-Martin
- Nerdly
Some may say that television hasn’t been too good to senior citizens in terms of their stereotypical depictions. Regardless of the unflattering portrayals there had been some memorable oldsters (in this case over 60) that have given us equal shares of both laughs and cries. In “For Mature Audiences Only”, let’s take a look at some of the more mature characterizations that had an impact on our daily doses of entertainment on the glorious boob tube.
Instead of doing a typical top ten or top twenty listing let’s go in between with a top fifteen selection, shall we? The “For Mature Audiences Only” choices are not necessarily a tasting that everyone will agree on. Perhaps you have your own preferences that were omitted or something that you feel should be added? Anyway, here are the candidates in alphabetical order…
Now for our pop cultural Pepto Bismol personalities:
1.) Doc Galen Adams,...
Instead of doing a typical top ten or top twenty listing let’s go in between with a top fifteen selection, shall we? The “For Mature Audiences Only” choices are not necessarily a tasting that everyone will agree on. Perhaps you have your own preferences that were omitted or something that you feel should be added? Anyway, here are the candidates in alphabetical order…
Now for our pop cultural Pepto Bismol personalities:
1.) Doc Galen Adams,...
- 5/27/2014
- by Frank Ochieng
- SoundOnSight
Killing off a main character in a television show is a risky move: You're upending the show's world (and putting a coworker out of a job) in the hope that the shake-up will lead to something greater down the line. And guess what? Despite the ministrations of fans, who claim that they will never watch their favorite show without [insert character name here], it often works!
Below, 13 shows that did the same thing The Good Wife did Sunday night, and not only survived, but thrived.
Warning: Major spoilers for all of these shows below!
Teen Wolf
Character: Allison Argent (Crystal Reed)
Cause of death:...
Below, 13 shows that did the same thing The Good Wife did Sunday night, and not only survived, but thrived.
Warning: Major spoilers for all of these shows below!
Teen Wolf
Character: Allison Argent (Crystal Reed)
Cause of death:...
- 3/24/2014
- by Nate Jones
- People.com - TV Watch
The shocking death of a popular character is not new to television (ask anyone who remembers Lt. Col. Henry Blake’s plane going down over the Sea of Japan on the classic M*A*S*H episode), and the resulting outrage and sadness among many fans of that character is also not new. However, what is new, coming in the wake of the death of fan-favorite Allison Argent (played by Crystal Reed, pictured) in last night’s Teen Wolf, is a network creating an online memorial to that character. TeenWolfMemorial.com launched immediately following last night’s Teen Wolf, and a release says that makes MTV “the … Continue reading →
The post MTV launches memorial site for “Teen Wolf” character Allison Argent appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.
The post MTV launches memorial site for “Teen Wolf” character Allison Argent appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.
- 3/18/2014
- by Jeff Pfeiffer
- ChannelGuideMag
As far as I can tell, the first time a beloved television character was killed in a tragic way was on March 18, 1975. I still remember that awful news: "Lt. Col. Henry Blake's plane was shot down over the Sea of Japan. It spun in. There were no survivors." Radar O'Reilly delivered that message to the crowded operating room of the 4077th M*A*S*H. It was met with stunned silence. Nothing could be done. Like Hawkeye and the others, we were forced to examine Henry's life in that light. Is that really the end of his story? Since then,
read more...
read more...
- 10/10/2013
- by Glen Mazzara
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
M*A*S*H, “Pilot”
Directed by Gene Reynolds
Written by Larry Gelbart
Original air date: September 17, 1972
Any film buff knows the legacy of Robert Altman’s 1970 black comedy film Mash. First realizing that you’re laughing hysterically and then intellectualizing that the context of the humour is a “meatball surgery army base” in the middle of the Korean War says some interesting things about where we can find comedy. When Larry Gelbart went to adapt the film for television he kept that dark comedy style, mixing laughs with the daily reminder of war and tragedy and the show was successful for eleven seasons ending in 1983 with what is recognized as one of the greatest finales in the history of television. That legacy though, often overshadows the early seasons and in particular, the pilot episode. Starkly funny and all-encompassing of the elements that would make Mash a classic of comedic television,...
Directed by Gene Reynolds
Written by Larry Gelbart
Original air date: September 17, 1972
Any film buff knows the legacy of Robert Altman’s 1970 black comedy film Mash. First realizing that you’re laughing hysterically and then intellectualizing that the context of the humour is a “meatball surgery army base” in the middle of the Korean War says some interesting things about where we can find comedy. When Larry Gelbart went to adapt the film for television he kept that dark comedy style, mixing laughs with the daily reminder of war and tragedy and the show was successful for eleven seasons ending in 1983 with what is recognized as one of the greatest finales in the history of television. That legacy though, often overshadows the early seasons and in particular, the pilot episode. Starkly funny and all-encompassing of the elements that would make Mash a classic of comedic television,...
- 6/6/2013
- by Jonathan Marsellus
- SoundOnSight
ABC has officially ordered the Avengers spinoff Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for its fall schedule. The show won’t actually feature too many characters from Avengers — with one rather notable exception. As Marvel godfather Joss Whedon announced many months ago, the show will feature the return of Clark Gregg’s Agent Phil Coulson. Of course, as we all know, Coulson appeared to die in The Avengers. And by “appeared to die” I mean “Yes, of course, they could have faked his death, but we saw blood running out of his mouth, and his death formed the emotional core of the film’s third act.
- 5/14/2013
- by Darren Franich
- EW.com - PopWatch
This is something you may not have thought of before. In fact, this stunning realization only came to me last night. But it’s true. The soon-to-end NBC series The Office is in fact the same show as the classic CBS series M*A*S*H. Despite the fact they both are adapted from other sources (The Office being based off the BBC2 show of the same name, M*A*S*H being based off the film and book of the same name), we’ll focus on the American television versions. And to begin, we’ll focus on the more obvious comparisons.
The Office… is a long-running sitcom focusing on a group of wildly different characters, set in the workplace they all share – Dunder Mifflin Paper Company in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
M*A*S*H… was a long-running sitcom focusing on a group of wildly different characters, set in the workplace...
The Office… is a long-running sitcom focusing on a group of wildly different characters, set in the workplace they all share – Dunder Mifflin Paper Company in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
M*A*S*H… was a long-running sitcom focusing on a group of wildly different characters, set in the workplace...
- 5/7/2013
- by J.D. Westfall
- Obsessed with Film
Seitz Asks: What’s your favorite character death scene?Seitz Answers: Every one in the final minutes of Six Feet Under. A TV character’s death is so inherently powerful that it’s tough for a show to totally screw it up. We’ve lived with these people for years and gotten to feel as though we know them, so of course their passing will affect us, whether the event is tastefully underplayed (M*A*S*H's Colonel Henry Blake dying in an offscreen plane crash) or milked for shock value (Amanda Rosalind plunging into an elevator shaft on L.A. Law, for instance, or a certain Downton Abbey character dying violently this past Sunday).That said, Six Feet Under’s last seven minutes will always top my list of great TV death scenes. Granted, the HBO drama had a tear-generating advantage because it was built around death and fear of same,...
- 2/20/2013
- by Matt Zoller Seitz
- Vulture
By Rachel Bennett
Television Editor & Columnist
***
After almost a year, HBO’s Boardwalk Empire returns tonight, and viewers will finally learn the aftermath of season’s two cliffhanger.
[If you haven't caught up on last season, be warned: spoilers ahead.]
In the finale, Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi) shot and killed Jimmy Darmondy (Michael Pitt) in retaliation of the latter’s betrayal. Jimmy was one of the main characters of the series and a favorite of many viewers, who were not thrilled about the twist.
“If you take things to their logical extreme with the situation we created, Jimmy has betrayed Nucky, he tried to have him killed. You want to be honest about the storytelling,” says Boardwalk Empire showrunner Terence Winter about the murder.
He adds, “In the pilot, Jimmy told Nucky: ‘You can’t be half a gangster anymore.’ We wanted with the first two seasons to follow that trajectory, where he goes full season from being the guy who doesn...
Television Editor & Columnist
***
After almost a year, HBO’s Boardwalk Empire returns tonight, and viewers will finally learn the aftermath of season’s two cliffhanger.
[If you haven't caught up on last season, be warned: spoilers ahead.]
In the finale, Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi) shot and killed Jimmy Darmondy (Michael Pitt) in retaliation of the latter’s betrayal. Jimmy was one of the main characters of the series and a favorite of many viewers, who were not thrilled about the twist.
“If you take things to their logical extreme with the situation we created, Jimmy has betrayed Nucky, he tried to have him killed. You want to be honest about the storytelling,” says Boardwalk Empire showrunner Terence Winter about the murder.
He adds, “In the pilot, Jimmy told Nucky: ‘You can’t be half a gangster anymore.’ We wanted with the first two seasons to follow that trajectory, where he goes full season from being the guy who doesn...
- 9/16/2012
- by Rachel Bennett
- Scott Feinberg
Last week’s True Blood served up a host of shocking moments, including a cop shooting his friend and lady-love in the head, a gruesome beheading, and a very pregnant woman violently stabbing the father of her child to death in a demonic ritual. But the episode’s climactic scene – where a band of drugged-up vampires crashed a Bourbon Street karaoke bar and devoured the wedding party enjoying a round of “You Light Up My Life” inside – is the scene that has many viewers talking. And some of those viewers are talking about calling it quits on the series.
Throughout television history, many shows have lived and died based on their ability to balance shock with reassurance: play it too safe, and the show is dull and lifeless; push too far into squirm-inducing territory, and you risk alienating your audience. It's a tightrope walk that has claimed its fair share...
Throughout television history, many shows have lived and died based on their ability to balance shock with reassurance: play it too safe, and the show is dull and lifeless; push too far into squirm-inducing territory, and you risk alienating your audience. It's a tightrope walk that has claimed its fair share...
- 7/27/2012
- by brian
- The Backlot
"Harry Morgan, the prolific character actor best known for playing the acerbic but kindly Colonel Potter in the long-running television series M*A*S*H, died on Wednesday morning at his home in Los Angeles," reports Michael Pollak in the New York Times. "In more than 100 movies, Mr Morgan played Western bad guys, characters with names like Rocky and Shorty, loyal sidekicks, judges, sheriffs, soldiers, thugs and police chiefs…. In The Ox-Bow Incident (1943), which starred Henry Fonda, he was praised for his portrayal of a drifter caught up in a lynching in a Western town…. He went on to appear in All My Sons (1948), based on the Arthur Miller play, with Edward G Robinson and Burt Lancaster; The Big Clock (1948), in which he played a silent, menacing bodyguard to Charles Laughton; Yellow Sky (1949), with Gregory Peck and Anne Baxter; and the critically praised western High Noon (1952), with Gary Cooper. Among...
- 12/8/2011
- MUBI
In honor of "M*A*S*H" star Harry Morgan, who died Wednesday, "Extra" collected 10 of the best quotes from the long-running hit CBS show.
10 Great 'M*A*S*H' QuotesCol. Sherman T. Potter (Harry Morgan)
Col. Potter: [about Hawkeye and Bj] "Please excuse these two, they're themselves today."
Col. Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson)
Henry Blake: "Do we have enough sherry and ginger-ale for the General?" Radar: "Oh, nobody does, sir." Henry Blake: "Oh, fine then, if...
10 Great 'M*A*S*H' QuotesCol. Sherman T. Potter (Harry Morgan)
Col. Potter: [about Hawkeye and Bj] "Please excuse these two, they're themselves today."
Col. Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson)
Henry Blake: "Do we have enough sherry and ginger-ale for the General?" Radar: "Oh, nobody does, sir." Henry Blake: "Oh, fine then, if...
- 12/8/2011
- Extra
Colonel Potter, we salute you. Harry Morgan, the Emmy-winning actor best known for playing the caustic but beloved commander who oversaw those lovable goofball doctors on CBS's M*A*S*H, died Wednesday. He was 96. Morgan's son, Charles, confirmed his death to the New York Times, saying the actor had been battling pneumonia. Related: Willy Wonka Star Leonard Stone Dies With his cutting wit and deadpan quips, Morgan was an instant hit as Col. Sherman T. Potter, a career soldier who assumed command of the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital unit in Korea at the start of the seminal series' fourth season after McLean Stevenson's character, Henry Blake, was killed off. Potter quickly...
- 12/7/2011
- E! Online
Fly your flag at half mast: M*A*S*H’s Col. Sherman T. Potter, Harry Morgan, died on Wednesday morning.
The actor, who was 96, appeared in more than 100 movies, among them High Noon, Inherit the Wind and How the West Was Won (as Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, no less). He also appeared frequently on television, popping up on everything from Gunsmoke to The Simpsons, and playing Officer Bill Gannon in the late-’60s Dragnet update.
But it is M*A*S*H for which he is sure to be most widely — and fondly — remembered. After a showy guest performance on the series,...
The actor, who was 96, appeared in more than 100 movies, among them High Noon, Inherit the Wind and How the West Was Won (as Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, no less). He also appeared frequently on television, popping up on everything from Gunsmoke to The Simpsons, and playing Officer Bill Gannon in the late-’60s Dragnet update.
But it is M*A*S*H for which he is sure to be most widely — and fondly — remembered. After a showy guest performance on the series,...
- 12/7/2011
- by Andy Patrick
- TVLine.com
Tashie Jackson is the first person to be evicted from 'Big Brother'. The 21-year-old beauty - known for her love of quotes, including "A leopard never changes his stripes" - received the least public votes, with Henry Blake and Aaron Allard-Morgan surviving the first round the show, in its first year on Channel 5. The singer-and-actress was seemingly shocked by the public's reaction to her, asking: "Why are they booing me?" upon hearing the crowd. She then asked if the result was a "joke" and admitted she was in "total shock", while her housemates told her to not cry. Tasha...
- 9/16/2011
- Virgin Media - TV
Tashie Jackson is the first person to be evicted from 'Big Brother'. The 21-year-old beauty - known for her love of quotes, including "A leopard never changes his stripes" - received the least public votes, with Henry Blake and Aaron Allard-Morgan surviving the first round the show, in its first year on Channel 5. The singer-and-actress was seemingly shocked by the public's reaction to her, asking: "Why are they booing me?" upon hearing the crowd. She then asked if the result was a "joke" and admitted she was in "total shock", while her housemates told her to not cry. Tasha...
- 9/14/2011
- Virgin Media - TV
In [insert location], [insert level] football is a way of life. Here at The Film Stage, it’s no different. So in honor of the start of football season (finally!), we have compiled the strongest, most complete team we could put on the silver-screen gridiron. That’s right: The All-Hollywood Football Team. From memorable characters to outstanding talent, the players on our team are the best in the game, and while they may not be able to win a game (we’re looking at you Texas State Armadillos), they’ll be sure to leave you laughing or crying. Take a look at the starting line-up:
Coach- Lt. Colonel Henry Blake (Mash)
What Blake lacked in football prowess, he made up for in cunning gambling strategy. Trying to scrape together a winning team out of a unit full of out-of-shape drunkards, Blake captained a side-splitting bag of tricks, making the football scene from Mash one...
Coach- Lt. Colonel Henry Blake (Mash)
What Blake lacked in football prowess, he made up for in cunning gambling strategy. Trying to scrape together a winning team out of a unit full of out-of-shape drunkards, Blake captained a side-splitting bag of tricks, making the football scene from Mash one...
- 9/10/2010
- by Eric Seemiller
- The Film Stage
There was a time when you just didn't kill a regular cast member on a television series. Major TV deaths were so few and far between that the ones that did exist - Henry Blake's plane being shot down over the Sea of Japan or Rosalind plunging down the elevator shaft - became weirdly legendary. Then, about ten years ago or so (I'd place it to roughly the death of Big Pussy on "The Sopranos"), killing off characters because just a Thing You Did if you wanted to be taken seriously as an Important Drama Series. [Full recap of Sunday's (May...
- 5/3/2010
- by Todd VanDerWerff
- Hitfix
Lester Cohen/WireImage
When Viggo Mortensen was approached to star in The Road, based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy, his initial interest in the role seemed less than promising. However, despite his desperate need for a vacation, the actor accepted as not only could Viggo relate to his character’s extreme exhaustion, but the two were also linked by the bond of fatherhood.
“He’s dying of tiredness. All that keeps him going is trying to keep himself and his son alive,” he tells Parade of his character, who, along with his son, is on a quest to survive in a post-apocalyptic setting.
When Viggo Mortensen was approached to star in The Road, based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy, his initial interest in the role seemed less than promising. However, despite his desperate need for a vacation, the actor accepted as not only could Viggo relate to his character’s extreme exhaustion, but the two were also linked by the bond of fatherhood.
“He’s dying of tiredness. All that keeps him going is trying to keep himself and his son alive,” he tells Parade of his character, who, along with his son, is on a quest to survive in a post-apocalyptic setting.
- 12/1/2009
- by Anya
- People - CelebrityBabies
I can’t believe they killed Julie Benz!!! I can’t believe they knocked off the former Angel actress, who plays Rita Bennett, in “Living the Dream,” the fourth-season premiere of the hit Showtime series Dexter. Talk about jolting your viewers! This ranks right up there in TV shockers with J.R. being shot, Henry Blake dying on M*A*S*H and David Faustino exiting the cast of Married…With Children. Wait…sorry. That last one isn’t true. And neither is the first one.
Rita is alive and well and still married to Dexter (Michael C. Hall) at the end of “Living the Dream” (which debuts this Sunday at 9 p.m.). But I fibbed for a reason—actually two, and one of them isn’t ’cause I wanted to be a misleading jackass. First and foremost, I wanted an opening line that grabbed people’s attention. And secondly,...
Rita is alive and well and still married to Dexter (Michael C. Hall) at the end of “Living the Dream” (which debuts this Sunday at 9 p.m.). But I fibbed for a reason—actually two, and one of them isn’t ’cause I wanted to be a misleading jackass. First and foremost, I wanted an opening line that grabbed people’s attention. And secondly,...
- 9/25/2009
- by no-reply@fangoria.com (Allan Dart)
- Fangoria
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