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It's never easy for fans to watch their favorite characters get written off a TV show, especially when their exit feels abrupt or just plain unnecessary. But it's not just audiences who struggle with these departures.
Sometimes, the actors themselves even push back when they find out their characters are slated for an early demise. And while some have been able to sway writers and buy more time on screen, others haven't been as lucky.
Ahead, we're dishing on five stars who fought to keep their characters alive (and revealing whether their efforts paid off in the end).
Scroll to see which actors didn't want their TV characters to be killed off...
Showtime
1. Ella Purnell: Jackie Taylor in Yellowjackets
From the start, Jackie Taylor's fate in Yellowjackets seemed inevitable since her tragic death was supposed to mark a turning point in the series. Even so, Ella wasn't ready to say goodbye that soon.
She originally signed on for just one season and was happy about her limited contract since it gave her the opportunity to take on other roles. But then, once filming began, Ella found herself more emotionally connected to her character and had a change of heart. That's what led her to speak to the series' writers.
"I tried to convince the writers to keep me on the show a bit longer. So they thought about it, and then they called me and were like, 'She's got to go. We tried. We did our best,'" Ella detailed.
AMC
2. Melissa McBride: Carol Peletier in The Walking Dead
Unlike other actors on this list, Melissa McBridge actually succeeded in keeping her character alive in this iconic post-apocalyptic show. Early on in The Walking Dead, the producers considered killing Carol off, but Melissa wasn't ready to leave without a fight.
She requested a meeting to share her vision for the character, recalling, "I'm like, 'Here's who she is to me, just at least let me tell you that much and if you still want to kill her, fine,' but it was important for me to speak for her."
Whatever Melissa said must have struck a chord, because not only did Carol survive, but she also grew into one of the show's most iconic characters. Still, Melissa has no idea who exactly decided to keep Carol in The Walking Dead universe.
"I still, to this day, don't know what saved her. I've heard different stories, but I don't know. I'm grateful, for whatever reason," she admitted.
HBO
3. Ian McElhinney: Ser Barristan Selmy in Game of Thrones
Ser Barristan Selmy's death in Season 5 of Game of Thrones came as a shock to numerous fans, particularly because the character was still alive in the Song of Ice and Fire books at that point.
Ian McElhinney wasn't thrilled about the decision, either, and tried to convince the showrunners not to kill Ser Barristan Selmy off. Sadly, his efforts didn't work out.
"I did talk to them about it. I gave some arguments of my own why I thought Barristan was kind of important in Daenerys' story, important enough that he should stay in Daenerys' story, and he didn't," Ian remembered.
"It's their call at the end of the day, so you kind of have to accept whatever the decision is, but I did certainly sort of ask them further about it."
ABC
4. Jeffrey Dean Morgan: Denny Duquette in Grey's Anatomy
Before he became known for his performance in The Walking Dead, Jeffrey Dean Morgan stole hearts as Denny Duquette, Izzie Stevens' patient and eventual love interest, in Grey's Anatomy.
His charming character and romantic tension with Izzie made him a fan favorite, which is why his death in Season 2 was all the more heartbreaking. Once Jeffrey found out Denny was being killed off, he apparently did everything he could to change creator Shonda Rhimes' mind.
"That character Denny and that love story with Izzie kind of took the world by storm. I knew how [freaking] lucky I was to be there, and I was like, 'Please don't kill me! I will do anything!' And I did, I begged her," Jeffrey revealed.
Despite his pleas, Denny still died. However, thanks to dream sequences and hallucinations later in the series, Jeffrey got to return to Grey's Anatomy for many more post-death Denny appearances.
PBS
5. Sean Bean: Douglas Bennett in World on Fire
By the time World on Fire came around, actor Sean Bean had become known for portraying characters who meet tragic ends. That's why, when he was offered the role of Douglas Bennett in the World War II drama, Sean needed to get one thing clear before signing on: he didn't want to die.
During a phone call, he actually asked, "I don't die in this one, do I?" To Sean's relief, he was told, "No, no, you'll be fine. You're alright."
This obviously wasn't a case of a star pulling for their character's survival in the middle of a series. Nonetheless, it was an important moment for Sean, whose characters had unfortunate endings in everything from Game of Thrones to The Lord of the Rings.
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