By Dave Siderski

Killing off a character in popular movie series or television can be a risky proposition. Some have been done brilliantly such as execution of the Tony Montana character and Tony Soprano’s long awaited murder of Ralphie Cifareto in the Soprano’s. Other have been completely ill conceived and in some cases, did irreparable harm to the brand. With this in mind, here are my five worst character kill offs in film and television history.

5. “The Return of Chef”: South Park (2006)

The sex crazed “Chef”, voiced over by soul singer Isaac Hayes, was one of my favorite South Park characters. He’d go from serving Salisbury steak in one moment to breaking into song the next about his robust carnal desires.

Isaac Hayes decided to leave the show due to a conflict over a South Park spoof about Scientology. Reportedly, Hayes, himself was a Scientologist, and may have been offended by the episode, although other reports suggest he may have been pressured by others within the Scientology movement. Show creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker were pissed and took out their anger on the “Chef” character in the opening episode of Season 10.

This was a case where South Park went over the line in my view. Chef leaves South Park to join something called the “Super Adventurers”, only to find out it’s a secret society of child molestors. In their desire to get back at Hayes, they inappropriately make light of the serious issue of child abuse and exploitation. The boys (Cartman, Kyle, Stan, and Kenny) try to save the brainwashed Chef but their efforts are in vain. The episode ends with Chef being ripped apart by a Mountain Lion and Bear and pooping his pants before he dies. At the end of the episode the Super Adventurers bring him back to life in a Darth Vader like fashion with his final words being: “Hello there children” in an ominous tone. It’s a mean spirited end for a great character.

4. “Archie Alone”: Archie Bunker’s Place: (1980)

The voice of Edith Bunker, played by Jean Stapleton, grates on you and some of those stories she told…..UGGGGGGGH! One can understand why Archie tells her to stifle it so often. However, as annoying as Edith could be, her strength of character, compassion and inherent sense of fairness provide a great contrast to Archie’s bigotry and ignorance. She is Archie’s conscience and manages to bring out his more human side.

All in the Family was a television classic balancing humor with seriousness in addressing some of the most conversional subjects in America at the time. The show is still very relevant today as it forces us to look at our own stereotypes and intolerance. After the series ended in 1979, CBS tried a spin off, Archie Bunker’s Place, which aired from 1979 to 1983, with the storyline revolving around Archie’s tavern.

Edith was no more than a bit player at this point and Jean Stapleton ultimately decided to leave the show after the first season. In the first episode of the second season of Archie Bunker’s Place it is revealed that Edith has passed away of a stroke. Although the episode itself is poignant as Archie struggles to come to terms with his emotional grief, in the long run any show featuring Archie Bunker is not the same without Edith. Like so many other re-makes Archie Bunker’s Place pales in comparison to the original. They should have left well enough alone.

3. “The Big Move Part I”: Good Times: (1976)

James Evans, SR., played by John Amos, was the patriarch of the ground breaking 1970’s sitcom Good Times, about the struggles of an African American family living in the ghetto in Chicago trying to get by and keep their dreams alive. James is by far the most dynamic character in the series in my view. He is a man who inspires both fear and love at the same time. James frequently loses his explosive temper as he tries to cope with the frustration and stress of his daily life in trying to keep his family afloat. At the same time, he has a heart of gold, an unbreakable sense of integrity and is man who exhibits incredible kindness and compassion. James is a character that you can’t help but care about and root for.

Creative differences between Amos and executive producer Norman Lear led to James being written out of the show after season 3. Both he and Estelle Rolle, who played his wife Florida, were unhappy with the stereotypes perpetuated by the J.J. character, played by comedian Jimmie Walker. In the first episode of season 4, it’s revealed that James has been killed in an auto accident. He’s started an exciting new job in Mississippi and his family is set to join him, before hearing the tragic news. The kill off of James Evans, SR., is the worst thing the show’s writers could have done. The quality of the show declined rapidly after this and over time the ratings followed. Good Times would run three more seasons but was never the same.

2.: “Swan Song”: Dallas: (1985)

Dallas is the archetype of the Modern TV prime time soap opera. They had some terrific storylines, including the 1980 classic cliffhanger, who shot JR? One of the classic storylines over the years revolved around JR’s younger brother Bobby, played by Patrick Duffy, and his wife Pamela, played by Victoria Principal. Bobby and Pam’s turbulent, on again, off again relationship became absolutely nauseating over the years.

Fast forward to season 8 of Dallas which aired in 1984-85. Bobby is set to marry old sweetheart Jenna Wade, while Pam is dealing with the loss of her new husband Mark, who may or may not still be alive. By the end of the season, Bobby and Pam rekindle their love for each other and are set to get married again. Anyone want to throw up yet? If not, don’t worry, it only gets worse from here. In the final episode of the season Pam’s evil step sister, Katherine Wentworth kills Bobby, finally succeeds, running him over with her car.

Then the viewers are subjected to a year of crappy storylines in Season 9, including Pam finding Mark and marrying him in spite of the fact that she realizes in her heart she does not love him. Fast forward to the opener of Season 10: “Return to Camelot Part I”. Bobby comes out of Pam’s shower looking awfully happy! Guess what! The entire season 9 was a dream by Pam! Fooled You! How cheesy can you get! Of course, Pam and Bobby’s cozy reunion doesn’t last very long. Pam is killed off at the end of season 10, when her car crashes into a fuel truck. Of course, they ended up bringing her character back to life later on in the series. UGGHH!!!!!!!

1. Star Trek Generations: (1994)

Star Trek fans had waited for years for an historic meeting between Captain James T. Kirk, played by William Shatner and his Star Trek Next Generation counterpart, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, played by Patrick Stewart What we got was the colossal disappointment was Star Trek: “Generations”, the first and the worst of Next Gen’s four part film series.
The movie starts with Captain Kirk coming out of retirement to save the Enterprise “B” and its novice captain from certain destruction from a mysterious energy ribbon later revealed to be the “Nexus”, after which he’s assumed dead. The story moves forward 78 years as Picard and the Enterprise D crew do battle with an obsessive mad man named Soren, played by Malcolm McDowell. Soren, was among those rescued from the “Nexus” by Kirk. However, what Kirk didn’t know was the Nexus is a place of pure joy. Soren’s has been desperately looking for a way to get back in ever since.

Picard tries to stop Soren from launching a missile which will destroy the Veridian star system but fails. The planet system, along with 230 million people and the Enterprise D, are destroyed. Picard is pulled into the Nexus. He learns he can leave the Nexus and go anywhere, anytime. He seeks out Kirk, who we now find out has been pulled in the Nexus as well. Kirk and Picard go back together to the mountain top on Veridian III in the moments just before Soren launched his evil bomb. Together, they are able to stop him. However, Kirk is sent careening from a broken bridge and dies under a pile of debris. His final words are: “Oh my.”

The problem with this story line is that it makes absolutely no sense. If Picard can leave the Nexus and “go anywhere at any time” why does he need Kirk? There were numerous points earlier in the movie where Picard could have simply put Soren in the Brigg and that would have been the end of it. Kirk’s sole purpose in this movie seemed to be as an excuse to kill him off. Sorry Next Gen writers, if you were going to kill off an iconic character like Captain James T. Kirk, you needed to do better than this. As much as I loved the Next Gen series and their ensuing movies, the writers completely got it wrong with this one.

Honorable Mention: Debra Morgan in the series finale of Dexter, “Remember the Monsters” (2013). Dexter was a great show which, unfortunately, went completely off the rails in the final season. Anyway, these are my five top worst character “kill offs” of all-time. For all you television and movie fans out there, I’d love to hear your opinions as well. “Hailing Frequencies Open”

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