Bait and Switch: When TV Shows Kill Off the Reason You Watched in the Premiere

The fall season is almost upon us, and with it will come a crop of new shows that many TV viewers are eager to check out.

You may be drawn to a new series because medical series are your jam.

Or because your favorite book is finally making its long-awaited journey to the small screen.

Or maybe your favorite actress or actor is starring in something new, and that’s the sole reason you’ve decided to watch something.

When a recognizable star shows up on a series, it’s easy to get lulled into a false sense of security because there’s no way they’ll kill off someone they’ve included in the marketing for the series.

Someone who’s bringing new viewers in to enjoy the show! Surely not!

Well, as we’ve seen over the years, shows are never above shock value, and numerous shows kill off prominent characters right out of the gate.

And a lot of times, these reveals end up shaping so much of the rest of the series.

We’re taking a lot at some of the most memorable first-episode deaths that still have us confused, upset, impressed, or all of the above.

Big Sky

We can discuss Big Sky’s shortfalls in another article.

However, one thing the thriller got right was its decision to kill off Ryan Philippe’s character, Cody Hoyt, in the series premiere.

The marketing for Big Sky was heavy on Phillippe, which was understandable because he was the most well-known cast member.

A movie star in his own right, many people decided to check out the show, set in the beautiful Montana mountains, because of Phillippe.

Cody is a former cop dealing with a lot of personal drama who takes an interest in the case of two girls who go missing on their way to visit his son.

His digging around puts him in contact with Rick Legarski, a Montana Highway Patrol officer who is involved in the kidnapping of the two young girls, and shoots Cody dead when he gets too close to the truth.

It’s a shocking murder.

Not only are you expecting Phillippe to be THE star of the show, but Cody’s death changed so much of the show’s tone.

Fans were not pleased about his untimely passing, though the show didn’t suffer too badly, as it went on to have a three-season run on ABC.

It’s interesting to look back on it now, though.

If Cody hadn’t died, we may never have seen Jenny and Cassie come together as partners the way they did throughout the series.

Their friendship was truly the heart and soul of everything, and it may never have come to be if Cody had lived and stood between them.

Yellowstone

At this point, we’re all well aware of the behind-the-scenes drama that has plagued Yellowstone over the last few years.

And it’s a shame that so much of that has clouded the series, which was terrific in its early seasons.

No one knew what to expect when it first premiered, outside of a massive movie star in Kevin Costner at the helm and the sprawling landscape of Montana in the background.

The story of the Duttons and their claim to their land followed the Dutton siblings throughout the first episode, including eldest brother Lee, played by Brothers & Sisters alum Dave Annable.

Fans of Annable were eager to see him in another starring role after his long run on the ABC sudser, but Lee’s character was killed off swiftly in the series premiere, leaving fans stunned.

No one knew what kind of show Yellowstone would become or what kind of cultural phenomenon it would spark, but they learned early that no one was safe — even if your last name was Dutton.

A Million Little Things

The marketing for the ABC tearjerker made it very clear what this series was going to be about and what the catalyst was for everything we were about to see; Jon Dixon was going to commit suicide.

We knew going in what was about to happen, and yet, we were still absolutely crushed when Ron Livingston’s Jon passed away in the inaugural hour.

This one may not have been as bait-and-switch as the others, but it was still painful, mainly because he was so prominent in the marketing push.

Livingston is a popular actor with many credits, and losing him so early was difficult, even if he did pop up now and then throughout the rest of the series’ run.

This may not have been a surprise death or departure like some of the others on this list, but we still felt all the same emotions.

Mayor of Kingstown

Do me a favor and go back and watch the early trailers for the Mayor of Kingstown.

It’s obviously Jeremy Renner’s show, but Kyle Chandler has a steady presence throughout the promo, which led many, including myself, to assume that he would be a major factor in the series.

Chandler’s character, Mitch McLusky, is the “Mayor” of Kingstown when the show begins, with Renner’s Mike as his righthand man.

And while there could have been a play here on Mitch and Mike vying for power, even though Mike seemingly doesn’t want it, the series pivots to just getting rid of the dynamic by offing Mitch in the first episode.

Chandler has made quite a name for himself, with leading roles on Early Edition, Friday Night Lights, and Bloodline.

Many people tuned in to see Chandler and Renner opposite one another, but unfortunately, that dream was cut very short when Mitch bit the bullet early on.

Gen V

People were guaranteed to tune into Gen V if only because it was a spinoff of The Boys.

But with a fresh cast and intriguing premise, fans were excited to see what this universe was poised to produce next.

One reason for that excitement was the presence of Patrick Schwarzenegger.

Starring alongside a cast of up-and-coming actors and actresses, and coming off the highly successful HBO Max miniseries The Staircase, Arnold’s son helped to generate major buzz for the series.

Schwarzenegger’s Golden Boy was poised to be the next Homelander and was a promising recruit for the Seven.

However, throughout the pilot, you could tell something sinister was happening at Godolkin University, and it directly involved the most popular kid on campus.

Golden Boy’s death shocked fans who assumed he’d have a much more significant role in the series, and it set the tone for the entire first season.

No one is safe, and anything can happen at any given time. This is The Boys-adjacent, after all, and you’d do well to remember that.

Fringe

Fringe truly became the little show that could.

When it first premiered, it didn’t move the needle, but it eventually found its footing and a rabid audience that stuck with it until the end.

It’s a series that is the very definition of a cult classic.

When the series first premiered, it wasn’t on anyone’s radar, and the biggest draw was Joshua Jackson, fresh off his long run on Dawson’s Creek.

Mark Valley was also well-known in broadcast television circles after his run on Boston Legal, and audiences were interested in seeing him in the sci-fi series opposite Jackson, John Noble, and Anna Torv.

Valley’s John Scott is a massive part of the pilot, as he’s exposed to chemicals that leave his body decaying rapidly.

He’s cured in a process that brings the Fringe team audiences know and love together, but he ultimately dies in a car crash.

Considering how much time is devoted to saving him, Scott dying in a car accident feels anti-climactic on top of being a major bummer for all those Valley fans out there who hoped he’d have a bigger role in the series.

Silo

Silo had a lot of things going for it when it premiered on Apple TV+ in 2023, including a star-studded cast.

Rebecca Ferguson, Rashida Jone, David Olyelowo, Common, and Tim Robbins are just some of the actors that bring Silo to life.

And the series premiere leaned heavily into the dynamic between Oyelowo’s Holston Becker, who is the sheriff of the Silo, and Jones’ Allison Becker, his devoted wife.

The premise of Silo is simple. In a dystopian future, a group of people live underground in a silo, bound by rules meant to protect them.

They don’t venture outside the silo, for fear of death.

Throughout the pilot, Allison became more and more disillusioned with the Silo and its history, which led her to be expelled.

There was hope that Allison would survive her foray outside the silo, but those hopes were dashed rather quickly when she got a few feet away and collapsed.

Jones has been acting for a while, with many notable roles. This looked to be star turn in a prestigious series.

But Allison’s death is incredibly heartbreaking to watch from a plot standpoint and genuinely surprising because of Jones’ cache and presence in the promotional material.

The Last of Us

The Last of Us was one of the biggest shows to debut in 2023, and it delivered one hell of an opening episode, which felt at times more like a movie than an episode of television.

The post-apocalyptic drama begins in Austin, Texas, from the point of view of teenager Nico during what will become a devastating day.

As we follow Sarah Miller, played beautifully by Nico Parker, it’s easy to become enraptured in her view of the deteriorating day.

The pilot was helped so much by the early minutes, which set us up for the post-apocalyptic universe we stepped into.

But Sarah wasn’t long for that world, which was a horrifying blow to dad Joel, played by the talented Pedro Pascal.

If you were a fan of the video game from which the series was adapted, then you already knew Sarah’s fate.

But many new to the universe were surprised and upset that we didn’t get more of Sarah and Joel’s relationship.

Sarah’s presence continued to loom large over the season, but her death in the premiere still felt like a significant blow.

Over to you, TV fanatics! What’s your favorite example of a show that killed off a major character in its premiere episode?

Hit the comments section below to share your thoughts!