The Funniest Deaths In TV Shows, Ranked By How Morbidly Hilarious They Are

The Simpsons is one of those shows which has always made a point of populating its world with fascinating and colorful side characters, and one of the most notable of these is Frank Grimes. In his brief appearance he is a nemesis for Homer, for while the latter is slovenly and not particularly good at his job, Grimes is punctilious and skilled. However, eventually Grimes loses his cool and, throwing caution to the wind and acting as carelessly as Homer does, he ends up electrocuting himself. It’s tragic and hilarious, and it’s a reminder of just how charmed a life the Simpson patriarch leads. Clearly not everyone is as fortunate when it comes to their plot armor. 

Marion Ross was perfectly cast as Bernice Forman, the mother of Red Forman and grandmother to Eric. Given her iconic status as the mother in Happy Days, she was the perfect fit, though Bernice is much more caustic than Marion Cunningham. Indeed, she proves to be biting to all the Formans, which leads to Eric essentially telling her it wouldn’t kill her to be nice. Unfortunately for him, this is exactly what happens, and she ends up dying abruptly while they are en route to the airport, with her body falling against his own. It’s a hilariously macabre moment, particularly since Eric so rarely stands up for himself. One can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it, even as the moment also causes Eric no small amount of angst and grief.

South Park is one of those series which has long reveled in thwarting good taste. Take, for example, the numerous times in which the character Kenny has perished during the course of an episode. Indeed, for the first several seasons of the show he is killed - usually in absurd and also excruciating ways - in almost every episode. His numerous demises are an excellent example of a running gag, and he even seems to die permanently for a time, hence his absence from the sixth season. It’s a textbook example of how to take something as terrifying as death and turn it into something silly and mockable, while also acknowledging the horror of it.

It’s safe to say Peter Griffin from Family Guy has a vexed relationship with his father, Francis (who is later revealed to have been his stepfather). He goes out of his way to be nasty to Peter and to everyone else, particularly Lois, and Charles Durning endows the character with a lilting but caustic Irish accent. Ultimately, he is fatally wounded when Peter falls on him while drunkenly riding a unicycle. Given how much of a crushing weight Francis has been on his son, there’s something both poetically appropriate and hilarious about his demise. Even his last words, in which he calls Peter a fat, stinking drunk, are bitterly amusing, since he refuses to let go of his bitterness right up to the end.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air proved to be a remarkable vehicle for the young Will Smith, and its success as a sitcom rested in both his charisma and its ability to often combine comedy and seriousness. Who could forget, for example, the moment when, in an attempt to propose to Hilary, Trevor Collins-Newsworthy ends up dying in a bungee jump gone awry? His last words are, in fact, his proposal, a line which manages to be both hilarious and more than a little horrifying. Though it’s played for laughs, the series also makes a point of showing how his death impacts Hilary going forward, thus effectively using comedy to explore the serious issue of death.

The Good Place earned rave reviews for its ability to be remarkably touching and also thought-provoking, focusing as it does on a group of four humans who find themselves in the afterlife. Manny Jacinto is particularly charming as Jason, a well-meaning if somewhat dim small-time criminal who hails from Jacksonville, Florida. His death is revealed to have been quite absurd: he suffocated in a safe during a robbery. His demise is a reminder of how Jason’s own good nature sometimes gets overtaken by his baser instincts, often to his own detriment. This moment also reveals why Jason, despite his failings, is never truly evil but instead a not particularly thoughtful person who is easily led astray.