16 Most Heartbreaking TV Moments We Will Never Forget

TV shows in the Internet age are very different from shows during our parents' and grandparents' generation. Because of a wide reach and high-technology computer graphics, television has taken us far beyond the confines of our imagination, almost with the same quality as big-screen movies do. It has also tackled many controversial issues that showrunners wouldn't have dared brought to light in a much more puritan environment decades back. And while a story isn't a story without its fair share of heartbreaking moments, the way these moments are played out today hits the viewers in the feels in a far more impactful way than before, thanks to fan and media reactions on the Internet.

Remember *Huge Spoiler Alert* 

Naturally, almost all of the most haunting moments on TV are due to deaths of characters the viewers have grown attached to, only to have them ripped away from their viewing pleasure. The scenes elicit all sorts of emotions on the spectrum: rage, shock, sorrow, resignation, grim satisfaction, you name it. These are some of the moments on TV that had majority of its audience members screaming and bawling “NOOOOO!!!”

Once again *Major Spoiler Alert*

16 William's death (This Is Us)

There's not a single episode of the drama This Is Us that doesn't leave viewers a sobbing mess and the episode entitled Memphis was no exception. As a backgrounder, the show is about a couple, Jack and Rebecca, who are parents to three adorable triplets, Kevin, Kate, and Randall who is adopted. In present day, Randall seeks out his biological father William, who is dying of cancer, and gets to know him better as he lives his last days out. In the episode Memphis, father and son take a road trip back to the Tennessee city, which is where William grew up. But the trip marked the last few days of William's life and the episode ended with him dying in the hospital, gazing upon his son's face as he took his last breath. Randall had to drive back home from the road trip alone and grieving.

15 Caputo's backstory (Orange Is The New Black)

Orange Is The New Black is one of the best things to come out of Netflix, as it's the online streaming service's most-watched original series. It revolves around Piper Chapman, a woman from New York City, sentenced to 15 months in prison for having in her possession a suitcase filled with drug money for her girlfriend. One of the notable characters of the show is Joe Caputo, a prison warden who's constantly conflicted about his employer's company policy and his own beliefs. In season 3, Joe recounts his backstory, saying he was once in a band and had a beautiful girlfriend, who became pregnant with his bandmate's baby. He wanted to do right by her so he decided to stay with her and help her raise the child as his own, but in the end, she still left him for her no-good baby daddy. As a result, poor Joe was left alone and without a band.

14 Barry doesn't save his mother (The Flash)

The CW has been happily riding on the bandwagon of turning comic books into TV shows and movies and while The Flash has been made into a TV series in the past, the latest version of The Flash depicts a deeper look into the story's world. The Flash is the superhero name of Barry Allen, a crime scene investigator who suddenly gains superhuman speed. He is so fast, that he can travel back in time, which is a skill he used in the finale of season one to save his mother Nora, who was murdered before his very eyes when he was a child. But while back in time, his future self warned him that if he prevents Nora from dying, it would change the course of history and he wouldn't be who he is. And so it went that Barry had to endure his mother's death for a second painful time.

13 Matthew and Sybil's deaths (Downton Abbey)

With North America's obsession with Anglophilia, it was no surprise that Downton Abbey took not just the US, but the whole world by storm. The show centered around the Crawleys, an aristocratic family living in the early twentieth century, and their beautiful, imposing home, Downton Abbey. We all fell in love with the characters and started rooting for them, especially when it came to the love stories of Lady Mary and Matthew Crawley, as well as Lady Sybil and the family chauffeur, Tom Branson. The Downton fans will remember the heartbreak that season three of the series brought, with not one, but two character deaths. Lady Sybil died of pre-eclampsia while giving birth to her and Branson's daughter and if that weren't bad enough, Matthew figured in a car accident that took his life minutes after holding his newborn son. The show went on for three more seasons, though things were never the same without Sybil and Matthew.

12 Derek's Death Grey's Anatomy

For those of you reading right now, we know that this must have been one of the worst TV deaths for you ever! Hopefully you've stopped crying by now. Don't worry we are still not over it either. To be fair, every Grey's Anatomy episode has its ups and downs and there were other devastating moments but this is the one you nor I will ever forget. Our love, Derek Shepherd, M.D., also referred to as "McDreamy" was everything to us and his death came like a punch in the stomach. Even the show's creator Shonda Rhimes had a hard time with this death as she said "I did not go to a single moment of the filming because I was like, 'I am just going to stand there and cry like an idiot.' Seriously." In this episode we see him kindly pulling over to help others, and when he leaves the scene to go on his way, doesn't he get hit by a friggin' car. Awful! Just awful.

11 Emma being forced to kill Hook (Once Upon A Time)

A fantasy TV show about fairy tales certainly captured the hearts of audience goers for its unique take on the different tales we learned as children. Once Upon A Time depicts of a cursed town called Storybrooke filled with fairy tale characters originally from another realm called The Enchanted Forrest. The curse was broken by Emma Swan, the show's main character and daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. The ensuing seasons saw the characters' stories playing out, particularly the love story of Emma and the villain-turned-hero, Captain Hook. In the fifth season, Emma became the Dark One, a title previously held by Rumpelstiltskin and she inadvertently turned Hook into a dark one as well, to save his life. In order to eliminate the darkness and protect her loved ones, Emma was forced to run a sword through Hook. Killing the person they love for the greater good is one of the most painful acts anyone has to endure.

10 Michael's death (Jane The Virgin)

Who would think that a satirical romantic-comedy telenovela-type TV show could have such devastating moments? Jane The Virgin has been lauded by critics for its unique storyline, which depicts Jane Villanueva, a conservative Venezuelan-American woman who is accidentally impregnated via artificial insemination. Her boyfriend Michael still stuck by her despite her carrying another man's child and the two eventually get married. But not soon after the two were wed, Michael suffered a terrible fate. He suddenly died from complications from a gunshot wound that he had initially survived at the end of the second season. His death completely blindsided viewers because everyone thought he was out of the woods by coming out of the surgery alive. And the fact that the death happened in the middle of the season and not at the finale, seemed to be appalling too. Added to that, the show time jumps by three years right after Jane finds out about his death.

9 Rayna Jaymes' death (Nashville)

Fans of Nashville were beyond disappointed when ABC decided to cancel Nashville, but were once again hopeful when the show was picked up by CMT. In a nutshell, the show chronicles the life of two fictitious country singers, Rayna Jaymes, who's struggling to remain relevant in the industry; and Juliette Barnes, an up and coming young star. There had already been rumors that the show's lead Connie Britton, who plays Rayna, was leaving the show, but no one really believed it-until the ninth episode in season five, ominously titled, “If Tomorrow Never Comes.” Rayna gets into a terrible car accident and initially seemed like she would survive. But she has to have another surgery, which was not successful, and when it's clear that she's going to die, her loved ones Deacon, Maddie, and Daphne sing a beautiful prayer song as Rayna breathes her last.

8 Brody's death (Homeland)

A political thriller like Homeland is bound to have some casualties throughout the show's run, but it's still jarring nonetheless when you see it played out onscreen. Despite it's limited viewership, the show has a cult following, as people are drawn in to its powerful storytelling. It focuses on Carrie Mathison, a CIA officer who believes that Nicholas Brody, a US Marine Corps Scout Sniper, has turned against the US and is working for al-Qaeda. A love story inevitably blooms amidst the tangle of political webs, but as most stories during war and chaos go, it ends tragically. Soon after Carrie tells Brody that she's pregnant with his child, he's convicted of treason and sentenced to death. Against his wishes, Carrie attends his execution. He's hanged in a public square with Carrie watching in devastation and futilely calling out his name.

7 The red wedding (Game of Thrones)

No other show has been so blood-thirsty as to kill off practically an entire family than Game of Thrones, which as become notorious for having character deaths left and right. It's gained an insane amount of viewers, higher than any other show on HBO and has won many top awards as well, proving that they must be doing something right, despite the shocking character deaths. The episode The Red Wedding is aptly titled because it killed off practically all of everyone's most loved characters. Everyone watched in horror as Rob Stark's pregnant wife Talisa was stabbed, killing both her and the baby, Rob took more than enough arrows to the chest to kill him too, while his mother Catelyn gets her throat slit after she did some killing of her own out of grief and revenge. Suffice to say, those who hadn't read the books were left in a stupor and couldn't believe that the writers could do that.

6 Will Gardner's death (The Good Wife)

Not very many shows have the fortune to begin on a strong note and end with a bang, and The Good Wife is one of those that have truly stood out, with its excellent plots and amazing cast of actors. The show depicts its main character Alicia Florrick returning to the law career she initially gave up to focus on her family, after her husband is involved in a sex and political scandal. She climbs the ladder until she's back in fighting form as a lawyer and one of the people who helped her get back on her feet was Will Gardner, old college friend and a senior partner in the firm she works in. In season five, Will is tragically gunned down in court while representing a deranged client. The showrunners were left with no choice but to kill the character off after the actor playing him (Josh Charles) opted to leave the show.

5 Abraham and Glenn's murders (The Walking Dead)

Because of its gory content, viewers of The Walking Dead have said time and again that they will quit the show if their favorite characters die. But the audience doesn't seem to wane and people still keep wanting more. Based on the comic book series of the same name, the post-apocalyptic drama depicts a world filled with zombies. Rick Grimes is one of several surviving humans and he bands together with other survivors as they come head-to-head with opposing groups of human survivors, particularly Negan, the head of the Saviors. The season seven premier was highly anticipated because it was announced in advance that a major character was going to die. Turns out, not just one, but two main characters perished in the hands of Negan, in the most brutal way: Abraham and Glenn were bludgeoned to death right in front of their loved ones.

4 Walter White's death (Breaking Bad)

Breaking Bad was lauded by critics as one of the greatest television shows of all time, it being one of the most watched cable series in the United States. With acting trophies from major awards bodies going to the cast members, it's no wonder that it had such staying power with its tragic storylines. The show tells the story of Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher down on his luck financially and health-wise, as he was suffering from lung cancer. Desperate to keep his family afloat, he uses his expertise on chemicals to build a meth lab and sell the drugs for money. Given Walter's illness, it was inevitable how the series would end, but he didn't die from the disease, as viewers expected. Rather, he successfully took down the bad guys, but got wounded in the spray of bullets. He tragically, but peacefully dies in his lab, after looking around nostalgically.

3 Olivia's abortion (Scandal)

Shonda Rhimes is known for the controversial issues that she tackles in unapologetic ways through her shows. All her shows are quite talked-about, and Scandal is no exception. The political drama is set in Washington, D.C. and focuses on Olivia Pope, head of a crisis management team, and her working and personal relationship with the people in the White House. In the show, Olivia works for President Fitzgerald Grant, whom she has been in and out of a much-publicized relationship with. The winter finale of season five touched on the issue of Planned Parenthood and the plans to defund it were blocked by no other than President Grant's ex-wife, Senator Mellie Grant. In the episode, it's revealed that Olivia is pregnant with the President's baby and goes to secretly get an abortion with the Christmas classic carol, “Silent Night” playing hauntingly in the background as she undergoes the procedure.

2 Rita Morgan's death (Dexter)

A serial killer who kills serial killers? That was the bottom line of Dexter Morgan in the crime drama mystery series Dexter, which ran for eight successful seasons. The show featured Dexter, a forensic technician, who led a secret life as a vigilante serial killer, hunting down those who were still on the loose. In the fourth season, Dexter is married to Rita and they have a son, Harrison. Rita initially was a cover for Dexter so that he would appear to carry on a normal life, but it was implied as the show went on that he eventually started to genuinely care for her. The season finale of season four saw one of the most shocking moments of the show yet: Dexter comes home to find Rita dead in their bathtub and their son covered in his mother's blood on the floor, crying pitifully. One could only hope that wouldn't traumatize the kid for life.

1 Jamie Fraser (Outlander)

When it was announced that The Outlander series of books by Diana Gabaldon was to be made into a TV show, fans were excited and non-fans' interests were piqued. There are many graphic portions of the books that would be a challenge to translate onto the small screen, but these scenes were executed flawlessly and quite faithfully to the books. The story is about Claire Randall, a British post-World War II woman, who accidentally travels back in time to the 1700s and meets and falls in love with handsome Scotsman, Jamie Fraser. In the first season of the series, Jamie is captured by his nemesis, British soldier Jack Randall, who repeatedly tortures and abuses Jamie in prison. The main scene left viewers jarred because it was depicted as graphically as it was in the novel, which is no mean feat for any TV showrunner to accomplish.

Sources: buzzfeed.com, buddytv.com, eonline.com, people.com