On television, there have been many characters on shows who were actually dead, too. In many cases, however, this fact was no secret. But the way their death was approached is pretty unique in each case.
RELATED: 5 Coen Brothers Characters Who Didn't Deserve To Die (& 5 Who Did)
In some, the person is only seen only in flashbacks or visions. In others, the story is centered around the dead person's new "life" while dead.
This entire series is set in the future (2033, to be exact) when technology has advanced so much that virtual afterlife is possible, and people can choose (rather, pay) to be uploaded to a variety of different versions of "heaven" once they perish.
Nathan, a young, handsome, smart 20-something, gets into a car accident in the first episode and is seemingly about to die, at which point he makes the decision to upload. The series is very intriguing as Nathan continues his "life" interacting with the people he loves while existing in a completely different virtual world.
It's no secret that Eleanor is dead. In fact, the entire series is based on the premise that she enters the afterlife where she realizes that she was sent to the glorious Utopian version of heaven by mistake and has to try and hide the error from the others so they don't send her to the seemingly less appealing alternative place (the bad place?)
In the living world, Eleanor wasn't exactly "Heaven" material. But since she has been given this tremendous opportunity, she must try to make good and become a better person in order to earn her spot in "the Good Place."
Harry wasn't necessarily a main character on the show, but he did appear in 96 episodes throughout the series' eight-season run. Except he was never alive. He either showed up in flashbacks or as a vision of Dexter's, sort of the angel on his shoulder.
RELATED: Harry Potter: How 10 Characters We Never Met Died
Harry was Dexter's adoptive father who, when alive, found a way to help Dexter control his Dark Passenger by developing a "code" for Dexter to live by (only kill those people who have done very, very bad things). In death, Harry continued to appear as a construct in Dexter's mind, helping him through his toughest times.
Professor Proton wasn't technically dead the whole time. He did appear very much alive in several episodes of the series.But when the show killed his character off, much to Sheldon's heartbreak, that wasn't the end of him.
Professor Proton appeared several times thereafter in Sheldon's dreams, still unhappy to be there, yet unwittingly offering sage advice that Sheldon always took to heart.
The list wouldn't be complete with at least one vampire character. Bill was supposedly over 100 years old, but he was technically dead just turned into a vampire that made him immortal. Like on the other shows, it was well known that he was not human.
He lived among humans, however. So while some people he came across might initially have thought he was actually a living person, he was, most certainly, very, very dead.
At first, Lady Melisandre appeared to be some sort of magical witch with special powers. She was certainly not entirely human, or at least was born with special gifts a deity of some kind.
RELATED: The Walking Dead: 5 Characters Who Died Too Soon (& 5 Who Should've Died Sooner)
It wasn't until that one episode when she looked in the mirror and saw the image of a frail, old woman staring back at her that it was revealed that she wasn't necessarily dead, but able to use her power to appear as a beautiful, young woman. Without that trusty necklace, however, Lady Melisandre would likely perish pretty quickly.
At first, it appears that Mr. Robot is a strange, reclusive man using Elliott to do his bidding. Then, it's revealed that Mr. Robot is really another personality of Elliott's, who suffers from a myriad of disorders, one of which includes having multiple personalities.
But later, it is revealed that Mr. Robot is also based on someone who is no longer living: Elliott's own father. There's so much complexity in who or what Mr. Robot is. But the bottom line: he is based on someone who is dead and he isn't real. Actually, he's Elliott, but the person he is illustrated as in the series isn't really there.
This situation is very unique to the others on this list. The character was set to marry Betty's older sister Hilda. But she finds in the first season finale that he was shot in a convenience store.
When season two begins, however, Santos is seemingly alive and well. Viewers were confused until it was revealed at the end of the episode that he actually was, in fact, dead. In trying to deal with the grief and in serious denial, Hilda contrived an entire fantasy life with him in it until she was able to come to terms with things and accept the fact that he was really gone.
Dan's debatable"death" is one of the most interesting and confusing ones on television. In the final season of Roseanne, the family embarks on a spree after winning the lottery. But then it's revealed that it was all a story that Roseanne made up to help process Dan's death. In fact, the entire series was as he was supposed to have been dead for quite some time, since Darlene (not Becky) and David got married. So he had seemingly appeared on the show when he was supposed to be dead.
Dan, however, rose from the dead for the revival of the series; it was explained away with jokes. In one episode, Dan comes across the novel Roseanne was writing in the finale of the original series and joked that it would have sold like hotcakes had she not killed off the most interesting character.
Kenny, the kid who only talked with a muffled voice in this long-running animated series, wasn't dead all along. But he was dead in pretty well every episode. It became a running gag with the line "Oh my God! They killed Kenny!" delivered each time it happened in some fantastical way.
But he would always be resurrected. As the series progressed, Kenny was supposedly killed off for good in season five, then came back. Now, he only dies occasionally.
NEXT: Westworld: Characters Who Have Died The Most Times, Ranked
Next Game Of Thrones: 5 Characters Who Would Make The Best Girlfriends (& 5 Who Would Make The Worst)
A professional writer and editor with 18+ years of experience, Christine, now a freelance writer/editor, is a self-professed TV fanatic with tastes that vary considerably from comedies to dramas, sci-fi, and more. She can usually be found binging a new show at night, coupled with a glass of red wine. With a long history writing in the field of consumer tech, she now also writes on topics from entertainment to parenting, lifestyle, marketing, and business. She resides in Toronto, Ontario in Canada with her husband and young son.
See more here:
10 Main TV Characters Who Were Dead The Whole Time | ScreenRant - Screen Rant
- Mind uploading - 01 - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Mind uploading - 02 - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- A new way to battle Mexican drug cartels - KLTV - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Mobile Health Screening Units Visit Lowe's Workers - International Supermarket News - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- The quintessential sewing machine - Business Mirror - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- The Future of Windows - Technologizer (blog) - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- SEO Press Release Distribution Site Online PR News Celebrates 10000 Active Users - Online PR News (press release) - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Utilizing Online Mailing Services – Make the Most of Direct Marketing - RisMedia.com (press release) - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Carr's first look at 'Extreme' home - KLTV - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Should you advertise on iPhones? - Smart Company (blog) - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Review: Mega Man 10 - Destructoid - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Had I World Enough, and Time - Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Unicast Continues Innovative Technology Enhancements With Latest Release of ... - CNNMoney.com (press release) - March 16th, 2010 [March 16th, 2010]
- Facebook scouts for 'passionate' India head - Economic Times - March 16th, 2010 [March 16th, 2010]
- SXSW: YouTube Launches Partner Program for Indie Bands - Wired News - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- Wider Still and Wider! - Bangkok Post - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- P2P Versus The World - Rampage - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- Yakuza 3 - The MMOMFG Review - MMOMFG (blog) - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- Behind the musings: The annotated high schools column - Chicago Tribune (blog) - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- Jihad Jane, YouTube, and Me - David Horowitz's NewsReal Blog (blog) - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- Justin Bieber Releases 'U Smile,' Announces Summer Tour Dates - MTV.com - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- FCC announces National Broadband Plan - VentureBeat - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- Image hosting on the cheap: a look at three free services - Ars Technica - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- Content Management: Secrets of the Trade - Formtek Blog (blog) - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- FCC's National Broadband Plan: There is a dark side - ZDNet - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- 5 Reasons Old Media Should Buy Facebook - AllFacebook (blog) - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- "Steal It" and Other Internal YouTube Emails from Viacom's Copyright Suit - Fast Company - March 19th, 2010 [March 19th, 2010]
- Now cafes in monument premises for tourists during CWG - Sify - March 19th, 2010 [March 19th, 2010]
- Google-Viacom court papers leave a lot to the imagination - FierceOnlineVideo - March 19th, 2010 [March 19th, 2010]
- FCC's broadband plan: A possible dream - Washington Post (blog) - March 19th, 2010 [March 19th, 2010]
- The Importance of Using Social Networking for Business; Part I – Facebook - IPWatchdog.com - March 19th, 2010 [March 19th, 2010]
- Recording YouTube Videos - Acoustic Guitar - March 19th, 2010 [March 19th, 2010]
- Who's using location-based social networking? - KC Free Press - March 20th, 2010 [March 20th, 2010]
- iPhone will continue to beckon BlackBerry owners - CNET - March 20th, 2010 [March 20th, 2010]
- Rain leaves its mark on Azalea Trail events - KLTV - March 21st, 2010 [March 21st, 2010]
- Viacom v. YouTube/Google: A Piracy Case in Their Own Words - DailyFinance - March 21st, 2010 [March 21st, 2010]
- Getting a look at next high-tech | Philadelphia Inquirer | 03/22/2010 - Philadelphia Inquirer - March 22nd, 2010 [March 22nd, 2010]
- Sprint chews on Apple while lauding 4G Overdrive hotspot - The Tech Herald - March 22nd, 2010 [March 22nd, 2010]
- 'Repo Men' contest -- the nationwide chase is almost over - Los Angeles Times (blog) - March 22nd, 2010 [March 22nd, 2010]
- Viacom vs. YouTube/Google: A Piracy Case in Their Own Words - DailyFinance - March 22nd, 2010 [March 22nd, 2010]
- These iPhone apps will help make March Madness a little more sane - Appolicious - March 22nd, 2010 [March 22nd, 2010]
- Eye-Fi Pro X2 cards have arrived, and you probably want one - tuaw.com (blog) - March 23rd, 2010 [March 23rd, 2010]
- Pharmacist shows who wins, loses with health care bill - KLTV - March 23rd, 2010 [March 23rd, 2010]
- High-Tech Texts! - The Campus Slate - March 24th, 2010 [March 24th, 2010]
- CTIA WIRELESS 2010: Samsung's New Galaxy Brings 4" AMOLED Screen, Social Hub ... - Marketnews.ca - March 24th, 2010 [March 24th, 2010]
- Google must follow Chinese rules or leave - China Daily - March 24th, 2010 [March 24th, 2010]
- Jay-Z Short Documentary 'NY-Z' Premieres Online - MTV.com - March 24th, 2010 [March 24th, 2010]
- DAs clash over Mineola sex ring appeal - KLTV - March 25th, 2010 [March 25th, 2010]
- iSilo for iPhone - BusinessWeek - March 26th, 2010 [March 26th, 2010]
- Questions Abound as "New START" Agreement is Completed - Global Security Newswire - March 26th, 2010 [March 26th, 2010]
- What will Apple do next in mobile services? - Mobile Entertainment - March 26th, 2010 [March 26th, 2010]
- How much is too much to pay for health care? - Anchorage Daily News - March 27th, 2010 [March 27th, 2010]
- The Future of Smartphones: 4G and Beyond - Entrepreneur - March 27th, 2010 [March 27th, 2010]
- Uploading and uplifting: sharing big data files - Earthtimes (press release) - March 28th, 2010 [March 28th, 2010]
- Verizon Blasts 'Outdated' FCC Broadband Plan - NewsFactor Network - March 28th, 2010 [March 28th, 2010]
- Web Host Layered Tech Offers Mezeo-Powered Cloud Storage - Web Host Industry Review - March 29th, 2010 [March 29th, 2010]
- Dropbox: Now one more reason to want a Nexus One - ZDNet (blog) - March 30th, 2010 [March 30th, 2010]
- Exaflood: Politicians Prop Up Dinosaurs, Ignore Cutting Edge Technology - NewsBlaze (press release) - March 30th, 2010 [March 30th, 2010]
- Instructions - Washington Post - March 30th, 2010 [March 30th, 2010]
- Uploading for Life Extension Will Be Valid - Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies - March 31st, 2010 [March 31st, 2010]
- 'Glee's' MySpace Auditions: What Not To Sing - Wall Street Journal (blog) - March 31st, 2010 [March 31st, 2010]
- Memeo iPad Reader: Like the GDrive on your iPad (only different) - ZDNet (blog) - April 1st, 2010 [April 1st, 2010]
- Why are pipe bomb 'how to' videos legal? Answer is alarming - KLTV - April 1st, 2010 [April 1st, 2010]
- Trip to Haiti inspiration for East Texas teen - KLTV - April 1st, 2010 [April 1st, 2010]
- Jason Kilar Leads Hulu To Profitability, But Will He Stay On At Hulu? - TVbytheNumbers - April 2nd, 2010 [April 2nd, 2010]
- Layers for IPad Adds Online Gallery, Pro Options - PC World - April 2nd, 2010 [April 2nd, 2010]
- Shane Dawson, YouTube's Comic for the Under-30 Set - New York Times - April 2nd, 2010 [April 2nd, 2010]
- Hands-On With the Apple iPad — and Your Questions - Wired News - April 4th, 2010 [April 4th, 2010]
- FedEx Simplifies International Shipping with FedEx Electronic Trade Documents - MarketWatch (press release) - April 6th, 2010 [April 6th, 2010]
- Cacoo Lets Multiple Users Create Designs Collaboratively And In Real-time - TechCrunch (blog) - April 7th, 2010 [April 7th, 2010]
- Comcast: Your New Overlord - ITworld.com - April 7th, 2010 [April 7th, 2010]
- Bloggers Photograph Food, We Get Hungry - Switched (blog) - April 7th, 2010 [April 7th, 2010]
- Apple suggests only the iPhone can fingerprint songs - Geek.com - April 7th, 2010 [April 7th, 2010]
- Senior with mental challenges killed along highway - KLTV - April 7th, 2010 [April 7th, 2010]
- Book a Cruise and "Flip" Over a Free Camcorder - CruiseCritic.co.uk - April 8th, 2010 [April 8th, 2010]
- Creation Myths: what the argument that the iPad's not for creating content ... - Huffington Post (blog) - April 8th, 2010 [April 8th, 2010]
- Want market share? Make a brain claim - Marketing Web - April 8th, 2010 [April 8th, 2010]
- 10 Ways World of Warcraft - OUPblog (blog) - April 8th, 2010 [April 8th, 2010]
- Check-in to Foursquare: Latest social media service lands in SW Florida - Naples Daily News - April 8th, 2010 [April 8th, 2010]
- Apple iPhone OS 4 Announcement Makes Users Feel "Finally!" - HULIQ - April 8th, 2010 [April 8th, 2010]