13 Series That Killed Their Gays in 2024

It wasn't safe to be queer on many television and streaming series in 2024, as the old trope of killing your gays reared its ugly head on many occasions. From plots surrounding the murder of queer characters, to others killed off simply for dramatic effect, several drama series relied on the elimination of a queer character (or multiple queer characters) for the purpose of shock value. This list doesn't cover all queer deaths or those that provided meaningful advancement of a series' narrative. This week's listicle spotlights some of the most frustrating queer deaths presented on series in 2024. Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Trigger Warning: This post includes images and details surrounding the deaths of fictional queer characters.
 

Reginald the Vampire: Mike
Season 2 of the sci-fi series saw a sexual awakening for recurring character Todd (Aren Buchholz), as he continued his quest to become a vampire under the tutelage of Mike (Ryan Jinn). Looking to let go of society's expectations for him and truly be himself, Todd planted a kiss on the pansexual vamp which was quickly reciprocated, despite Mike's attempts to get Todd to understand what he would be losing by becoming a vampire. Their blossoming relationship, and Todd's quest, were cut short when the rogue angel Uriel (Max Montesi) decided to kill Mike in his twisted crusade to save humans from themselves and their love of vampires. Mike's death left Todd crushed and depressed, though he was temporarily appeased when Mike later appeared to him as a ghost. The final season ended with Mike's ghost disappearing and Todd unsure of what happened.

 

Emmerdale: Ethan Anderson
After three years on the UK soap opera, local lawyer Ethan (Emile John) seemingly dropped dead in May. Ethan had been dealing with drama surrounding his drunken abandonment of fellow gay character Nicky (Lewis Cope) after crashing the car the two were in. Despite Nicky making a complete recovery and forgiving Ethan for the event, revenge was on the mind of Nicky's mother Ruby (Beth Cordingly) who ran Ethan down with her own car. Ethan's collapse led many to believe that it was a result of an untreated injury from the hit-and-run. While this would have led to even more drama in the wake of Ethan's death, it was eventually revealed that the untreated condition Ethan died from was actually a brain aneurysm and not the result of any outside force. This made Ethan's death the result of random circumstance with no dramatic payoff.

 

Those About to Die: Hermes and Xenon
Peacock's campy period drama featured a queer villain in the opportunistic Domitian (Jojo Macari), who looked to wrangle power from his brother after the death of their ruling father Emperor Vespasian (Anthony Hopkins). Domitian took pride and pleasure in his subservient companion Hermes (Alessandro Bedetti), until Hermes defied him by bedding another man. This led Domitian to turn on him, ordering his tongue cut off to prevent him from spilling any of Domitian's secrets. He would ultimately have Hermes killed publicly in the arena by alligators. Meanwhile, chariot racer Xenon (Emilio Sakraya) revealed his queerness by kissing fellow racer Scorpus (Dimitri Leonidas). Their relationship also takes a dark turn when Xenon discovers Scorpus sabotaged a race. When he urged him to confess, Scorpus strangled him to death.

 

American Rust: Nate and Russell 
Season 2 of the drama saw the show's gay character Isaac (David Alvarez) embarking on a new romance with the mysterious newcomer Russell Wolfe (Christopher Denham). Their attempt at romance soon hit a snag when Isaac discovered that Russell was a married man. This coincided perfectly with the return of Isaac's former lover Nate (Tom Pecinka), leading sparks to fly between them. Unfortunately, Russell was revealed to be a hired hitman also suffering from major jealousy which led to him murdering Nate and orchestrating a cover-up that led Isaac back into his bed. Russell's true target was revealed to be Isaac's sister Lee (Julia Mayorga), whom Russell also succeeded in killing before he was gunned down by police himself. Isaac was left devastated to end the season and the series, which was cancelled in 2024.

 

Chicago P.D.: Noah Gorman and Paul Hansen
Lead character Intelligence Unit Chief Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) has often been seen as a tragic character over the show's eleven-season run. A three-episode arc found him bonding personally with gay teen Noah Gorman (Bobby Hogan), a victim in a string of gruesome abductions targeting homeless teens. As the investigation into the perpetrator continued, Voight took Noah into his home, providing protection and support as Noah reminded him of his dead son. As bodies were discovered in oil barrels in the river, Voight's determination to catch the killer heightened while Noah's fears increased due to past abuse and current mental trauma. Noah would get lured away by the killer, only for Voight's team to later discover his dead body in a barrel alongside his missing boyfriend Paul. Noah's appearance served only to increase the personal tragedies Voight faced in his career.

 

4 Minutes: Tonkla and Korn
The BL drama 4 Minutes presented a dangerous love triangle involving Korn (Asavapatr Ponpiboon), the favored son in his family business who finds himself under investigation for a string of murders by police man Win (Patiphan Fueangfunuwat). When Tonkla (Thanawat Shinawatra), deep in mourning over his brother's death, ends up romantically involved with both men, they are all placed on a path to tragedy. Win confronts Korn over his criminal suspicions, and Tonkla is literally caught in the middle. When Korn pulls out his own gun, Win fires, accidentally killing Tonkla. The senseless murder of one lover by another is then compounded when the distraught Korn is unable to face Tonkla's death, leading him to take his own life. Despite the series' time-bending premise, the deaths of Korn & Tonkla do not get the reprieve afforded to the two leads.

 

Halo: Louis-036 and Danilo
Season 2 of the action drama introduced a queer couple, the blind Louis-036 (Marvin Jones III) and his husband Danilo (Christian Ochoa Lavernia). Despite his disability, Louis-036 was shown to be a capable trainer of the series' soldiers and he developed a mentoring relationship with one of the show's main characters, Riz (Natasha Culzac). However, the couple's three-episode stint was brought to a close with both of their deaths. The two show up as volunteers to join the fight against the Covenant, joining Riz. Less than three minutes later, Danilo is shown to be killed in the battle. After learning of his husband's death from Riz, Louis-036 sacrifices himself by charging into the face of danger with an explosive that kills him along with a dangerous Wraith. The two gay characters ended up as cannon fodder for an action sequence.

 

Lost Boys & Fairies: Andy
The three-episode miniseries introduced Gabriel (Sion Daniel Young) and his partner Andy (Fra Free), a couple who decide to begin the journey to adopt a child. Gabriel's dark past and fractured relationship with his father have him feeling less ready than the kind-hearted Andy. Just as they connect with the young Jake (Leo Harris), it seems the pieces are falling into place. But before the final episode, Andy is killed in a random attack while attempting to stop a fight. Gabriel is left crushed and must find a way to pull himself back together, and reconcile with his past, in order to fight for the adoption, now as a single parent. While Andy's death is a critical part of the miniseries plot, the random and brutal nature of the death was alarming in its reality, conflicting with some of the series' more fantasy-driven elements.

 

Wreck: Olly Reyes
The first season of Wreck saw romance blossom between leading man Jamie (Oscar Kennedy) and his loyal partner in crime Olly (Anthony Rickman) as they worked to solve the mystery behind Jamie's missing sister Pippa. A Season 2 time jump saw the couple broken up at the start, with Jamie heading off with his other friends to a mysterious retreat where he finally found his sister. As danger mounted for the characters there, it was revealed that Olly had been brought there as a hostage. Jamie & Olly shared a pleasant reunion, only to be captured by the villainous Joseph (Greg Austin). With his gun trained on Jamie, Olly & Pippa, Joseph punished Jamie by callously shooting Olly, who died in Jamie's arms. Season 2 also included the murders of Hamish (James Phoon) & drag queen Gloria P. Hole (Panti Bliss), two other queer characters.

 

Hollyoaks: James Nightingale
The romantic ups and downs of gay couple James (Gregory Finnegan) and Ste (Kieron Richardson) were often a source of drama on the UK soap opera. After James suffered a cancer scare and Ste chose to cheat on him in the wake of believing he was going to prison, the two still managed to find their way back to one another. However, a car explosion would bring an end to their romance as it was revealed after a time jump that the explosion killed James and left Ste in a year-long coma. While Ste's coma led to him waking up with very little physical damage, there was nothing left of James. The death was deemed controversial as the time jump robbed viewers of immediate mourning after being presented with a heavily-promoted explosion cliffhanger that was caused by a random bomb attached to a car that the two entered by chance.

 

Neighbours: David Tanaka
With the 2022 cancellation of the soap opera, husbands Aaron (Matt Wilson) and David (Takaya Honda) got their happy ending. When the show was revived in 2023, the couple were said to have moved away, but their later return at the end of the year began what would be David's final storyline. While on holiday with his family, David came to the rescue of his twin brother Leo (Tim Kano), who was being attacked. David prevented Leo from being struck by a rock, as he tackled the attacker Eden (Costa D'Angelo), causing both of them to fall off a cliffside. The heroic doctor David demanded that Aaron & Leo rescue Eden first and upon their return they found that David had succumbed to his injuries. The death served as a gut punch to Aaron, the couple's daughter Nicolette, and viewers, as David had returned to the series just a few months earlier.   

 

Élite: Joel Castellano Soler
For its final murder mystery, the spicy Netflix teen drama dropped the hammer on one of its gay characters, Joel (Fernando Lindez). The presentation of this particular mystery led to viewers being presented with multiple brutal depictions of violence towards Joel, including multiple scenarios showing possible ways he was killed. With his dead, naked body found in public, it was arguably the show's cruelest depiction of death, unless you count the death of another queer character, Cruz (Carloto Cotta), who was the victim of a public hate crime back in Season 6. Joel's death served to emotionally distress his surviving ex-boyfriends Omar (Omar Ayuso) and Iván (André Lamoglia) who vowed to find the killer, while also villainizing the show's new queer character Héctor (Nuno Gallego), who was an immediate suspect in the high school student's slaying.

 

The Good Doctor: Dr. Asher Wolke
For its final season, the medical drama made the odd decision to kill off the show's gay doctor, Asher (Noah Galvin). He took the lead in the fifth episode of the final season, which had Asher confronting his religious past with Judaism as well as his views on marriage. Seemingly finding peace with both things, Asher headed into the episode's climax planning to meet his partner Jerome (Giacomo Baessato) for dinner, where an engagement ring was waiting for him. Instead, Asher ended the episode beaten to death on the street outside of a synagogue after coming to the defense of his rabbi friend Benjamin (David Attar). With the series already set to come to an end, the decision to make their gay cast member the victim of a hate crime was baffling, especially since the doctor's death did not serve the show's overall premise as a medical drama.