When a show runs for more than a few seasons, you can count on some characters getting killed off. It’s oftentimes the cleanest way for an actor to move on, and prevents awkward scenarios where the character must be suddenly replaced by another, inferior actor.

One of T.V.’s longest-running dramas, E.R., killed off its main character Dr. Mark Greene because actor Anthony Edwards wanted to move on. However, that wasn’t the last we saw of him. Flashbacks are a favorite device of television writers; they allow old favorites to come back without twisting the laws of space, time, and science. And since this year marks E.R.’s final season, it was time to bring back Dr. Greene for one last hurrah.

Let’s take a moment to flash back (HA!) to some of T.V.’s most notable and interesting dead-character-comebacks.

The Sopranos

You knew I was headed here first. Although flashbacks aren’t terribly common on the show, its bizarre and trippy dream sequences are famous. And most of those dreams involve at least one character who has passed on.

Tony often sees people he has killed, and his nephew Christopher has a few memorable dreams about his first victim that take place in a surreal butcher shop. In one of Tony’s more memorable dreams, he sits in the backseat of his father’s car while as associate he murdered sits in the passenger seat, a worm crawling on his head. Carmela, too, dreams of a late family member who was killed for disloyalty, dreams that make her suspect that the subject didn’t just run away (despite Tony’s lies). In one, a policeman tells her “somebody needs to tell your friend that she’s dead.”

Dreams on The Sopranos are always important, and showing faces from the past is an indicator of what a haunted life Tony and his associates lead.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer – SPOILERS

The supernatural subject of the show allows for appearances of dead characters without the help of flashbacks or dreams. The First Evil, a villain introduced early in the series only to return as the Big Bad in the final season, has the power to appear as almost anyone who has died. At various times, the First appears as almost every dead character who has been close to someone on the show.

One notable exception: In the episode “Conversations With Dead People,” the First was supposed to appear as Tara Maclay, Willow’s dead lover. But actress Amber Benson refused to return, believing that Tara’s fans would be too disturbed to see her played as a manipulative and evil character. Instead, the role was filled by a minor character from earlier in the season, Cassie Newton. Since Cassie had a gift of foresight and died tragically young, she made an impression on the gang – and was able to briefly convince Willow that she was a messenger sent from Tara. But when Cassie began encouraging Willow to kill herself so that she could see Tara again, Willow quickly realized the treachery and denounced “Cassie,” who proceeded to mock her openly and then say the First was planning a “big finish.”

Drop into our forums and talk about your favorite shows that have made use of this device.

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