History SacrificialLamb / LiveActionTV

** Has Jack Bauer's original boss, Richard Walsh. At the end of the second episode, he dies getting Jack a keycard that can help discover who TheMole is. He's barely ever mentioned again by the halfway point of season 1 and is utterly forgotten after that, but he does appear in a few of the show's ExpandedUniverse comics and novels set before season 1.

%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order.

** A bit longer lasting than most, but Simone Deveaux basically fits this trope.

** Andy Renko (played by Charles Haid), one of the major characters, wasn't originally even supposed to make it to episode two. The plan was that at the shootout at the end of the pilot, Renko would be killed, and only his partner Hill (played by Michael Warren) would survive, to try to adjust to a new partner (Jake Mitchell, who had been in the same show with Warren before, ''Paris''). However, in test screenings, the camaraderie between Warren and Haid was universally felt to be a special strength of the show, so Haid got a contract as a regular (and an "[[AndStarring And X as Y]]" credit), and Mitchell had to settle for a single guest appearance.

*** ''Stargate SG-1'' started long before that, offing the entire FiveManBand in the first episode, in order to introduce a FiveManBand with four slightly more interesting characters. The {{Red Shirt}}s guarding the Stargate at the beginning look like they'll be important... then Apophis and the Serpent Guards slaughter all but one. She is taken, it turns out, to be considered as a new host for Amonet. When Amonet turns her down, Apophis says, "A shame," brain-fries her to death in the second of the ''two'' instances of fatal Goa'uld hand-thingy brain-fry in the entire run of the franchise, and yells "Send another!" out the door.

** Has Jack Bauer's original boss, Richard Walsh. At the end of the second episode he dies getting Jack a keycard that can help discover who TheMole is. He's barely ever mentioned again by the halfway point of season 1 and is utterly forgotten after that, but he does appear in a few of the show's ExpandedUniverse comics and novels set before season 1.

* ''Series/TheBlacklist'': Luli Zheng, one of Raymond Reddington's associates, is killed by Anslo Garrick in Episode Nine to cement his HeroKiller status. Dembe was also set up to be one soon after, but was subverted immediately after in the next episode.

** A more straight up example is Krazy 8 who pretty much exists to be Walt's first murder.

** The special double-length pilot episode introduces Jesse, best friend of Xander, the show's PluckyComicRelief. It seems that Xander and Jesse will be a regular pairing throughout the show, mirroring the Buffy and Willow friendship. Then Jesse is turned into a vampire and Xander is forced to kill him. But that's okay, because he's [[ForgottenFallenFriend never mentioned again]].
** Creator/JossWhedon actually planned to bring Jesse back as a ghost or form of the First Evil talking to Xander in the final season, but [[RealLifeWritesThePlot real-life problems prevented it]]. (This happened a few other times: He also had to have the late Cassie speak for the also-late Tara in one episode because Tara's actress thought having the First appear as Tara was too cruel, and then had to completely scrap an episode idea to bring Tara BackFromTheDead because the actress wasn't available... among others.)

* ''Series/{{Frasier}}'': Father Mike, a recurring character in the first two seasons, gets fired and PutOnABus in the first episode of the third season just because the newly-arrived Kate Costas doesn't feel the need for a religious talkshow on the station, showing right away what a BadBoss she is.

* ''Series/{{Shark}}'': In the first episode somebody got fired. The only real character to die on the show wasn't until the end of the first season.

** Helped by the fact that ''Spooks'' does not have opening or closing credits, meaning that audience has no way of knowing who's a regular cast member, who's recurring, who's a guest, etc.

*** This TV series had the character of Major Charles Kowalski infected with a Goa'uld parasite in the pilot episode, and killed off in the episode immediately following it. This was done ''after'' he had played a significant role in the original movie on which the show was based. Furthermore, the real use of the character is to have a situation where the defector, Teal'c, gets to prove his worth and loyalty to the Earth authorities.

* While not an actual death, Series/{{Ultraseven}} was quickly defeated in the first episode of ''Series/UltramanLeo'' to establish that the new enemies were bad news. For the rest of the series [[spoiler: at least, until all of [=MAC=] was killed in episode 40]], Dan Moroboshi was so badly injured that he couldn't even transform, and was relegated to being TheMentor to Gen Otori.

* While not an actual death, Series/Ultraseven was quickly defeated in the first episode of ''Series/UltramanLeo'' to establish that the new enemies were bad news. For the rest of the series [[spoiler: at least, until all of [=MAC=] was killed in episode 40]], Dan Moroboshi was so badly injured that he couldn't even transform, and was relegated to being TheMentor to Gen Otori.

** Basically any RedShirt on ''Series/StarTrek'' can be this if they are sufficiently involved with the plot.

** Combo. The viewer barely knows who he is other than he was a chubby friend of Jesse's, and his assassination deeply saddens Jesse. Jesse then gets offended when Walt asks who Combo is when he breaks down the news to Walt.

* ''Series/{{The 100}}'': Wells, Clarke's (former) best friend and Chancellor Jaha's son, is killed at the end of episode three, despite being billed as a main character and [[DeathByAdaptation being one of the four viewpoint characters from the original book series]].

* Series/TheBlacklist: Luli Zheng, one of Raymond Reddington's associate, is killed by Anslo Garrick in Episode Nine to cement his [[HeroKiller Hero Killer status.]] Dembe was also set up to be one soon after, but was subverted immediately after in the next episode.

* ''MI5'':
** Had Lisa Faulkner, who was sacrificed in the ''second'' episode, but shocking nonetheless. Arguably, ''more'' so. Given that she'd survived the first episode and seemed like a major character, audiences could be forgiven for thinking she'd be in the series long-term. Alas, no.
** Helped by the fact that ''Spooks'' (as the show is known in the rest of the world) does not have opening or closing credits, meaning that audience has no way of knowing who's a regular cast member, who's recurring, who's a guest, etc.

* ''Series/StargateSG1'':
** This TV series had the character of Major Charles Kowalski infected with a Goa'uld parasite in the pilot episode, and killed off in the episode immediately following it. This was done ''after'' he had played a significant role in the original movie on which the show was based. Furthermore, the real use of the character is to have a situation where the defector, Teal'c, gets to prove his worth and loyalty to the Earth authorities.

** ''Stargate SG-1'' started long before that, offing the entire FiveManBand in the first episode, in order to introduce a FiveManBand with four slightly more interesting characters. The {{Red Shirt}}s guarding the Stargate at the beginning look like they'll be important... then Apophis and the Serpent Guards slaughter all but one. She is taken, it turns out, to be considered as a new host for Amonet. When Amonet turns her down, Apophis says, "A shame," brain-fries her to death in the second of the ''two'' instances of fatal Goa'uld hand-thingy brain-fry in the entire run of the franchise, and yells "Send another!" out the door.

* ''Series/{{Lexx}}'': Giggerota...sort of. She died in the second movie (the first season consisted of four movies), and the first movie seemed to set her up as the TokenEvilTeammate...however, it was fairly obvious that writing her into an ongoing series would have been problematic given her ChronicBackstabbingDisorder, her complete lack of loyalty to any of the crew, and the fact that none of her goals were aligned with anyone else's in the slightest.

* ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'': When this ''Series/DoctorWho'' SpinOff was being developed, the crew went further than usual by casting a well-respected actress as the Sacrificial Lamb and involving her character, Suzie, heavily in pre-publicity (including a special feature in the RadioTimes), to increase the shock when she bought it. The show then got more mileage from both character and casting by bringing Suzie BackFromTheDead temporarily for a later episode.

* ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody'': There's the waiters Gary and Rich who toss the salad. Don't know who they are? Yeah, we don't either, except for that London and Maddie injure them badly with the kitchen doors and so the two girls are forced to do the salad work in their places. Of course, these two girls not having any restaurant training make a horrendous salad by spraying vegetables everywhere with their careless spinning and tossing. The fact they had to made this salad for an important food critic doesn't help too much.

* ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody'': There's the waiters Gary and Rich who toss the salad. Don't know who they are? Yeah, we don't either, except for that London and Maddie injure them badly with the kitchen doors and so the two girls are forced to do the salad work in their places. Of course, these two girls not having any restaurant training make a horrendous salad by spraying vegetables everywhere with their careless spinning and tossing. The fact they had to made this salad for an important food critic who can ruin anyone's reputation doesn't help too much.

** Had Lisa Faulkner, who was sacrificed in the ''second'' episode, but shocking nonetheless.

* ''The Phone'': In the pilot, the first team was introduced and competed against the second team per a normal RealityTV show until about maybe half an hour (tops) into it when they don't complete the given task and are subsequently eliminated and DROWNED.

** JossWhedon actually planned to bring Jesse back as a ghost or form of the First Evil talking to Xander in the final season, but [[RealLifeWritesThePlot real-life problems prevented it]]. (This happened a few other times: He also had to have the late Cassie speak for the also-late Tara in one episode because Tara's actress thought having the First appear as Tara was too cruel, and then had to completely scrap an episode idea to bring Tara BackFromTheDead because the actress wasn't available... among others.)