Sometimes, the writers will kill off a fairly major character. Because this is a relatively rare event, the death will be hyped up beforehand in ads. In television, these episodes are ratings stunts, perhaps broadcast as a season finale or (in the U.S.) during Sweeps week.

This trope differs from Anyone Can Die, since in that trope, death is relatively unannounced, to reemphasize the shock, whereas in Tonight Someone Dies, the event is milked for all it is worth before it happens.

In ages past,