Warning: This list contains major spoilers for several TV shows.

In the age of socia media and modern advertising, TV shows, or the actors and crew involved with them, sometimes spoil their biggest moments. YouTube and other online platforms mean that more people than ever will see trailers ahead of time, and promos play a precarious role in the viewing experience. However, there are still some TV show plot twists that should never be spoiled, making it shocking that people accidentally or intentionally revealed something before the episode in question was released.

Some actors and crew members maybe didn’t mean to spoil a major moment, but inadvertently revealed in an interview or social media post that something was coming. Others paid no mind to the “spoiler alert” culture and openly talked about what was to come — typically enraging fans. Certain TV shows connote cultural phenomena where everyone panics about spoilers until watching the episode, such as with the saddest deaths in The Walking Dead or the most brutal and horrific moments in Game of Thrones. However, try as everyone may, people still slip up and ruin the moment for many fans.

10

Mischa Barton Spoiled Marissa’s Death In An Interview

The O.C. (2003-2007)

Mischa Barton infamously spoiled her The O.C. character Marissa Cooper’s death in an interview with Access Hollywood a few hours before the season 3 finale aired (via eonline.com). Marissa had been one of the main characters of The O.C. since the beginning, meaning her death would be a major upheaval for both the characters in the show and the real-world fandom outside it. While Marissa’s death was a massive turning point for The O.C., it was not entirely for worse.

Some people believe that The O.C. got better after Marissa’s death, as she was a character the writers didn’t seem to know what to do with anymore. However, while it may have improved other characters’ storylines, it was still an unfair ending for Marissa. The combination of one of the “core four” characters being killed off and the controversial reveal ahead of time make it a highly contentious moment in TV history. The O.C. only lasted one more season after Marissa’s death.

9

Ian McShane Spoiled The Hound’s Return In An Interview

Game Of Thrones (2011-2019)

Five seasons in, everyone involved should have known to never spoil Game of Thrones if it can be helped. At the end of Game of Thrones season 4, the Hound engages in a brutal battle with Brienne of Tarth and is seemingly left to die from his injuries by Arya. After being absent for a season, the Hound reappears when it is revealed that he was found and treated by a new character. The true story behind Ian McShane’s Game of Thrones cameo as the Hound’s caretaker Brother Ray is tumultuous, given how McShane handled the fandom’s spoiler-wary culture.

In the lead-up to season 6, McShane teased that he was playing a character who would bring back a presumed-dead character, and it didn’t take long for most people to figure out who he was talking about. When fans reacted angrily to the spoiler, McShane was thoroughly unapologetic. When speaking about the reactions to Empire Magazine (via EW), McShane said: “And what am I giving away? A character beloved by everybody returns. Get a f*****g life. The show is huge but some fans seem to identify with it [too closely].”

8

Rodri Martin Spoiled Pietro’s Return In A Social Media Post

WandaVision (2021)

Rumors were circling about Peter Evans’ possible involvement in the MCU ahead of his first official appearance in WandaVision. Evans had previously played Peter/Pietro Maximoff a.k.a. Quicksilver in Fox’s X-Men universe, while a different and entire separate version of the character was portrayed by Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the MCU’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. As part of Wanda’s fabricated reality in WandaVision, she “recasts Pietro,” so she may have a brother who didn’t die. As a bit of meta humor and maybe a set-up for a crossover, Peters plays this Pietro as well.

Rodri Martin, who provided the Spanish voice-over for Peters in the X-Men movies and was set to do the same for WandaVision, posted on social media that he and Quicksilver would be returning as part of the MCU. As this was a violation of his contract with Disney, Martin was fired from WandaVision (via The Direct). This was a harsh reaction on the studio’s part, but it does demonstrate how seriously everyone takes spoilers, especially surrounding the MCU.

7

ABC Spoiled Dr. Whale’s Identity In A Trailer

Once Upon A Time (2011-2018)

Half of the fun in the early seasons of Once Upon a Time is figuring out who everyone in Storybrooke is in the parallel fairy tale universe. However, Once Upon a Time seasons 1 and 2 are very episodic, with each new episode revolving around a specific fairy tale, and tended to advertise themselves that way. Therefore, several promotions over the years gave away or strongly hinted at the characters’ fairy tale identities when the audience enjoyed figuring it out for themselves.

A particular example revolves around Storybrooke resident Dr. Whale, whose counterpart is still unconfirmed at the end of season 1. One of the characters even directly asks him who he is at the beginning of season 2, noting the fact that no one knows. The promo ahead of season 2, episode 5, “The Doctor” showcases a new aesthetic and strongly alludes to Whale’s ability to raise the dead, all but confirming that he is Dr. Victor Frankenstein ahead of the episode (via YouTube).

6

Bob Odenkirk Spoiled Howard’s Death In A Social Media Post

Better Call Saul (2015-2022)

Months before Better Call Saul season 6 premiered, Bob Odenkirk Tweeted a picture of himself and Patrick Fabian on set to wish his co-star a happy birthday. However, his followers were quick to notice a red streak in Fabian’s hair and deduced that his character Howard Hamlin would either be seriously injured or killed in the upcoming season (via comicbook.com). Sure enough, season 6 features a fateful confrontation between Howard, Saul Goodman, and Kim Wexler, which Lalo Salamanca interrupts and kills Howard.

This slip-up was apparently a genuine mistake on Odenkirk’s part, which he explained after Howard’s death episode had aired. To his and AMC’s credit, they did not take the post down after it prompted speculation, which would have confirmed that there was indeed something to hide. Luckily for Odenkirk, it’s not as though they were going to fire the iconic actor associated with the role halfway through the final season.

5

Stranger Things Season 4 Was Spoiled By A Monopoly Game

Stranger Things (2016-2025)

News outlets started reporting on a Monopoly tie-in game featuring details that spoiled Stranger Things season 4 in the weeks before the first half of the season was released. The Duffer brothers reportedly were not consulted about this marketing move, and were just as angry as everyone else when spoilers started to proliferate online (via THR). Some images from the game’s cards were said to spoil parts of the upcoming seasons, predictably provoking outrage.

Interestingly, most of the news outlets that covered this event, including The Hollywood Reporter and Screen Rant’s story on the Stranger Things Monopoly leak, did not say what the actual spoilers were. Even Reddit boards discussing the matter used censorship features to conceal spoilers, allowing people the option to click away the censors before something was spoiled for them. It shows true dedication and a kind of honor code concerning spoilers, because even though everyone knew major Stranger Things spoilers had been leaked, they did their part to not ruin it for anyone else.

4

The MCU Spoiled Coulson’s Return In A Trailer

Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013-2020)

The earliest trailers for the first MCU TV show — from long before Disney+ started producing shows about the franchise’s main characters — technically spoiled Coulson’s resurrection. As the very premise of the show is that Coulson forms a new team of agents to investigate strange supernatural phenomena in the MCU world, this reveal was deemed a necessary part of the advertisement. How Coulson had returned from the dead was concealed until well into the first season.

However, the MCU still potentially missed out on a major TV moment where a plot twist represents the core story coming together. Coulson’s death in The Avengers is a surprisingly devastating moment; he functioned as a mildly annoying but good-natured supporting character up until this point and is one of the consistencies in all the solo movies before the first crossover event. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. suffered from some other continuity issues over the years, such as the Avengers never finding out that Coulson had survived.

3

Sabrina Impacciatore Spoiled Tanya’s Death In An Interview

The White Lotus (2021-Present)

Some actors feel confident enough to spoil something in such a way that it comes across as a joke — such as when Mark Ruffalo spoiled Avengers: Infinity War. However, this is especially risky if it is in an interview with other cast and crew members who aren’t fully prepared to play along. In a promotional video released ahead of The White Lotus season 2, cast members Sabrina Impacciatore, Beatrice Grannò, and Simona Tabasco were asked the surprisingly on-point question of: “Who’s most likely to fall off the edge of a boat?” (via huffpost.com).

Impacciatore quickly answered Jennifer Coolidge, which was probably intended as a clever “hidden spoiler” as well as making fun of her co-star in a friendly way. Unfortunately, Grannò and Tabasco both momentarily panicked over what Impacciatore​​​​​​​ had just given away. This advance spoiler of Tanya’s impending death went mostly unnoticed, but people were led back to the interview after the event had taken place on the show.

2

Everyone Spoiled Jon Snow’s Resurrection

Game Of Thrones (2011-2019)

To be fair, Jon’s impending resurrection being “spoiled” was at least partially due to Games of Thrones’ unprecedented popularity and the relentless scrutiny and debates that followed his death in the season 5 finale. Jon being stabbed by angered members of the Night’s Watch famously inspired a flat-out refusal among the fandom to accept his death when several of his storylines were still unresolved. Harrington lied to almost everyone about his return to preserve secrecy, except for the police officer to whom he told the truth to avoid a speeding ticket (via YouTube).

However, fans were over-analyzing everything the cast and crew said, looking for evidence of Jon’s return. Small details that supported the theory included interviews with other cast members, tie-in merchandising, Harrington and the showrunners strategically avoiding further questioning, and rumors of Harrington being on set (via Business Insider). These things technically did spoil Jon’s resurrection, albeit to an audience that desperately wanted to believe he was coming back.

1

AMC Spoiled Beth’s Death In A Social Media Post

The Walking Dead (2010-2022)

The Walking Dead infamously spoiled Beth’s death, technically after the episode had aired but before most of the fanbase had yet to watch it. Since she was introduced in The Walking Dead season 2, Beth had become a beloved character, and her death in the mid-season 5 finale was sure to be an emotional moment. Character deaths are their own trope in The Walking Dead, and everyone takes not spoiling them seriously.

However, as soon as the episode had aired on the East Coast, The Walking Dead’s official Facebook page posted an image of Daryl carrying Beth’s body captioned “RIP Beth.” As everyone on the West Coast and in other countries had yet to see it, her death was stupidly spoiled for them. AMC quickly took down the post and apologized. However, they had learned their lesson the hard way, as other cast and crew members as well as networks have, by spoiling shows in an effort to promote that show.

Source: eonline.com, Entertainment Weekly, The Direct, YouTube, comicbook.com, The Hollywood Reporter, Reddit, huffpost.com, Business Insider