FBI: Most Wanted left fans open-mouthed on Tuesday night after killing off one of its biggest stars - and it’s fair to say that viewers were absolutely devastated. Warning, major spoilers ahead!
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In the episode, Jess, played by Julian McMahon, was shot and killed by a mass murderer hellbent on finding his wife who was in hiding after suffering domestic abuse.
WATCH: Are you sad to see Jess go?
Taking to Twitter, one person wrote: "I have no words. I'm shocked. I'm numb. Jess LaCroix you didn't deserve that. What an amazing character you were, you'll be missed," while another added: "Thanks a lot #FBIMostWanted. After watching the episode last night, I rewatched it again in a terrible nightmare! Why did you have to kill Jess off!? Why not let him live?! Hasn’t poor Tali been through enough?! I’m heartbroken."
A third person added: "It’s a shame to know that after tonight we won’t see Jess LaCroix’s smiling face [on our] screens anymore. Thank you Julian McMahon for giving life to this unbelievable character. Best of luck to you in your future endeavors."
Fans were devastated by Jess' exit
David Hudgins, a producer on the series, opened up about the decision to kill off Jess, telling Deadline: "Ultimately, in the writers' room, we kept coming back to this notion that the premise of this show is Most Wanted — we’re chasing the worst of the worst, the most dangerous of the dangerous. Inherently in that line of work, is the constant risk that you can either get injured or killed in the line of duty.
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"And we just decided that true to the premise of the show, this was what was going to happen to Jess— he gets killed in the line of duty. But we also wanted to do it in a way where it was heroic, which is why he dies while trying to save [Lucy]. It’s shocking, it’s tragic. It’s emotional. It’s dramatic. And it was the best story we could do for the exit of this character."
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