Once ashowhas gotten off the ground and is into its later seasons, it may take bolder swings with its plotlines. This can look like anything from putting unlikely characters together forromanticstorylines, to killing off a character who has been around for a long time. Sometimes, a bold twist is exactly what a show needs, like when each of Meredith Grey’s half-sisters were revealed inGrey’s Anatomy.
Other times, though,a major plot twist can completely destroy the show.When a show throws in a plot twist that feels out of nowhere and messes everything up, it can feel like the ultimate betrayal. This can ruin the show, so that the rest of the show does not have the same spark to it. It can also make it so that the show is not even possible to rewatch at all, due to the knowledge of what is to come. These are 10 storylines that ruined belovedTVshows.
10Chuck No Longer Being the Intersect
‘Chuck’ Season 3, Episode 1
Chuckwas an unconventional and surprisingly funny procedural about an ordinary guy named Chuck Bartowski who worked at his local Buy More. Chuck lived a simple life after his best friend and roommate, Bryce Larkin, got him expelled from Stanford and ruined his relationship several years back. One night, though, everything in Chuck’s life changed. Bryce, now a CIA agent gone rogue, sends Chuck a video containing many critical government secrets before seemingly being killed.
Chuck became The Intersect in the pilot ofChuck, and the whole show revolved around Chuck’s reluctant involvement in The CIA.In the Season 2 finale, though, Chuck lost his abilities. Season 3 returned with everything different. Chuck’s central premise was lost, and even worse, he chose pursuing this job over being with Sarah. The show righted the second issue, but it still never returned to the magic of its first two seasons.
9The Existence of a Vampire Cure
‘The Vampire Diaries’ Season 4, Episode 4
The Vampire Diarieswas a phenomenal teen drama that followed the life of a human named Elena Gilbert, andher relationships with vampiresand other magical beings. The show had many questionable and bizarre storylines in its later seasons, but there was one specific Season 4 storyline that took the show off the rails.The Vampire Diarieswas never the same after the reveal of the vampire cure.
Although there was not enough of the cure available to suddenly cure everyone, it felt like a major retcon. Elena being turned into a vampire was a huge storyline for the show, and one that had felt inevitable since nearly the beginning ofThe Vampire Diaries. While this plotline was frustrating, it was just ridiculous when the show conveniently revealed the existence of a vampire cure around the same time. It lowered the stakes of the show to have something like that on the table, and it took the mythology a little too far out of the relm of believability within this world.
The Vampire Diaries
8David Clarke Returning From the Dead
‘Revenge’ Season 3, Episode 22
The entire premise ofRevengewas that Emily Thorne (formerly Amanda Clarke) went undercover and infiltrated the lives of a select group of people in The Hamptons, in order to get revenge for what they had done to her father. Although David Clarke was innocent, Victoria and Conrad Grayon framed him for an act of terrorism that ruined his life and reputation. David was later killed while in jail, in what was revealed to be a hired killing by Conrad.
In the Season 3 finale ofRevenge,the show revealed that David had actually been alive all these years.It turned out that he had been taken by Malcolm Black, a rival of Conrad’s, and held captive. This was a massive cop out, and it completely destroyed the entire premise of the show. There were still entertaining and meaningful parts of Season 4, but it was impossible to take the plot seriously after David returned from the dead. It felt very cheap, made worse by the fact that his character turned out to be absolutely insufferable.
7Ted Leaving AFC Richmond
‘Ted Lasso’ Season 3, Episode 12
Ted Lasso’s third season has some reallystrong and touching storylines, but it was much weaker than the show’s previous seasons. It dropped much of the comedy that had made the show so charming, and every episode felt disjointed and off in tone. The show was not truly ruined until the series finale, though. In the last episode of the show,Ted Lassomanaged to ruin the rewatch potential of what had otherwise been a really special show.
In the Season 3 finale, Ted decides to leave London and go home to Henry. This felt like such a slap in the face, and it ruined the legacy of the show. Ted’s journey was about finding himself again and growing into his own person after his marriage. He changed everyone’s lives at AFC Richmond, and he built a found family. The show could have had Henry move there, and it could have even brought Michelle to London. Taking Ted away from London and making it seem like he would probably get back with Michelle ruined all of his progressand made much of the show feel pointless.
6Dan Humphrey Being Revealed as Gossip Girl
‘Gossip Girl’ Season 6, Episode 10
Gossip Girlis another show that ruined its whole show, as well as its rewatchability, in the final episode of the show. Sometimes, TV shows will make bold moves in their final episodes that ruin the entire series. ForGossip Girl, this was the reveal that Dan Humphrey was Gossip Girl. The mysterious identity of Gossip Girl had loomed over the entire series, as this person reported on everything and ruined the main characters' lives.
In the series finale, it was revealed that Dan Humphrey was Gossip Girl. This made absolutely no sense, and the explanation just made it worse. Dan had apparently used Gossip Girl to admire Manhattan’s elite, especially Serena, and to bring himself into the fold. The subjects of this blog were mad at him for less than one scene, before everyone decided that it was just Dan’s “love letter” to all of them.It was such a cop out,and it makes the show hard to rewatch, knowing that Gossip Girlwas actually Dan all along.
Gossip Girl
5Wes Gibbins' Death
‘How to Get Away with Murder’ Season 3, Episode 15
How to Get Away with Murder’s first two seasons remain two of the very best drama seasons ever made. They were very well-written, intense, and fast-paced. Each of these seasons built up to a major murderin the midseason finale, using flashbacks. The rest of the season showed the main characters covering it up and dealing with the ramifications. It was a truly amazing and fascinating show.
In Season 3,How to Get Away with Murderfocused on the death of a main character, Wes Gibbins. Wes was the second main character, behind Annalise, and easily the central character of the Keating Five. His death was completely unnecessary, and seemed to have been done just for shock value and to make Laurel’s father more of an evil villain.The characters disrespected Wes and his memory in death,and the show never fully came back from this storyline.
How to Get Away With Murder
‘Jane the Virgin’ Season 5, Episode 1
Michael Cordero’s death in Season 3 ofJane the Virginwas absolutely devastating. It would have seemed completely out of nowhere, except for an intentional line in Season 1, where the Narrator confirmed that Michael would love Jane “until his last breath.” Michael’s death was deeply sad, and the show was just not the same without him. Everything had more weight to it, and Jane never fully recovered from losing her husband.
In spite of the heartbreaking circumstances of Michael’s death, the show was still great even after that. What ruinedJane the Virginwasthe reveal that Michael was still alivein the Season 4 finale, and that he had amnesia at the beginning of Season 5.Bringing a character back from the dead after more than one episode never works, and always feels like the show is cheating the audience.This was a horrible thing to do with Michael’s character, particularly because he and Jane decided to go their separate ways after this.
Jane the Virgin
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3Glenn’s Brutal Death
The Walking Deadwas never the sort of show to shy away from violent scenes or gutwrenching character deaths. That being said, the show took it way too far with the brutal murder of Glenn Rhee in the Season 7 premiere. Initially starting out as a former pizza delivery guy who saved Rick’s life,Glenn became the moral conscienceof the show. His love story and eventual marriage with Maggie was also a standout inThe Walking Dead.
Glenn’s death was especially brutal and horrifying for several reasons. His death was already devastating and violent in the comics, but it was somehow even worse in the show. For one, there was a false sense of security, because Negan killed Abraham first, and it looked like Glenn could live. Mostly, it was just brutal and gruesome,because the show did not cut away from Glenn’s death at all.It felt like a betrayal of both this character and the fans, and the show was never the same without him. What made it even worse was how the show tried to redeem Negan after this.
The Walking Dead
2Daenerys Turning Into a Dictator
‘Game of Thrones’ Season 8, Episode 5
The final season ofGame of Throneswas a severe disappointment in many ways, and it absolutely destroyed the show and its legacy. Any one of these storylines could be used as an example of what ruined the show, but the destruction of Daenerys Targaryen’s character rises above all of these as the show’s very worst offense. It wasn’t just Daenerys' death that was so awful; it was also the circumstances that led to her death.
Daenerys always had the heartof a hero, and was regularly saving lives and righting wrongs.Even the grief over losing Missandei should not have been enough to turn Daenerys into a vicious, ruthless dictator.The show destroyed itself along with her character, taking the rightful ruler of the Seven Kingdoms and making her completely unrecognizable. Even worse was Daenerys' death, where the man she loved killed her, in what the show tried to paint as an act of heroism.
Game Of Thrones
1Tracy Dying, and Ted Going Back to Robin
‘How I Met Your Mother’ Season 9, Episode 24
There was perhaps no greater betrayal in television history than the series finale ofHow I Met Your Mother. The entire show built up to the moment where Ted Mosby would meet Tracy McConnell, the love of his life and the mother of his children. The entire narrative was framed around future Ted telling this story, as past Ted went through everything that would eventually lead him to meeting her.
How I Met Your Motherspent nine seasons showing why Ted and Robin did not work as a couple. It was heartbreaking when the series finale showedthat Tracy had died of a terminal illness,but it was just infuriating when Ted went back to Robin after all that time.It felt like the series finale had just flushed the rest of the showdown the toilet. The show is still great, but the ending hangs over every rewatch, staining the show forever.
