CertainTV shows enjoy greater longevity than others, continuing to endear themselves to fans for years and years. Sometimes, however, certain awful storylines that pop up prove it’s time for these shows to end. These are symptomatic of a TV show that may have overstayed its welcome, and may even mar the legacy of the show in the years to come. Sometimes, a plot twist may be poorly executed, or character arcs will feel extremely rushed. Whatever the case,these are some of the worst examples of a TV show whose end was certainly near.
These are plotlines that don’t add anything intriguing to the story, and occasionally just feel like lazy writing from showrunners who were evidently running out of ideas. Whether that’s the Mother of Dragon’s rapid descent into madness, or an inexplicable romance being sparked between two characters who are incredibly incompatible, these plotlines now live in TV show infamy.Certain TV storylines can risk killing their show altogether, but these were the last, futile attempts at writing before the shows were to meet their conclusion.
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How I Met Your Mother - Season 9
How I Met Your Motherset itself apart from other friendship-oriented sitcoms by framing itself around Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor/Bob Saget) explaining to his two children how he met their mother. The show spanned nine seasons of build-up for the big reveal of how Ted met her, with the Mother (Cristin Milioti) being properly introduced in the season eight finale. Miloti then became a recurring cast member in the ninth season, and the moment that the Mother met Ted was revealed in the series finale “Last Forever”.
However, the way that the show ended felt rushed, and essentially retconned the nine seasons of buildup. The Mother is revealed to have passed away in 2024 (six years before Ted starts telling the story), and the show ends with Ted’s kids persuading him to ask out Robin (Cobie Smulders). The show attempts to play this off asTed’s long-winded story really just being a confession about his lingering feelings, but given that the show is literally calledHow I Met Your Mother, this final storyline feels rushed and cheap. WhileHow I Met Your Mother’s ending may have been impossible to avoid, it nevertheless feels like nine seasons have been wasted.
Sherlock - Season 4
Thedecline of the BBC dramaSherlockafter the death of Moriarty(Andrew Scott) was a telltale sign that without Sherlock’s (Benedict Cumberbatch) archenemy, the show would quickly run out of steam. While Moriarty made some cameos from beyond the grave, by the end of season 4 the show had introduced a new villain to try and fill the vacuum that he had left. At the end of the second episode of season 4, the “therapist” that Watson (Martin Freeman) had been talking to was revealed to actually be Sherlock’s evil younger sister, Eurus (Sîan Brooke).
Dropping in the reveal that Sherlock has an evil sibling certainly made for an interesting cliffhanger to get viewers to tune in to the finale, but Eurus' entire storyline was handled pretty badly. While the family dynamic was an interesting subplot,the reveal that Sherlock’s memory of Eurus was “rewritten"is a poor use of exposition to explain why she hadn’t been mentioned in the show before. It’s a convoluted villain introduction that just feels thrown in at the end, more with the intention of shocking viewers than to actually serve a compelling narrative. This plotline meant that the extraordinary drama ended with more of a whimper than a bang.
The Office - Season 9
LikeSherlock,The Officewas a show that never truly recovered after the departure of a beloved character, Michael Scott (Steve Carell) in season 7. However, the core relationship dynamic of Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) stayed strong as a cornerstone of the show long after Michael left. However, in season 9, their relationship is put under heavy strain following Jim’s decision to start a new sports marketing business in Philadelphia. This tension comes to a head in an argument over the phone, leading to Pam bursting into tears and being consoled by the mockumentary’s boom mic operator.
WhileJim and Pam’s relationshipeventually emerges unscathed, it’s a weird storyline that leaves an unsettling taste in the mouth. It’s uncomfortable to watch these two characters, who over the course of nine seasons have had seemingly unbreakable chemistry, begin to argue with one another. It’s an unnatural and forced plot that seemingly comes out of nowhere, leading to conflicts between Jim and Pam that are not at all aligned with what we already know about the characters. At this point,it was clear thatThe Officehad run its course,and was only a few episodes away from limping to its conclusion.
Fear the Walking Dead - Season 8
Yes,The Walking Deadis renowned for killing off main charactersleft, right, and center, but the death of Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs) in season eight is one of the most pointless. After being bitten by a walker while rescuing Siddiq (Avi Nash), Carl initially hides the bite, but eventually tells his father, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) the truth.Carl shoots himself offscreenso that he doesn’t turn into walker. It’s an emotional moment with some incredible acting from both Riggs and Lincoln, but in hindsight, this shouldn’t have happened at all.
Even the highly controversial murder of Glenn in season 7 served as a plot device to introduce the danger of Negan and the Saviors, but Carl’s was purely needless.
Narratively, Carl’s death is probablyThe Walking Dead’s most mind-boggling decision. Even the highly controversial murder of Glenn (Steven Yeun) in season 7 served as a plot device to introduce the danger of Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and the Saviors, but Carl’s was purely needless. In the comic books, Carl survives and is a symbol of hope for future generations in the apocalypse, and whileThe Walking Deaddoes include Carl’s little sister, there is nowhere near the same level of emotional attachment here. It’s a ridiculous plotline that cemented the course of decline thatThe Walking Deadwas already on.
Modern Family - Season 10
It’s clear whatModern Familywas trying to do when, in the fourth episode of the 10th season, “Torn Between Two Lovers”, Hayley (Sarah Hyland) chooses to get back together with her on-again, off-again boyfriend since high school, Dylan (Reid Ewing), breaking up with Arvin (Chris Geere) to do so. On the surface, it’s a cute star-crossed lovers moment, andprobably serves a poignant message about the right personbeing around the whole time, but looking back, its a symptom ofModern Family’s lack of edge in its later seasons.
For Hayley especially, the decision to get back together with Dylan felt like a major regression of her character arc. Dylan was always looked down upon as her immature high school romance, but then she ends up marrying, moving in with, and having twins with him! As well as this, when Arvin and Hayley first meet, Arvin states that he believes there is some supernatural force that will cause them to get married. It’s a touching and romantic moment of foreshadowing that never has any payoff, implying thatthe decision for Hayley and Dylan to end up togetherwas just a quick way to tie up some loose ends beforeModern Familyended.
Friends - Season 8
Friendsis probably the most iconic sitcom of all time, and its 10-season run produced numerous compelling romance storylines. However, in the show’s later seasons, its ability to conjure up these relationships was wearing very thin, giving birth to one of the most egregious and nonsensical romantic subplots in TV history. In season eight, Joey (Matt LeBlanc) begins to have feelings for Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), and while she does not reciprocate these at first, by season 10 the two are essentially dating.
Firstly, the relationship goes nowhere, with Joey and Rachel being unable to be intimate with one another, making the romance a needless subplot asFriendsneared its conclusion. Secondly, at the core ofFriendsis the relationship between Ross (David Schwimmer) and Rachel. Yes, the two occasionally dated other people, but they never dated within the core group of six friends. Therefore, whenJoey and Rachel started dating and became a couple, it felt uncomfortable to watch, as if the show was about to abandon Ross and Rachel’s relationship altogether. Overall,this was anunnecessary addition, and one that was completely out of character for both Joey and Rachel.
Game Of Thrones Season 8
Game Of Thrones - Season 8
In the final season of this epic fantasy series, alliances are tested and destinies are fulfilled as the Night King’s army advances on Westeros. The ultimate battle for survival and supremacy unfolds, determining who will finally claim the Iron Throne amid shifting loyalties and intense political intrigue.
Potentially the biggest fall from grace of any TV show ever,Game of Thronesseason 8 is full of enough bad decisionsto fill several books. It’s impossible to pick just one, but it was clear from how rushed the season felt, that the show was certainly nearing its end. From Daenerys' (Emilia Clarke) rapid arc towards becoming the Mad Queen, to Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) claiming that he never cared about innocent lives, to Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) not being the man to kill the Night King,Game of Thrones' conclusion is often seen as one of the worst in TV history.
There is so much wrong withGame of Thrones' final season, with these terrible plotlines being one of its main symptoms.
Considering that George R.R. Martin himself hadn’t finished writing the books thatGame of Throneswas based upon, this was likely a primary reason why the final two seasons felt so jarring. The showrunners simply had no real idea what to do with the characters that audiences had spent eight years with. Certain major plot points, such as Jon Snow’s parentage, never paid off, while others were just out of character for some, such as Varys' (Conleth Hill) bold actions against Daenerys. There is so much wrong withGame of Thrones' final season, withthese terrible plotlines being one of its main symptoms.
