Over 800 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Worst Storylines From Great TV Shows
Voting Rules
Vote up the TV storylines you want to skip through on your next rewatch.
Every great TV show has that one storyline that went the wrong direction. Whether it's an awkward romance or a beloved character acting out of their depth, these storylines take away from the story for a moment and make you question the writers. Even the greatest shows on television have their missteps and cheap subplots that may even become tedious at times to get through. There could be a number of reasons why these storylines didn't work, such as puzzling character decisions or contrived romantic conflicts, but they all had the same result: We hated it.Â
From Joey and Rachel's awkward romance on Friends to Glenn's illogical dumpster dive on The Walking Dead, these are the worst storylines from otherwise great TV shows. Vote up the storylines you wish you could forget.
Season 2 of Stranger Things was generally a massive success with one glaring problem: the introduction of new "Elevens" with mutant abilities. What made Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) so special in the first place was the fact that she was one of a kind. She was mysterious and unconventional, yet so easy to root for. So when Season 2 introduced a group of super-human test subjects in the form of '80s punk rocker/anarchists, fans were a little taken aback. While the idea is solid, the execution of the subplot was where the show went wrong.
It didn't help that the storyline was largely condensed into a bottle episode, taking up the entirety of episode 7. "The Lost Sister" became the lowest-rated episode in Stranger Things history, with many fans displeased by the change of tone and story. Despite all that, the new group of test subjects just weren't all that interesting. Their leader, Kali (Linnea Berthelsen), changed up Eleven's look and even tried to get her to commit an act of murder. Fans were happy when the storyline was left behind, and the writers seemingly have no plans to dig it back up.
At the start of Lost's third season, fans began to notice that two new Oceanic Flight 815 survivors had been added to the series' cast. Nikki (Kiele Sanchez) and Paolo (Rodrigo Santoro) were created by the show's creator Damon Lindelof in response to the writers not focusing on any of the other survivors who got stranded on the island. Fans were confused by the sudden introduction of two new survivors with speaking roles, wondering where they had been for the past two seasons.
Fans quickly despised Nikki and Paolo, arguing that they added nothing new to the series - which was relatively true. The new characters weren't really given much to do, considering that all of the show's central storylines already revolved around the main characters. In response to the backlash, Lindelof wrote an episode later that season to explain their backstory while simultaneously killing them off the show. The pair may be the show's most forgettable characters, but being buried alive was a satisfying way to watch them go.
By the time Season 9 of The Office came around, the feeling was mutual that it was time for the sitcom to end. Although the eighth season was able to retain some magic without Michael Scott (Steve Carrell), the show's ninth season failed to come up with interesting storylines for our beloved characters. Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) was turned into a whinier, more bitter version of his old self; Daryl (Craig Robinson) was inexplicably dumbed down; but worst of all was Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam's (Jenna Fischer) marital problems that occupied the last half of the season.
Jim and Pam have always been one of TV's strongest couples. It was hard to buy that Jim working part-time in Philadelphia was the catalyst that was going to tear apart their marriage. A lot of their issues, such as Jim working long hours and Pam struggling to maintain a household for a couple of days a week, were not significant enough to see it affect their marriage. The worst of it all was the introduction of Brian (Chris Diamantopoulos), a boom operator from the documentary crew who wedged himself between them. We knew that eventually Jim and Pam would see the light and come out stronger than ever, rendering that entire storyline as pointless and contrived.
At least Season 9 fixed Nelly (Catherine Tate) from her borderline unlikable Season 8 personality.
Joey (Matt LeBlanc) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) hooking up in Friends wouldn't be as controversial as it was if Rachel hadn't been pregnant with Ross's (David Schwimmer) child at the time. Aside from being awkward and forced, it seemingly came out of nowhere, and fans didn't buy the whole Rachel/Joey romance, which lasted from Season 8 all the way into Season 10. Even the actors, LeBlanc and Aniston, protested the storyline to the producers, but it was no use.
It just didn't make sense. Rachel had a baby on the way and Joey was the opposite of mature. And aside from all that, it was clear by the end of the series that Ross and Rachel were always meant to be together. Why waste time on a friends-with-benefits storyline? The hardest pill to swallow was believing that Joey and Rachel were more interested in hooking up than respecting their friendship with Ross.
At the end of the day, it just didn't compute and ultimately led nowhere.
Breaking Bad's biggest writing error was an early Season 1 storyline involving Hank's (Dean Norris) wife Marie (Betsy Brandt) that was never brought up again, nor resolved. Of course, we're talking about the brief storyline in which Marie is a kleptomaniac despite having a high-paying job and a cop for a husband. The storyline begins in Season 1, episode 3, "...And the Bag's in the River," as Marie inexplicably steals a pair of shoes from the mall, culminating in her sister Skyler (Anna Gunn) almost getting arrested in the season finale for trying to return a stolen baby tiara.
When the show returns for Season 2, Skyler is no longer talking to Marie over the tiara incident, causing Hank lots of grief. It's not until Walt (Bryan Cranston) goes missing that the sisters are on speaking terms again. Once Walter is found safe, Skyler forgives the incident, and the two carry on as usual, but Marie's kleptomania is never brought up again. It isn't known if she stopped or went to therapy for her condition, but the show had bigger things to focus on.
Friday Night Lights was a hit because of its down-to-earth characters and a story grounded in realism. No flashy action sequences or shootouts - just small-town drama with the compelling backdrop of high school football. The show was met with consistent praise from critics... except for the unnecessary murder-coverup subplot in Season 2 that revolved around one of the show's most harmless characters, Landry Clarke (Jesse Plemmons).
The subplot was conceived by producers to amp up the action in the show's second season, resulting in a violent storyline that was downright nonsensical. The storyline begins with Landry taking the life of an assailant who was attempting to assault his crush, Tyra Collette (Adrianne Palicki). Instead of going straight to the police, the two get rid of the body and cover up the evidence. Why? Landry is a good kid and it seems out of character to keep the event a secret (not to mention melodramatically absurd to rope him into a murder subplot in the first place). Eventually, he does confess, and to nobody's surprise, the charges are dropped, ending the series' strangest plotline.
