10 Storylines That Ruined Beloved TV Shows

Once a show has 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 for romantic storylines, 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 in Grey’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 beloved TV shows.

10 Chuck No Longer Being the Intersect

‘Chuck’ Season 3, Episode 1

Chuck Bartowski in Chuck — Image via NBC

Chuck was 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 of Chuck, 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.

Chuck

Release Date: September 24, 2007
Seasons: 5
Studio: NBC

9 The Existence of a Vampire Cure

‘The Vampire Diaries’ Season 4, Episode 4

Dressed in formal attire, Elena faces Damon in The Vampire Diaries — Image via The CW

The Vampire Diaries was a phenomenal teen drama that followed the life of a human named Elena Gilbert, and her relationships with vampires and 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 Diaries was 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 of The 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.

Release Date: September 10, 2009
Creator
Rating
Seasons: 8
Franchise: The Vampire Diaries
Story By: L.J. Smith
Writers: Julie Plec , Kevin Williamson , L.J. Smith
Network: The CW
Directors: John Dahl

8 David Clarke Returning From the Dead

‘Revenge’ Season 3, Episode 22

Emily and David Clarke standing together in Revenge Season 4 — Image via ABC

The entire premise of Revenge was 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 of Revenge, 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.

Emily VanCamp in the Revenge Season 3 Poster

Release Date: September 21, 2011
Cast: Emily VanCamp , Madeleine Stowe , Joshua Bowman , Nick Wechsler , Gabriel Mann , Christa B. Allen , Karine Vanasse , James Tupper
Seasons: 4
Main Genre: Drama

7 Ted Leaving AFC Richmond

‘Ted Lasso’ Season 3, Episode 12

Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso leaning down to speak to a young boy at an outdoor sporting event. — Image via Apple TV+

Ted Lasso‘s third season has some really strong 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 Lasso managed 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 progress and made much of the show feel pointless.

Release Date: August 14, 2020
Creator
Seasons: 3

6 Dan Humphrey Being Revealed as Gossip Girl

‘Gossip Girl’ Season 6, Episode 10

Penn Badgley lazes in a chair and looks morose as Dan in Gossip Girl. — Image via The CW

Gossip Girl is 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. For Gossip 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 Girl was actually Dan all along.

Gossip Girl

Release Date: September 19, 2007
Cast: Blake Lively , Leighton Meester , Penn Badgley , Chace Crawford , Ed Westwick , Kelly Rutherford , Matthew Settle , Taylor Momsen , Jessica Szohr , Zuzanna Szadkowski , Connor Paolo , Kaylee DeFer , Margaret Colin , Amanda Setton , Nicole Fiscella , Michelle Trachtenberg , Robert John Burke , Nan Zhang , Hugo Becker , Yin Chang , Alice Callahan , Sam Robards , Aaron Schwartz
Seasons: 6
Writers: Joshua Safran
Network: The CW
Streaming Service(s): Max
Showrunner: Joshua Safran
Producers: Stephanie Savage
Main Genre: Drama
Creator(s): Stephanie Savage , Josh Schwartz

5 Wes Gibbins’ Death

‘How to Get Away with Murder’ Season 3, Episode 15

Wes Gibbins smiling and talking to someone in How to Get Away With Murder. — Image via ABC

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 murder in 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 Murder focused 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.

Release Date: September 25, 2014
Seasons: 6
Main Genre: Drama
Studio: ABC

4 Michael Returning From the Dead With Amnesia

‘Jane the Virgin’ Season 5, Episode 1

Michael Cordero standing in a room with a rainbow drawing behind him looking off camera in Jane the Virgin. — Image via The CW

Michael Cordero’s death in Season 3 of Jane the Virgin was 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 ruined Jane the Virgin was the reveal that Michael was still alive in 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.

Release Date: October 13, 2014
Seasons: 5
Main Genre: Drama
Studio: The CW

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3 Glenn’s Brutal Death

‘The Walking Dead’ Season 7, Episode 1

A closeup of Glenn Rhee and the bat used to kill him in The Walking Dead season 7 — Image via AMC

The Walking Dead was 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 conscience of the show. His love story and eventual marriage with Maggie was also a standout in The 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.

Release Date: October 31, 2010
Seasons: 11
Studio: AMC

2 Daenerys Turning Into a Dictator

‘Game of Thrones’ Season 8, Episode 5

Daenerys Targaryen with a smudged face looks tense with smoke in the background in Game of Thrones Season 8. — Image via HBO

The final season of Game of Thrones was 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 heart of 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.

Release Date: April 17, 2011
Creator
Cast: Kit Harington , Isaac Hempstead Wright , Iain Glen , Peter Dinklage , Nikolaj Coster-Waldau , Emilia Clarke , Maisie Williams , Sophie Turner , John Bradley , Lena Headey , Liam Cunningham , Aidan Gillen , Alfie Allen , Conleth Hill , Rory McCann , Jerome Flynn , Jacob Anderson , Kristofer Hivju , Gwendoline Christie , Nathalie Emmanuel , Carice Van Houten , Natalie Dormer , Stephen Dillane , Charles Dance , Charlotte Hope , Michelle Fairley , Jack Gleeson , Richard Madden , Hannah Murray , Sibel Kekilli , Julian Glover , Brenock O’Connor , Rose Leslie , Michael McElhatton
Seasons: 8
Story By: George R.R. Martin
Writers: D.B. Weiss , George R.R. Martin , David Benioff
Main Genre: Drama

1 Tracy Dying, and Ted Going Back to Robin

‘How I Met Your Mother’ Season 9, Episode 24

Josh Radnor as Ted reading to Cristin Milioti as Tracy, who is in a hospital bed in How I Met Your Mother. — Image via CBS

There was perhaps no greater betrayal in television history than the series finale of How 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 Mother spent nine seasons showing why Ted and Robin did not work as a couple. It was heartbreaking when the series finale showed that 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.