12 TV Show Storylines That Were A Complete Waste Of Time

Time is precious for a TV viewer. When a storyline doesn't go anywhere, it can feel like a betrayal, especially in an era where a TV show may only get eight episodes every two years. Every second needs to count, and sometimes, it feels like nothing really happens.

There's nothing inherently wrong with filler episodes; they can even help flesh out certain characters by putting them in unique situations. But occasionally, it feels like the writers just don't know what to do, and they either drop a storyline or fail to make the impact land as hard as it should. There are plenty of TV show storylines that completely waste our time, from romantic pairings that never add up to plot twists that were better left on the drawing board. Keep scrolling to see 12 small-screen arcs that missed the mark for us.

It's only natural for Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) to want to learn more about the experiments that gave her incredible powers that are essential in the fight against the Upside-Down. During Season 2, it seems like she's about to make a major break in the case, as she psychically contacts her biological mother, Terry (Aimee Mullins), who informs her there were others like her. This leads to the "Stranger Things" episode "The Lost Sister," which is widely considered by fans to be one of the Netflix series' weakest installments.

Eleven meets a whole gang of gifted individuals, led by Kali (Linnea Berthelsen), who want to help El hone her powers, almost making her kill a man in the process. While it appeared at first that audiences might learn more about El's past, that isn't really what happens. It's more about introducing darker versions of Eleven to show her the path she could go down while giving her a fairly cringey punk-inspired makeover. 

It almost feels as though the writers were testing the waters for a potential "Stranger Things" spinoff focusing on some X-Men-esque outcasts with incredible powers of their own. The storyline feels too much like a big tease, as we're left with more questions than answers, especially considering that Kali and her friends aren't seen again. Why not recruit them to help with Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower)? It seems the writers were aware of the backlash and decided to pretend like they never existed.

The central six characters on "Friends" sure did hook up a lot with one another. Everyone will have their favorite and least favorite "Friends" pairings, but in our mind, there's just something inherently off about Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) getting together with Joey (Matt LeBlanc) in Season 9.

For starters, this is pretty late in the game to throw a massive wrench into the Rachel/Ross (David Schwimmer) endgame. It also doesn't help that throughout the series, Rachel and Joey always seemed like good friends and nothing more. In fact, behind-the-scenes stories suggest LeBlanc protested the storyline, insisting Joey would never betray Ross like that. The Rachel/Joey romance feels less like a natural progression for their characters and more like the writers spinning their wheels, maybe never imagining the show would last this long. Rachel and Ross did wind up together by the end, with a very odd detour right before the show ended.

Marie's (Betsy Brandt) kleptomania ultimately factors into how everyone — not just Walter White (Bryan Cranston) — is capable of breaking bad in their own way on "Breaking Bad." After all, this character trait is most prominent in Season 1, culminating in Skyler (Anna Gunn) getting in trouble for trying to return a stolen tiara. It makes the sisters not speak to one another, and if Skyler hates to see Marie getting in trouble for the relatively minor crime of shoplifting, viewers can only imagine how she'd react to her husband making meth.

The issue with this storyline is how it just kind of fizzles out. It resurfaces in Season 4 when Marie steals a spoon from an open house, forcing her husband Hank (Dean Norris) to pull some strings to ensure she doesn't get sent to jail, and he's asked to look at Gale (David Costabile) as a result. But it feels like there could've been an easier way to get Hank's input on Gale rather than reviving a dead storyline. 

As a character trait, Marie stealing things while stressed is fine. However, it pops up too haphazardly to feel like it's truly in-character. Marie struggling with it more regularly throughout the show might've provided some better contrasts with Walt's far more dangerous criminal activity. 

TV shows often have to get creative when an actress gets pregnant in real life, especially if there's no narrative reason for the character to become pregnant in the world of the show. Oftentimes, they write off the character for a few episodes or just have her stand around with various objects covering up her belly. But "Mad Men" made the inexplicable decision around Season 5 to work around January Jones' real-life pregnancy by making Betty Francis fat for the season, complete with one of the worst fat suits in TV history.

To be fair, Betty's issues with her weight were foreshadowed back in Season 1 when it's mentioned how her mother instilled in her a hatred for food, wanting her to be as thin as possible. But "Mad Men" could've gone about this storyline more sensitively.

The issue with the storyline is that Betty gains weight after divorcing Don Draper (Jon Hamm), so her weight gain feels like it's a way to signify her depression. It would've been far more interesting if she had put on some weight because she was finally happy and wasn't as concerned with society's expectations of how women should look. She eventually loses the weight, so we see how much Betty cares about how her body looks, which is something audiences were already aware of from her previous backstory.

The White Walkers are (in theory) a fantastic addition to the lore of "Game of Thrones." They are a seemingly unstoppable force that threatens everything and everyone in Westeros, providing a far more existential threat to the squabbles between kingdoms. One could view the Walkers as akin to climate change or some other world-altering event that would demand everyone set aside their petty political differences to fight for the common good, which is what makes it so disappointing that they ultimately amount to nothing.

Many avid TV watchers think "Game of Thrones" has one of the worst finales in TV history, and honestly, that could extend to the entirety of Season 8. The third episode, "The Long Night," sees the Walkers lose in a fairly anticlimactic fashion. They were built up to be this monumental threat. One might assume they would factor into who ultimately gets to sit on the Iron Throne, but they wind up being a distraction more than anything else. It would even work if we learned anything more about what precisely they are or what they want, but we don't even get much of that. 

"The Long Night" feels more obligatory than anything else, like the show knows it needs to deal with them but just wants to get them out of the way. The White Walkers deserved better, and their conclusion is a case study in how it's always good to know how plot points will pay off ahead of time. 

"Community" Season 4 is often referred to as the "gas leak year" because characters act differently than before (like they're being manipulated via a gas leak). This is due to series creator Dan Harmon getting fired from his own show (before eventually coming back), leading other people to run the ship, which resulted in weaker episodes and jokes. Case in point: Britta (Gillian Jacobs) and Troy (Donald Glover) started dating in earnest. There had been hints of the two getting together before, but Season 4 showed why that was a bad idea in the first place. 

The two never really had any romantic chemistry, which played into their eventual break-up. Interestingly, Britta was set up to be Jeff's (Joel McHale) love interest in Season 1, but the writers quickly abandoned that idea to give Jeff and Annie (Alison Brie) some will-they-won't-they tension. Britta promptly got Flanderized from being a jaded, politically active intellectual to a woman who seemingly knows very little about the world. That personality would work better for Troy, who isn't the brightest bulb himself, but there's just... nothing there. 

If Harmon had still been around, maybe he could've steered their relationship into more interesting territory. As it stands, it feels like the new showrunners knew they had to pay off the setup but didn't know what to do with them.

Charlie (Dominic Monaghan) is introduced at the very beginning of "Lost" in the pilot episode. It's soon revealed that he has an addiction to heroin, and he fights to stay sober. This makes him a sympathetic character, as viewers can understand his personal demons while being stranded on an island, but Season 2 takes Charlie in some bizarre directions (which we can dub the "Dark Charlie" era).

While Charlie's struggle with maintaining sobriety might make him act out a bit, he becomes pretty evil throughout Season 2. He kidnaps Aaron, the son of his love interest Claire (Emilie de Ravin), to baptize him. He hits Sun (Yunjin Kim) while he's trying to get heroin out of a hatch. All of this regresses the character following his positive progress throughout Season 1. It's not essential for characters to always remain good and noble, but Charlie feels like a completely different character in Season 2. 

All of this could explain why he chooses to sacrifice himself in Season 3 in one of the most shocking TV deaths ever. Still, we would've preferred to have Charlie stay on a positive path to make his sacrifice feel like a solid ending to a journey of redemption, rather than a way to redeem someone who unexpectedly broke bad. 

The problem with centering a TV series so much around a will-they-won't-they romance is that once the couple gets together, you still need conflict. Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) started dating, got married, and had kids, but "The Office" briefly derailed their happily ever after. Season 9 sees Jim lying to Pam about a new job opportunity that forces him to commute to Philadelphia while she's stuck alone raising the kids. Throw in boom operator Brian's (Chris Diamantopoulos) apparently long-held feelings for Pam, and fans had to see their favorite sitcom couple become depressed and bitter just as the show was coming to a close. 

Of course, there was no way "The Office" would end with Jim and Pam divorcing. We know none of this is going to matter by the end, so we're watching beloved characters suffer unnecessarily.

No relationship is perfect. We see that throughout Jim and Pam's courtship. But Season 9 turns them into horrible versions of themselves. It doesn't make sense for Jim to hide the new job from Pam for as long as he did, other than to create conflict and make the audience wonder whether Pam would really cheat on him with Brian. There are many reasons for fans to skip the final "Office" season on rewatches, and Jim and Pam being on the rocks doesn't help.

Before "The Sopranos," "Breaking Bad," and other shows widely considered to be part of a new golden era of television, there was "Oz." It was a compelling prison drama that felt cinematic and pushed the boundaries of what was possible with TV. It earned praise for its grounded storylines and realistic characters, but that all went out the window with Season 4 introducing a pill that ages inmates into old men so they can be let go from their sentences earlier. 

...What?

For a show rooted in reality, "Oz" suddenly made a vast departure into science-fiction territory. Cyril (Scott William Winters) starts looking like an old man with gray hair and everything; however, once he stops taking the pill, he goes back to normal. This raises far more questions than it answers, as he supposedly would've been released back into the general population and could've stopped taking the pill to revert to being a relatively young man, facing zero consequences for the crimes he committed. 

Regardless, the plot point was dropped and never brought up again. The problem is that it feels like "Oz" wasn't confident enough in its central premise to remain grounded. Instead, it felt the need to throw in something completely off-the-wall in its fourth season.

The following slide contains references to sexual assault and suicide. 

Bryce (Justin Prentice) on "13 Reasons Why" is a monster. There's no two ways about it. He sexually assaults multiple girls over the course of the series and plays a significant role in causing Hannah's (Katherine Langford) death by suicide in Season 1. However, Season 3 is all about Bryce's death, and in flashbacks, viewers see an attempt to humanize him. We learn about his home life and how his parents have largely checked out of raising him — an attempt to show how he ended up the way he did.

There's also the fact that he's attending therapy, but everything seems to be for naught. He hasn't changed much as he attacks Zach (Ross Butler), injuring his knee and ending his football career. 

Out of all the characters to try to redeem, Bryce is last on that list. There's definitely a conversation to be had about whether people who have committed despicable acts can change, but "13 Reasons Why" isn't the place to dive into that, particularly following its distasteful portrayal of suicide. Trying to make viewers feel bad for Bryce in any way feels manipulative.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). 

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.

Haley (Sarah Hyland) on "Modern Family" starts off as ditzy and irresponsible. As the show goes on, she gradually matures and seems interested in having a fulfilling career, especially with Andy (Adam DeVine) challenging her within their romantic relationship. Despite fans loving Andy, Haley winds up with Dylan (Reid Ewing), who's a nice enough guy, but it feels like a regression of Haley's character.

Haley decides to focus on motherhood and raise the twins she has with Dylan. There's nothing wrong with wanting to be a good mom, but up until this point, it really felt like Haley was going in a different direction. And there's no reason why she couldn't have a job she loves and be a great mother. Andy challenged her to break out of her comfort zone while Dylan felt like the back-up option, and Haley deserved so much better than that. 

"Family Guy" isn't afraid to kill off characters permanently, but still, it was a shock when the show seemingly killed off a member of the Griffin household when Brian (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) got struck by a car in Season 12's "Life of Brian." He's replaced by Vinny (Tony Sirico), but he doesn't last long. Vinny only sticks around fully for one episode until Stewie (also MacFarlane) uses time travel to resurrect Brian in "Christmas Guy." 

The whole thing feels so pointless, and it's a manipulative attempt to tug at viewers' heartstrings. It could've worked if Brian had stayed gone for a while, even until the end of the season. Vinny brought such a different dynamic that it would have been fun to see him really embedded with the family. But he's gone too soon, making the whole thing feel like one elaborate marketing stunt to get people who probably haven't seen "Family Guy" in a while to watch the show again.

Brian's death is genuinely sad; no one wants to see a family crying over the corpse of their recently deceased pet. It feels like one cruel joke... but maybe that's the point, given how often we see Peter (MacFarlane), Chris (Seth Green), and Meg (Mila Kunis) die in various cutaways that don't seem to have any weight attached to them.