10 TV Plot Twists So Sus They Almost Ruined the Show

Great television often stands out for character work and strong storytelling, but sometimes writers get a little too clever and derail what made a show special. This piece collects plot turns that felt out of step with their series and risked undoing the goodwill those shows had built.

Some twists felt particularly jarring: Dallas revived Bobby Ewing by revealing his death was a dream; The Wire closed with McNulty fabricating a serial killer; and Roseanne shifted the Conners from relatable working-class life to instant lottery wealth. Other missteps strained established dynamics or tones—Friends pushed a Joey–Rachel romance late in the run, Friday Night Lights sent Landry down a violent, out-of-genre path, and Stranger Things introduced a previously unseen magical rock in the finale that raised more questions than it answered.

Gossip Girl also took a sharp turn when Chuck traded Blair for a hotel.

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