10 TV Shows That Abandoned Major Storylines & Were Better For It

Certain storylines in television series just do not work, and the show ended up being better off for abandoning them altogether. While it may be a strange experience for audiences to notice storylines that have dropped before they have been resolved, this was sometimes done because there was nothing to be gained from continuing unpopular stories, keeping unnecessary characters in the show, or proceeding with plotlines that nobody was engaged in anymore. This may result in the series feeling somewhat incomplete, but often this was a small price to pay for the sake of entertainment.

Some abandoned major storylines in television shows were the result of characters exiting the series before they had time to resolve all of their ongoing plotlines. This can leave a few lingering questions, but, it can also be important for a show to just move on to more fruitful and enjoyable stories. There are other times when there will be a major development in the show, only for the characters to just continue as if it never occurred in the following episode. While this can feel jarring, sometimes it was necessary not to drastically shift the dynamics of the series.

10 Kurt Hummel’s Feeling For Sam Evans

Glee (2009 – 2015)

The one-way crush between Kurt Hummell towards Sam Evans on Glee was a briefly explored storyline that was abandoned before it ever received a proper conclusion. As a story about the gay character Kurt falling for the straight man Sam, the plotline explored territory that had been covered countless times across LGBTQ+ media. The fact that the Kurt and Sam storyline was dropped allowed Kurt to take part in a much more nuanced and fulfilling same-sex relationship and eventual marriage with Blaine Anderson throughout later seasons of Glee.

9 The Haphazard Life of Abby Day

New Girl (2011 – 2018)

As the unorganized, party-loving, wayward sister of Jessica Day in New Girl, Abby Day appeared in just three episodes of the Fox sitcom. Making her final appearance in Season 3, Abby, who was portrayed by Linda Cardellini, never quite found her footing in life and looked set to be a semi-regular guest star on New Girl whose ongoing story would revolve around her finding some stability and sense of purpose. However, this plotline was never fully explored, which was for the best as she introduced chaos to every situation she entered and often brought out the worst in other characters.

8 The Deal Between Jerry Seinfeld and Elaine Benes

Seinfeld (1989 – 1998)

Seinfeld was famous for its “no learning, no hugging” mantra (via Baltimore Sun) which meant there was very little character development as the show progressed over its nine seasons, and this was never more apparent than in the Season 2 episode “The Deal.” In this episode, Jerry and Elaine decided to start sleeping together again with rules in place to ensure they didn’t ruin their friendship. This agreement was short-lived, and Seinfeld continued for many years and thankfully never resorted to the on-and-off relationship dynamics of so many other sitcoms.

7 Everything To Do With Mandy Hampton

The West Wing (1999 – 2006)

The White House media director for the Bartlett administration Mandy Hampton was an important character during the first season of The West Wing who disappeared without explanation before the beginning of Season 2. The West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin said her departure was simply a result of the character not working out, that Mandy’s actress Moira Kelly felt the same way, and she left the series amicably. Mandy’s abrupt removal led audiences to coin the term “going to Mandyville” (via Empire) as a euphemism for when characters stopped appearing on The West Wing for no particular reason.

6 The Continued Existence of Mark Brendanawicz

Parks and Recreation (2009 – 2015)

Mark Brendanawicz was a major character in the first two seasons of Parks and Recreation who was written off the show and all his storylines were abruptly abandoned. Portrayed by Paul Schneider, Mark was set up as a love interest for Leslie Knope and, after the character left his government job for the private sector, was never seen again. Parks and Rec co-creator Michael Schur said at the time that Mark would return in guest appearances (via LA Times) but after new cast members Adam Scott and Rob Lowe joined the show, he became less relevant and was justifiably abandoned.

5 Principal Skinner’s Real Identity

The Simpsons (1989 – Present)

The hated Armin Tamzarian episode of The Simpsons, “The Principal and the Pauper” from Season 9 often gets cited as the moment the show started to go downhill, and with good reason as it was where the internal logic of The Simpsons began to fall apart. By undoing the established story of Principal Skinner, and claiming he stole another man’s identity, the foundations of Springfield residents were no longer safe, and The Simpsons became increasingly unbelievable. Luckily, this storyline was entirely undone by the episode’s end, and, despite occasional references to Skinner’s old life, it was abandoned moving forward.

4 The Lingering Effects of Joey Tribbiani and Rachel Green’s Romance

Friends (1994 – 2004)

The relationship between Joey Tribbiani and Rachel Green on Friends was unpopular with audiences and even the cast themselves as it felt inappropriate considering the characters having no indications of romance for the first eight seasons of Friends and Rachel’s previous relationship with Ross Geller. However, after Joey and Rachel ended up briefly dating, the lasting consequences of Joey’s heartbreak and the lingering effects of their relationship was never fully explored. This was probably for the best, as everyone preferred for this relationship to just be forgotten about entirely and to proceed as if it never happened at all.

3 The Published Author Skyler White

Breaking Bad (2008 – 2013)

One major character trait set up in the first episode of Breaking Bad but never fully explored was Skyler White’s career as a published writer and desire to publish another collection of short stories. In the pilot, Skyler’s sister, Marie Schrader, asked Skyler how her stories were coming along and told her she should consider writing a novel if she wanted people to be interested in her work. This storyline was not developed any further and Breaking Bad was better for it as it did little to contribute to the overall narrative of the show or Walter’s transformation into Heisenberg.

2 Charlie Kelly And Dee Reynolds Hooking Up

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005 – Present)

In the tenth season of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia episode “The Gang Misses the Boat” there was a romantic encounter between two main characters, Charlie Kelly and Dee Reynolds. In a rare instance of members of the gang bonding, Charlie and Dee grew closer over their love of Def Poetry and their intimacy became so great that they kissed and seemingly slept together. This was yet another example of how hilariously impulsive the Always Sunny cast can be. Still, thankfully the consequences of this were not explored in later episodes as it would have entirely shifted the gang’s dynamics.

1 The Lost Sister

Stranger Things (2016 – Present)

As the worst-rated episode of Stranger Things, “The Lost Sister” from Season 2 featured a storyline where Eleven encountered Kali, a superpowered girl who has gathered a band of followers to get revenge for those experimented on in Hawkins’ Lab. With Kali, Eleven learned to control her own abilities and it appeared that all the new characters introduced in this episode would become a major part of the series moving forward. However, the creators must have recognized the episode’s unpopularity as this storyline was quickly dropped and never fully resolved.

Sources: Baltimore Sun, Empire, LA Times