8 TV Shows That Recycle The Same Storyline Every Season

Over the years, there were several TV shows that recycled the same storyline with every season. Even the best TV shows of all time have been known to repeat themselves, but some shows managed to reinterpret the same story arc in different ways, changing with each season. There were also examples of TV shows where every episode was the same, which followed a very particular formula. TV shows that recycled their plots weren’t necessarily bad, however, but it was very clear to audiences that they’d watched this storyline before.

Some titles didn’t receive a lot of positivity for repeating themselves, though, which resulted in multiple TV shows whose premises got old very quickly. However, recycled storylines don’t necessarily appear at every possible second. Some shows reused certain elements so many times that it felt that they were occuring every season, even if they weren’t, and others had more than one factor that would reappear at different points, switching in and out at different points. Whether the it was amazing or terrible, some TV shows made a habit of recycling storylines and masking them as brand new.

8

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

The Precinct Is In Danger And Jake’s Forced Away

Brooklyn Nine-Nine had frequent occurrences that would suddenly reappear at least once per season. Every season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine was guaranteed to see the return of the Pontiac Bandit, Doug Judy (Craig Robinson), who would be up to something suspicious or involved in a wild scheme. There was always a Halloween Heist every season, too, although the show would shake things up by having a different winner each time. Brooklyn Nine-Nine often recycled storylines in its main plot as well, which usually included Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg).

For example, in season 2, Jake returned from being undercover with the mafia. Then, at the end of season 3, he and Holt (Andre Braugher) were forced into witness protection because of the crazed Jimmy Figgis (Eric Roberts). Jake was once again forced away from his job at the end of season 4 when he and Rosa were framed by Melanie Hawkins (Gina Gershon) and imprisoned for several bank robberies they didn’t commit. Jake was always committed to the precinct, and these repetitive storylines proved just how much he’d go through for his colleagues.

7

The Walking Dead

The Cycle Of A New Settlement

Although The Walking Dead changed a lot during its original run, one common situation that its characters frequently faced was finding a new settlement to inhabit. Whether the group was led by Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), the survivors regularly found themselves without a safe location to hide from the outbreak. Throughout the show, the survivors would mope around searching for a new home and eventually find one, but it lasted only a short time. The group would make themselves at home but often accidentally ruin the entire thing, forcing them back into the wilderness.

The characters in The Walking Dead lived in several different settlements throughout the show. For example, in season 2, they gathered at Hershel Greene’s (Scott Wilson) farm, but after walkers ambushed it, the group moved on and found the prison in season 3. There were also times when the group managed to ruin a settlement even quicker than usual, and in season 5, they escaped Terminus and ended up at the Alexandria Safe Zone.

6

Glee

Yet Another Love Triangle

Glee frequently rehashed old drama, whether that was with the same characters or a new mix. Throughout the show, Glee aired plenty of love triangle storylines. For example, in season 1, there were two main love triangles: Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays), Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison), and his wife Terri were one, with the other being between Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith), Quinn Fabray (Dianna Agron), and Rachel Berry (Lea Michele). However, immature romance wasn’t the only thing that Glee repeated.

There was often a tournament or competition, like Nationals, that the New Directions were working toward. Even if a season didn’t include a big performance that the club was prepping for, there were always mentions of one coming up. A member of the New Directions would often threaten to quit the club for various reasons, too. Rachel did this multiple times in the earlier seasons, mainly for the drama of it all. However, some characters had deeper reasons behind it, like Quinn, who left because of the comments she received about having a baby, although she eventually returned.

5

Arrested Development

Michael Bluth Holds His Family Together

Arrested Development’s storylines were so similar every season that even the title sequence acknowledged this. Seasons 1 to 3 generally focused on George Bluth Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor) being imprisoned for treason after he built several homes for terrorists in Iraq, unbeknown to his son, Michael (Jason Bateman). Michael, the only sensible one in the family, would constantly go back and forth on helping his ungrateful socialite family with their finances and getting his father out of prison. Without Michael, the Bluth family in Arrested Development relied on their incompetent attorney, Barry Zuckerkorn (Henry Winkler), who was terrible at his job.

Whenever Michael claimed he was finished with his family, he always returned to bail them out. Even when the show returned with season 4, matriarch Lucille Bluth (Jessica Walter) became the one who was in hot water with the law. In season 5, Michael’s younger brother, Buster (Tony Hale), was on trial for the murder of Lucille Austero (Liza Minelli). Although Arrested Development ended in 2019, if it ever were to return, it’d be easy to guess where the story would go.

4

24

Jack Bauer Was Always Up Against Threats

24 famously followed the same formula each season, with Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) facing a significant threat. However, each of these threats differed. Baeur often had to stop a bomb from exploding, for example. In season 2, he had to try and safely stop the explosion of a nuclear bomb in Los Angeles, and in season 8, he uncovered a plot to assassinate a political figure using a dirty bomb. Sometimes, the threat was a person rather than an object.

In 24 season 3, Baeur infiltrated a Mexican drug cartel to stop a deadly virus from being distributed through an underground system. In season 7, Baeur assisted President Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones), whom a mysterious company blackmailed in an attempt to release biological weapons on the United States. Although 24 followed a tight timeline, with each episode covering just a matter of hours, it was easy to predict where the season arc would go.

3

Supernatural

Death Was Never Permanent

The long-running Supernatural had certain plot points that would return repeatedly throughout its fifteen seasons. For example, Dean (Jensen Ackles), Sam (Jared Padalecki), or sometimes both, would begin or end a season either being resurrected or ending up in Hell. There was always a dangerous threat that risked the entire planet, too, that the Winchester brothers would try to take down. For example, in season 7, it was the Leviathans; in season 11, it was The Darkness, also known as Amara (Emily Swallow).

Supernatural regularly brought back characters that the Winchesters believed to be dead. Sam and Dean’s parents, Mary (Samantha Smith) and John Winchester (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), returned, were killed, and revived again several times throughout the show. Their surrogate father, Bobby Singer (Jim Beaver), also returned as a ghost after his death in season 7, and although he technically wasn’t resurrected, he was still prominent in the show. Without fail, the Winchesters always ended up in Hell again, yet still escaped every time.

2

Trailer Park Boys

Back To Jail

Trailer Park Boys focused on the lives of three criminals who frequented prison, and every season of the show began and ended this way. In every installment, Ricky (Robb Wells), Julian (John Paul Tremblay), or Bubbles (Mike Smith) were jailed for a ridiculous scheme, and sometimes, it was all three of them. However, it was guaranteed that after they were released from incarceration, they’d return to the trailer park and start work on another illegal scheme that would send them straight back by the end of the season.

The guys had some incredibly absurd plans throughout Trailer Park Boys. For example, in season 7, they used a model train to smuggle marijuana across the Canadian border and into the United States. Despite Lahey’s (John Dunsworth) and Randy’s (Patrick Roach) best efforts, they often failed to ruin the trio’s plotting. Occasionally, the trailer park managers would ally with them, but it usually resulted in betrayal. Although audiences always knew roughly how a season of Trailer Park Boys would start and finish, it was still enjoyable to see the guys end up in jail and start all over again.

1

Grey’s Anatomy

Love Around Every Corner

Grey’s Anatomy loved to repeat storylines about inappropriate relationships. There were several instances where a doctor or other medical professional would fall in love with one of their patients. For example, Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) and Denny Duquette (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) in season 2, but he unfortunately died before he got a transplant. In season 7, Teddy Altman married Henry Burton (Scott Foley) so that he could afford his medical bills. This happened again in season 12, with Stephanie Edwards having a brief relationship with musician Kyle Diaz (Wilmer Valderrama).

Sadly, none of the patients who had romances with their doctors survived. However, not every inappropriate relationship was with a patient and quite often, an intern would have an affair with an attending. This was what first motivated the show, with Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek (Patrick Dempsey) sleeping together in the pilot, eventually marrying and having their children. Cristina (Sandra Oh) had a relationship with Burke (Isaiah Washington), too, but they didn’t exchange their vows in the end. Grey Sloan was a busy hospital, but it was also a hotbed for romance.