6 Unpopular TV Show Choices That Should Have Been Retconned

April 15, 2024, 4 p.m.

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6 Unpopular TV Show Choices That Should Have Been Retconned

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Summary Unpopular TV show story choices can spark outrage, where retconning may be necessary to fix mistakes.

Retcons may undermine a beloved story, but correcting egregious errors, like killing a beloved character, can be justified.

Controversial decisions, like killing Tara in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dan being Gossip Girl, and Bellamy's death in The 100, could benefit from retconning.

Some story choices from TV shows are so unpopular, sparking outrage when they first aired, that retconning them would not be the worst idea. Some TV shows have retconned unpopular choices in the past, proving it as a legitimate way for writers to fix their mistakes. In general, the term “retcon” carries a negative connotation because it means that the story is not consistent, and the writers do not have enough faith in their own narrative to stand behind it. Even worse, they are undermining what already is a beloved story, in the case of some prequels and legacy sequels.

Despite all this, some plot twists and character choices were so obviously a mistake and are so hated by fans that some continuity errors seem like a fair price to pay to get the story back on track. This might be the case when one bad writing decision undermines years of character development and mystery, when a character does something that makes no sense for them, or when a new story risk doesn’t pay off. Circumstances are always volatile when writers need to conclude a show or character arc, when most often someone will be disappointed one way or another.

Related 10 Most Inconsistent TV Shows That Were Always Retconning Themselves As the lore of a television show grows and develops, the canon can often become inconsistent and result in a retcon, and beloved shows aren't exempt.

6 Warren Kills Tara

Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)

Buffy The Vampire Slayer Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a supernatural comedy-drama series released in 1997. The show follows the exploits of Buffy, a woman born into a line of "Slayers" destined to do battle with vampires, demons, and monsters. Aided by her close group of friends and a Watcher who helps her hone her craft, the crew solves mysteries and battles the forces of evil to protect their town - and the world. Cast Sarah Michelle Gellar , Nicholas Brendon , Alyson Hannigan , Charisma Carpenter , Dan Rubin , David Boreanaz , Seth Green , James Marsters Release Date March 10, 1997 Seasons 7 Showrunner Joss Whedon

Willow and Tara are a beloved couple of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, arguably more so than Buffy and any of her partners. Buffy the Vampire Slayer famously broke ground by depicting an LGBTQ+ couple on TV. Their romance is an overall compelling and well-written storyline, with Tara recognizing that Willow’s desire for power is dangerous much earlier than anyone else, hinting at the eventual Dark Willow arc. Tara’s death’s main purpose is to create the real Dark Willow, but it is rightfully criticized as being one of the first recognized examples of the “Bury Your Gays” trope.

Willow could have resurrected Tara as she did with Buffy (although Amber Benson rejected this idea), despite the consequences. Buffy is depressed after Willow resurrects her following her self-sacrifice in Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 5's ending, which is proof enough that Willow should not try this again. However, because Tara’s death fuels Willow’s worst instincts, it is not implausible that she would have resorted to resurrection again anyway. While it would have resulted in more challenges for the main characters, it would have at least gotten Tara back on the show.

The best decision would have been to not kill Tara in the first place, but the writers figured this out too late. Tara stands out as the only member of the Scoobies who dies permanently, aside from Anya in the series finale. It could have been a very interesting and angsty storyline for Tara to be present during Dark Willow’s rampage. Willow has established that resurrection is possible in this universe, so someone else could have even resurrected Tara to help bring the real Willow back.

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5 Dan Is Gossip Girl

Gossip Girl (2007-2012)

Gossip Girl (2007) An anonymous blogger reveals the darkest secrets of a group of wealthy New York teens. Cast Blake Lively , Leighton Meester , Penn Badgley , Ed Westwick , Chace Crawford , Kelly Rutherford , Matthew Settle , Taylor Momsen Release Date September 19, 2007 Seasons 6 Creator(s) Stephanie Savage , Josh Schwartz

It would have made for an interesting and effective retcon if the reboot revealed that Dan, like Serena, was only subservient to Gossip Girl — and the real one is still out there, ready to torment a new group of teenagers.

To some degree, the reveal of Gossip Girl was always going to be a disappointment. Gossip Girl thrives on the drama and tension of not knowing who Gossip Girl is. The anonymous, malicious blogger narratively works better as a threat shrouded in mystery than as a real person. That being said, there are still far too many reasons that Dan being Gossip Girl makes no sense. Namely, the twist says that Dan was willing to publish defamatory details about himself, his sister, and his girlfriend.

There wasn’t enough time to “fix” the Dan mistake, with multiple weddings in the Gossip Girl finale. Retconning it then wouldn’t have worked because the producers and writers supposedly didn’t know that it would be so poorly received until after the finale aired. Some people argue that the Gossip Girl reboot retcons the final scene by disregarding the Dan reveal. However, it would have made for an interesting and effective retcon if the reboot revealed that Dan, like Serena, was only subservient to Gossip Girl — and the real one is still out there, ready to torment a new group of teenagers.

Related The Most Hated Series Finales Of All Time What are the worst TV show endings ever? It's subjective, really. But these are some of the most hated of all time, that's for sure.

4 Clarke Kills Bellamy

The 100 (2014-2020)

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buy Not available Not available Not available The 100 is a sci-fi post-apocalyptic TV series set ninety-seven years after a nuclear war has destroyed civilization. When a spaceship housing humanity's lone survivors send one hundred juvenile delinquents back to Earth in hopes of possibly re-populating the planet, they discover that Earth is still inhabited. Now constantly in a state of power flux with warring clans, cannibals, and mountain-dwellers, the juveniles must attempt to survive while re-establishing contact with the Ark. Cast Devon Bostick , Christopher Larkin , Marie Avgeropoulos , Sachin Sahel , Richard Harmon , Chelsey Reist , Henry Ian Cusick , Bob Morley , Jarod Joseph , Paige Turco , Adina Porter , Ricky Whittle , Eliza Taylor , Isaiah Washington , Lindsey Morgan , Tasya Teles Release Date March 19, 2014 Seasons 7 Showrunner Jason Rothenberg

The 100 definitely falls into the category of shows where it is expected that characters are going to die within the final few episodes, due to the dangerous setting and the story no longer depends upon these characters because it will be over soon. The 100 killing Bellamy wasn’t necessarily a mistake, but how they did it was. Bellamy’s death at Clarke’s hands makes his character development from past seasons irrelevant because his decision to follow the Bardoans recalls past mistakes he should have learned from.

Furthermore, while Clarke kills Bellamy to protect Madi, she then leaves Madi’s sketchbook behind, invalidating the death of one of her longtime friends and allies. Within the fantasy/sci-fi world of The 100, a resurrection or narrow survival was possible. It would have been an obvious and contrived retcon, but adding Bellamy to the series finale at the last minute due to resurrection would have allowed him to admit his mistakes. He and Clarke could have had a heartfelt reunion where Clarke says she is sorry, even if she wouldn’t change what she did.

3 Rachel Leaves Funny Girl

Glee (2009-2015)

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buy Not available Not available Not available In order to escape the stressful reality of high school, a group of misfits decides to join William McKinley’s glee club. Fox’s Glee was created by Ian Brennan, Brad Falchuk, and Ryan Murphy, with Leah Michele, Jane Lynch, and Matthew Morrison leading the cast. The series ran for six seasons between 2009 and 2015 and won six Primetime Emmys. Cast Dianna Agron , Chris Colfer , Jessalyn Gilsig , Jane Lynch , Jayma Mays , Kevin McHale , Lea Michele , Cory Monteith , Matthew Morrison , Amber Riley Release Date May 19, 2009 Seasons 6 Showrunner Ryan Murphy , Brad Falchuk

Rachel’s dream in Glee was always to star on Broadway. Her acceptance to the New York Academy of the Dramatic Arts is a logical step toward this goal, and she eventually wins the lead role of Fanny Brice in Funny Girl. Rachel decides to quit NYADA to focus on her Broadway show; while her decision to drop out might not have been the smartest, it can be defended since Broadway was her ultimate goal. NYADA is not the most prestigious art school in New York, and being offered a lead role to start out on Broadway is no small thing.

What really confused and angered fans was when Rachel leaves Funny Girl to move to Los Angeles and star in a TV show based on her life called That’s So Rachel. The show is terrible and is canceled after the pilot, and Rachel moves back home to restart the Glee Club at her high school. Understandably, this plotline is controversial because it doesn’t make sense for Rachel to abandon her lifelong dream so quickly. It makes Rachel look gullible to go charging off to Los Angeles, thinking fans will love her more for a bio-drama series.

Later on, Rachel returns to NYADA to finish her education and gets another Broadway role, in the fictional musical Jane Austen Sings, for which she wins a Tony. This itself is a soft retcon that could have happened sooner, with her getting back the Funny Girl role right after she left it. In the end, she still gave up on one of the most iconic Broadway shows of all time. Her new show might be as successful as Wicked or Hamilton in this world, but it doesn’t have the same impact on Glee’s audience.

2 Alex Leaves Jo

Grey's Anatomy (2005-Present)

Grey's Anatomy Grey's Anatomy is considered one of the great television shows of our time, winning several awards and four Emmys. The high-intensity medical drama follows Meredith Grey and the team of doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial, who are faced with life-or-death decisions on a daily basis. They seek comfort from one another, and, at times, more than just friendship. Together they discover that neither medicine nor relationships can be defined in black and white. Cast Kelly McCreary , Patrick Dempsey , Kevin McKidd , Chandra Wilson , Jesse Williams , Jake Borelli , camilla luddington , Ellen Pompeo , Chyler Leigh , Eric Dane , Caterina Scorsone , Giacomo Gianniotti , Anthony Hill , Kate Walsh , Justin Chambers , Sarah Drew , Greg Germann , Martin Henderson , Katherine Heigl , T.R. Knight , Sara Ramirez , Jerrika Hinton , Richard Flood , Sandra Oh , Kim Raver , Jason George , Tessa Ferrer , Isaiah Washington , James Pickens Jr. , Gaius Charles , Chris Carmack , Brooke Smith , Jessica Capshaw Release Date March 27, 2005 Seasons 20 Writers Shonda Rhimes , Julie Wong , Jen Klein , Tameson Duffy , Meg Marinis See at Amazon

When Justin Chambers decided to end his Grey’s Anatomy tenure, as one of the few original actors left on the show, the writers probably felt like it would be too familiar to kill him off.

When Jo first arrives at Seattle Grace Mercy West (soon to be changed to Grey Sloan Memorial) in Grey’s Anatomy season 9, the show frames her and Alex as a new Meredith and Derek-type storyline. It was fitting for Alex, after eight seasons of personal growth and his disastrous marriage to Izzie, to be given a new romance that called back to the first seasons of Grey’s Anatomy. As their storyline was developed, Alex and Jo proved to be as popular as the past iconic couples of the show.

Over the years, the couple dealt with many trials, including Alex’s arrest, Jo’s depression, and concerns about having children. Then, Grey’s Anatomy was faced with a familiar challenge of a key actor wanting to leave the show. When Justin Chambers decided to end his Grey’s Anatomy tenure, as one of the few original actors left on the show, the writers probably felt like it would be too familiar to kill him off. Having Alex die would be replicating Derek’s death beat for beat. However, Alex’s exit from Grey’s Anatomy was controversial because it insulted both his and Jo’s arcs.

After finding out that his ex-wife Izzie used their frozen embryos to have his twins, Alex decides to leave Jo for Izzie and the kids. Alex says in a letter that he has always loved Izzie, but this feels like an excuse when the show suggests that he has moved on from her, even if he still wonders about her occasionally. This plotline undermines a romance that was meant to be on par with MerDer and should be retconned, even if they have to say someone forged Alex’s letters. Stranger things have happened in Grey’s Anatomy.

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Related Grey's Anatomy: 22 Storylines That The Writers Want Us To Forget In over 10 seasons, Grey's Anatomy has given viewers a lot of storylines that they would rather forget about.

1 Daenerys Burns Down King's Landing

Game Of Thrones (2011-2019)

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buy Not available Not available Not available Created by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, Game of Thrones is a TV series based on the book “A Song of Ice of Fire” by George R. R. Martin. It tells the story of the ongoing battle between the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros - as they fight for control of the coveted Iron Throne. Friction between the houses leads to full-scale war. All while a very ancient evil awakens in the far north. Amidst the war, a neglected military order of misfits, the Night's Watch, led by House Stark's Jon Snow, is the first to encounter icy horrors that threaten all realms of men. The series premiered on HBO in the United States on April 17, 2011, and quickly became one of the biggest event series in the "Golden Age" of TV. Winner of 38 Primetime Emmy Awards, Game of Thrones has attracted record viewership on HBO and has a broad, active, international fan base. Cast Emilia Clarke , Lena Headey , Richard Madden , Michelle Fairley , Kit Harington , Maisie Williams , Alfie Allen , Peter Dinklage Release Date April 11, 2011 Seasons 8 Showrunner David Benioff , D.B. Weiss

The controversial Game of Thrones ending is infamous for undermining nearly 10 years of character development for Daenerys Targaryen. After the entire series set her up to be the heroine queen who would change Westeros for the better, Dany’s arc takes an abrupt turn when she massacres King’s Landing to secure her power. Afterward, Tyrion betrays her, and Jon kills her to protect Westeros from another tyrant.

Some people argue that Dany was always going to become the Mad Queen, making her one of the most divisive TV characters ever. The writers could have done more to narratively justify her violence or retconned her death altogether. Dany becoming queen might have been too obvious of an ending — which is probably what they were trying to avoid — but there were more nuanced ways to do it. There wasn’t much time left in Game of Thrones season 8, but with almost five years having passed since the finale, HBO could have produced a bonus episode to redeem the show.

Maybe Dany is resurrected by a Red Priest or Priestess and reflects on her life, considering the events that led up to her most controversial decision. The redeeming moment of the finale is Drogon burning down the Iron Throne; Dany likewise considering that becoming another undisputed monarch was not the solution would have been a complex discourse. The conclusion to Dany’s story is one of the most unpopular TV choices ever, necessitating a retcon.