10 TV Shows That Abandoned Their Original Plan & Were Worse For It

Summary TV shows often deviate from their original plans, impacting character development and plot coherence over time.

Arrow, Archer, The Mentalist, Heroes, Lost, Riverdale, Scrubs, Two and a Half Men, The 100, Supernatural all demonstrate this trend.

Changing seasons, introducing new characters, and shifting focus can lead to criticism and viewer dissatisfaction in TV shows.

Several TV shows began with an original plan in mind but eventually abandoned it, and they were worse for it in the long run. There have been examples of TV shows that abandoned storylines instead of discarding a plan to avoid making too big a change, which was often a better execution. However, over the years, some TV shows have thrown out their initial concepts and structure in later seasons. The reasons behind changes to a TV show's original plans have varied in context.

For example, some TV shows structured the concept to only last for a certain number of seasons but continued for longer due to their popularity. Other shows were forced to drop their original plan, whether it was because of a casting issue or were unexpectedly renewed for another season. Some shows simply strayed so far from their initial idea that they became unrecognizable compared to their first season. However, there have also been shows that were better for abandoning its premise in the past. Unfortunately, some TV shows didn’t realize that straying from the first plan would be fatal.

Related 10 TV Shows That Abandoned Major Storylines & Were Criticized For It Although some TV show storylines were abandoned with good reason, some faced criticism from audiences for failing to provide much-needed answers.

10 Arrow

Abandoned Its Plan: Season 6

Initially, the TV show Arrow was supposed to only run for five seasons, according to a plan by its creators. Oliver Queen actor Stephen Amell had stated multiple times that the show was originally meant to end with season 5. After Arrow’s eight seasons aired, the show ended in 2020. The plotline of Arrow focused on Oliver Queen’s time shipwrecked on the island of Lian Yu and his return to Starling City, which was told through a non-linear narrative. TV shows that used flashbacks had a unique storytelling technique that engaged many, but Arrow suffered post-season 5.

Arrow’s flashbacks after season 5 were from the perspectives of various characters other than Queen, but it often complicated the storyline because of the sudden changes in point of view. Later seasons of Arrow were also criticized for the lack of consistency in character development and received complaints about moments when their motivations didn’t make any sense. Arrow’s five-season plan worked perfectly with the timeline of Oliver Queen’s story, but the success of the show pushed this idea aside, and it was negatively impacted because of it.

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buy Not available Not available Not available After five years of being presumed dead, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) is discovered alive on a remote island in the Pacific. Upon returning to his hometown, Starling City, Oliver beings to make amends for the selfish man that he once was. With a renewed sense of life, Oliver plays the role of a self-indulgent socialite during the day while secretly taking on those who corrupt the city at night. After running for eight seasons on The CW, Arrow ended in 2020. Cast colin donnell , Paul Blackthorne , Willa Holland , Susanna Thompson , Katie Cassidy , David Ramsey , Stephen Amell Release Date January 10, 2013 Seasons 8 Directors Andrew Kreisberg , Greg Berlanti

9 Archer

Abandoned Its Plan: Season 8

Archer established strong narrative continuity in its earlier seasons, which focused on the dysfunctional yet somehow competent spy agency. However, season 8 was the first of the show’s dream sequence seasons, also known as the Archer “Coma Years” episodes, which was drastically different from the show’s original premise in many ways. For example, Dreamland was set in an alternative version of 1947 Los Angeles that had a noir-style appearance. Season 9, or Danger Island, was even more different, with Sterling Archer (H. Jon Benjamin) as a seaplane pilot on the enigmatic island of Mitimotu.

Unfortunately, the dream sequence seasons of Archer stunted any proper character development. Because nobody’s actions had consequences anymore, these seasons of Archer felt anticlimactic. Although Archer’s humor was always absurd, the loss of the show’s realistic elements was glaringly evident in these seasons. Archer season 11 returned to the show’s primary setting when the titular character woke up, but the damage was already done, and the original premise was never fully replicated.

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buy Not available Not available Not available Archer is an animated sitcom following the agents and support staff of ISIS (International Secret Intelligence Service). Sterling Archer (H. Jon Benjamin) is the show's narcissistic protagonist and ISIS's star agent, working under his mother Malory (Jessica Walter), and alongside agents Lana (Aisha Tyler) and Cyril (Chris Parnell). With a quirky and irreverent sense of humor, Archer spoofs spy stories with the exploits of the colorful characters that make up ISIS. Cast Lucky Yates , Aisha Tyler , Adam Reed , Amber Nash , H. Jon Benjamin , Chris Parnell , Judy Greer , Jessica Walter Release Date December 28, 2010 Seasons 14 Directors Adam Reed , Bryan Fordney

8 The Mentalist

Abandoned Its Plan: Season 7

After a long 6-season search, The Mentalist’s Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) finally found out that the serial killer, Red John, was actually Sheriff Thomas McAllister (Xander Berkeley). This discovery was a big deal in the show because Patrick had been searching for Red John for years and hoped to seek revenge for the murder of his wife and child. When Patrick finally learned the truth in season 6, he took matters into his own hands and strangled McAllister, which was a fitting end to The Mentalist.

However, The Mentalist season 7, the last installment of the show, discarded the format that had been used since its pilot. Patrick Jane went on the run with Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney) to Texas, which switched the show’s setting up. Although Jane and Lisbon married in the finale, little else was reflected in the previous seasons of the show or added to the overall story. Each episode focused on a different crime, and the season felt more like a crime procedural TV show than The Mentalist. Luckily, season 7 was the last of the show.

7 Heroes

Abandoned Its Plan: Season 2

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The sci-fi TV show Heroes was hugely successful in its first season, which followed a group of regular people as they discovered their individual superhuman abilities. However, the response Heroes season 1 received led the show to stray from its original plan. Initially, Heroes planned to have a rotating cast and was meant to be an anthology TV show, with each season introducing multiple new characters. What the show didn’t expect, however, was the popularity of characters like Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka) and Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere) to cause a demand for their return.

While it seemed unusual that a TV show would suffer from keeping its original cast, Heroes experienced backlash for doing so. Every season of Heroes after this introduced too many new characters, which made its cast size overwhelming, and the show failed to give its initial cast enough storylines to keep audiences interested. Heroes season 1 set up a brilliant concept and hooked viewers, but its later seasons didn’t get the same reception, mainly because it didn’t focus on the aspects that caused its success in the first place.

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buy Not available Not available Not available Heroes sees a number of people drawn to each other after a solar eclipse awakens incredible abilities in them. With their destinies seemingly intertwined, these evolved humans use their superpowers to influence the past, present, and future - for better and for worse. When a superpowered killer emerges who is stealing abilities from his victims, they must band together to stop him. Cast Hayden Panettiere , Santiago Cabrera , Jack Coleman , Tawny Cypress , Noah Gray-Cabey , Greg Grunberg , Masi Oka , Adrian Pasdar , Milo Ventimiglia , Zachary Quinto Release Date September 25, 2006 Seasons 4

6 Lost

Abandoned Its Plan: Season 4

While Lost was generally a popular show throughout its run, season 4 undoubtedly marked the start of its decline. Creator J.J. Abrams and showrunner Damon Lindelof structured Lost to run for three seasons to mark out a clear beginning, middle, and end. However, Lost’s original plan changed because of the positive response from audiences and critics it received. Because the initial end of Lost was pushed back, as it was no longer ending with season 3, the writers had to create new storylines for the show, which caused its gradual decline.

Lost seasons 4 through 6 tried to wrap up several plot arcs and finish off much-needed character development, but because of the ridiculous number of new stories the show introduced, they were rushed. Lost also heavily relied on mythology, but the show’s expansive and enigmatic storylines were simply too big and complicated for enough time to be dedicated to them. A notable example of this was the season 5 time travel arc. What was so disappointing, however, is that Lost’s later seasons had lots of filler episodes that could have been used to fix these issues.

Lost Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available Lost is a mystery drama series created for TV that follows a group of survivors of a plane crash and tells its story between the past, present, and future via flashbacks. When Oceanic Airlines Flight 815 crashes and lands on a mysterious island in the pacific ocean, the castaways discover their new temporary home may have a mind of its own, as strange supernatural events keep them locked to the island. From an unknown black smoke creature to dangerous islanders, the passengers must work together to survive the island's seemingly deadly intentions. Cast Evangeline Lilly , Naveen Andrews , Henry Ian Cusick , Daniel Dae Kim , Harold Perrineau , Dominic Monaghan , Emilie de Ravin , Jorge Garcia , Josh Holloway , Michael Emerson , Terry O'Quinn , Matthew Fox , Ken Leung , Elizabeth Mitchell , Yunjin Kim Release Date September 22, 2004 Seasons 6 Directors Jack Bender , Stephen Williams Expand

5 Riverdale

Abandoned Its Plan: Season 3

While Riverdale’s characters were based on Archie Comics, the show’s main storylines were not. Riverdale season 1 established the show as a murder mystery story about a group of teenagers in high school. However, as the show progressed, each season transformed it into a completely different concept. Riverdale started to introduce elements of supernatural horror, like the Gargoyles storyline in season 3. While these plot points were interesting at first, they quickly became too complicated to follow, especially when scenes would jump between monster threats and general teenage drama.

Riverdale’s later seasons featured several wild and bizarre plotlines, such as the secret organ-harvesting cult, a tickling fetish, multiple serial killers, and an underground fight club. Because the over-the-top and complex storylines took precedence, the characters lost out on significant character development that wasn’t related to the unusual story decisions. By the show’s end, time travel had been introduced, which was confusing and hard to follow at times. Luckily, Riverdale season 7’s original plan was a lot more expansive originally, but the idea was scrapped.

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buy Not available Not available Not available A darker take on Archie, Betty, Veronica, and their friends from the Archie Comics series, Riverdale is a CW supernatural mystery series that sees the group trying to illuminate the truth surrounding various strange occurrences and murders in the titular town. When a teenage girl is found dead in the once-quiet town, the event starts a series of ever-growing mysteries that ultimately lead to darker secrets in the town's history. Led by Archie, the Riverdale gang will attempt to navigate their new normal while dealing with all of the drama that comes with being high school teenagers. Cast Camila Mendes , Marisol Nichols , Ashleigh Murray , Cole Sprouse , Ross Butler , Madelaine Petsch , K.J. Apa , Luke Perry , Lili Reinhart , casey cott Release Date January 26, 2017 Seasons 7

4 Scrubs

Abandoned Its Plan: Season 9

The decline of Scrubs in season 9 was because of its sudden shift, which focused on Sacred Heart as a medical school. Unfortunately, the show’s creators and writers cannot be entirely blamed for this. The Scrubs season 8 episode “My Finale” was designed to be the show’s last episode, set on J.D.’s (Zach Braff) final day at work. The Scrubs team expected season 8 to be the end, but the show was unexpectedly commissioned for another installment of the hit sitcom.

Although popular characters like Turk (Donald Faison) and Cox (John C. McGinley) returned with J.D. to teach at the med school, Scrubs season 9 felt more like a spinoff. A new generation of Scrubs characters was introduced, including Lucy (Kerry Bishé) and Cole (Dave Franco), but the storylines of the latest additions weren’t exceptionally developed. The lack of beloved characters paired with too many new faces created multiple new storylines to follow that weren’t particularly connected to previous seasons. Unfortunately, Scrubs was canceled with season 9, which was a shame as the show had already aired a perfect ending.

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buy Not available Not available Not available Scrubs is a Sitcom and Medical Comedy/Drama created by Bill Lawrence that follows a group of medical students throughout their daily lives at the Sacred Heart Teaching Hospital. The series stars Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, and Donald Faison, as they work their way up from Medical Interns while juggling all sorts of hospital shenanigans. Cast John C. McGinley , Robert Maschio , Donald Faison , Christa Miller , Neil Flynn , Judy Reyes , Aloma Wright , Zach Braff , Sarah Chalke , Sam Lloyd , Ken Jenkins Release Date October 1, 2001 Seasons 9 Directors Bill Lawrence

3 Two And A Half Men

Abandoned Its Plan: Season 10

Two and a Half Men was another show that had no control over diverting from its original plan. Two and a Half Men’s premise was simple – the show followed Charlie Harper (Sheen), his brother Alan (Jon Cryer), and his nephew Jake (Angus T. Jones) getting up to all kinds of hijinks. While Two and a Half Men never confirmed any timeline for its predicted end, it was presumed from the show's title that it’d wrap when Jake grew up. However, in season 9, Jake joined the US Army and disappeared from the show.

Jake made a few brief appearances in season 10, was completely absent in season 11, and only returned in season 12 for the finale. Behind the scenes, Angus T. Jones decided to leave the show, which raised several questions about Jake in Two and a Half Men. Jones' departure was related to religious beliefs and issues over Jake’s storylines. However, with Jake being written out, the show persevered without him. Story arcs were redirected to focus on Sheen’s replacement, Walden Schmidt (Ashton Kutcher), and Alan instead, but the lack of their “half man” caused the last few seasons to crumble.

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buy Not available Not available Not available Two and a Half Men follows the Harper family: Charlie (Charlie Sheen), a womanizing, hedonistic jingle writer who enjoys his lazy lifestyle from the comfort of his large beach house; Alan (Jon Cryer), Charlie's neurotic, far less successful brother; and Jake (Angus T. Jones), Alan's impressionable son. When Alan's marriage falls apart, he moves in with Charlie, much to the older brother's dismay. After bonding with his nephew, Charlie reluctantly embraces Alan's presence, paving the way for one of television's most dysfunctional family environments. Cast Charlie Sheen , Jon Cryer , Angus T. Jones , Marin Hinkle , Melanie Lynskey , Holland Taylor , Conchata Ferrell , Ashton Kutcher , Amber Tamblyn Release Date September 22, 2003 Seasons 12 Directors James Widdoes

2 The 100

Abandoned Its Plan: Season 2

The 100 started as a post-apocalyptic drama TV show based on the novels of the same name by Kass Morgan. The show initially focused on a group of detainees sent back to Earth from the Ark, but there were several differences between The 100 books and TV show. The 100 season 1 amazingly retained the core concept of the book series, but season 2 diverted into new territory. New characters were introduced that weren’t in the novels, like Raven (Lindsey Morgan). Significant character action never happened either, such as Clarke (Eliza Taylor) and Bellamy’s (Bob Morley) engagement.

The introduction of the Anomaly and the exploration of different planets pushed The 100 away from its Earth-based narrative, and the show became more about the wider universe than a group of survivors. While these sci-fi elements were exciting, they were also overly complicated. The 100’s theme of moral ambiguity took a backseat for the show to focus on large-scale universal battles, too, and the loss of plotlines that highlighted the human conflict made the show’s genre shift entirely.

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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 Expand

1 Supernatural

Abandoned Its Plan: Season 6

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When Supernatural began, its primary focus was on the demon-hunting Winchester brothers, Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean. Supernatural creator Eric Kripke originally planned for the show to run for five seasons (via Collider), but instead of ending with season 5, Kripke handed over his role as showrunner to Sera Gamble for season 6. Kripke’s idea for Supernatural was simply Sam and Dean’s several battles against demons and the lead-up to Lucifer’s release from Hell.

The Supernatural season 15 finale aired in 2020, which was ten seasons longer than Kripke’s vision. Although seasons 6 to 15 had plenty of solid moments, the number of different showrunners and writers caused the overall tone and style of the show to shift frequently. The sheer number of seasons resulted in multiple characters dying and being brought back to life so often that it became difficult to keep up with who was alive or not. Unfortunately, the earlier seasons of Supernatural had so many compelling and emotionally resonating storylines that the show failed to replicate the longer it aired.