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15 TV Character Storylines That Never, Ever, EVER Should've Happened

All that growth just gone to waste.

Ajani Bazile-Dutes
by Ajani Bazile-Dutes

BuzzFeed Staff

We recently asked the members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us what storyline completely ruined a TV character's growth. Here's what they said:

Warning: This post contains topics of sexual assault. 

1. When Alex Karev left Jo and Meredith to get back together with Izzie on Grey's Anatomy.

Jo reading Alex's letter stating that he is in love with Izzie
ABC

"The writers truly ruined 16 seasons of character development. There was absolutely no way he would’ve abandoned his wife and best friend."

—hpeters22


"Him going back to a woman who he spent years getting over and also leaving Jo, who was the best thing that happened to him, was hard to watch. All the work he put into being a better person and husband was all wiped away in one episode."

—allystavish

2. When Haley got back together with Dylan on Modern Family.

Haley at her sonogram with Dylan and her mom
ABC

"Haley going back to Dylan was definitely one of the worst because she had grown so much."

—rbd89

3. When Spike attempted to rape Buffy on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Buffy telling Spike she doesn't feel the same way he does about her and Spike insisting that she does still love him
The WB / UPN

"That was a very bad decision."

—matdyjames

4. When Debbie tricked her boyfriend into getting her pregnant at 15 on Shameless.

Debbie revealing to Fiona that she lied to Derek about being on the pill so that she could get pregnant
Showtime

"She was doing so well before that, then she just became trash."

—A_Panda

5. When Rory dropped out of Yale on Gilmore Girls.

Rory telling Lorelai that she is dropping out of Yale
Warner Bros.

"She stole a boat, dropped out of Yale, lived with her grandmother, and ignored Lorelai for months because one guy told her she didn't have what it took to be a journalist. That's something you do when you're 15, not when you're 20."

—s463b03bd4

6. When Jaime left Brienne for Cersei in Season 8 of Game of Thrones.

Jaimie telling Brienne he'd do anything for Cersei and he won't stay
HBO Max

"When he said he did everything for Cersei, it didn't make sense because it was established in previous seasons that he did what he did for the people and saved millions of lives. It completely ruined his character arc and I pretend the last two seasons never happened."

—districtrue

7. When Andy sailed away on the boat without Erin on The Office.

Andy sailing off in his boat and Erin telling the camera that she wishes he asked her to come
NBC

"I have no idea why they took his character in that direction. I can't believe how he treated Erin by leaving her to be on the boat and all the lying he did to Robert California to cover his own ass. The whole series he was portrayed as caring (if sometimes incompetent) to his coworkers and then he randomly did that. He did have an anger issue when his job was stolen, but it made sense because a total stranger stole his job! They just randomly turned him into this selfish person for no reason who only cared about himself."

—irwhite1993

8. When Danny's regressed to a sexist jerk on The Mindy Project.

Danny telling Mindy that she has to cook, clean, and raise their son while he works
Fox / Hulu

"He was always super supportive of Mindy and proud of her work as a doctor but then as soon as they had the baby, he started gaslighting her, tried to trick her into getting pregnant again and generally shaming her for wanting to keep her job!"

—sunshine193

9. When Fiona did coke while Liam was in the house on Shameless.

Fiona dancing with Vee and Liam and then doing coke and then later she finds Liam passed out with coke smeared on his face
Showtimee

"It was so completely out of character for her. I understand that they were trying to show that Fiona was flawed and had her young life taken from her early by becoming the guardian of her siblings, but that was a huge character assassination. For me, that was the beginning of the end for Shameless."

—southofnowhere

10. Everything Sabrina Spellman did in Seasons 3 and 4 of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

Sabrina Spellman asking Sabrina Morningstar if one wants to rule hell while the the other lives a normal life
Netflix

"She used to be a smart, ambitious, independent and likeable character in the beginning. She even defied her father, the devil, by refusing to rule Hell with him. In Season 3, she became OBSESSED with ruling Hell and made the most selfish decisions, like creating a cheap clone of herself to rule Hell, no matter who she hurt in the process."

—a402635290

11. When Anya starting doing coke on Degrassi: The Next Generation.

Anya snorting coke at a club
CTV

"I quit watching Degrassi (after YEARS) immediately after the shot of Anya doing coke at a club. Anya? ANYA? Student Council Anya? Cheerleader Anya? Anya who had a HUGE falling out with Holly J. because Holly J. was always forcing her into bad situations and getting them in trouble? LARPer Anya?? Nope, NOPE, do not buy it."

—chelseajack

12. When Toby leaked classified information on The West Wing.

Toby telling CJ he leaked the information
NBC

"He leaked classified information on a military space program so the US would be forced to send help to some stranded astronauts. It was so out of character for him and it was heavily implied that he was covering for someone else like CJ. Not only did it completely blow up his storyline by forcing him out of the White House, but he turned into a total ass afterward."

—annpricot

13. When Guzman became a classist jerk again on Season 4 of Elite.

Guzman saying that Samu speaks English well for a hick in front of Ari and her family
Netflix

"The show had him go from a dumb jerk to a better man to make his growth part of his journey. Alas, they erased said growth by making him a dumb jerk again to make the Guzman, Ari, and Samu love triangle work."

—superkay

14. When Schmidt cheated on Cece and Elizabeth by dating them both at the same time.

Schmidt telling Nick he cheated on Cece
Fox

"I couldn’t get past it."

—kthomas8836

15. And when Cordelia slept with Angel's son Connor on Angel.

The WB

"From Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Angel we watched her go from a spoiled teenage girl to a wonderful strong, caring young woman, only for her to turn evil and sleep with Angel's son. She got 'pregnant' by Connor, went into a coma and died. It was an unforgivable character assassination. Cordelia deserved better!"

—itsspeltpauline

Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity. 

What are other storylines that completely ruined a TV character? Let us know in the comments.