Top 10 TV Moments That Made Fans Rage Quit
For this list, we're reluctantly looking back at outrageous scenes in our favorite TV shows that drove fans away - whether through bad writing, killing off a beloved character, or moments that were just plain difficult to stomach. We'll be excluding terrible series finales - we're looking atyou “Dexter” - because, at that point, it was too late to rage quit. Caution, there WILL be heavy spoilers… and even heavier headaches.
#10: The Lottery
“Roseanne” (1988-2018)
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For the first eight seasons, “Roseanne” was praised by viewers for its accurate portrayal of the life of a working-class family. However, all that changed in season nine when the Conners became millionaires after winning the lottery. This might be a great thing for a family constantly striving for financial security, but it also completely abandoned the original theme of daily monetary struggles that made the sitcom feel so grounded –in fact, the whole season became so surreal that it might as well have been an entirely different show. Fortunately, Roseanne winning the lottery turned out to be just a part of her coping story at the end of the season.
#9: Selling Out Jesse
“Breaking Bad” (2008-13)
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Walt originally hired Jack’s neo-Nazi gang to kill Jesse, only to end up in a trap and almost arrested. When the white supremacists arrive, Jesse goes into hiding… but Walt reveals his hiding spot without a second thought - allowing them to abduct Jesse and make him their meth slave. What’s even worse is that just when it looks like Walt wants to call it off… he spitefully reveals instead that he allowed Jesse’s girlfriend to die. While the episode itself has been called one of the series’ best, Walt’s actions are nothing less than despicable toward someone whom he once called a partner – and considering all he’s done to Jesse already, that’s really saying something.
#8: Laurel Lance’s Death
“Arrow” (2012-)
Laurel was Oliver Queen’s main love interest, and the second to don the Black Canary identity. While the character divided fans, she struggled through addiction and persevered to become a formidable hero in her own right . . . until the writers suddenly killed her off in season four. Even besides the fact that it broke the Arrow-Canary tradition, her demise restarted Ollie’s violent tendencies – reducing Laurel to “woman in refrigerator” status. Upsetting some fans further, it seemed like Laurel was given the short end of the stick just to make room for the Oliver-Felicity relationship - which has proven a rocky rollercoaster of its own.
#7: Jumping the Shark … Literally
“Happy Days” (1974-84)
In this infamous episode, the Happy Days gang leave the drive-in diner behind for the beach, where Fonzie water-skis over a jump . . . and a huge shark. The Fonz might have the magic touch when it comes to fixing the jukebox and being cool . . . but when did he learn to water-ski?! Seeing him pull off such an over-the-top stunt was so ridiculous that it spawned the phrase “jumping the shark” – used to describe the moment when a beloved TV show resorts to cheap gimmicks to try to stay alive. Fonz may have made that jump and silenced the sceptics on the beach . . . but it would have been best if he’d just stayed on shore.
#6: The Wedding
“Game of Thrones” (2011-)
Top 10 Game of Thrones Moments That Made Fans Rage Quit
“Game of Thrones” has gotten away with some pretty gruesome content over the years … but this was a whole new level. For starters, the episode “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken” sees Sansa Stark forced to marry the sadistic Ramsay Bolton … but that’s not even the worst part. That night, Ramsay orders her to undress… and then rapes her off-camera while the broken Theon Greyjoy watches with tears in his eyes. Unsurprisingly, this scene horrified viewers thanks to the graphic, nauseating imagery and terrifying tension – others felt that the scene was unnecessary and only added shock value. At least we got to see Ramsay meet a fitting end in a later episode.
#5: The Funeral
“Two and a Half Men” (2003-15)
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Following Charlie Sheen’s controversial dismissal from “Two and a Half Men”, the character had to be written out of the show . . . so they decided to kill him off-screen at the start of season nine. If killing Charlie wasn’t enough to rile up fans, the spiteful funeral scene definitely did the trick. Not only is it implied that he was murdered, but everyone shows up just to heckle the service – in front of his family, no less. Even if Sheen and the show staff parted on bad terms, fans found this little “send-off” more tasteless and immature than funny; however, Sheen got the last laugh by reportedly ENJOYING the funeral scene - calling it “eerie but fun”.
#4: Lexa’s Death
“The 100” (2014-)
Lexa was a popular recurring member on “The 100” thanks to her complex character and budding romance with Clarke. So naturally, the show decided to have her accidentally gunned down and die in her lover’s arms… Wait what? As you can imagine, fans were outraged that the show would succumb to the “bury your gays” trope – an unfortunate convention in which gay characters are treated as expendable, and often killed off in the middle of romantic subplots - basically insinuating that LGBT characters can’t have happy endings. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” faced similar flak from their fans after killing Willow’s girl, Tara. At least on “The 100”, Lexa and Clarke got to say goodbye.
#3: The Brian Ratings Trap
“Family Guy” (1999-)
Top 10 Family Guy Moments That Made Fans Rage Quit
In the episode “Life of Brian”, Brian and Stewie are about to enjoy some wholesome street hockey… when a runaway car suddenly runs Brian over. He passes away a short time afterward, and while the rest of the family moves on, Stewie and the audience are left to mourn this unbelievable loss… The episode prompted a massive outcry from distraught fans, but fortunately, Brian returned from the dead just two episodes later, and creator Seth MacFarlane revealed that the whole ordeal was supposed to teach viewers a lesson about taking our loved ones for granted. It’s hard to tell which was worse – how they toyed with our feelings for what was essentially ratings stunt, or that they couldn’t commit to their little shake-up.
#2: The “REAL” Seymour Skinner
“The Simpsons” (1989-)
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It’s hard to tell when exactly “The Simpsons” started losing its touch, but a lot of signs point towards Season nine’s “The Principal and the Pauper”. It turns out that Principal Skinner, an established character since the very first season, is actually an imposter – a former street punk mentored by the REAL Seymour Skinner. When the original Skinner was declared dead, the imposter assumed the role in his honor… until the genuine article suddenly returns. What’s even more aggravating is that in the end, everyone ditches the real deal and decides to forget that the whole incident ever happened . . . which it really never should have.
If you’ve made it this far without calling it quits, here are a few dishonorable mentions.
Sherry Blows It Big Time
“24” (2001-10)
An Incredibly Stupid Trade
“The Flash” (2014-)
The New Cast
“Scrubs” (2001-10)
A “Miraculous” Revival
“Prison Break” (2005-09)
Just a Dream
“Dallas” (1978-91)
#1: Carl Grimes
“The Walking Dead” (2010-)
“The Walking Dead” definitely knows how to shock people – whether with the Negan cliffhanger of season six or, in this case, killing off Carl Grimes. We witnessed Carl slowly grow from one of the most annoying TV kids into a hardened, mature young man, but his journey was brought to an abrupt end in season eight when he was bitten by a walker. Fans were especially miffed that Carl’s death marked a significant departure from the comics, in which he grows more and more into humanity’s savior. He could’ve been the future of the show, but instead the writers made him as disposable as everyone else in the franchise.
