Top 20 Dumbest Decisions by TV Characters

Top 20 Decisions by TV Characters

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 20 Dumbest Decisions by TV Characters.

For this list, we’ll be looking at the most bizarre TV character choices that ultimately did more harm than good. We’re excluding animated shows as they deserve a list of their own. Since these decisions had a heavy impact on the plot of each series, a Spoiler Alert is now in effect!

Which TV character decision made you facepalm in frustration? Let us know in the comments.

#20: Marlene Lets Joel Free After Revealing Her Plan
“The Last of Us” (2023-)

In the season one finale, Joel and Ellie are captured by Marlene, the leader of the Fireflies and Ellie’s former guardian. Despite knowing the surgery to extract Ellie’s immunity will kill her, Marlene decides to go through with it, and surprisingly reveals this plan to Joel. Rather than holding him captive until after the surgery, she then chooses to set him free. Joel, whom Marlene knows is a dangerous and unhinged man, ends up gunning down her whole crew before killing her. The consequences of Marlene’s decision rest solely on her, as she should have anticipated Joel’s backlash. Sure, hard choices have to be made in a post-apocalyptic world, but that’s no excuse to throw simple logic out the window.

#19: Schmidt Cheats on Cece
“New Girl” (2011-18)

Schmidt initially dates Elizabeth and Cece at different points in time, which isn’t a problem. However, when forced to choose between them, he decides to date both women without telling one about the other. He also assures Cece that their relationship is exclusive. Schmidt doesn’t particularly enjoy juggling two love interests, either, which makes it confusing why he doesn’t just stop cheating on Cece. His inability to keep up the charade ultimately blows up in his face when Cece finds out and breaks up with him. In the end, he’s left with neither woman and wallows in his own guilt. Considering he had plenty of opportunities to make things right, Schmidt has no one but himself to blame for this heartbreak.

#18: Shiv Speaks Out of Line
“Succession” (2018-23)

Logan Roy manipulates all his children while playing power games with the family empire. Youngest child Shiv buys into his claims, believing she’s next in line to take over. However, her chances go up in flames because of her own mistake. Despite being told about her potential appointment as CEO in confidence, Shiv is unable to contain herself. At a family dinner with the Pierces, Logan is pressed to reveal his successor. When he evades the question, Shiv oversteps and recklessly announces that she’ll be taking over, eroding her father’s trust with each word. Her decision to speak on Logan’s behalf without his approval exposes her tactical flaws and damages the secure position she seemingly had just moments ago.

#17: Piper Starts a Racist Group
“Orange Is the New Black” (2013-19)

When the prison’s resources start to dwindle, inmates begin their own schemes to survive. As Piper Chapman and Maria Ruiz’s businesses clash, the former decides to get some protection. Unfortunately, her screening process leaves a lot to be desired. Piper unintentionally selects inmates whose hatred of Maria’s gang is racially motivated. With things out of hand, she indirectly begins a white supremacist group that puts a bigger target on her back than before. Piper might not have intended for it to go so far, but accepting the services of criminals she can’t understand or control was always going to end badly. Even worse, Maria’s crew leaves a brand on Piper’s arm as a permanent reminder of her blunder in judgment.

#16: Dr. Pershing Continues His Research
“The Mandalorian” (2019-)

Dr. Pershing causes a lot of trouble for the titular character and Grogu. Still, apart from working for the Imperial remnant, Pershing isn’t a straight-up villain and mainly focuses on cloning research. Because of this, he lucks out when the New Republic pardons him for his previous actions. But old habits die hard. The doctor is seduced back to his evil ways by Elia Kane, who convinces him to regather his research. Even though he can just walk away without getting his hands dirty, Pershing goes along with Kane’s plan. However, she ultimately betrays Pershing, leaving him to a fate worse than death. All of this could’ve been avoided if he’d just said no.

#15: Tanya Goes the Wrong Direction
“The White Lotus” (2021-)

In this show’s second season finale, heiress Tanya finds herself on a yacht with people who plan on killing her. After locking herself in a bedroom and finding the intended murder weapon, Tanya uses the gun to take out her attackers. There’s just one problem: she has no idea how to steer the yacht to shore. In her panicked state, Tanya decides to jump on a boat to try and make her way back. This might have worked had she leaped in the right direction – instead, she hits the side of the yacht before tumbling into the ocean. After surviving an attempted murder, it’s pretty wild that Tanya’s cause of death turned out to be her horrible jumping skills.

#14: Ross Doesn’t Tell Rachel They’re Still Married
“Friends” (1994-2004)

Ross and Rachel have their fair share of bad decisions. While drunkenly getting married was a poor choice in itself, Ross manages to make things worse. Unwilling to be divorced three times, he convinces Rachel that he’s gotten an annulment. It’s unclear how he planned on making it work with an oblivious wife, but Ross is pretty adamant about keeping it a secret. After Rachel eventually finds out, Ross continues to justify his decision. His plan backfires when Rachel includes false information about him in the annulment paperwork. Ultimately, the two are forced to get a divorce, bringing Ross up to a total of three failed marriages. We’ll leave it to Chandler to sum up how bizarre all of this was. [“at what point did you think this was a successful marriage?”]

#13: Cricket Leaves Priesthood Over a Crush
“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” (2005-)

Young Priest Matthew Mara, AKA Rickety Cricket, harbors a lifelong crush on Dee Reynolds. Unfortunately for him, she’s prepared to play with his feelings just to prove she can successfully flirt with a priest. Not realizing her feelings aren’t genuine, Cricket decides to give up the priesthood to be with her. It goes as badly as expected, as Cricket is not only turned down by Dee but can’t return to the church either. This begins a downward spiral for the character that continues for over a decade, ranging from losing his home, to horrible injuries, and falling in love with a dog (we’re not kidding about that).

#12: Robbing the Card Game
“The Sopranos” (1999-2007)

Jackie Aprile Jr. learns his deceased father made a name for himself through a heist with Tony Soprano. Despite Tony’s warnings against crime, Jackie Jr. insists on living up to his father’s reputation. To this end, he assembles his own crew to rob a high-stakes poker game. That’s easier said than done because not only is Jackie Jr. incompetent, but his team comprised people who are just as inept. The would-be robbers are way in over their heads as soon as they arrive. Most of them die in the ambush, while the lucky few narrowly escape. Jackie Jr. is later killed for his actions - a totally avoidable death, since no one asked him to rob in the first place.

#11: Lucas’ Obsession With Taking Down Frank Underwood
“House of Cards” (2013-18)

Vice President Frank Underwood kills journalist Zoe Barnes after their affair threatens to reveal his corruption. Zoe’s ex Lucas Goodwin makes it his mission to take Underwood down but naively relies on Gavin Orsay, a hacker he’s just met, who actually works for Underwood’s Chief of Staff. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that things with Orsay seem too good to be true. After all, finding someone on the internet willing to go against the government doesn’t happen every day. And yet, Goodwin blindly trusts Orsay, setting himself up to be caught. After his release from prison, Goodwin persists in his efforts to expose Underwood, to no avail. His attempt at assassinating Underwood eventually results in his own demise.

#10: Barry Creates An Alternative Timeline
“The Flash” (2014-23)

Time travel should not be taken lightly. Flashpoint refers to an alternate timeline created after Barry decides to use his powers to save his mother. This selfish act inadvertently changes the present, causing the death of Cisco's brother and bringing to an end Barry's relationship with Iris. Flashpoint also allows Savitar - an extremely powerful speedster - to escape his prison. The consequences were so huge, that the ripple effects could be felt on Arrow - a completely different show. Although Barry does reverse Flashpoint, there’s damage you can’t undo.

#9: Fiona Forgets To Put Away Certain Substances
“Shameless” (2011-21)

Fiona Gallagher has admittedly had it rough - unable to rely on her deadbeat dad, it has fallen to her to take care of her siblings. And initially, she rises to the occasion. Working minimum wage jobs, the oldest Gallagher child demonstrates a strong sense of responsibility, but it all starts to fall apart when she begins having an affair with her boyfriend's manipulative and troubled brother, Robbie. Ultimately, her bad choices result in an incident in which her much younger brother is harmed by a controlled substance that Fiona and company recklessly left out. This leads to a criminal record, a string of even more terrible choices, and Fiona needing to find a new job.

#8: Lester Tackles His Marital Problems (With A Hammer)
“Fargo” (2014-)

Is divorce no longer an option? Martin Freeman's Lester Nygaard is a mild-mannered insurance salesman and the town's personal punching bag. After breaking his own nose, Nygaard meets a drifter at the local hospital, who offers to take out a jerk targeting Lester. This leads to a string of murders, one involving Lester’s own wife, who is bludgeoned to death by her husband after pushing him one step too far. If Lester had just controlled himself and walked away from the marriage, there would barely have been very little linking Lester to the other murders.

#7: McNulty Gives Birth To A (Fake) Serial Killer
“The Wire” (2002-08)

Now, that is commitment. For a short period, things were going great for Jimmy McNulty - he was in a healthy relationship and was enjoying life as a beat cop. After being reassigned to the homicide division and returning to the loving arms of alcohol and infidelity, McNulty decides to pretend there is a serial killer in Baltimore in order to secure some much needed department funding. This not only ruins McNulty's career but drags down a few other detectives with him. Well, at least this ruse fixed the drug problem on the streets of Baltimore… right? Good job, Jimmy.

#6: Derek Talks on the Phone While Driving
“Grey’s Anatomy” (2005-)

You’d think Derek’s bad decisions would end at kissing another woman. But “McDreamy’s” poor judgment costs him his life shortly after. Having decided to return to Meredith, Derek witnesses a road accident and stops to help the victims. After tending to the injured, he’s about to leave when he gets a call. Within a split second, Derek’s car is hit by a truck, leaving him on the fringes of death. Although it’s a tragic incident, picking up the phone in the middle of a road with speeding cars isn’t exactly the smartest thing to do. To make matters worse, doctors at the hospital make mistakes of their own, causing Derek’s demise. All because he couldn’t wait a few seconds before answering a call.

#5: Michael Makes a Promise He Can’t Keep
“The Office” (2005-13)

Back in 1999, Michael Scott gave his word to third graders that their future is in his hands. Fast forward to 2009, and he’s in quite the pickle. The kids have spent the last ten years believing their college is paid for, so they’re in for a brutal reality check. Even someone as clueless as Michael should have known better than to string kids along for a promise he was never going to keep. Their shattered reactions make for one of the most cringeworthy scenes in TV history, only exacerbated by his lame excuses. The impact might have been less severe if Michael didn’t also bring along an ill-fated consolation prize: a supply of laptop batteries.

#4: Carol Chases Alpha
“The Walking Dead” (2010-22)

Carol develops a vendetta against Whisperer leader Alpha after she kills her son. When the heroes look to locate Alpha’s horde of zombies to prepare for an impending attack, Carol spots the leader herself. Having no care for the rest of the group, she chases her into a cave, thereby trapping everyone with the same horde they were trying to avoid. Turns out Alpha had anticipated this, and exploits Carol’s thirst for vengeance to corner all the heroes. They escape by the skin of their teeth, but group member Connie disappears. Carol’s impulsive decision proves costly for the group, giving the Whisperers the upper hand in the war and destroying her friendship with Daryl.

#3: Dexter Saves The Trinity Killer
“Dexter” (2006-13)

This is what happens when you let emotions cloud your judgment. For decades, Arthur Mitchell pretended to be a respected family man and teacher, while leading a double life as the Trinity killer. For Dexter, this careful balancing act is something he can relate to. Our brilliant forensic specialist, and killer of serial killers, looks to Arthur as someone to learn from, believing that he possessed the key to unlocking his own future happiness. Despite being fully aware of just how dangerous a man he was dealing with, Dexter stops Arthur from taking his own life. Surprising absolutely no one, Arthur eventually turns on Dexter, robbing him of the happiness he already had.

#2: Walter Leaves Gale’s Book in His Bathroom
“Breaking Bad” (2008-13)

DEA Agent Hank Schrader finds lab notes left by deceased chemist Gale, whom he believes to be the elusive drug mastermind Heisenberg. Hank notices Gale’s love for Walt Whitman’s writing, who shares his initials with his brother-in-law Walter White. Of course, White is the real Heisenberg, but manages to pass it off as a coincidence. This should have been Walt’s cue to destroy any evidence linking him to Gale. Yet, he leaves a copy of Whitman’s book with a note from Gale in his bathroom. Being careless with the one piece of evidence linking him to his life of crime doesn’t represent Walt’s finest hour. It doesn’t take long for Hank to confirm Gale’s handwriting, realizing Walt’s identity as Heisenberg, and ushering his downfall.

#1: Robb Marries Talisa
“Game of Thrones” (2011-19)

Most marriages in “Game of Thrones” are politically driven, so there was bound to be pushback when someone went against this. Robb Stark learns it the hard way when he breaks his engagement with the Freys family to marry Talisa Maegyr. Unlike the majority of relationships in the series, Robb and Talisa genuinely love each other. That doesn’t mean much to their enemies, though, who set the couple up for a particularly brutal end. Robb’s family bears the brunt of his decision, as they’re stripped of all their possessions and status. It’s hard to believe one marriage could cause such a chain of violent events, but Robb should’ve known that’s how things roll in Westeros.