10 TV characters these shows don’t know what to do with

sometimes, TV shows introduce characters that seem fundamental to the story, but it becomes clear that the writers aren’t sure what to do with them. After their initial storyline. The result is often that the TV show will repeat the same story many times, focusing on one character. Maybe the character will eventually be written out of the show when the actor or writers have had enough, but they may be needed for a particular future storyline.

Some TV show love interests that suddenly fell apart and great female TV characters who deserved better ended up in these circumstances because the creativity ran out about their arcs. Great TV shows should effectively use all their characters, At least provide a reason for them to be shelved for a while if screen time is limited. However, it’s hard to feel like some shows haven’t wasted characters when they were included in the story for trivial reasons.

10

Walter “Flynn” White Jr. (RJ Mitte)

Breaking Bad (2008-2013)

Walter Jr./Flynn’s storyline in Breaking bad is often complained about, the main argument is that he was simply there, sometimes causing further friction between his parents. Flynn’s main contribution to the drama is taking his father’s side when his mother wants to tell him why she’s mad at Walt. When it actually would be more interesting if Flynn would also become suspicious of their sudden wealth. however, Breaking bad Covers a lot of ground without feeling too bloated, so it chose to keep Flynn’s story simple.

The defining moment in Breaking bad For Flynn’s character is when he defends his mother and calls the police on his father in the final episodes. finally, Part of the function of Flynn’s character is just to be there, being a teenager who will contribute to the depiction of the breakdown of Walt’s family In the end, even if there is not much more to do with him in the meantime. Some of his fights with his mother are repetitive, but the story isn’t too focused on him to begin with.

9

Mary Margaret / Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin)

Once Upon a Time (2011-2018)

Once upon a time Get a lot more mileage out of Snow White and Prince Charming in the first season, When they were tragically separated by the curse blocking out their memories of each other. Once the show covered the ground, it found a less effective but still solid storyline with them figuring out their relationship with the adult daughter they missed out on raising and decided to have another child. However, around the time of season 4, Once upon a time Begins to repeat with snow.

Snow has a couple of different episodes that are almost identical as far as the point they make about her rediscovering her street-smart gangster identity along with her soft-spoken school teacher persona. The show reveals some more backstory stuff that makes no sense in the context of the previous seasons to create more tension with Emma, ​​while Snow and Charming’s dialogue is no longer pleasantly goofy because they’ve said the same things a million times before. It was a relief for Snow to be demoted to cameo status when it became clear that her actual arc was long over.

8

Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen)

Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Theon has a strong arc for most of Game of ThronesWent from the unlikable, unofficially adopted Stark sibling to a submissive prisoner to his sister’s right-hand man. Theon’s trauma after being tortured by Ramsay Bolton affects his character in believable ways, causing him to run away from trouble even when his sister needs him. However, after he rallies his remaining men and accomplishes a quick rescue, Game of Thrones Has no purpose for Theon in the final season.

Theon returns to Winterfell to help the Starks in fighting the White Walkers, something that is not completely necessary when he has already made his peace with them. There is a major twist in his death, which only really has an emotional impact on Sansa. Theon’s storyline has already played out in seasons 6 and 7 as he tries to find a sense of security and purpose by helping Yara, But his unceremonious death in the final season is just an attempt to inject some emotion into the battle by killing off a long-standing character.

7

Jeremy Gilbert (Steven R. McQueen)

The Vampire Diaries (2009-2017)

Elena has a younger sister in the Vampire Diaries Books who plays a much smaller role than her brother Jeremy in the show, who is also close to her in age. The idea of ​​making Elena’s sibling old enough to be involved in the action gives the story with another character while swapping their gender showcase a different relationship when Elena already has sisterly dynamics with Bonnie and Caroline. However, Jeremy’s arc is always through his relationship with other characters, after his initial “Sad Teenager” storyline.

Jeremy’s storyline repeats itself as Elena steps in and forces him out of town because she wants him to be safe. He was also linked to Bonnie as a love interest before cheating on her with his ghost ex-girlfriend, just to prompt more drama. Jeremy gets some of his own plot with the Brotherhood of the Five storyline, but it seems like it’s just a setup for his death To throw another wrench in Elena’s arc. Jeremy leaving town (and the show) is the loosest thing he does in the entire series.

6

Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh)

Hawkeye (2021)

Jelena’s best scenes in Hawkeye They are easily you with Kate, Which are more about casual interactions between the characters driven by the ease and experience of both actresses than substantial plot. No character needed Hawkeye Season 2 more than Yelena, because additional storytelling and development of her relationships with Kate and Clint would justify her needing to be on the show. Yelena’s role in this show feels more like a contractual crossover obligation than almost anything else in the MCU.

Given Florence Pugh’s status as a rising star and the cliffhanger of Black Widows post-credits scene, Yelena is in Hawkeye was a big deal. However, it takes more than half of the show for her to even appear, and her storyline is a series of obligatory filler (what happened to her during the blip, her meeting with Clint, etc.). Hawkeye Didn’t know what to do with Yelena because it hardly had time to do anything with her; If they were committed to two seasons, the first could be about Maya and Kingpin, and the second about Yelene.

5

Nikki and Paulo (Kiele Sanchez & Rodrigo Santoro)

Lost (2004-2010)

Nicky and Paulo are typically mentioned as a single unit, considered to be the two most infamously unnecessary characters in Lost, If not all of television. The two join the cast in season 3 as survivors of the plane crash who have not been highlighted as main characters before. This is not an inherently flawed premise, as the group has always included some unnamed people in the background. However, with multiple other storylines around already-established characters going on, Nikki and Paulo proved to be an unwelcome distraction.

Namely, Nikki and Paulo are seen as wasting time, preoccupied with their pre-island problems While other characters are carrying the main story. The show quickly realized that they made a mistake with these characters, who basically do nothing and can’t do anything. with them to save the situation. Nikki and Paulo were soon killed off in Lost After that everyone took them as a sign that the writers do not know what they are doing.

4

The Terminator (Yasuhiro Mamiya / Timothy Olyphant)

Terminator Zero (2024)

The terminator pursuing the human targets in 1997 is essential to Terminator ZeroIt’s action and ending, but it’s surprisingly easy to forget he’s there. After an initial confrontation with Malcolm Lee and the human soldier sent back in time, The Terminator is lost in a series of sequences chasing Malcolm’s children. The kids and their caretakers are separated and brought together several times and the terminator constantly shifts to focus on a different target child.

yet The Terminator becomes less of a threat as the season goes on when the AI ​​Kokoro takes control of all the service robots in the city And the audience is tasked with following multiple timelines and philosophical debates. It becomes a game of keeping the Terminator down until he comes back for a final twist. He’s technically always doing something but is given a bit of characterization in the context of what’s revealed about him at the end. The story ultimately doesn’t do much with him when he’s more of a traditional plot device for the franchise.

3

Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone)

Grey’s Anatomy (2005 – present)

No one was more of a victim of Gray’s Anatomys endless cycle of new romances and breakups like Amelia. Amelia arrives at Gray Sloan Memorial Hospital with a reputation for being flighty and impulsive, Having already gone through multiple tragic storylines in the spinoff Private practice. Her first couple of seasons as part of the main cast of Gray’s Anatomy Are decent, focusing on her coping with her brother’s death, undergoing surgery to remove a tumor, patching up her relationships with Meredith and her mother, and divorcing Owen.

However, Amelia then got caught up in a cycle of endless relationships she was initially committed to. She decides that she and Link want different things, while Kay moves to London for a new job opportunity. The crux of Amelia’s character is that she is always growing, and Gray’s Anatomy Keep building drama to fuel this When Amelia should be settled now. Because the one thing that would be worse for the character is to have her relapse into drug use, they keep turning to new, doomed-to-fail relationship storylines.

2

Grant Ward (Bright Dalton)

Agents of SHIELD (2013-2020)

Agent Ward’s betrayal of the rest of Agent Coulson’s team is a great plot twist that fits in the context of HYDRA being hidden in SHIELD but, it leaves Agents of Shield With the problem of what to do with the character who is established as a core part of the main workshop, but none of the other main characters want anything to do with him. Ward was imprisoned in the team’s base for a while in season 2 and floats around doing some of his own missions in seasons 2 and 3 before his final death.

Agents of Shield Finds excuses for Ward to come With half-dead and alternate realities. However, the show missed some natural moments for him to have the most impressive death, with everything he did to the main team at the forefront. Agents of Shield Apparently realized a little too late that there is no future for the character with the show when the rest of the cast so passionately wanted him dead.

1

Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman)

The Big Bang Theory (2007-2019)

Stuart started out as a recurring character in The Big Bang Theory, whose role expanded in later times. But, it seems like The showrunners wanted to include Stuart more in theory but stumbled over how to do it. His storyline repeats itself with him crashing into Howard and Bernadette’s house and coming up with reasons not to leave, even as his business picks up. Stuart’s ultimate ending of finding someone who shares his interests and moving out could have happened much sooner.

This happens alongside an awkward conversation in the story about whether Stuart is a true member of the group or one of their fringe friends. Stuart was never as natural of an addition to the regular cast as Amy and Bernadette, And it feels like the show was forcing it to happen with storylines that made him a less likable and self-sufficient character. Stuart’s Unsure storyline specifically comes from a failed transition from recurring to regular status, as opposed to main characters whose storylines ran out.