Sometimes, TV shows introduce characters that seem central to the story, but it's clear that the writers don't know what to do with them. after the first storyline. The result is often that the TV show repeats the same story over and over, focusing on one character. Perhaps the character in question will eventually be removed from the show once the actors or writers have gained enough experience, but it may be necessary for a certain future storyline.
The love interests that some TV shows suddenly fell into and great female TV characters who deserved better ended up in these circumstances because they ran out of creativity with their arcs. Great TV shows need to use all their characters effectively, at least give them a reason to be shelved for a while if screen time is limited. However, it's hard to feel that some shows aren't wasting characters when they're inserted into the story for fairy-tale reasons.
10 Walter “Flynn” White Jr. (RJ Mitte)
Breaking Bad (2008-2013)
Walter Jr./Flynn's storyline Breaking Bad she often complains, the main argument being that she's just there and sometimes causes further arguments between her parents. Flynn's main contribution to the drama is taking his father's side when his mother refuses to tell Walt why he is angry. It might actually be more interesting if Flynn was also suspicious of their sudden wealth. However, Breaking Bad it covers a lot of ground without feeling too bloated, so he chose to keep Flynn's story simple.
A defining moment Breaking Bad because Flynn's character is defending his mother and calling the police on his father in recent episodes. Finally, Part of Flynn's character's function is just to be there, to be a teenager who will contribute to the depiction of Walt's family breakup. in the end, even if he has nothing more to do with it in the meantime. Some of his fights with his mother are repeated, but the story doesn't really focus on him to begin with.
9 Mary Margaret/Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin)
Once Upon a Time (2011-2018)
Once upon a time In the first season, he got more distance than Snow White and Prince Charming, when they are tragically separated by a curse blocking their memories of each other. After the show covered that ground, it found a less compelling but still solid story, charting their relationship with their grown daughter, whom they decided to raise and have another child with. However, around the time of season 4, Once upon a time Snow begins to repeat.
Snow has several different episodes that are almost identical to the point where they talk about him rediscovering his street smart thug identity. The show reveals more backstory that doesn't make sense in the context of previous seasons to create more tension with Emma. Snow and Charmed's dialogue is no longer cheesily silly because they've said the same thing a million times before. It was a relief for Snow to be relegated to cameo status when it was clear that her actual arc was long over.
8 Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen)
Game of Thrones (2011-2019)
Theon had a strong arc for many Game of Thronesthe unpleasant, unofficially adopted Stark goes from being a sister to an obedient prisoner to her sister's right-hand man. After being tortured by Ramsey Bolton, Theo's trauma believably affects his character, causing him to avoid conflict even when his sister needs him. But after he gathered the rest of his men and made a quick rescue, Game of Thrones has no purpose for Theon in the final season.
Theon returns to Winterfell to help the Starks fight the White Walkers, which was completely unnecessary when he had already made peace with them. It's basically a diversion about his death, and it only affects Sansa emotionally. Theo's storyline was already underway in seasons 6 and 7, when he was trying to find some sense of security and purpose by helping Yara. but his unofficial death in the final season is simply an attempt to inject some emotion into the fight by killing off a long-running character.
7 Jeremy Gilbert (Steven R. McQueen)
The Vampire Diaries (2009-2017)
Jeremy leaving town (and the show) is the most independent thing he does in the entire series.
Elena has a younger sister The Vampire Diaries books, who played a smaller role in the show than his brother Jeremy, who is also close to him in age. The idea of getting Elena's sister old enough to take part in the action provides the story with another character, while also changing their gender, showing a different relationship when Elena has a sister dynamic with Bonnie and Caroline. However, Jeremy's arc is always in his relationships with other characters after he gets past his beginnings “troubled teenager” story line.
Jeremy's storyline is repeated with how Elena swoops in and takes him out of town because she wants him to be safe. He is also linked to Bonnie as a love interest before he cheated on her ex, but only to create more drama. Jeremy gets his own plot twist with the “Brotherhood of Five” storyline, but it seems like it was just a setup for his death. Throwing another wrench into Elena's arc. Jeremy leaving town (and the show) is the most independent thing he does in the entire series.
6 Elena Belova (Florence Pugh)
Hawkeye (2021)
The best scenes of Elena Hawk eye easily his with Kate, It's more of a casual interaction between the characters, driven by the comfort and experience of both actresses than a significant plot. No character needed Hawk eye Season 2 was about more than Elena, as the additional story and the development of her relationships with Kate and Clint would have justified the need for her to be on the show at all. Elena's role in this show is more like a contractual crossover obligation than almost anything else in the MCU.
Given Florence Pugh's status as a rising star and on the precipice Black Widow's post-credits scene, Elena is inside Hawk eye it was a big deal. However, it takes more than half the show for her to even appear, and her storyline is a bunch of forced filler (what happened to her during the blip, meeting Clint, etc.). Hawk eye He didn't know what to do with Elena, because he didn't have time to do anything with her; if they had promised two seasons, the first could have been about Maya and Kingpin, and the second could have been about Elena.
5 Nikki and Paulo (Kiele Sanchez and Rodrigo Santoro)
Lost (2004-2010)
Nicky and Paulo are usually referred to as a single unit, regarded as two of the most despicable characters. Lost, if not all TVs. The two join the cast in season 3 as plane crash survivors who were not previously cast as main characters. This isn't an inherently flawed premise, as the band has always had some unnamed people in the background. However, with so many other storylines going on involving already established characters, Nikki and Paulo became an unwanted distraction.
Namely, Nikki and Paulo seemed like a waste of time worrying about their pre-island problems while other characters carried the main story. The showrunners quickly realized that they had made a mistake with these characters who essentially did nothing, and there was nothing they could do to save the situation. Nikki and Paulo were soon killed Lost after everyone took them as a sign that the writers didn't know what they were doing.
4 The Terminator (Yasuhiro Mamiya/Timothy Olyphant)
Terminator Zero (2024)
Essential to 1997's Terminator, which chases down human targets Terminator zero's action and ending, but it's surprisingly easy to forget it's there. After an initial confrontation with Malcolm Lee and a human soldier sent back in time, The Terminator gets lost in the chain of sequences following Malcolm's children. The children and their caretakers are repeatedly separated and reunited, and the Terminator constantly focuses on a different target child.
Still As the season progresses, with AI Kokoro taking control of all the service robots in the city, the Terminator becomes less of a terrifying threat. and viewers are tasked with following multiple timelines and philosophical debates. It becomes a game to keep the Terminator busy enough until he comes back for one last spin. He's technically always doing something, but has little characterization in the context of what's revealed about him at the end. The story ultimately doesn't do much with it when it's more of a traditional plot device for this franchise.
3 Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone)
Grey's Anatomy (2005-present)
No one has ever been a victim Grey's Anatomy's Amelia, more recent romances and an endless cycle of breakups. Amelia Gray gets a reputation for being flighty and impulsive at Sloan Memorial Hospital. has already gone through many tragic stories in the spinoff Personal Experience. His first few seasons as part of the main cast Grey's Anatomy is decent, focusing on dealing with her brother's death, undergoing surgery to remove the tumor, rebuilding her relationship with Meredith and her mother, and divorcing Owen.
However, Amelia is going through a period of ending relationships that she was originally committed to. She decides that she and Link want different things, and Kai moves to London for a new job opportunity. The essence of Amelia's character is that she is constantly growing and Grey's Anatomy keeps the drama going to fuel it Amelia should have been resolved by now. Since the only thing that would be worse for the character is his return to drug use, they keep resorting to new, doomed-to-fail relationship stories.
2 Grant Ward (Brett 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 within the context of HYDRA being hidden within SHIELD. Agents of SHIELD With the problem of what to do with this character who is established as a major part of the main cast, but none of the other main characters want anything to do with him. Ward is imprisoned at the team's base for a while in season 2 and floats around doing some of his missions in seasons 2 and 3 before his final death.
Agents of SHIELD He makes excuses for Ward to come with half-resurrections and alternate realities. However, the show missed several natural moments for him to have his most impactful death, foregrounding everything he did to the main team. Agents of SHIELD he probably realized a little too late that the character had no future with the show.
1 Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman)
The Big Bang Theory (2007-2019)
Stuart started out as a recurring character big bang theory, whose role was expanded in later seasons. However, it seems showrunners wanted to include Stewart more in theory, but didn't know how to do it. Her storyline repeats, she crashes at Howard and Bernadette's house and finds reasons not to go even when her job starts. To find someone who shares Stewart's interests and move in, the finale could happen very quickly.
This happens alongside an awkward conversation within the story about whether Stewart is an actual member of the group or one of their outside friends. Stewart was never added to the regular cast as much as Amy and Bernadette. and it feels like the show forced it to happen with storylines that made him a less likeable and self-sufficient character. Stewart's uncertain storyline stems from a failed transition from recurring to regular status, unlike the main characters whose storylines are over.
