60 Minutes I'll Never Get Back: Episodes We Could Have Done Without

[SPLAIN]

Those episodes of any tv show that you just can't watch for whatever reason. Was there an episode that just didn't work because the star was absent for any reason? Was there an episode where a guest star appeared and just ruined the show? Was there an episode that just sucked? Was there an episode that just seemed not to fit the show?

[Cranberry]

Check out the NONAC submission thread in the Extra Hot Great forum! We've discussed a few of those over there (although that's more "the absolute worst" than episodes you just don't care for). Might give people a jumping-off point!

[SPLAIN]

I apologize. I didn't realize that. I don't think I would have ever come upon that thread considering the title and where it is located. What exactly is the Extra Hot Great forum? Wouldn't it be easier to see or find in Everything Else TV?

[David T. Cole]

She's just pointing you out to a thread of similar interest. It's the Previously.TV podcast.

[SPLAIN]

The Shirley Temple episode on the Brady Bunch. Nuff said.

[ShellSeeker]

Six Feet Under is my favorite show ever, and I re-watch the whole series occasionally. But I can never watch "That's My Dog," the episode where David is carjacked. I always skip that one. It's just so awful, from start to finish, and the idea that David would randomly pick up a hitchhiker never rang true with me. Season 1 David would have done that -- he had a bunch of self-loathing in that first season that manifested itself with quite a bit of self-destructive behavior. But by Season 4, he had moved past that.

[Rhondinella]

Any episode in which they bring in a monkey.  Nothing reeks of desperation more.

[merylinkid]

Any episode with Ensign Ro in it on Star Trek the Next Generation.   But especially the alternate universe one where she and Riker were married.   Just ugh.   My least liked character married to my most liked one.   Honestly, I can see they wanted to add to the cast and maybe have someone be less than the perfect.   But did they have to make her so darn unlikeable?

[Portia]

I feel like I'm painting a big ol' target on my backside by doing this, but I could have done without the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill episode of Designing Women. Too strident and preachy.

[DangerousMinds]

The Frasier episode where he attends he cousin's Greek wedding.

[Rinaldo]

Any episode in which a character's toe is cut or bitten off. One might not think this happened enough to be mentioned as a category, but Friends did it, Seinfeld did it, Weeds did it. In fact I never watched Weeds again after it happened.

[David T. Cole]

Are you saying you didn't toe the line?

[DoughGirl]

Any episode in which they bring in a monkey. Nothing reeks of desperation more.

Yes!

[SPLAIN]

Almost all the post-lottery episodes of Roseanne.

[ShellSeeker]

I feel like I'm painting a big ol' target on my backside by doing this, but I could have done without the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill episode of Designing Women. Too strident and preachy.

 

Well then make it a target big enough for 2 backsides, because I also thought that episode was awful. In fact, that whole season with Julia Duffy was awful. It was a little more entertaining when they got rid of her and brought in Judith Ivey, but it was never near as good as it was with the original 4 women. There have been plenty of shows that have gone downhill after casting changes, but on that show, the decline was pretty shocking.

[Kanako]

Speaking of preachy, how about Isaac and Ishmael episode of The West Wing?  I understand why TPTB felt compelled to put together a "very special" episode after 9.11.  But it was just not done very well and ended up being a bad Afterschool Special episode.  I still cringe thinking about it.

[Kromm]

Apparently TWOP did one of their slide show thingies on this too: http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/30-rock/the-worst-episodes-of-great-sh/

 

And Alan Sepinwall did a list of his at one point too:  http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/when-good-shows-go-bad-terrible-episodes-of-great-tv-dramas

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

The episode of Family Ties where the whole show was Michael J. Fox doing a monologue about his dead best friend (who we never saw nor heard about before or after this episode). It might have worked better if we actually knew who this guy was, but as it was it seemed like the "Michael J. Fox is trying to win an Emmy" episode. I remember it was shot like a one-man stage play. It was weird.

[ElleryAnne]

I feel like I'm painting a big ol' target on my backside by doing this, but I could have done without the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill episode of Designing Women. Too strident and preachy.

 

 

In general, any episode of any show that tries to do a political story goes in the "I could've done without that episode" category for me.  I don't care whose side they're on, or what idea they're trying to sell, I just don't like it when a tv show preaches politics at me.  They never do it well, and it always makes the episode feel stilted and smug. 

 

Something else I can do without?  Cockroaches.  I cannot watch the X-Files episode with the cockroaches, because ew, ew, ewww.  I can handle snakes and rats and spiders, but I CANNOT watch anything with a bunch of roaches crawling around.  Not even for money.

[lucindabelle]

The final episode of Thr Medium in which they flashed forward. Made no sense to me that alison never remarried and they fudged on timelines. I just pretend it never happened.

[ALenore]

I hated the "Bloodlines" episode of Supernatural, it was awful.  Since the pilot wasn't picked up, I'll just pretend it was, oh maybe one of the rejected "Superantural" novels, trying to spinoff a line of books for tweenage girls.   

[shlbycindyk]

I wish I could unsee the episode of The Big Bang Theory where Amy got sick and Sheldon was taking care of her.  In the end he found out she had been well for a while so he gave her a spanking.  I actually turned the show off when I saw where it was going.  

[Anna Yolei]

Since saying the whole of Glee after season three is a bit lazy, the one about the school shooting that wasn't is at the top of that list. Lazy, uninspired and shame on Fox for purposely misleading the audience with happy trailers the week before it aired.

Star Trek Enterprise and A Night in Sickbay sums up every complain ever about the show. I had two friends independently of each other compare that episode to my very horrible fanfiction (in my defense, I was 17). Having since joined the military, I can't even enjoy this episode in a snarky way, because having selfish asshole bosses like Archer hits way too close to home.

[kermitmissesjim]

"The Apology Insufficiency." (BBT)

When Howard is mouthing off to Sheldon because the latter's interview with the FBI revealed information about the former that made it impossible for him to get a government clearance, I start raging. It's Howard's fault he was a dumbass and snuck a girl into a top-secret lab, but everyone goes along with it being Sheldon's fault. Rage.

[Bill C.]

The Shield did a curious episode called Co-Pilot in its second season, which kindasorta messed with the continuity set up in the actual pilot since it took place before that episode did.  Out of the entire series, that's the one episode I can definitely live without; it's not horrible, but it's weird and unnecessary.

[andromeda331]

The Big Bang Theory episode when Howard finally goes to far hitting on Penny, he's even warned to back off but he doesn't and Penny finally goes off on him. The result? Howard is destroyed by what Penny says and ends up holed up in his room moping and only finally leaves when Penny comes to cheer him up. Why? He had it coming! 

 

Every Castle episode that deals with Kate's mother's murder. Every episode this past Season with Pi, I mean seriously his daughter's freeloading boyfriend takes over his apartment, uses all his stuff, goes into Castle's bedroom while Castle and Kate are in there, all without ever being asked in the first place if Pi could stay there and Castle's the bad guy in this situation? Alexis chewing out Castle after they moved out when Castle had done nothing wrong? Alexis never once apologized for any of it, not even after she moved back in with him.

[Athena]

Lots and lots of episodes and storylines. Up until a certain storyline on Friday Night Lights, it was an almost perfect show IMHO. Then the S2 finale happened which introduced a murder storyline and a chemistry-less relationship from it. Argh.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Some plots on Bones. Hated when Zack was involved with the Cult... and I hate and still hate that Sweets and Daisy broke up. 

 

The rest:

 

The X-Files -- The Fowl One, whose the daddy plotline

Quantum Leap -- the evil leaper plotline

Angel -- Cordelia and Connor... wtf?! O_o

Buffy the Vampire -- the whole season where people were screwing each other

House -- the ending of House and Cuddy's relationship

CSI -- Sara and Gil's divorce

Ghost Whisperer -- a lot of it, no real specific episodes, just mainly anything having to deal with Jamie Kennedy's character -_-. HATED IT!

Edited June 12, 2014 by AntiBeeSpray

[dalek]

I cannot watch the Jurassic Bark episode of Futurama.  The silly cartoon I watch for fun is not supposed to make me cry.

[blueray]

Star trek Enterprise These are the voyages. The only Star trek episode I actually turned off in the middle. I hated everything about that episode (and I know I'm not alone). I pretend the episode before it is the series finale.

[Enero]

Roswell - The Dupes episode from S2. After watching that episode I knew the show would never be the same and that wasn't a good thing.

Merlin - Love In the Time of Dragons from S2. Outside of the whole of S5 this had to be one of the most boring episodes ever aired for this show.

Senfield - All of S9, but I think the Pilot and the second episode in S1 topped this as utter boredom.

[BoogieBurns]

When a show is trying to create a spinoff, and they air that episode within their original series... those are the worst! 

 

Gilmore Girls episode "Here Comes the Son" was an attempt at a spinoff. It followed Jess, Rory's ex boyfriend as he went to reconnect with his father in California. But all of the details about Jess and his father were changed for this episode. It just didn't work, and it's one of the few that I skip on my DVDs. 

[Jamoche]

Any episode that's a two-part crossover where the other part happens on the other show, because once it's syndicated they'll never do anything sensible like show the other show's episode, so you're left wondering wtf happened.

Edited June 17, 2014 by Jamoche

[blueray]

When a show is trying to create a spinoff, and they air that episode within their original series... those are the worst! 

 

Gilmore Girls episode "Here Comes the Son" was an attempt at a spinoff. It followed Jess, Rory's ex boyfriend as he went to reconnect with his father in California. But all of the details about Jess and his father were changed for this episode. It just didn't work, and it's one of the few that I skip on my DVDs. 

I second that. I for some reason missed this episode when it aired originally. And abc family played it in syndication and I was like wtf is this?

[MarkHB]

Original Star Trek, "And The Children Shall Lead".  Back in the day, this was the one episode my friends and I wouldn't even bother to watch when it came around.  I don't know if it's because the kids are awful in it, or just annoying, or what, but... yecchhh....

[paulvdb]

Star Trek The Next Generation: Sub Rosa. I've never even watched the complete episode. I hated it so much that I turned it off before I was halfway through it. And I tried again later, but I still hated it and gave up after 5 or 10 minutes.

[Tabbyclaw]

I cannot watch the Jurassic Bark episode of Futurama.  The silly cartoon I watch for fun is not supposed to make me cry.

 

I, on the other hand, can't watch it because it's transparent and shoddily-done emotional manipulation that's poorly shoehorned into a show that was otherwise elegantly meticulous with its continuity.

[BoogieBurns]

How do you all feel about clip-shows? 

[Tabbyclaw]

They had better mean the money being saved is going somewhere spectacular.

[WhoAmIWorkingFor]

Star Trek The Next Generation: Sub Rosa. I've never even watched the complete episode. I hated it so much that I turned it off before I was halfway through it. And I tried again later, but I still hated it and gave up after 5 or 10 minutes.

When the candle started feeling up Beverly, my reaction was "I can write better fanfiction than this crap," which was quite a claim considering that I was in my teens at the time.  And then it just got sillier.  (Looking back at my early fanfic at my current jaded age, it wasn't better than the episode, but it also didn't have Beverly "falling in love with a lamp.")

 

How do you all feel about clip-shows? 

"Sub Rosa" was at least better than the We-need-to-fill-45-minutes-as-cheaply-as-possible pointlessness that was TNG's "Shades of Gray."

 

Though occasionally clip shows serve a purpose, when occasionally used as a recap in a veeeeeeeeeeeeery long series.  Which is not very often.  (Clip shows in 25-episode animes are usually extremely annoying.)

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

Six Feet Under is my favorite show ever, and I re-watch the whole series occasionally. But I can never watch "That's My Dog," the episode where David is carjacked. I always skip that one. It's just so awful, from start to finish, and the idea that David would randomly pick up a hitchhiker never rang true with me. Season 1 David would have done that -- he had a bunch of self-loathing in that first season that manifested itself with quite a bit of self-destructive behavior. But by Season 4, he had moved past that.

By the end of the episode, I was actively hoping David would be killed by the hitchhiker, simply for the crime of being too stupid to live.

[Sandman87]

Any episode of any fiction show that tries to beat me over the head with a political message. If it's something that I already agree with, it's insulting to act like I need validation from fictitious characters. If it's something I don't agree with, it's just going to piss me off. Note that I said "beats me over the head". I can tolerate advocacy if it's presented with at least some subtlety.

 

The first show that I noticed trying to cram messages down my throat was Picket Fences, which my folks liked to watch. It's also one of the reasons that I couldn't get into The West Wing at all.

[Anna Yolei]

In fairness, "Shades of Gray" was the result of a writers' strike and I don't remeber them rolling the clips until the halfway point in the episode. Of all the most hated Trek episodes, I think this one is overrated in its badness.

[Princess Sparkle]

Any episode in which they bring in a monkey.  Nothing reeks of desperation more

 

 

I give you the worst/possibly best (in a so bad it's good way) episode of Law and Order SVU: Wildlife.  Among the many, many animals in the episode, the climax is a monkey, that I kid you not, is hiding in a basketball.  Who they then release, and it hugs Captain Cragen.

 

I love the Golden Girls, but I skip the backdoor pilot for Empty Nest every time it's on.  It's the only one I can't get through.

[Brandi Maxxxx]

There have been a lot of bad episodes of How I Met Your Mother, and everyone's probably sick of hearing all about how the finale sucked. But I think the episode that provided the biggest "WTF did I just watch?" reaction was "Slapsgiving 3: Slappointment in Slapmarra". I suppose in theory taking a break from the season-long wedding storyline to do a silly episode parodying old kung fu movies wasn't necessarily a bad idea. However the execution missed the mark completely and we got an unfunny waste of an episode. Also Boyz II Men showed up at the end for some reason.

[Jeebus Cripes]

I hated the "Bloodlines" episode of Supernatural, it was awful.  Since the pilot wasn't picked up, I'll just pretend it was, oh maybe one of the rejected "Superantural" novels, trying to spinoff a line of books for tweenage girls.   

 

There have been a lot of SPN episodes I never want to see again: Any ep with that redheaded geeky girl, or any ep with that skinny, dweb hunter (sorry, I can't be bothered to remember either of their names, because I loathe them). Those characters are the worst. All attempts at humor with them fall flat for me, and I detest any ep they're in. Having said all that, the only ep I have ever forwarded through is "Bloodlines." The amount of suckage was unreal.

[Mulva]

Speaking of Supernatural, the S8 episode Friends With Benefits, which featured a male witch and his familiar.  The familiar spent part of the episode as a doberman pinscher, and part of the episode as an African-American woman who wore a dog collar, called the witch "master", couldn't disobey his orders and serviced him sexually.  Who wrote this episode, a member of Stormfront?

[AntiBeeSpray]

How do you all feel about clip-shows? 

If they're well made, then I'm ok with them. I didn't mind the one in Seinfeld (the finale) and the X-Files one.

 

Another one I just remembered... the episode of M*A*S*H where Hawkeye got a concussion and had to keep on talking to stay awake. Could have done WITHOUT that episode. -_-

[cpcathy]

I really like the Seinfeld clip shows (I think there are two, one was at the end of its run). I love the clip of them grooving to Michael Jackson.

[Brandi Maxxxx]

A recent episode of The Simpsons called "Days of Future Future". Really most of this past season was abysmal IMO, and I say that as someone who usually defends the later seasons. But as for this particular episode... At the beginning, Homer dies. For real. But it's okay because Professor Frink had him cloned. But the clone dies too and is replaced by another clone, and guess what happens to him. This continues for another 30 years until we get to the future in the title, where the main plot starts, yada yada yada. So present-day Homer is dead, a clone has taken his place and they have a 30-year supply of Homers. And nothing in the episode indicates this is non-canon like the "Treehouse of Horror" episodes.