There’s always that one moment on TV – and by one I mean, sadly, one per show, or something, otherwise there would be no list! You know, that moment that leaves you not knowing how exactly you should feel. It’s not inherently happy, or sad, it’s more a sense of surprise. You stare into the screen and you go: Did that just happen?
WTF did I watch?
Yeah, that’s the moment we’re trying to capture in this list. And despite the fact that 2020 had less TV than usual, it still had plenty of those moments. Starting with …
Every second Donald Trump was on our TV screens
Just …what? If he were a character on a TV show he’d be the most ridiculous one, but he wasn’t, he was the real President, which made him more dangerous than funny. Everything that came out of his mouth was a combination of deeply held racism, sprinkled with some misogyny, homophobia, classism and oh yes, ignorance. And though some others on this list just did dumb things that made us laugh, Trump takes the top spot mostly because he was actively harmful – as are his supporters.
That twist in the Big Sky Pilot
I’m not sure what I was expecting from the Big Sky “Pilot,” but for the show to kill off one of the three people on the poster wasn’t it, I can tell you that for sure. Typically there are a few things you can count on a TV show, and a decent amount of episodes from the people billed as the “leads” before anything befalls them is one of those. And though we were originally here for the women – and remain so – we can’t deny that was a big shocker.
Tayshia replaces Clare on The Bachelorette
Considering the fact that this was spoiled, it shouldn’t even make the list, but watching it all unfold was still like standing on the train tracks, knowing the train was coming, and being unable to move. The whole Clare and Dale thing culminating in Clare leaving the show and The Bachelorette having to re-cast midway through always sounded like an insane notion, but watching it all happen was even crazier than advertised.
The end of Arrow
But why? To set up a spin-off that we didn’t end up getting, anyway? To be edgy? Because superheroes can’t get a happy ending, that’s cliché? Whatever the reason, it was dumb, and it ended up completely ruining a show most of us had already given up on years ago, but that some of us still had fond memories of. Now there’s no chance I’m ever going to back and re-watching anything, that’s a promise.
Melendez’s Death on The Good Doctor
I mentioned this one on the list of Deaths We Wish We Could Take Back, and I hold firm in this belief. It just …why? Other than shock value, there was absolutely no reason to kill him off when it seemed like the best part of his storyline was just getting started. In fact, this just felt like another show dunking on shippers, as if rooting for a romantic storyline is somehow …wrong?
The end of The 100
At least we can say this about The 100 – it telegraphed how bad it was going to be. In fact, they spent the entire last season just …not caring? They just really wanted to burn the world down, stand in the ashes and laugh. And, hey, your story, your prerogative, I guess, but don’t expect the fans who helped get you this far to continue to support them after you’ve basically mocked their involvement and their passion.
Debbie is working for crime boss Silvio Nucci on Brooklyn 99
Look, I expected a lot of things about of Brooklyn 99, but for Debbie, of all people, to be working from crime boss Silvio Nucci, I will say I didn’t see that coming. Brooklyn 99 isn’t typically the kind of show to pull twists, they rely on great chemistry between the actors to make us laugh, but this one was the kind that was fun in hindsight, and that was also impeccably acted.
Derek shows up on Grey’s Anatomy
Talk about, possibly, the most shocking twist on TV this year, and one of the best kept secrets. With Grey’s Anatomy dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, Meredith Grey getting Covid-19 wasn’t out of the question …but Meredith’s hallucinations/dreams/whatever it is they are involving her dead husband, played once again by Patrick Dempsey? I promise, no one saw that coming, and that’s why it worked so well.
Alex leaves Jo for Izzie
I know, I know, Grey’s Anatomy again, but this one was a doozy, and not the good kind. Whatever happened backstage that the show wanted to write out Alex Karev, I’m not sure how that culminates in the messy storyline where they throw away all of Alex’s character development to have him go back to his original love interest from like 57 seasons ago, Izzie, who btw, was the mother to his children – something he, and the viewers, never knew about. SMH.
Bobba Fett is alive
We’ve been secure in the knowledge that Bobba Fett is dead for so long that to see him show up on The Mandalorian, alive and well, was a definite WTF moment. Especially as the show takes a few episodes to get to anything resembling an explanation! Is anything sacred anymore? Is anyone ever gonna stay dead ever again? Because, if we’re just gonna start resurrecting fan favorites, we’ve got a long list ….
Dean Winchester dying on Supernatural
As fans, we knew the possibility of Dean Winchester dying on Supernatural was huge. It’s the finale after all. But did it really have to go the way it did? He could’ve died taking out the big man himself, God. Instead, Dean died in Sam’s arms, after being hurt in the dumbest way, when the latter should’ve told the former, “I’m calling an ambulance and we’ll figure this out.” Needless for sure.