Storylines that you could've done without on the shows you love

[Cyke]

Inspired by this Buzzfeed list, but what are some pointless stories on your most beloved shows?

One that sprang to mind was pretty much any Kim Bauer story from season 2-on in 24. It made sense for her to be part of the main story in the first season since that was an intro to Jack and the day's events took its toll on his family, but every Kim adventure after that seemed really contrived (in *this* show, that's saying something) and obviously as a way to keep Elisha Cuthbert in a starring role (no offense to the actress, of course).

Another is the forced Chakotay/Seven romance in the last few episodes of Voyager. It doesn't have to work to be a decent story, but it does have to build up and feel organic, even if they're going to break up in the end. As it is, it's just a bit of lip service once or twice before becoming a full blown plot point in an already stuffed finale.

[Starter Set]

Great idea for a topic.

Spike and Buffy, season 6, remove it from my memory please. Use a drill.

Half of the episode of Star Trek TNG for being honest. The other half if good though there is a balance here at least.

Oh and speaking of Voyager, the whole maquis thing turned to be rather pointless in the end as they pretty much all happily join the crew save for a couple of problems here and there.

[Synestra]

That part of season 7 of Buffy where the potentials, Buffy's fiends, and Dawn all kick Buffy out of her own house. That part really had me heated back in the day.

There's a lot of stuff in the later seasons of Game of Thrones I could name. Dorne (I understand this is significantly better in the books), Daenerys' descent into the Mad Queen (I saw this possibility a long time before the final season, but it was rushed and poorly executed), Jaime going back to Cersei, throwing away his character development, etc.

[Thezmage]

All of the reoccurring serial killers in Bones. We didn't need them, the whole show came to a halt when they were around

Pretty much all of Ben 10: Alien Force

Sylar after season 1 of Heroes. Most of the characters wore out their welcome eventually but Sylar did so almost immediately

[AndrewCrossett]

Yeah, Spike and Buffy in season 6. Also Connor and Cordelia in Angel season 4.

The "Rift" storyline between Xena and Gabrielle on Xena: Warrior Princess.

Agree with the Sylar storylines on Heroes after season 1. ("Everybody likes Zachary Quinto and we don't have any other ideas!")

The whole final season of How I Met Your Mother.

The "wounded soldier in bandages" storyline on Downton Abbey... fans of the show will know what I'm talking about. Maybe the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen on a dramatic TV show that wasn't intended as comic relief.

Several storylines on the final season of Game of Thrones, most notably Jamie/Cersei and Dany's heel turn.

Those two diamond thieves on "Lost"... which fortunately the writers put a spike in before it got too bad.

The Leviathans storyline on Supernatural.

Anything involving the Holodeck on any version of Star Trek, with *very* few exceptions.

[Valentis]

No Dawn is the key story line in Buffy. It's the worst Buffy story arc of all time.

The story was nonsense when we realise Buffy herself could all along function as a key and close the portal. There was no need for Dawn.

[Thezmage]

The Leviathans storyline on Supernatural.

I'm conflicted because while I liked the actual episodes that made up the Leviathans storyline they were so disconnected from what came before that I dropped the show as soon as it wrapped up. I'd much rather have jettisoned the "Castiel appears to be betraying the Winchesters" storyline for being so dull, but that one actually flowed from what came before it

[Guy1]

Inspired by this Buzzfeed list, but what are some pointless stories on your most beloved shows?

One that sprang to mind was pretty much any Kim Bauer story from season 2-on in 24. It made sense for her to be part of the main story in the first season since that was an intro to Jack and the day's events took its toll on his family, but every Kim adventure after that seemed really contrived (in *this* show, that's saying something) and obviously as a way to keep Elisha Cuthbert in a starring role (no offense to the actress, of course).

Another is the forced Chakotay/Seven romance in the last few episodes of Voyager. It doesn't have to work to be a decent story, but it does have to build up and feel organic, even if they're going to break up in the end. As it is, it's just a bit of lip service once or twice before becoming a full blown plot point in an already stuffed finale.

Oliver becoming Malcolm Merlyn's b-ch in Arrow Season 3. That was the beginning of Oliver's downfall and served only to make Oliver act like a complete idiot all season when all he had to do was kill Malcolm and send his head to the League. Could've avoided an entire season of stupidity.
Worse still, halfway through the season, the League came and got Malcolm, resolving the problem on their own, and Oliver's immediate response was to run off and save him.

On Batwoman, the Alice plotline should've been over way sooner than it was. Kate constantly letting her go did not make her look good.

[Frontier]

The Team Arrow Civil War in the first half of Arrow season 6.

Heck, the whole Cayden James plot wasn't all that memorable.

[SiegePerilous02]

Can't believe I forgot to mention the infamous James/Evelyn plot from Twin Peaks.

Jesus Christ.

[TriggerWarning]

Have to throw out the boxing episodes in Battlestar Galactica. Soooooooo bad and such a waste of time especially since half the second episode was just replaying the exact same scenes from the first episode.

[Comic-Reader Lad]

Switching to primetime soaps for a second:

DALLAS - of course, the dream season (DVD Season 9). Even if Bobby had not died, the Angelica Nero character and storyline was idiotic and a failed attempt to bring an Alexis-type character onto Dallas to match wits with JR. In later seasons, surfer dude Sasha Mitchell was all wrong for the part of JR's secret son. Cally as JR's child bride was never interesting. Killing off April right after she married Bobby was another nail in the coffin for this once-great show.

DYNASTY - as fans know, it wasn't the "Moldavian Massacre" that killed the show. That was great. It was the crappy follow up in Season 6 where ratings took a tumble and never recovered -- especially that long, boring, drawn out "Krystle's double" story with George Hamilton.

KNOTS LANDING - the first 3 seasons and the final 2 were generally boring. However, even in the series' best period, Seasons 4-12, there were some loser storylines like Empire Valley and Jean Hackney among others.

FALCON CREST - tons, including the stunt casting of Gina Lollobrigida and Apollonia. Lana Turner was good, though, as was Cesar Romero. Ultimately, the show never had a season where everything worked, but it lasted throughout the 80s thanks to having Dallas as its lead-in.

and...

MARRIED WITH CHILDREN - Season 7's introduction of Seven, another entry in the won't-they-ever-learn "let's introduce a kid from out of nowhere" syndrome. Eventually, they wised up, and Seven simply stopped appearing without explanation.

LOST - "We have to go back to the island!" Really, dude? Plus, "Whatever happened, happened" and the past can't be changed -- until it could. Just lots of padding (like flash-sideways) because the network didn't want to cancel the show.