When we watch our favorite TV shows, we know the characters and situations aren’t real, yet we can’t help but form emotional attachments to characters as if they were real people in our lives.
So when character storylines become unnecessarily tragic, frustrating, or unrealistic, it can actually make fans stop watching all together. Take a look at the 30 moments in TV shows that pushed viewers too far…
Getting Intimate With A Ghost
For some Grey’s Anatomy fans, seeing Izzie sleep with Denny’s ghost was just too much. “The ghost sex storyline in Season 5 was just too much! Izzie’s a doctor and she’s not supposed to think it’s alarming that she’s having sex with a ghost!” – lindsayb42bb479a4
An Inappropriate Dance
Watching Betty’s inappropriate strip dance in Riverdale was enough for some fans to stop watching altogether.“When Betty did the ‘serpent dance,’ which basically meant a 16-year-old stripped to a cringe-worthy cover of ‘Mad World’ in a room full of middle-aged men and her mom. I couldn’t watch anymore.” – abigails43ad284bd
The Rebound
Gilmore Girl fans were furious when Lorelai rebounded with Christopher after breaking up with Luke. “I’ll never be over Lorelai getting angry at Luke and immediately running to Christopher. And on top of that, she went and married Chris later on! I still haven’t watched the entire last season of Gilmore Girls because of it.” – andreav11
A Friends Proposal
Seeing Joey accidentally propose to Rachel in Friends was the last straw for some viewers. “The whole thing was so stupid to begin with and I was already sick of the Rachel/Joey thing. I stopped watching until the last few episodes of the final season. I never went back and watched the episodes in between.” – rmf1185
Killing Off A Member Of The Core Four
When Marissa was killed off in The O.C., the perfect dynamic between the four main characters was destroyed. “I watched the following episode of her funeral and after that I just couldn’t continue. It wasn’t the same!” – marisaw4e3ca0087
A Needless Loss
When Lost’s Charlie was killed for no reason, fans were heartbroken. “I was so upset after watching Charlie drown on Lost that I quit watching. And it was all for nothing because it wasn’t even Penny’s boat!” – solec3
Messing With The Main Character
When Elena was put into a coma in The Vampire Diaries, fans lost interest without their beloved main character. “The whole series was about her experience in Mystic Falls, so I don’t think the show worked once she left. I stopped watching and never looked back.” – greysfan220
Impossible Shoes To Fill
When Michael left in The Office, fans knew no one would be able to replace the legendary and hysterical boss. “I couldn’t bring myself to watch the show after Micheal left. Even when I rewatch it now, I still stop after he leaves with Holly.” – urdnotcami
Mixed Messages
When Supergirl’s Kara was portrayed to be weak in her relationship with Mon-El, viewers weren’t a fan of the message that the show was sending. “The moment they pushed Kara and Mon-El together in Season 2, I was done with the show. Their relationship made Kara seem weak and that she needed a man to help her. I couldn’t watch Supergirl portrayed that way.” – princessc42a237cfa
Learning The Truth
For some viewers, there was nothing left to This Is Us after learning how Jack really died. “For me, the show just lost its mojo after that.” – lindsays46a349669
Hanging On For Too Long
Many viewers felt Glee should have ended when the original cast graduated in the show. “Once the original cast graduated and the show split the storylines between New York and Ohio, I was done. It felt like they were recycling the same storylines. I stopped watching after that.” – jbmasta
A Missed Opportunity
At the end of Once Upon a Time’s sixth season, all the characters got a happy ending, which fans felt should have been the end of the show. “I was a fan since the show debuted, but I stopped watching after Season 6. The last episode was beautiful and it felt like the perfect ending. Season 7 basically restarted the entire show, but without my favorite characters, so no thank you!” – valeriec4452fb332
A Shocking Loss
When Poussey was suddenly killed off in Orange Is the New Black, some fans lost the only character they still cared about. “She was the only character I truly cared about and I was genuinely shocked when she died. I couldn’t bring myself to continue the series.” – sophiarias
An Unbelievable Storyline
When Fits went to war to save Olivia in Scandal, some viewers couldn’t get over the absurd storyline. “It was so ridiculous that POTUS would wage war to save his mistress. I didn’t think the show could ever redeem itself, so I stopped watching.” – mariel4d33e222b
The Infamous Red Wedding
Many viewers couldn’t bear to continue watching Game of Thrones after so many beloved characters were killed in one scene. “I took all of the deaths in this episode so hard. I stopped watching for several seasons and only now have I considered picking it back up.” – victoriathecurious
An Office Romance
Most fans couldn’t wait for Jim and Pam to finally get together in The Office. Yet once it actually happened, some fans lost interest. “I thought they were so cute before getting together and I was rooting for them, but once it happened, I just couldn’t watch the show anymore because it got boring.” – jojobean85
Too Shameless
When Liam almost overdosed on Fiona’s drugs in Shameless, some fans couldn’t bear to watch anymore. “Fiona stopped being a sympathetic character to me after that. While she was dealing with a lot, she still should’ve been keeping an eye on Liam. I loved the show, but couldn’t watch it after that.” – alyssag46001af5b
Too Supernatural
Supernatural became famous for its fantasy plot, however, some viewers couldn’t suspend their disbelief any longer when Dean started talking to dogs. “Once Dean could talk to dogs that was it. I didn’t even finish the episode and haven’t looked back since.” – readymachine
Unnecessary Drama In Star Hollow
Fans who had waited forever for Luke and Lorelai to get together couldn’t bear to keep watching when it was revealed Luke had a daughter. “I thought April’s arrival was completely unnecessary and was just for drama. Plus, I knew it was going to break up Luke and Lorelai, which again, was completely unnecessary. I stopped watching the show shortly after.” – conniea41cbc7bd5
A Confusing Plot Twist
When it was revealed that Cece was actually Charles in Pretty Little Liars, many viewers couldn’t continue to watch. “When Cece was revealed to be Charles, Alison’s brother, it made no sense, was insanely offensive, and totally ruined the stakes for the rest of the show. That reveal alone created so many plot holes. I stopped watching.” – lailak472784583
Losing A Key Character
When Cristina left in Grey’s Anatomy, some fans didn’t think the show made sense without her. “I stopped watching after Cristina left because I felt like she completed Meredith’s character. With her gone, the show just didn’t feel the same.” – aliciaglover32
A Gruesome Scene
Dexter fans are used to some blood, but some were too disturbed to keep watching after Rita was found dead in the bathtub. “When Dexter found her body lifeless in the tub full of blood, it just haunted me! I had nightmares for weeks! I could never finish the show after that.” – ashleyh4c0d202fc
Too Much Loss For One Season
Some Downton Abbey fans were too upset when both Matthew and Sybil died in one season. “The fact that they killed Sybil and Matthew in the same season was something I could never get over. Once they killed Matthew in the last 30 seconds of a season finale, it was the final straw for me.” – ellas48d9106f9
It’s All Downhill From Here
When Leslie and Ben started dating in Parks and Recreation, fans knew the show was over. “Once Leslie got together with Ben I was done because I knew it was going to go downhill from there.” – gigimomster
Too Much Tragedy
Grey’s Anatomy is known for being a dramatic show, but some fans couldn’t keep watching the same group of people experience so much pain and trauma.”Mark and Lexie’s deaths really got to me. Also, it was hard to take the show seriously when something horrific happened to the same group of people day after day. I stopped watching.” – katim42b75b6f9
The Point Of No Return
Fans couldn’t bear to watch Jax’s downward spiral after Opie was killed in Sons of Anarchy. “For me, Opie dying sent Jax down a path he never came back from. I was just done because he was one of my favorite characters.” – ruprinc3ss13
Losing McDreamy
Grey’s Anatomy fans have witnessed a lot of characters die or leave, but many refused to follow the show after Derek was killed. “I haven’t watched the show since Derek’s death. There have been a lot of deaths on Grey’s Anatomy, but I couldn’t bounce back from this one. Derek meant so much to the show and Meredith, it just seemed wrong continuing without him.” – kelseytompkins
An Impossible Couple
When Gossip Girl’s Blair and Dan got together, fans were completely confused with the pairing. “Dan and Blair getting together made no sense whatsoever. To this day, I have not watched the end of Season 5 or the final season because of this.” – marjorief47b1a8288
A Waste Of A Season
When Barney and Robin broke up in How I Met Your Mother, fans were annoyed that the entire season was all a waste. “I know they split up for good in the last episode, but I have never been able to rewatch the show because of it. The entire last season centered on Barney and Robin’s wedding and it was all for nothing. I hated it.” – caarsie
Leaving Tree Hill
Some fans of One Tree Hill completely lost interest after Lucas and Peyton left Tree Hill. “When Lucas and Peyton left Tree Hill at the end of Season 6, I was done with the show. I wasn’t even a big fan of Lucas and Peyton together, but they were so important to the show overall. I was done once they left.” – sarab4a0871f6f
