Most people enjoy a twist in a TV show, but sometimes shows cross the line and create unfortunate trolling moments rather than a satisfying twist. Across the various genres that make up the library of TV shows on streaming platforms, networks, and cable, one core concept is often welcomed in any genre. A good twist subverts expectations and can cement a show’s reputation.
However, when a twist hasn’t been earned, it can lead to the audience crying out and expressing frustration and disappointment. Either because there wasn’t enough context to make the twist realistic and pay off, or because the twist is unnecessary and feels more like a slap in the face that was thrown in at the last minute to ineffectively spice things up.
But worse than either of these failed efforts to create a twist that flops, there is the much less frequent and much more disappointing troll. Sometimes, a troll moment sets out to be a twist, but generally, the way that it’s framed and delivered pushes it beyond into a category that is completely disappointing and does little to nothing to add to the story.
Sherlock
One important thing to note is that these troll moments don’t always come from bad shows. In fact, many come from incredibly well-designed shows, which makes the troll even more disappointing and frustrating when it does appear. Take, for instance, Sherlock, the incredible British TV drama starring Benedict Cumberbatch in a modern retelling of the classic Arthur Conan Doyle stories.
Now, while you may think of Sherlock’s death and subsequent reappearance as a moment that annoyed the fans, there is another situation that plays out and is even more devastating. Of course, I am referring to Moriarty’s reappearance after his shocking death at the end of season 2. As upsetting as it was to see Andrew Scott’s masterful performance cut short, there was a beautiful finality that made the moment work.
However, when seasons 3 and 4 milked the character through teases of a return, and suggested that he too somehow faked his demise, it was all for naught when season 4 revealed Sherlock’s secret villain sister as the mastermind. After such a spectacular series with so much potential, it was a sour note to end on, and one that diminished several of the characters involved.
WandaVision
WandaVision deserves recognition as one of the strongest outings in the early Disney+ MCU shows. However, the series was not without chaos and moments that felt like an affront to the fanbase. For instance, when the show introduced Evan Peters as Pietro Maximoff, it suggested some sort of groundbreaking crossover between the Fox X-Men universe and the MCU’s Earth 616.
The only positive is that this theory was snuffed out soon after it cropped up, with the series revealing that, despite the character declaring he was Wanda’s brother, it was just a man named Ralph Bohner. What a terrible joke, and a waste of what could have been an incredible introduction to the Multiverse.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
Speaking of the Multiverse, a much less well-received series, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, also had a controversial troll moment in the series finale. While the show did receive an overwhelming amount of unjust outrage throughout its run, the finale tried to stick it to fans in a weird way that just felt like Marvel had given up.
Yes, the fanbase can be toxic, and yes, they should take a look at how ridiculous that can be, but having the main character go full meta to the extent that she jumped out of her show, onto the Disney+ home page, into a behind-the-scenes MCU series, and confronted the writers to change the story felt way too on the nose.
Roseanne
One of the most upsetting TV series finales of all time has to be Roseanne. This series, boasting some of the best comedy actors on TV and in film, wrapped up an incredible nine-season run with a tragic and truly terrible reveal that Dan (John Goodman), Roseanne’s husband, had died at the end of season 8 from a heart attack.
Beyond that, all of season 9, the show’s final hurrah, was a series of hallucinations experienced by the lead character because she was struggling to deal with her husband’s death. It was so universally despised that in 2018, when the show was revived for season 10, they retconned the entire season and brought John Goodman back.
The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead went through some highs and lows in its run, but during the first half of the show’s run, Glenn, played by Steven Yeun, became one of the most loved survivors on the show. So, when they saw fit to kill the character by way of a massive hoard in the middle of a city in season 6, far from his wife and found family, it was devastating.
The show didn’t reveal that Glenn had, in fact, survived until three episodes later, and it seemed like he’d have a long and happy life, and even create a family of his own with Maggie after surviving that close call. But what really rubbed salt in the wound was how the show chose to then have Glenn brutally murdered by Negan at the end of season 6, only revealing his death when the next season began.
Truly one of the most devastating character deaths in any TV show ever, and made infinitely worse by the whiplash of playing with Glenn’s life in the season that preceded it.
Community was a show that had to fight hard to keep getting made. And unfortunately, after establishing a cult following, executives saw fit to get rid of Dan Harmon, the show’s creator and showrunner, ahead of the show returning for a fourth season. Without Harmon, the fourth season was incredibly divisive and lacked the charm and wit of previous entries.
Thankfully, Harmon was reinstated shortly after season 4 aired, and as his first order of business, season 5 retconned the entire previous season as a series of hallucinations due to a gas leak. It’s not a perfect solution, and it’s upsetting to make so much of the series feel utterly pointless, but hey, at least Harmon got his continuity in order.
Family Guy
In 2013, when Family Guy was entering its twelfth season, one highly controversial episode called “Life of Brian” saw Brian, the Griffin family dog voiced by none other than creator Seth MacFarlane, killed due to a car accident. The Griffin’s then replaced Brian, and in the following episode, the title sequence had him replaced with the new dog, suggesting this change was more permanent.
This caused huge outrage among fans, with a petition being made to bring Brian back, only for the character to reappear a few episodes later. It was all just another bit from one of the most experimental and controversial animated comedy shows on TV.
South Park
When discussing controversial animated shows that stir up intense emotion and frustration among audiences, nothing comes close to South Park. In 2026, with the show entering its 29th season, fans are used to the format and aware that nothing is sacred to the creators, who will most certainly troll audiences and make fun of anything and everything.
But back when the show first debuted in 1997, with the premiere season, there was one through storyline that captured the audience’s imaginations. Cartman was looking to find his real dad, and all the men in South Park agreed to take a DNA test as of the final episode of season 1.
Of course, as a cliffhanger, this did a great job of getting the audience to come back, but rather than pay off that setup, season 2 kicked off with an entirely detached bottle episode. To add further insult to injury, the resolution seen in season 2, episode 2, is eventually retconned in season 14.
Obviously, TV shows can make use of big reveals and chaotic twists, but in the case of all of the above, it felt less like a clever narrative detail and more like an attack on the viewers. Fortunately, trolling on TV isn’t all that common, so it’s rare that moments like these appear.
