When a show achieves enough acclaim and popularity, it’s hard to hear a person say something most audiences don’t agree with. But there are always some opposing views that get buried by the overwhelming majority.
- The main characters got worse to watch (Seinfeld)
- The show is better without Gina (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
- The story is boring (Andor)
- The finale isn’t that bad (Game of Thrones)
- Chandler should’ve ended up with Kathy (Friends)
- Jackie and Fez should’ve stayed a couple (That ’70s Show)
- The cringe humor ruins the show (The Office)
Nevertheless, even the most beloved stories have flaws that shouldn’t just get brushed aside by those who see them through rose-colored glasses. With that in mind, here are some unpopular opinions about these overall great shows.
The main characters got worse to watch (Seinfeld)
Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer are some of the most recognizable characters to appear on TV, and their humorous antics made them a smash hit across Seinfeld‘s nine seasons. While they started as four lovable friends going through the motions in a confusing world, they all changed for the worse as time passed. Jerry turned into an unsympathetic jerk with little care over what was happening around him. Similarly, Elaine lost her distinctive morals and devolved into a cynical and mean-spirited woman.
The show’s charm always came from the flawed protagonists learning nothing from their experiences, but they were still likable and relatable people in the earlier seasons. As a result, the way became so self-centered and mean-spirited dissolved that charm in the later seasons, reaching an apex in the series finale when they watched and laughed at an obese man getting mugged.
The show is better without Gina (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
The 99’s Gina Linetti may have been a popular character amongst fans. However, her outstanding narcissism and selfish antics often made her an insufferable annoyance during her tenure on the show, and the fact that she gets away with everything without consequence made her character more irritating.
On top of that, the show seemed to hardly know what to do with her in later seasons, as exemplified by how she and Boyle’s cousin had a child in a storyline that went nowhere, very much flying over viewers’ heads. One would hardly even notice that she wasn’t in the show’s 99th-anniversary episode. All in all, Gina just seemed to fade into the background until she finally left the show, and her departure didn’t seem to take much away from its success.
The story is boring (Andor)
Despite not focusing on the Jedi, the Sith, or the Mandalorians, Andor has become one of the most beloved and grounded Star Wars shows in recent years. While its story is deep and more mature, at times, it just isn’t that interesting, and many characters don’t stand out from each other. Remember those boring Senate meetings from The Phantom Menace?
This show basically stretches those out across twelve episodes, and it’s easy to check out after a few episodes. Even if the show is meant to explore the banality of evil within the Galactic Empire, much of the story doesn’t make for exciting TV entertainment.
The finale isn’t that bad (Game of Thrones)
Yes, the finale didn’t satisfy everyone’s expectations, but fans of the show know that it has never been one for giving them the story they want to see. The Red Wedding is a prime example of how the show is willing to take risks with its narrative despite any backlash from audiences.
Sure, Daenerys’s descent into villainy may have been sudden, but it still seemed like that’s where she would’ve ended up, as there’s always been a lethal darkness brewing inside of her that reached the surface as her power and isolation increased. Also, Jon clearly didn’t want to be king of Westeros, so his banishment from the Seven Kingdoms and Bran taking the throne actually gave the former the freedom he always wanted.
Chandler should’ve ended up with Kathy (Friends)
In season 4, Paige Brewster joined Friends as Joey’s actor girlfriend, Kathy, whom Chandler falls in love with. They realize their mutual love for each other and kiss, which drives a wedge between Chandler and Joey for a short time. But even after they finally start dating, Chandler suspects her of cheating with her costar after seeing them perform in an explicitly sexual play, and it’s Chandler’s insecure fears that drive her to cheat on him in the end.
While the characters often walk in and out of romantic relationships in the show, Kathy was special. She had terrific chemistry with Chandler, and it truly felt like she and him were a perfect match, probably more so than him and Monica. Even so, the writers could have at least executed Chandler’s breakup with Kathy a lot better, as having her cheat on Chandler out of spite seems to have assassinated her character, which made her hectic storyline with Chandler and Joey seem like it was all for nothing.
Jackie and Fez should’ve stayed a couple (That ’70s Show)
Jackie and Fez always had a romance burning between them. Since the series began, it seemed like Fez was chasing an impossible romance with an idealized version of Jackie, and their questionable treatment of each other long kept them from being the right match.
However, the way the two of them matured throughout the series made them much better candidates for each other, and they seemed ready to be a couple at the end of the series. The execution of their romantic arc in season 8 may have been messy, but Fez seemed like the best person Jackie could’ve ended up with, and her marrying Kelso before the events of That ’90s Show seems like a relapse for her character and an easy way to satisfy fans.
The cringe humor ruins the show (The Office)
The Office is known for its awkward moments and style of cringe humor, which has made the adventures of Dunder Mifflin Scranton an abject but relatable viewing experience.
But even in the show’s best episodes, Michael’s awkward and insensitive antics can make what is supposed to be a sitcom too hard to watch. Given how uncomfortable these episodes can be, it’s amazing how so many people have been able to go back and binge-watch them again and again over the years.
