# worst types of episodes from any series **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 19, 2015, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-types-of-episodes-from-any-series/731837 "2015-09-19T20:45:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-types-of-episodes-from-any-series/731837/61 "2015-09-23T17:21:41Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > Christmas episodes are terrible, the only exception is Big Bang Theory’s featuring the Leonard Nemoy gift. What about Married with Children’s [It’s A Bundyful Life?](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0642304/) ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-types-of-episodes-from-any-series/731837/62 "2015-09-23T19:33:04Z")
For procedurals, the shows where they battle a hacker are inevitably ridiculous. Even shows grounded in reality chuck that out the window and give the hacker godlike powers to do absolutely anything. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-types-of-episodes-from-any-series/731837/63 "2015-09-25T01:21:14Z")
Episodes with regular characters being sloppy drunk. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-types-of-episodes-from-any-series/731837/64 "2015-09-26T09:52:37Z")
In all honesty, anything anti-Catholic. For that matter, any criticism of long standing tradition gets to me. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-types-of-episodes-from-any-series/731837/65 "2015-09-26T10:05:12Z")
And any episode that tries to tackle affirmative action is my cue to change channels. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-types-of-episodes-from-any-series/731837/66 "2015-09-26T22:21:30Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > And any episode that tries to tackle affirmative action is my cue to change channels. You mean, like on _ **Paper Chase** _? :dubious: 😕 ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-types-of-episodes-from-any-series/731837/67 "2015-09-26T22:54:35Z")
The episode that guest stared batman’s butler Alfred? Yeah. But I didn’t think TPC was all about AA. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-types-of-episodes-from-any-series/731837/68 "2015-09-26T23:07:51Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > For procedurals, the shows where they battle a hacker are inevitably ridiculous. Even shows grounded in reality chuck that out the window and give the hacker godlike powers to do absolutely anything. …by typing on a keyboard _really really_ fast. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-types-of-episodes-from-any-series/731837/69 "2015-09-26T23:19:36Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > …by typing on a keyboard _really really_ fast. [Two people can hack twice as fast!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y2zo0JN2HE) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-types-of-episodes-from-any-series/731837/70 "2015-09-27T07:51:01Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > The episode that guest stared batman’s butler Alfred? Yeah. But I didn’t think TPC was all about AA. It wasn’t, but that episode has always stuck in my mind. Funny, I don’t remember Alfred in it. But I think the guy who tried to have Clint Eastwood rubbed out in _ **The Gauntlet** _ was. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-types-of-episodes-from-any-series/731837/71 "2015-09-27T19:17:12Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > In SF, I hate time travel episodes. Particularly the “let’s unwind the bad decision and have everything be just as it was” versions (e.g. Voyager, Year of Hell episode). Once you allow time travel, nothing really ever matters because you have a big red reset switch. Star Trek is really the worst offender here, and the less said about the completely idiotic reboot, the better. Star Trek: TOS: Any of the episodes where Kirk gives an “inspirational” lecture/sermon, especially to justify why he’s violating the Prime Directive to screw with some “stagnant” civilization. OTOH, the time-travel episode “The City on the Edge of Forever” was widely thought to be one of the best episodes evah! ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-types-of-episodes-from-any-series/731837/72 "2015-09-27T23:31:53Z")
The ones where the main character makes an unlikely friend - an old person, or a street kid, etc. The pair becomes very close and the main character learns a life lesson in the process. Then at the end of the episode, the friend moves away or dies and is never spoken of again. The episode where the parents, or parents to be, have to impress people at an exclusive preschool. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-types-of-episodes-from-any-series/731837/73 "2015-09-28T13:56:31Z")
The Simpsons just did the ultimate cop-out “it was all just a dream” episode. Grrrr. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-types-of-episodes-from-any-series/731837/74 "2015-09-28T14:45:07Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > In all honesty, anything anti-Catholic. For that matter, any criticism of long standing tradition gets to me. . . . How often does one see an anti-Catholic ep of any series? Nothing comes to mind. When mainstream TV skewers “long-standing tradition,” the tradition is usually racism, sexism, etc. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-types-of-episodes-from-any-series/731837/75 "2015-09-28T14:46:13Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > And any episode that tries to tackle affirmative action is my cue to change channels. No matter which side it takes? ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-types-of-episodes-from-any-series/731837/76 "2015-09-28T14:58:45Z")
> [@Mudshark](#): > > Backdoor pilot episodes are rarely worth watching. Once you know what a “backdoor pilot” is, they’re easy to spot. It’s that wierd episode that brings in a bunch of people you’ve never seen before, and spends most its time on them, with the main characters pushed into a supporting role. What’s really going on is the network is hoping to generate interest for a new show. _NCIS: Los Angeles_ did this (The “Red Squad” episode), and _Burn Notice_ had one of these as well. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-types-of-episodes-from-any-series/731837/77 "2015-09-28T20:41:13Z")
> [@Oglomott](#): > > Any show where a character gets amnesia. > > Any show where a character suddenly has a long lost twin. These two are why I came in here. Especially the twin thing. Of course, Star Trek did it OK, but they had to give Spock a beard to make it work. But, honestly, how many times am I supposed to fall for identical cousins? Granted Shakespeare did it a couple times entertainingly, but I am willing to bet that even the patrons of the Globe were going, “Oh, come on, Bill, we are not buying this!” ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-types-of-episodes-from-any-series/731837/78 "2015-09-28T21:21:05Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > … and _Burn Notice_ had one of these as well. Wait? What? Which episode? I’d love to see Virgil in some show, but not that annoying jackoff played by Patton Oswalt. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-types-of-episodes-from-any-series/731837/79 "2015-09-28T22:16:37Z")
> [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](#): > > Episodes with regular characters being sloppy drunk. Or stoned. Always terrible. **Wings** had IMO a great Rashomon episode. When it was Antonio’s turn to recount the story, it was an old Italian black and white movie replete with stereotypes. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2015, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-types-of-episodes-from-any-series/731837/80 "2015-09-28T22:34:47Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > The Simpsons just did the ultimate cop-out “it was all just a dream” episode. Grrrr. Complete with the dream-within-a-dream-which-is-real part. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-types-of-episodes-from-any-series/731837.md?page=3)