1. How Did Ross Forget He Was Still Married on Friends?
Let’s start with one of the biggest head-scratchers on Friends. Ross, who we all know is super neurotic and obsessed with rules, somehow forgets he’s still married to Rachel? Even though their drunken Vegas wedding was a huge deal, he doesn’t bother to get it annulled right away, and worse, he doesn’t tell her. It’s so out of character for someone who had multiple failed marriages and is always freaking out over commitment shares Screen Rant. How did he think this would just go away?
And let’s be real, the whole group found out about this way too casually. There should’ve been more fallout than just a few jokes and awkward glances. For such a major life event, the show kind of treated it like a punchline. If you rewatch the episodes around this time, it feels like the writers forgot who Ross was supposed to be. It’s a plot hole so big you could drive a Central Perk coffee cart through it adds Collider.
2. The Coffee Shop Economy on Gilmore Girls
We all love Lorelai and Rory, but how exactly were they affording all that coffee, takeout, and antique shopping? Lorelai was working at an inn and later running one, and Rory was a student for most of the series. Yet somehow they were living like low-key socialites in Stars Hollow says the Everygirl. Where was all this money coming from?
Even when money was mentioned, like when Rory needed help for Yale, it felt more like a plot device than a real obstacle. You’d think they’d cut back on fancy food or endless cups of coffee, but nope. Every episode still showed them devouring like five meals a day. It’s one of those things you accept because the show is so charming, but when you think about it, it makes no sense at all adds Business Insider.
3. Jack’s Tattoo Episode on Lost
Lost gave us so many mysteries, and we were fine waiting for answers. But then they gave us the dreaded Jack’s tattoo episode, which felt like filler wrapped in nonsense. After seasons of smoke monsters and time travel, we got a backstory about his tattoos? It didn’t reveal anything significant and only left fans more confused.
Worse, the episode tries to act like this tattoo has deep spiritual meaning. But by the next episode, it’s never mentioned again. That’s not just a plot hole, it’s a waste of time. Why build it up if you’re going to completely ignore it later? It felt like the writers threw it in because they had no idea what to do next.
4. The Aging Baby on The Walking Dead
Remember Judith on The Walking Dead? She’s supposed to be born during the apocalypse, which already makes her survival questionable. But somehow, she ages faster than anyone else on the show. Within a few seasons, she goes from infant to full-on kid with barely any explanation. Meanwhile, other characters barely age at all.
The show never addresses the weird time jumps that only seem to affect her. One episode, she’s a baby in someone’s arms, and the next, she’s having full conversations and holding her own. Did the zombie virus mess with time? Probably not, but it’s one of those inconsistencies you can’t unsee once you notice it. It’s hard to get invested when the basic math doesn’t add up.
5. Carrie’s Apartment on Sex and the City
Carrie Bradshaw is a writer who supposedly lives off her column, yet she has this gorgeous rent-controlled Manhattan apartment. Anyone who’s tried to rent even a broom closet in NYC knows this is pure fantasy. Rent-controlled or not, her wardrobe alone had to cost more than her monthly income. And yet, she was constantly buying designer shoes and eating out.
When money did become an issue, it felt like a blip rather than a serious concern. She was buying Vogue instead of lunch but still shopping like nothing happened. There’s no way a writer with one weekly column could afford that lifestyle. It’s a major disconnect that makes Carrie less relatable when you stop and think about it. At some point, even fiction has to follow a budget.
6. Ted’s Kids’ Endless Patience on How I Met Your Mother
Ted’s story on How I Met Your Mother starts off cute. But after nine seasons, you realize those poor kids have been sitting on that couch for what feels like years. Who tells a story about meeting their wife with detours about exes, bar hookups, and drug-fueled nights with college friends? No kid would just sit there and nod through all that.
By the time he finally gets to the actual “mother,” we barely know her. And then—spoiler alert—she dies, and the story was just a setup to ask if he could date Aunt Robin. Really, Ted? That’s what all this was about? The kids’ reaction was so chill, it was almost eerie. Any real teenager would’ve interrupted 10 minutes in and begged for a snack and a therapist.
7. The Night King’s Fast Travel on Game of Thrones
We all suspended disbelief when it came to dragons and direwolves. But by the last season of Game of Thrones, characters were teleporting across Westeros. The Night King managed to march with a frozen army and still beat Jon Snow and company to a destination miles away. Did he get access to Uber for the undead?
Earlier seasons showed how long travel took, with entire plots unfolding during journeys. But suddenly, everyone’s zipping around like they’ve got jets. It’s not just lazy, it breaks the rules the show spent years building. That kind of plot inconsistency takes you out of the story fast. If we wanted a fast-forward button, we’d use the remote.
8. The Timeline on Riverdale
Riverdale is already over the top, but its timeline is a total mess. Characters seem to age, de-age, and exist in multiple realities without explanation. One season, they’re high school students. The next, they’ve skipped ahead seven years. Then they’re back in high school for some reason? It’s hard to keep track of what year it’s supposed to be.
Even their parents look like they belong in the same grade. Time jumps feel more like mood swings than actual narrative choices. And no one ever references how weird it is that they’ve basically lived three lifetimes by season six. At this point, the writers could reveal they’re all stuck in a simulation and it wouldn’t even be surprising. That’s how broken the show’s timeline is.
9. Michael’s Secret on Prison Break
The entire plot of Prison Break hinges on Michael getting himself thrown in jail to save his brother. He gets an elaborate tattoo of the prison blueprints and pulls off a genius-level escape. But then, in later seasons, we find out there were people secretly helping him all along. Wait, what? So did he even need the tattoo or the plan?
If there was a shadowy organization pulling strings, why did he go through all that trouble? It feels like the show retroactively added new details just to keep things going. Instead of deepening the plot, it just made the original story look kind of pointless. That’s not a twist—it’s a rewrite. And it makes the first season lose a lot of its brilliance in hindsight.
10. Alison’s Resurrection on Pretty Little Liars
When Alison DiLaurentis turned up alive after the entire town (and audience) believed she was dead, it made for a dramatic twist—but the logistics never added up. She supposedly faked her death to escape “A,” but somehow managed to sneak around Rosewood in disguises, attend her own funeral, and leave cryptic messages, all while remaining completely undetected. If she was so scared for her life, why keep coming back to toy with the people who thought she was dead? And how did she manage to pull all of this off as a teenage girl with very few resources?
Even after she returned, no one really demanded concrete answers. The police were oddly uninterested in investigating her reappearance, and her friends were just… okay with it. Not to mention, there were major holes in the timeline—like when and how she coordinated with Mona, and why she didn’t seek help from an adult or authority figure. For a show that thrived on mystery, this particular arc felt like a magic trick with no real explanation behind the curtain.
11. Joyce’s Job on Stranger Things
Joyce Byers is a single mom in the ’80s, supporting two kids, one of whom goes missing. Yet somehow she manages to keep her home, feed her kids, and still have time to battle supernatural forces from another dimension. What exactly does she do for work again? We see her at a store briefly, but that’s about it.
Later seasons show her quitting jobs or flying across the country with no notice. And still, bills are paid and the lights stay on. It’s like Hawkins has a secret universal basic income plan no one talks about. It’s not that we don’t love Joyce, but some realism wouldn’t hurt. Even in a world with Demogorgons, rent should still be due.
12. Will’s Disappearing Powers on Stranger Things
Speaking of Stranger Things, remember how Will was once the key to the Upside Down? He was hearing voices, sensing danger, and basically had a psychic connection to the evil realm. But by season four, that all kind of disappears. Suddenly, he’s just the quiet kid with a bad haircut.
There’s no real explanation for why he loses those powers. The show just stops talking about it, like we’re supposed to forget he was once central to the plot. It’s frustrating because it feels like wasted potential. Instead of evolving, Will just fades into the background. That’s not just sad for the character, it’s a big narrative hole.
13. Pam’s Art School on The Office
Pam leaves Scranton in The Office to attend art school in New York, a major plot point that affects her relationship with Jim. It’s a bold move that shows growth, and it clearly means a lot to her. But then she just…drops out. And that’s that. It’s barely addressed again, and she’s suddenly back at the office like nothing happened.
What about her dreams? The show builds this up and then doesn’t bother to follow through. We never see her try again, and no one seems to care that she gave it up. For a character who was learning to take risks, it felt like an oddly rushed retreat. It’s a story thread that deserved way more attention.
14. The Clone Reveal on Scrubs
Remember when JD discovers that one of the janitor’s friends might actually be a clone? Okay, technically it’s a joke, but the show never really confirms or denies it. In a series that mostly stays grounded, it was such a bizarre addition. Was it a gag? A fever dream? Something JD imagined?
The problem is, it’s left open-ended in a way that doesn’t match the show’s tone. Scrubs is quirky, yes, but not usually science-fiction quirky. It pulls you out of the moment, especially when the janitor plays along with it so seriously. For a show that often blended heart with humor, this was just plain weird. Some jokes are best left in the brainstorming session.