Content Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the shows mentioned.When one thinks of a TV plot twist, they generally like to think about mysteries, soap operas, or other similar drama series, because that’s typically where the plot device can be found in abundance. This is sort of par for the course, as it’s basically how these purposefully unfunny shows function in order to keep audiences invested. That said, this is more of a guideline rather than an outright rule.
Now and again, sitcoms take a crack at creating a lasting plot twist. This is generally uncommon, as many sitcoms don’t have much continuity between episodes, and the narrative that does appear is usually pretty loose and uncomplicated. Still, a lot of sitcoms feature jaw-dropping plot twists, ones that leave their audiences positively gobsmacked. It might leave viewers unsure of what will happen next, but at least they tend to do it in a funny way.
10
‘The Office’ (2005–2013)
Developed by Greg Daniels
The Office actually has quite a number of interesting plot twists up its sleeve, though nothing incredibly major or groundbreaking. These plot twists are also generally handled with comedic effect rather than seriousness, as the show, like most sitcoms, is unashamedly goofy, so it’s not common to expect deep moments of reflection from it. Sure, there’s plenty of romance, but there are not exactly many moments that ponder the meaning of life or anything like that.
From the will they/won’t they dynamic of Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer), eventually leading to their marriage, to the return of Michael Scott’s (Steve Carrell) loathed boss, Toby (Paul Lieberstein), there are many moments in the show that feel like a complete 180, altering the timeline of events and allowing for more interesting opportunities to emerge. It’s hard to pinpoint what the biggest moment is, but any avid viewer of the show will tell you that there are definitely some unexpected moments.
The Office
- Release Date
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2005 – 2013-00-00
- Network
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NBC
9
‘The IT Crowd’ (2006–2013)
Created by Graham Linehan
British sitcom The IT Crowd is largely about a group of IT technicians in a dingy basement of Reynholm Industries, a large company that, in contrast to the basement, is headquartered in a luxurious London skyscraper. The company is run by the narcissistic Denholm Reynholm, who was played by Chris Morris. However, a few seasons in, Morris decided he wanted to move on to other projects, so the showrunners found a way to write him out of the series… and they went about it in the best way possible.
After the police discover that Denholm has been embezzling money through the company, he abruptly stands up in the middle of a meeting, calmly walks over to the window, and without hesitation, jumps to his death. This isn’t just a bit or a one-off gag. There’s a funeral for him and everything. The moment is morbidly hilarious, but it significantly changed the course of the show. Today, the moment is a common reaction GIF online, but it’s also regarded as one of the funniest TV death scenes in history.
8
‘Friends’ (1994–2004)
Created by David Crane and Marta Kaufmann
Most people are familiar with the hit 90s sitcom Friends by now, right? It’s basically just about a group of six close-knit pals in the heart of New York City, as their work lives and romantic lives evolve. One of the characters, Ross (David Schwimmer) gets into a relationship with side character Emily (Helen Baxendale), and the two are eventually engaged to be married in London.
However, during the wedding, Ross accidentally slips up and says Rachel’s (Jennifer Aniston) name instead of Emily’s, ruining the wedding and allowing Ross to unintentionally profess his love for Rachel. The two end up together eventually, but this moment was a serious jaw-dropper, to the point where audiences could hear a pin drop in the moment of deafening silence that follows. It’s a plot twist that’s famous, and that warranted a cliffhanger midway through the show’s run. This plot twist is just part of the reason why people continue to love Friends, as this was one of its most serious moments.
Friends
- Release Date
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1994 – 2004
- Network
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NBC
7
‘Family Guy’ (1999–)
Created by Seth MacFarlane
The animated sitcom Family Guy has been running for nearly 30 years, so at some point, it’s expected that the showrunners are going to need a plot twist of some sort in order to keep things interesting. To be frank, they kind of spoiled this one in advance with the way they announced how they planned on killing off a major character, but the one they chose is a fan favorite, so it was not received pleasantly by viewers.
The character in question is the Griffin family dog, Brian (Seth MacFarlane), who is run over by a car, a sad and tragic fate that unfortunately befalls many domestic dogs. The family is understandably devastated, as were the fans, so the show rectified this decision and changed things up to undo it, but for a moment there, this was deeply serious and was one of the rare moments when the show actually decides to deliver something really heartfelt and hard-hitting. It was a huge deal online when it happened in the mid-2010s, and many fans still aren’t over it, even though the situation has been fixed.
Family Guy
- Release Date
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January 31, 1999
- Network
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FOX
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Alex Borstein
Lois Griffin / Tricia Takanawa / Loretta Brown / Barbara Pewterschmidt (voice)
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6
‘Jane the Virgin’ (2014–2019)
Developed by Jennie Snyder Urman
Jane the Virgin seems like a quirky little sitcom about Jane (Gina Rodriguez), a Venezuelan-American woman from a deeply religious family, who is trying to remain chaste and wait until she is married to have sex. Things are complicated when she is accidentally artificially inseminated, leading to a pregnancy without actually engaging in sex, complicating things with her family, and her religious lifestyle.
It can definitely be considered a sitcom, though many also attribute it to a telenovela, albeit one that is much more Americanized than other entries into the genre. Still, the show is generally light-hearted, which is why it’s so shocking when a major character, Michael (Brett Dier), gets killed off in the 54th episode. This is one of the most jarring moments of the series, one that forced audiences to never lower their guard again, and that marked a serious change in the show, both in tone and in direction.
5
‘How I Met Your Mother’ (2005–2014)
Created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas
How I Met Your Mother is a sitcom about a man named Ted (Josh Radnor) recounting the story of his young adult life to his children, specifically about the events leading up to his marriage to their mother, Tracy (Cristin Milioti). Much of the story is told via flashback sequences, with Ted meeting various women and pursuing numerous romantic flings before finding Tracy, a character whom the audience came to know and love.
The ending of the show, which is widely despised twist, revealed that Tracy is actually no longer living, and has passed away from a terminal illness years prior to the present-day timeline of the show. This eventually causes Ted to get back together with an ex, which fans hated even more. Even though this isn’t really liked by fans, one cannot deny the level of cultural impact it had on the world of sitcoms.
4
‘Scrubs’ (2001–2010)
Created by Bill Lawrence
Medical sitcom Scrubs is known for its eccentric characters and cynical sense of humor, which has helped establish it as a highly quotable sitcom loaded with gallows humor. However, it also contains its fair share of goofy banter and slapstick, as many sitcoms do. The show typically comes with the internal monologue of protagonist J. D. (Zach Braff), who often reflects on the ridiculousness occurring in the hospital.
Now and again, though, the show gets really dark, and not in a humorous kind of way. At its heart, Scrubs has the makings of a medical drama, meaning there are some pretty major character deaths and some brutally realistic situations that hit like a ton of bricks, delivering moments of moral ambiguity right in the middle of its goofy fun times. J. D.’s inner monologue appropriately switches from sarcastic and light-hearted to serious and strained, debating with himself the meaning of life and the finality of death. There are several big twists like this in the show, so it’s hard to pick just one.
Scrubs
- Release Date
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2001 – 2010-00-00
- Network
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ABC, NBC
3
‘Malcolm in the Middle’ (2000–2006)
Created by Linwood Boomer
There’s a running gag in Malcolm in the Middle that everything that exists in the lives of the main characters is crappy. Their clothes are hand-me-downs, their house is falling apart, their town is boring and in the middle of nowhere, they struggle with money, and their entire block hates them. Conversely, pretty much everybody else in town is pretty well-off, which causes frustration for the family without a last name. This is sort of a painful reality that the eponymous Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) has grown to accept. However, in the brilliantly executed final Malcom in the Middle episode, he receives a big break: an opportunity to get a high-paying job, which his mother promptly rejects on his behalf. As Malcolm freaks out about the incident, it is revealed that his strict mother, Lois (Jane Kaczmarek), has done things like this on numerous occasions because she wants Malcolm to struggle in life.
This is so that he will understand the plight of the middle class, so that when he eventually becomes President of the United States (which everyone is convinced he will eventually become), he will actually care about people like him. It seems harsh and cruel, but when Lois asks Malcolm to look into her eyes and tell him he can’t do it, fans realize that Lois does this not out of abuse, but out of tough love, because she knows that his experiences will shape him and take him far in life. There are some minor plot twists throughout the show, but this one is easily the biggest, which floored fans and made them realize why Malcolm’s life is the way it is.
2
‘The Good Place’ (2015–2019)
Created by Michael Schur
The Good Place is a fantasy sitcom that follows a group of people who have found their way into the afterlife, a realm known as the Good Place, which is apparently used to reward those who lived their lives virtuously and honestly. However, as many likely already know by now due to how iconic this plot twist is, the cast later deduce that they are actually in the Bad Place, a different dimension that is used to torment and experiment on those who lived their lives selfishly.
Sitcoms aren’t usually known for big twists like this, but this was a rare moment of drama in the otherwise hilarious show, which left its audience completely and utterly floored. The implications of this, that the cast are going to spend eternity in what is essentially Hell, is actually really dismaying and allows certain anomalies to fall into place. It’s a plot twist that’s up there with some of the greatest in television history, even amongst drama or mystery shows.
1
‘The Simpsons’ (1989–)
Created by Matt Groening
The Simpsons has been running for nearly 40 years, so it’s bound to have numerous twists and turns in its run. There was one pretty recently, too, which came as a devastating blow to the fanbase, but perhaps none of these twists have been so huge as the one back in Seasons 6 and 7. There’s a two-part episode that serves as the Season 6 finale and the Season 7 premiere, which features a mystery involving the show’s villain, Mr. Burns (Harry Shearer). He has been non-fatally shot and is in a coma. Literally any one of the various characters could be the perpetrator, since Burns has made a lot of enemies.
The big reveal, though, is that the perpetrator is one of the last people anyone would ever expect: the Simpson family’s infant daughter, Maggie (Nancy Cartwright). This is such an iconic plot twist that most people likely know it already, even if they haven’t seen the episode. It’s ridiculous, but back in the ’90s, this was actually a big deal, and stands as easily one of the biggest and most notorious plot twists in all of television.
The Simpsons
- Release Date
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December 17, 1989
- Network
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FOX
- Directors
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Steven Dean Moore, Mark Kirkland, Rob Oliver, Michael Polcino, Mike B. Anderson, Chris Clements, Wes Archer, Timothy Bailey, Lance Kramer, Nancy Kruse, Matthew Faughnan, Chuck Sheetz, Rich Moore, Jeffrey Lynch, Pete Michels, Susie Dietter, Raymond S. Persi, Carlos Baeza, Dominic Polcino, Lauren MacMullan, Michael Marcantel, Neil Affleck, Swinton O. Scott III, Jennifer Moeller
- Writers
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J. Stewart Burns, Michael Price, Brian Kelley, Bill Odenkirk, Dan Vebber, Kevin Curran, Stephanie Gillis, Dan Castellaneta, Deb Lacusta, Billy Kimball, Jessica Conrad, Cesar Mazariegos, Daniel Chun, Jennifer Crittenden, Conan O’Brien, Valentina Garza, Elisabeth Kiernan Averick, Christine Nangle, Broti Gupta, Loni Steele Sosthand, Megan Amram, Bob Kushell, David Isaacs, David Mandel
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Homer Simpson / Abe Simpson / Barney Gumble / Krusty (voice)
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Julie Kavner
Marge Simpson / Patty Bouvier / Selma Bouvier (voice)
