As some sitcoms go on for years, many fall into flanderization, which is when all of the characters and narratives become more cartoonish. But putting that aside, there have still been many story arcs that are completely out of the realms of reality when it comes to particular shows.
Whether it’s single episodes or full seasons, there have been many plots in sitcoms that have confused and baffled fans, so much so that some have even retconned those very plots years later. But even though some of these plots are so outlandish, it doesn’t necessarily mean the episode wasn’t hilarious in its own right.
The Whole Season 9 Of Roseanne Was In Her Imagination
The season might have been retconned 20 years later, but at the time, season nine of Roseanne was one of the worst comedy series finales of all time. It was so strange from the very beginning, as she won over $100 million dollars and was jet-setting all around the world with famous movie stars.
But in the very final episode, it was revealed that none of it was true and was made up for a book that Roseanne was writing to cope with the death of Dan, and it went completely against what made Roseanne so beloved.
The Secret Trampoline In Community
Community has always been a little cartoonish at times, but “Aerodynamics of Gender” takes it to another level. Upon finding a secret garden, Troy and Jeff are told about how sacred the trampoline is that sits in the middle of it. They are granted use of the trampoline by the groundskeeper of the garden providing they don’t tell anyone.
However, when Pierce finds the trampoline everything is ruined. Not only is the CGI weird when Pierce bounces on the trampoline (it’s presumably because Chevy Chase was too old to get on it,) but when he demands that Troy double-bounces him, the old man goes flying in to the sky and lands in a trash can. It’s completely out of the ordinary, even by Community’s standards.
Mac & Dennis’ Manhunt In Always Sunny
Rickety Cricket is one of the best recurring characters in It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, mostly because how all of his shortcomings and all of the bad things that have happened to him are completely the gang’s fault. Going from a priest to a homeless drug addict who partakes in dog orgies, Mac and Dennis choose the poor guy to be the subject of their manhunt in the aptly titled “Mac And Dennis: Manhunters.”
Though it’s heavily insinuated that Dennis is a serial killer later in the series, it has never been so overt that any members of the gang are killers, and it’s so weird that the two of them are planning on attempting to murder another human being.
Cam & Mitch Drugged Up At The Airport In Modern Family
Mitch and Cam have always been the worst couple in the show, as they are always telling each other lies and they are both pretty selfish when it comes to their parenting methods. But they are both still mature adults, which makes their arc in “Five Minutes” so unbelievable and over the top.
After taking sleeping pills, both of them are completely drugged up as they wander around the airport. From getting on the wrong plane, to haggling with a man at a hat stand, to forgetting the name of their child. There’s no way the couple would ever be that irresponsible.
Priests Getting Stuck In A Lingerie Store In Father Ted
With Father Ted being an Irish comedy about a priest, the show rarely ventures outside of his village. But when on a trip to a giant department store, Father Ted and Father Dougal get lost in the lingerie department. Sure, it’s funny because the contrast between two celibate men and wandering around looking at women’s underwear is ridiculous, but it gets even more absurd than that.
When they get lost in the area, it leads to the men speculating about women’s underwear in a way that real priests would never be so ignorant of. But it doesn’t end there, as they bump into two other priests also lost in the lingerie section of the store. And by the end of the sequence, there are eight priests “lost” and trying to find the exit.
Locking J.D. In A Water Tower In Scrubs
Scrubs is another show that plays on how cartoonish it can sometimes get, but it makes sense as all of the absurd humor takes place in J.D.’s imagination. However, that all changes in “His Story III.”
J.D. and the Janitor both endlessly lock horns in every episode, as the Janitor is always bullying or pranking the doctor, but he took it to another level in this episode. Though it’s still one of the best episodes, the beginning sees the Janitor kidnap J.D. and lock him in a water tower, which is literally the work of a psychopath.
The Two & A Half Men Finale
The plot of the Two and a Half Men finale is so ridiculous that not even fans of the show after Charlie was killed off liked it. First of all, the episode contains a couple of cameos for no apparent reason, and as those cameos are Christian Slater and Arnold Schwarzenegger, they seemed to be picked completely at random. Either that, or they were the only two celebrities who were available at the time.
And on top of that, the episode devolves into an animated short that takes unnecessary and highly offensive jabs at Charlie Sheen’s personal life, which is one of the many ways the finale was a disappointment.
Hal Teaching Malcolm To Roller Skate
It’s great that Hal wanted to bond with his son, but Malcolm clearly had no interest in roller skating and was totally embarrassed by his father. However, that doesn’t stop Hal from pushing the hobby on his son in “Rollerskates,” and what’s possibly the most absurd is that Hal wakes up his child at 5am on a Saturday just to teach him.
But it gets stranger, as Hal also busts some moves that would be impossible for him to pull off, as he has shown in previous episodes that he’s far from the most agile.
The Finale Of Seinfeld
The last episode of Seinfeld is one of the most hated series finales of all time, but it’s also the strangest, as the episode sees the gang getting arrested for laughing at a fat man getting robbed.
For starters, it’s such a bizarre reason to lock up four people and put them on trial in front of a jury, but what follows is a handful of previous characters from the nine seasons showing up to berate Jerry, Elaine, Kramer, and George. Based on the character statements, the gang are found to be guilty and are locked up for a full year.
Anything That Happens To Meredith In The Office
She might be hated, she might be an alcoholic, and she might be a terrible mother, but being such a victim of circumstance on so many occasions, Meredith’s actions are hardly surprising. The Office is another show that leans into how animated it can be, but the lowbrow things that happen to Meredith are just ridiculous, as she has suffered some of the most gruelling injuries.
Her hair caught fire when she was belly dancing, she was ran over by Michael, and the most absurd of them all, she got rabies when she was bitten by a bat.