Which were the worst late cast additions to a popular show, in your opinion?

Submitted by Lili_Danube t3_11ogze7 in television

Michelle Trachtenberg as Dawn in Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Stupid story-line, annoying character and I hate that we have to pretend this character was there because the characters were brainwashed into fake memories.

Lily Tomlin in MURPHY BROWN. Tomlin is a comedy legend but she was not funny and pretty forgettable even though she was on the show for two seasons.

Family Sitcom Shows adding a kid in the last years like Brian Bonsall in FAMILY TIES and Ashley Johnson in GROWING PAINS.

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meowskywalker t1_jbsn66r wrote

> I hate that we have to pretend this character was there because the characters were brainwashed into fake memories

There’s like two episodes where we “pretend she was there” and the whole time the show is like “she’s tricking everyone!” The show never asks you to believe Dawn was always around and we just didn’t notice. They even have Joyce mention how she’ll be happy to have the house to herself again when Buffy moves back to the dorms at the beginning of the Dracula episode so that we know that Dawn didn’t exist at the beginning of the episode.

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Korrocks t1_jbtpl5f wrote

I think maybe OP stopped watching during the first episode of that arc.

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[deleted] t1_jbsjhkc wrote

I thought Dawn’s storyline and character on Buffy was great.

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Premislaus t1_jbt1o1n wrote

I did too. The last time this was discussed the general opinion was that she's primary disliked by the original viewers for whom the "annoying younger sibling" archetype hit too close to home.

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[deleted] t1_jbt2ec8 wrote

Dawn was added to the show specifically to subvert that common trope. Oh… and also because Joss Wheadon wanted a tween girl on set.

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Maninhartsford t1_jbu3ss4 wrote

Whedon's a lot of nasty things, but pedophile isnt one of them.

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[deleted] t1_jbv2v79 wrote

[deleted]

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Maninhartsford t1_jbv8lat wrote

That's it though. That's all anyone has said about it. I really don't want to come across like I'm defending Whedon but he was mean and nasty to a lot of people on his set and that might be all that quote means. Interpreting it as inappropriate sex stuff is entirely extrapolation. Just because you can think of a worst case scenario doesn't make it so. Again! This is not "Whedon was a good guy." This is "that's a really big accusation to pull out of one out of context quote."

Edit - to be completely clear, I was aware he was not allowed alone with Trachtenberg. I just find it troubling that people automatically assume the reason why was sexual abuse, to the point where OP was stating it as fact. It's jumping to conclusions. While there is much documentation on how emotionally abusive he was to the "out group" on his sets, which included Trachtenberg, nobody has ever actually accused him of assault, so people are legitimately just looking at that one quote and assuming the worst. There's so many reasons to dislike the guy, we don't need to start making them up.

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speashasha t1_jbx1n76 wrote

I think whether you liked Dawn kind of depended on your own life and experiences. I have an older sister, so I could very much relate to Dawn and the sibling dynamic and she was immediately very likeable to me. I think it was a nice change to have Buffy worry about family rather than a boyfriend. That being said, they didn't quite know what to do with her in season six and since the character was initially intended to be much younger, they struggled to write for her age until season 7, I'd say.

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thatsong t1_jbsrc8f wrote

Randy in That 70s show

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MonsieurGideon t1_jbsl1q0 wrote

Just about everyone who got added after Michael left in The Office (US).

The three Temps seemed to have nothing to add, Nelly was awful, and even Will Ferrell and James Spader were so over the top the show had a completely different feel than the earlier seasons.

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Queen_Of_InnisLear t1_jbssz99 wrote

I am A) showing my age and B) going to get hammered for this, but I really didn't like either Ben Browder or Claudia Black in the latter days of Stargate.

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gettit8998 t1_jbtboa3 wrote

I liked the chaotic energy Black brought. Browser was a bit stiff.

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jogoso2014 t1_jbsrtfa wrote

The cameraman in the Office

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Lil_Mcgee t1_jbtehis wrote

What do you mean he was there the whole time?

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Eph2k t1_jbu90rc wrote

Nancy Travis joining Becker. The Show became a bad romantic comedy. She ruined the show big time

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speashasha t1_jbx1q2m wrote

I like Dawn. If we want to talk about "bad late cast additions", my mind first goes to Vincent Kartheiser/Connor on Angel. Good actor, but a rather frustrating character.

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GroovyNik t1_jbujqug wrote

Two and a Half Men after Charlie Sheen flipped out..

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mphs95 t1_jbunpg9 wrote

In regards to Family Ties, MB was pregnant with twins IRL. Hiding that would be a bitch. So I get adding Andrew in that instance.

OTOH, adding kids to put nre life into a show just because is a bad sign.

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