Top 10 Most Shocking Sitcom Moments of the Last Decade
#10: Holt’s Demotion “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (2013-21)
Top 10 Hilarious Holt Moments from Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Played by the late Andre Braugher, Captain Ray Holt was a beloved fixture of the NYPD’s 99th precinct. Over eight seasons, he won over his unruly and eccentric roster of detectives despite his outwardly steely demeanor. But when his rival, Police Commissioner Madeline Wuntch, found loopholes to demote him from the commanding officer position, it was a blow to him and to the fans. Watching him repeat his patrol officer days inspired its fair share of hilarious moments, but it was still unnerving to see such a powerful presence be brought down that many pegs.
#9: Rebecca’s Rock Bottom “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” (2015-19)
Top 10 Best Rebecca Moments on Ted Lasso
Rachel Bloom co-created and starred in this whimsical and sometimes incredibly dark musical sitcom about a lawyer with mental health challenges. The third season finds Rebecca at her lowest point. She’s been left at the altar, her friends have found out about her troubled mental health, and her mother begins slipping her anxiety meds. Things get to be too much on a flight back home, and Rebecca makes a desperate attempt at ending her life. Though she survives, it was an impulsive and sudden turn that genuinely shocked longtime viewers. Dark humor was always in this show’s DNA. But this was just dark.
#8: Leonard Cheats on Penny “The Big Bang Theory” (2007-19)
Top 10 Penny & Leonard Moments on The Big Bang Theory
Of his group of eccentrically genius friends, Leonard Hofstadter seemed like the most gentle and loving. His crush on and later relationship with Penny captivated viewers over the first eight seasons. So, when he came clean about having kissed another woman on a research ship some years before, it was a gigantic shock. Because Leonard spent so much of their relationship insecure about her possibly cheating, it seemed so out of character for him to hold onto that secret for that long. Penny’s hurt is clear, and the whole thing put a dark cloud over their impending wedding.
#7: Charlie Lives! Oh, Wait “Two and a Half Men” (2003-15)
Good Luck Charlie Cast: Where Are They Now?
When Charlie Sheen left his hit series, it definitely wasn’t under the best circumstances. His media blitz, which led to some meme-worthy moments, made it pretty clear that he had no plans to return to the role of Charlie Harper. That doesn’t mean Charlie wasn’t coming back. In the series finale, not only is it revealed that Charlie is alive, but it’s also revealed that he’s dead, because a piano drops on him as he waits at the front door. Then, the camera pulls back to reveal series creator Chuck Lorre, who says Sheen’s iconic phrase before getting a piano dropped on him too. It’s a weird and meta ending that had audiences laughing out of pure confusion.
#6: Jodi Dies “Mom” (2013-21)
This CBS sitcom followed several women in an addiction recovery group, and given that premise, it’s safe to say that their sobriety provided a lot of the show’s stakes. Despite how hilarious it was, there were storylines and moments that really showed us how precarious sobriety can be. When the group meets Jodi, she’s a young addict in an abusive relationship. On the day of her pal Marjorie’s wedding, Christy gets a call that Jodi has died of an overdose. Left behind in the decorated church, the ladies are forced to process the loss of someone they tried to save.
#5: Howard’s Mom’s Death “The Big Bang Theory” (2007-19)
Top 10 Times Howard was the Best on The Big Bang Theory
Although she was mostly heard and not seen, Mrs. Wolowitz’s presence loomed large over the show. Usually, we’d hear her screaming about Howard and his little friends, disgusting bodily functions, or how her son doesn’t love her enough, but she was always a delight. Howard’s mother was a force to be reckoned with, to be sure, but the behind the scenes tragedy that led to the character’s on screen death made it all the more sad. The character was retired after Carol Ann Susi, the actress who voiced her, passed away. The show certainly became a lot more quiet without her. Her raspy, gravelly voice was sorely missed.
#4: Mateo’s Detainment “Superstore” (2015-21)
Following the lovable employees of the fictional big box store Cloud 9, “Superstore” wasn’t afraid to look at real issues. When the lovable Mateo found out he was an undocumented immigrant, his coworkers banded together to hide him from ICE agents. Although it had all the makings of a farce, once he was found and detained, it was a depressing counterpoint to the show’s madcap humor. His being driven away in an official van with his hands zip-tied ended the show’s fourth season, and gave viewers a lot more to think about than when their favorite show would come back.
#3: Selina Gives Up Her Gary “Veep” (2012-19)
We knew Selina Meyer was terrible. We knew she surrounded herself with terrible people and only made compromises when they ensured her political power. We knew all this, and yet we never thought she’d give up her most unfailingly loyal ally. Facing the possibility of career-ending criminal charges, she frames her long-suffering personal assistant. As he’s led away by the FBI, she barely offers him a glance as she finally realizes her dream of becoming America’s first female president. After all, no one’s sacrificed more than her. Watching her complete her villain arc, only to be left alone and having given up her most deeply held convictions is something to behold.
#2: How I Met Your Aunt Robin “How I Met Your Mother” (2005-14)
A lot of fans guessed how the series might end, but until the actual finale aired in 2014, no one knew for sure. Fans watched Ted Mosby tell his children the story of meeting their mother, only for the ending to reveal that it really was the story of how he fell in love with his longtime friend, Robin. He does meet the kids’ actual mother in the final season, but she passes away, leaving Ted free to finally be with Robin. Many fans felt cheated by this, as it had rendered much of the character development over the final season pretty much unnecessary.
#1: We’re In the Bad Place “The Good Place” (2016-20)
Top 10 Sweetest The Good Place Moments
Eleanor Shellstrop knows from the first episode that she doesn’t belong in the Good Place, essentially the in-universe version of Heaven. She didn’t live a life of good deeds and humility, and must keep the angel, Michael, from finding out she hasn’t earned her place in the afterlife. But in the first season finale, a bombshell realization changes everything. Eleanor realizes that she and her fellow souls are trapped in the Bad Place, and that Michael is actually a demon facilitating a torturous psychological experiment on them. It changes what the entire show is about going forward. Which of these sitcom moments surprised you the most? Let us know in the comments.
