Top 10 Shows You Wont Believe Were Aired Out of Order
#10: “Lizzie McGuire” (2001-04)
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Disney Channel shows are no strangers to being aired out of order. Granted, like many of them, “Lizzie McGuire” usually featured self-contained episodes, but this still often led to confusion. While there are mild examples, such as the show’s fourth episode actually being its first one, things get really screwy in season 2, since the kids graduate from middle school in the middle of it and then continue attending classes for the rest of the season. Reportedly, the reason for the mixed up order in this season was because Lalaine, Miranda’s actress, left the show and the scrambled order was to accommodate her upon her return, which didn’t end up happening.
#9: “Happy Endings” (2011-13)
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Midseason replacement shows often get a rough time of things, since networks have the luxury of having every episode to mix and match to their liking. Such was the case with “Happy Endings” season 1. Although subsequent seasons retained more of their intended order than the pretzel the first one was thrown into, there were still plenty of episodes that were swapped around, with a season 2 episode even airing in season 3. This, along with ABC’s frequent shuffling of what night “Happy Endings” even aired on, seemed to ensure that it wouldn’t get a “happy ending” right from the start.
#8: “Ellen” (1994-98)
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While this sitcom is primarily remembered for being a platform through which Ellen DeGeneres came out, it’s also quite the funny show. Still, it’s not without its flaws, namely that, big shocker, it ran episodes out of order. The first season is the primary culprit, though its issues carry over into later seasons. One example is that Joe is seen getting a job as a barista in the final episode of the season, except that he’d already been shown working there previously. In addition, several first season episodes weren’t aired until as late as season 3! Although with some shows this wouldn’t be an issue, “Ellen” featured several cast departures in the intervening seasons, so castmates who’d already left appear to return without explanation.
#7: “Fringe” (2008-13)
This sci-fi procedural could be hard enough to follow sometimes, what with it featuring shapeshifters and alternate realities, but it also featured some episodes shown out of order. The first is a season 2 episode that was a holdover from season 1, because FOX ordered more episodes than they had time slots for. This wouldn’t be too bad, except one of the characters is killed earlier in season 2. Also, in an example that appears seemingly to be the creators airing an episode out of order, an episode that takes place at the beginning of season 5 aired towards the end of season 4. Set about 20 years in the future, it was created to set the stage for the storyline going forward, but it thoroughly confused the audience, especially as the next season hadn’t yet been officially renewed when it aired.
#6: “Community” (2009-15)
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A sitcom tailor-made for every obsessive TV fan, naturally those same viewers worked out when things didn’t quite add up in “Community.” Although most of the shake ups in order were due to production needs, it does cause a few hiccups from a continuity standpoint. The famed “Remedial Chaos Theory” episode in Season 3 for instance, is alluded to in the episode that preceded it. Also, a few episodes of season 4 were aired out of order (and some episodes were shot out of sequence), but that season had so much wrong with it that something like airing order was the least of its issues.
#5: “Glee” (2009-15)
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While some might point to the aptly titled “Previously Unaired Christmas” episode as an example of a “Glee” episode airing out of order, that was seemingly just a stunt to do more Christmas music, and not even canon besides! No, rather we’re talking about the episode “Funk” from season 1, which was supposed to air before the previous episode, but was pushed back because of the popularity of Lady Gaga. Still, this leads to the continuity situation where Jesse leaves New Directions to rejoin Vocal Adrenaline…after he’s already done so in the last episode!
#4: “Supernatural” (2005-20)
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Given how incredibly long that it’s been on the air, “Supernatural” was bound to have a few episodes aired in the wrong order. Sometimes standalone episodes were pushed back to make room for more storyline focused ones, such as “Monster Movie” in season 4. In the preceding season though, the show was affected by the writer’s strike and they made the decision to switch around the more light-hearted “Groundhog Day” style episode, “Mystery Spot,” with the more serious outing, “Jus in Bello.” The folks in charge felt it would be better to end on a more story-focused episode should a finale be unexpectedly required. You might say it was a “heat of the moment” decision…
#3: “Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23” (2012-13)
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ABC strikes again! Not only were both seasons of this short lived and snarky sitcom aired in a mixed up order, but episodes that were originally supposed to conclude season 1 ended up being shown in season 2 – in the middle! This meant that storylines that had been building in the latter half of season 1, such as James Van Der Beek’s appearance on “Dancing With the Stars” just disappeared at the beginning of season 2, only to reappear half way through it! Characters’ relationship statuses could change wildly between episodes too. Basically – don’t trust ABC with “Apartment 23!”
#2: “Scrubs” (2001-10)
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“Scrubs” had a tumultuous run across many time slots and multiple networks, and the fact that some episodes aired in the wrong order didn’t help. For instance, in season 3, one episode sees J.D. lament being single, while he’s still dating Danni, and Elliot’s boyfriend Sean, who should be in New Zealand, is back in town. Another more visually arresting instance happens in season 6, when Dr. Cox appears with his hair shaved off, only for it to reappear in the next episode and until he shaves it several episodes later. Then, after the show’s move to ABC in season 8, the original premiere was pushed back to episode 5, where elements already present in the previous episodes, like JD’s beard are introduced.
#1: “Jonas” (2009-10)
A sitcom about the Jonas brothers was pretty much a sure-fire hit for Disney, but like many of their shows, they made the mistake of airing episodes in the wrong order. However, unlike most of the other shows on our list, “JONAS” has the dubious “honor” of having had every episode of its first season except for one of them broadcast in a different order than in production. This made keeping track of what happened next to impossible upon first viewing, particularly Joe and Stella’s feelings for one another.
