Trim The Fat - 6 TV Shows That Could Do With Cutting A Cast Member Or Two - Warped Factor - Words in the Key of Geek.

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Trim The Fat - 6 TV Shows That Could Do With Cutting A Cast Member Or Two

This Thursday (30th Jan) Ann Perkins will be saying goodbye to Pawnee when she exits Parks And Recreation. I like Rashida Jones but Ann Perkins has been the most pointless character in the entire series. Every time she's on screen it's wasting precious moments that could be given to Ron, or Andy, or Jerry, or Perd, or Jean-Ralphio, or even pictures of Lil' Sebastian (R.I.P.). The writers really should've got rid of her a long time ago.

But she's not the only TV show character that needs to go, here are 6 more that could do with the chop.


Supernatural - Sam Winchester

I'm still watching Supernatural. It's not the show it once was, but this season has been better than the last couple, and every once in a while there are flashes of brilliance. Nearly all of them come from Dean Winchester and not from his younger annoying Brother Sam.

When the show began Sam started out all angsty and kinda cool but somewhere along the way he turned into this annoying and whiny and just damn right irritating character. He can't do anything right and causes apocalypses every couple of years.

I think even the writers don't like Sam that much because if there's ever anything 'cool' to do now they give it to Dean. Dean travels back in time, Dean goes to the Wild West, Dean meets his deceased relatives and Dean usually saves the day. Lanky old Sam just moans and gets hurt and hits his head on door frames, probably. Crowley calls him Moose, I would rather they cast a real moose to play his part! Sam is now like a female Doctor Who assistant from the 60's, it wouldn't surprise me if he sprained his ankle whilst they are fleeing from a group of demons.

Seriously, Supernatural would be much more enjoyable if Sam had been killed off 4 or 5 years ago and it was just Dean and Castiel. Or Dean and Charlie, or Dean and Crowley, or Dean and the ghost spirit of Bobby, hell even Dean and this dog would be better!


Thank heavens for Jensen Ackles, without him I doubt I'd still be watching the show.
Please Supernatural producers, if we are getting a season 10, could you cut the moose loose and just let Jared Padalecki go?




How I Met Your Mother - Ted Mosby

OK, I know this show is coming to an end this year but I'm proposing some kind of re-cut of the entire series to make it a lot funnier and a lot more enjoyable.

The reason for this is that considering it's really his show, the story of how he met the 'mother', Ted Mosby is the least funny character on this sit-com. I can't believe anyone is still even remotely interested in watching Ted finally meet this woman, the storyline has dragged on and just become boring. It's the other stuff going on around Ted that makes the show enjoyable, he has to go!

Ted is just so smarmy, I really wish he was on the receiving end of all of Marshall's slaps, and the reality of it is How I Met Your Mother could've worked just as well without him in it. I shall explain how...

In the pilot episode Ted meets Robin Scherbatsky and introduces her to his group of friends, after that Ted is pointless. The whole show could've been retitled How I Married Your Mother, with Barney Stinson telling his adopted kids how he was introduced to, became friends with, dated, split-up, wooed back, proposed and finally married Robin. That's the story from beginning to end, it would be legen...wait for it...dary! Barney could mention that Ted guy they used to hang around with in the first episode and after that Ted could move away to... hell who cares?

I'm sorry Josh Radnor, but up against the comedy talents of Neil Patrick Harris, Jason Segal, Cobie Smulders and Alyson Hannigan you had no chance. I personally think you peaked in your first acting job, as a dancing waiter in the 1998 kids film Barney's Great Adventure...


If you want to check out Barney's Great Adventure on youtube then this 'classic' scene is around 46 minutes in. Ted's never been so funny.

Mr Bates stares into your soul.

Downton Abbey - Mr Bates

Mr Bates creeps me out! I'm a grown arse man and he creeps me out!! Look at that picture above and tell me he's not creeping you out. Move around the room whilst looking at him, his eyes follow you like the Mona Lisa. He's freakin' creepy!!!

When Downton Abbey began Mr Bates didn't start out in this way. He was such a great character in season 1. So put upon and full of decency. Struggling with the stairs but soldiering on gallantly. Week after week I'd route for him to overcome his adversities and champion his and Anna's relationship. He was a man so full of honor. He'd refuse to rat anyone out and always take the fall himself, even when Thomas was a right bastard he still didn't stoop so low as to get him fired.

Then the writers got bored with that approach and now he'll happily murder people with a limp and a creepy old mellow smirk. He is borderline psychotic, I worry that if Lord Grantham ever did fire him he'd gut the dog and cook him for dinner.

In the most recent Christmas special Bates was hardly in it, they spoke about him a bit but apart from creeping up a couple of scenes he was the lesser-seen Mr Bates. And it was much better.

They should have left him in prison.

You are the weakest link, good bye!

New Girl - Winston

For 2 years Winston did nothing but fill a Coach shaped gap in New Girl. He rarely had any story lines that were at all amusing, which on a sit-com is kinda important. I hate to use the phrase, but he really has been the token black cast member. Then at the start of season 3, possibly because they knew that Coach would be returning, the writers started to make Winston funny. But I'm afraid it's too little too late.

There now seems to be no need for Winston, the writers force him into situations that feel unnatural and the character is definitely the weak link in what is a very strong ensemble. This has absolutely nothing against the actor Lamorne Morris, I actually feel sorry for him because he has just suffered from poor writing and character development. Although saying that I do believe that Damon Wayans Jr has a better flair for comic acting, and now he's free from Happy Endings he's slotted straight back into New Girl as if he's never been away.

Surely it's only a matter of time before Winston moves out of the loft?


Revenge - Charlotte Grayson

For what is essentially a soap opera, Revenge has it's moments, but truth be told, it could do with cutting a cast member or two. I'd like them to get rid of Daniel Grayson, he's annoying and brat-ish in a 'Justin-Bieber-I'm-rich-so-can-get-away-with-it' type way, but it's his sister Charlotte that seems to be absolutely pointless and desperately needs the chop.

She's been through the mill a bit, in the first 2 years she found out the man she called Dad was not Dad. She discovered she had a sister who in reality is not actually her sister. She became an aunt but as it's not her sister she kinda isn't really. Then the sister died, but it's not actually her sister anyway so that's ok, only she still doesn't know. Then she got pregnant. Then her boyfriend was blown up by the man she'd called Dad up until a few weeks earlier. Then she lost the baby. In between all that there was some rebellion story lines, a bit of girl on girl kissing and the usual soap-y stuff.

Then season 3 came along and they've run out of things for her to do. Seriously. Halfway through the year and she's done nothing, she's even been totally absent in episodes and you wouldn't notice, so pivotal is her role!

I will be very very shocked if Christa B. Allen returns for season 4.


Arrow - Laurel Lance

Returning to the sci-fi genre and turning our attention to The CW's Arrow. I've got a lot of time for Arrow, I know The CW aren't necessarily making the show for my demographic but I tune in each week and enjoy each episode. Mostly.

There is a weak link in the show, and that's the character of Laurel Lance. There are so many reasons why the show would be better without her but the main thing that bugs me is that, considering she was introduced at the start as the main love interest she has absolutely no chemistry with Oliver Queen. Their whole relationship feels forced and I can totally understand why he ran off with her sister! I'm not sure if this is a problem with the actors or just the characters, either way Stephen Amell knocks it out of the park with his take on Green Arrow so I'm not laying blame with him.

As well as that she has the whole damsel in distress thing going on week after week, and whereas that might've fitted in OK on Smallville, it just doesn't gel right with Arrow. The addition of Felicity very early on in season 1 made Laurel obsolete straight away, and I can't see Miss Lance surviving for much longer.

Remember this is a re-imagining of the comic book so the story lines differ. In this show she needs to die! Harsh yes, but if her demise is because 'The Arrow' had to chose between saving her or Starling City then it will set up a great tension between Oliver and the other members of the Lance family.

Maybe a good storyline can come out of this character after all?



Which TV Show characters do you think need to be axed?

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