There’s nothing quite like the high of a TV show pulling the rug out from under you. One minute, you’re so sure you know what’s happening — the next, your mind is being blown, and everything you thought you knew has been changed forever.
The 90’s were rife with plot twists just like that. From not one, but two series ending on the “it was all a dream” gag, to Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) being captured by the Borg (yikes) in Star Trek: The Next Generation, audiences were treated to surprise after surprise back in the day. And while some were more successful than others (looking at you, Roseanne), all those twists had water coolers ablaze with gossip after they aired. Aw, remember water coolers? Those were the days.
9
Enter Seven of Nine
‘Star Trek: Voyager’
Season 4 of Star Trek: Voyager saw some major shake-ups happen both on and off-screen. Onboard Voyager herself, resident Ocampa Kes’ (Jennifer Lien) powers become too great for her to control; elsewhere, Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) rescues a liberated Borg drone, Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), from the collective and insists she join their crew. Kes decides she must leave the ship to save it from the strength of her own powers. Seven joins the ship, and her status as a former Drone catapults Star Trek: Voyager in a whole new direction.
The twist of Kes’ powers forcing her to leave Voyager is still debated to this day. Behind the scenes, creatives and executives decided Janeway needed more of a foil onboard. So Kes was out, and Seven was in. The shift was abrupt, but ultimately successful: Seven of Nine went on to become one of the most iconic Star Trek characters of all time. Still waiting for that spin-off, though!
Star Trek: Voyager
- Network
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UPN
- Showrunner
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Michael Piller, Jeri Taylor, Brannon Braga, Kenneth Biller
- Writers
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Rick Berman, Michael Piller
8
My God, There’s a Second Stargate
‘Stargate SG-1’
The second season of Stargate SG-1 closes with one hell of a plot twist: after nearly two seasons of jumping across the universe via their home Stargate and its interconnected sister gates, The SG-1 team discover something crazy: there’s another Stargate right there on Earth, and it’s older than their own gate. In fact, it’s the first Stargate ever found on Earth, and it’s millions of years old.
The existence of a second Stargate opens up the world of Stargate in a big way. It poses questions about its origin, who placed it there, and why. The team eventually discovers the answers, and they even use the Stargate as a replacement for their own for a short time. Simply put, it’s a cool concept that the show makes good use of for multiple seasons. It’s a shame the Stargate is eventually destroyed in Season 6. Oh well. We’ll always have Antarctica.
7
Carrie and Big Call it Quits (The Second Time)
‘Sex and the City’
Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Big’s (Chris Noth) relationship in Sex and the City definitely has its highs and lows. And boy, do those lows sting. After breaking up in Season 1 and rekindling their relationship in Season 2, Carrie and the audience are thrown for a loop when it’s revealed that Big intends to move to Paris for work — without telling Carrie. What’s worse, after his brief stint away, he returns to New York and still doesn’t think to tell Carrie. At least he has a reason this time: he’s engaged to another woman.
Listen. Carrie and Big are iconic for a reason: their relationship is messy, sweeping, occasionally something close to picture perfect. And while all relationships are imperfect, Carrie and Big’s was, well, a train wreck. Big frequently acted like he was slightly embarrassed of Carrie. How they ever managed to get back together after he disappeared off to Paris without planning to tell her is a total mystery. Another mystery? Who Carrie will eventually end up with.
6
Scully is Abducted
‘The X-Files’
There’s a treasure trove of twists and turns from The X-Files’ original 9-season run. From the truth about Mulder’s (David Duchovny) sister to the paternity of Scully’s (Gillian Anderson) baby, there’s no shortage of gasp-worthy moments. But the first in the long line surely has to be Scully’s abduction. Coming early in Season 2, the episode “Duane Berry” saw Scully being kidnapped and eventually abducted by a man of the same name who claimed to also have been abducted by aliens. Though Scully had a hard time accepting the supernatural aspect of her kidnapping, she did eventually find enough evidence around the event to admit something otherworldly had indeed happened to her.
Scully’s abduction is a key moment in the series, and one that follows her through every single season — right up to the (second) series finale. However, the reason for her abduction had less to do with a grand plan on creator Chris Carter’s part, and more to do with Anderson’s real-life pregnancy. The band-aid solution to her maternity leave became a defining part of her character arc in the years to come. Whether that’s a good thing is still up for debate.
5
Ross Says the Wrong Name
‘Friends’
Ross (David Schwimmer) is always the villain in his own story. After fumbling Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) multiple times and proposing to Emily (Helen Baxendale), it really looked like Friends’ iconic will-they, won’t-they was going to land firmly on “won’t they.” Right up until the wedding. Rachel finally decides she’s going to attend and actually flies all the way to London to watch her ex get married…just to arrive in time to see him accidentally say her name at the altar.
Shrieks must have been heard around the world when her name first came out of Ross’ mouth. It’s pretty clear in retrospect that Ross and Rachel were always endgame, but Ross getting all the way to the altar with another woman sure made it look the opposite. Thankfully, the two eventually got together — and even had a baby! But not in that order. Sitcoms, man.
4
The Whole Season Was a Dream
‘Roseanne’
The then-final season of Roseanne was an odd one. After years of the Connor family finding success portraying a regular, everyday family with regular, everyday financial struggles, Roseanne decided to shake things up and rain fortune down on the family. They win the lottery and come into a huge amount of wealth, and their lives suddenly improve. Things just go well for them for once. Only for the series finale to undo it all with one bizarre revelation: the entire season happened in Roseanne’s (Roseanne Barr) imagination. She reveals the truth as she pens a novel she’s been working on, further explaining that her husband, Dan (John Goodman), had actually died.
Roseanne’s finale is a textbook example of how not to do a twist. It rips the rug out from under the audience’s feet and makes them feel foolish for becoming invested in the new version of the Connors’ lives. Plus, it kills a main character off-screen and doesn’t let the audience grieve before the entire show ends. It’s a crazy twist that the reboot thankfully chose to undo. Still, though — who thought all that nonsense was a good idea?!
3
Newhart Was All a Dream
‘Newhart’
In Newhart‘s series finale, Dick and Joanna London (Bob Newhart and Mary Frann) refuse to sell their home — and their Inn — to a Japanese tycoon like the rest of the town. Five years later, they’re still running the Inn to middling success, given that it’s now located in the middle of a golf course. Lucky for them, Dick — sorry, Bob — wakes up in the universe of The Bob Newhart Show. He recounts the odd dream to his wife, Emily (Suzanne Pleshette), describing an odd world where they were running an Inn in a tiny town in Vermont. The show ends with the revelation that Newhart was simply a dream Newhart’s character in The Bob Newhart Show had.
Unlike Roseanne, Newhart cleverly used the “It was all a dream” trope to great success. That success is down to Newhart himself — he was so likable, and his characters so beloved, that crossing over the two shows just made sense. It also didn’t come out of nowhere. Newhart had used The Bob Newhart Show’s opening theme and closing credits previously. Ultimately, the twist allows each show to end on a joke — unlike Roseanne’s weirdly serious, borderline tragic twist that still feels shoehorned in.
2
Who Shot Mr. Burns?
‘The Simpsons’
Taking some heavy inspiration from Dallas, The Simpsons did their own riff on “Who Shot JR?” with the shooting of everyone’s favorite (ish) capitalist, Mr. Burns (Harry Shearer). The two-part mystery bridges Seasons 6 and 7, with the shooting serving as a cliffhanger ending. In the Season 7 premiere, Springfield police point to both Smithers (also Harry Shearer) and Homer (Dan Castellaneta) as the most likely suspects…but completely fail to work out that it was baby Maggie who actually committed the crime.
Mr. Burns confirms that the shooting only occurred because he dropped his gun while trying to quite literally steal candy from a baby. You know, like the monster he is. Maggie, low-key, implies she shot him on purpose at the end of the episode, and honestly? Good for her. That candy-stealing, money-hungry, no-good Mr. Burns had that shot coming. Justice for Maggie!
1
Picard Is Assimilated by the Borg
‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’
The Borg: Arguably the most fearsome of Star Trek’s villains, terrifying not because of their sheer power, or even their appearance (though they are creepy as hell), but because capture by them is a fate worse than death. The Borg multiply their numbers through assimilation — they strip away all individuality from a person, wipe their memories, and connect them to a hive mind to serve as a drone for the Borg Queen.
It’s a chilling concept that one wouldn’t wish on their worst enemy. But for Captain Picard (Stewart), it’s not just an idea — it’s his fate. In a shocking Season 3 cliffhanger, Picard is captured by the Borg while on an away mission and is, to the horror of his watching crew, assimilated into the hive mind. The Enterprise crew do eventually rescue their captain, but he is never the same. Picard always carries a tiny piece of his time as Locutus of Borg with him. He even passes that piece onto his son — but that’s another story.