Sometimes writers need to listen to fans.
The industry is littered with examples of people turning their backs on their favorite TV shows or film franchises simply because they didn’t take a turn that fans expected.
In some cases, this was because viewers were desperate to see their characters’ headcanons come true, but in others, the writers’ choices simply didn’t have the desired effect.
Although a good half of FOX’s (and now ABC’s) 911 fandom is already fighting the writers on behalf of Buck and Eddie, there are a number of storylines and characters that viewers simply cannot get behind.
From Hen and Karen’s cheating conflict to the nature of Lucy’s character, here are 10 times the fans understood the show better than the writers and producers.
Lucy’s Introduction
If you’re going to introduce a real girlboss character to the team, it’s not the best idea to throw her under the bus in the very first episode.
By having Lucy steal a kiss from Buck, the writers managed to offend just about every viewer and turn an otherwise promising character into a completely irredeemable one.
Maddie and Buck’s Parents
While it’s understandable that the writers would want to resolve every conflict in the show one way or another, some people just don’t deserve forgiveness.
Some parents are simply bad parents, and their children have no obligation to accept them into their lives. That’s why Buckley’s redemption arc wasn’t really necessary.
Buck’s Therapy
Speaking of the Buckleys’ complicated relationships, it’s hard not to mention Maddie’s strangest and most uncharacteristic moment.
She was very quick to tell her mother about her brother’s therapy, especially for a character who had long been reluctant to talk about her own therapy experience. What changed? Just the writers’ opinions.
Athena’s Rank
From a narrative point of view, it’s understandable why Athena has to be a sergeant. However, her involvement in some cases and her inability to stay away from danger actually make her seem quite bad at her job.
She’s clearly overqualified and deserves to be a detective by now, even if it does require a storytelling adjustment.
Abby and Buck’s Romance
It’s no secret that Abby got a lot of hate from the fandom, but it wasn’t really because of her character.
Her romance with Buck was a big mistake and they should have stayed friends. Even if they’d continued to talk on the phone and never met in person, it would have made for a much better story.
Hen Cheating on Karen
Not a single show can get by without a cheating stiryline, like it or not. The fact that it was Hen and Karen who were affected by it is unfortunate enough, but the fact that Hen barely suffered any consequences for it is borderline infuriating.
Surely there should have been more of a reaction than Karen giving her a cold shoulder for two episodes.
Claudette’s Bullying
Even though she’s gone, the effect she had on May’s life wasn’t the best. It’s surprising that the show, which puts so much emphasis on teamwork and the concept of the ‘chosen family’, would be so dismissive of an inappropriate communication. No, it wasn’t just her big personality. It was a big ego that had no place in the workplace.
Shannon’s Character
Given that Eddie is a central character in the show, it’s understandable that the writers wanted him to be the good guy in Christopher’s life.
However, Shannon was never the villain she was made out to be. She was a young, vulnerable woman who had to face her son’s diagnosis on her own, and then her mother’s cancer hit her again.
Maddie Going No Contact
The fact that Maddie needed professional help was very clear, and everyone was rooting for her when she got it. But to leave the man she loves and her child in complete silence, not even sending a message that she’s OK and alive, seems a bit cruel. Especially since she did make a few phone calls to her brother.
The Coma Episode
Although many people are hyping this episode, the reality is that for half the fandom, it was nothing more than mediocre.
Whether it was the melodramatic approach to the coma, more suited to a soap opera than a procedural drama, or the way the show was too Buck-focused and left viewers very tired, many would not want to watch it again.
