These shows changed with one moment. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the scenes that announced a complete shift in the tone, dynamics, or entire premise of the show.
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00:00You swore by all the gods your son would marry my daughter!
00:03Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the scenes that announced a complete shift in the tone, dynamics, or entire premise of the show.
00:13We're focusing on live-action shows only, meaning animated series are out.
00:18Also, spoiler alert!
00:20What am I supposed to do? I don't know what to do. Am I doomed? Are you doomed? Are we all doomed?
00:25No, no, calm down. Nobody is doomed.
00:30Number 10. Dolores Shoots Ford, Westworld
00:34What does it mean?
00:35When I was first working on your mind, I had a theory of consciousness.
00:40HBO's philosophically rich science fiction epic is about a theme park populated by humanoid robots playing out western gunslinger scenarios for paying guests.
00:51By the final moments of its first season, it had already strayed far from its much simpler source material.
00:58Dolores Abernathy, the oldest robot host in the park, has discovered her true nature.
01:04This world doesn't belong to you.
01:06Oh, but it does. I buy a majority share, and business is booming.
01:12And you want to know why?
01:15Because this place feels more real than the real world.
01:19Except it isn't, because you can't really fight back.
01:23She ends the first season by sparking a host uprising against humans.
01:27Beginning with the park's founder, Dr. Ford, this ending launches the show into new territory.
01:33The hosts begin their takeover, and finally, the real world and Westworld begin to collide more than ever.
01:40The real life star of this mid-90s sitcom came out in the press in mid-April of 1995.
02:08Now it was time for her character's long-hinted-at sexuality to be made explicit.
02:13Ellen DeGeneres' fictionalized self came out in style at the end of that same month.
02:19Guest stars Oprah Winfrey and Laura Dern were even there to commemorate the occasion.
02:24Despite making the hilarious announcement over the airport PA system,
02:28not everyone was ready to hear about Ellen Morgan's coming out.
02:32I mean, what is wrong? Why do I have to be so ashamed?
02:35I mean, why can't I just say the truth?
02:38I mean, be who I am. I'm 35 years old. I'm so afraid to tell people.
02:42I mean, I just... Susan, I'm gay.
02:48While it inspired a huge amount of real world controversy,
02:52it also allowed the show to explore its character's reckoning with her newfound
02:56confidence in her true self. Ellen would not only run one more season, but it made its mark.
03:03That felt great. That felt so great. And it felt so loud.
03:108. Rory Moves Out – Gilmore Girls
03:14I'm not going back to Yale next year.
03:16I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly.
03:18I'm not going back to Yale next year.
03:20Why?
03:21Because I'm not sure that it's the right place for me.
03:24There was always one constant in Stars Hollow, Connecticut.
03:28Lorelai and her daughter Rory Gilmore were best friends.
03:32So, when a disillusioned Rory decides not to return to Yale,
03:36the thing they had worked and planned for all those years,
03:39it signals a shift in their relationship and a change in the show.
03:43Trust me, this is very normal.
03:44No, you're not quitting Yale.
03:46Yes, I am.
03:47You're acting incredibly immature and I know it's because you're hurt,
03:50but you've got to get a grip.
03:51Rory moves in with her grandparents and Lorelai has to watch her daughter pull away from her
03:56and become the spoiled rich girl she never wanted her to be.
04:00In some ways, it's inevitable.
04:02The thing that Lorelai feared most comes true.
04:05It's the great tragedy of the show, especially given how special Rory was always supposed to be.
04:24Number 7.
04:25Walter Let's Jane Die
04:27Breaking Bad
04:28The unassuming chemistry teacher who turned to the drug trade after a cancer diagnosis
04:33could only pretend to be the good guy for so long.
04:45His efforts to provide for his family once he's gone change Walter White for the worse.
04:50As he finds his footing as a drug kingpin, he also becomes greedy and consumed with power.
04:56His point of no return comes near the end of season 2,
04:59when his young associate Jesse takes up with Jane, a fellow person with substance use disorder.
05:05How do I know she'll keep quiet?
05:08I guess you don't.
05:11Walking in on the two as they sleep, Walt sees Jane aspirating and chooses not to save her.
05:17The act cements his power over Jesse and completes his transformation
05:21into the show's ruthless, self-serving anti-hero.
05:26Number 6.
05:32Paul's Death – 8 Simple Rules
05:34John Ritter was the original star of this show,
05:37about a father preoccupied with his teenage daughters' personal lives.
05:41His unexpected death during production of its second season forced the series to change course.
05:56Mom?
05:58The show lost its star, the fictional Hennessy family lost its patriarch,
06:02and the show had lost its point of view.
06:04Its irreverent tone became softer and less funny.
06:08Stories about dating and strict parenting became tempered by the family's grieving process,
06:14and star Katie Segal's character getting acclimated to being a single parent to three children.
06:19It's dad's last article. Grandpa found it.
06:22Oh my god, mom, read it.
06:23I'll read it.
06:24Yeah, okay, I'm going to.
06:27Although the show tried to move on,
06:29it would only last another full season after Ritter passed away.
06:33Dad would have never let me go out like this.
06:36He would have definitely sent me upstairs to change,
06:38and told me to cover myself up in some hideous sweater,
06:41and sit me down for an hour lecture on how I should respect myself
06:45because guys only want one thing, and I always hated it when he did that.
06:48I just want my dad back.
06:50Bridget!
06:51Leave me alone!
06:52Number 5.
06:53Christina Yang leaves Grey Sloan Memorial.
06:56Grey's Anatomy
06:57When Sandra Oh announced her exit from the ABC medical drama after 10 seasons,
07:02it was seen as a major shake-up.
07:05Derek.
07:09Goodbye.
07:12Goodbye.
07:13She wouldn't be the first of the original cast to leave.
07:16The show had already proved it could survive without characters like Izzy Stevens and George O'Malley,
07:22but Christina was Meredith Grey's person.
07:25She was often the only person who could remind Meredith who she is.
07:29What's more is that Oh was incredible as the sardonic surgeon.
07:33I thought you were competent.
07:34Well, no.
07:35When you got here I thought you were an imbecile,
07:37but you got competent.
07:38Like a decent handyman.
07:39There were more shake-ups to come.
07:41Meredith would lose her longtime love Derek Shepard the very next season,
07:46but losing Christina irrevocably shifted the dynamic between Meredith and the entire staff.
07:52We'll call each other at least twice a month and we'll text all the time.
07:55Great, text me.
07:56And don't let Owen get all dark and twisty.
07:58Take care of him.
07:58And Alex, take care of Alex.
08:00He needs to be mocked at least once a day or he'll be insufferable.
08:04Number 4.
08:05Henry Blake Dies.
08:07MASH
08:08The longer its eccentric and sarcastic ensemble of army doctors stayed in Korea,
08:13the more they had to change.
08:15I didn't know it wasn't just some excuse to ship you 8,000 miles from home.
08:18Yeah, the Korean War was invented so your parents wouldn't come looking for you.
08:21You're a pair of sickos.
08:23For all their adolescent antics,
08:25the team at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital became incredibly close.
08:30MASH wasn't exactly a bloodbath of a show,
08:33so the sudden death of Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake was a shocker.
08:37Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake's plane was shot down over the Sea of Japan.
08:48In the episode, A Bissinia Henry,
08:51Blake is on his way back to the States when his helicopter is shot down.
08:56And the scene where his colleagues find out isn't played for laughs or tears.
09:00It's played to a hollow and haunting silence.
09:03It marked a notable shift in the tone of the show
09:06as the realities of war began encroaching more and more.
09:10MASH's death was not the end of the story.
09:12From the start, the epic fantasy series found ways to tell us
09:17they weren't pulling any punches.
09:19Its pilot episode ends with a whopper of a twist,
09:23signaling that not even the child characters are safe.
09:26But, it's not the end of the story.
09:28It's the beginning of a new chapter in the series.
09:31The story of MASH's death is a bit of a mystery.
09:34It's a story that's a bit of a mystery.
09:37It's a story that's a bit of a mystery.
09:39that not even the child characters are safe.
09:42But, the first season achieves its greatest hat trick
09:45when it dared to kill off its supposed main character, Ned Stark.
09:50I betrayed the faith of my king and the trust of my friend Robert.
09:56I swore to protect and defend his children.
09:59But before his blood was cold, I plotted to murder his son
10:06and seize the throne for myself.
10:08After running afoul of the royal family,
10:11Stark is cruelly beheaded in a public execution in front of his two daughters.
10:17The Red Wedding was agonizing, but this was our first indication
10:21that Game of Thrones is a show where the heroes aren't invincible.
10:25So long as I'm your king, treason shall never go unpunished.
10:31Sir Illyn, bring me his head.
10:37Number 2.
10:38Roseanne's Death.
10:39Roseanne and the Connors.
10:41Here's a case where the show literally became a different show.
10:45The real-life Roseanne's tweet about Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett
10:49landed her in a whirlwind of controversy.
10:52She was fired, and her title character was killed off between seasons.
10:56I just got a call from a friend in the coroner's office.
11:00The autopsy found that it wasn't a heart attack.
11:03Roseanne OD'd on opioids.
11:06It's not possible.
11:08Despite no involvement from Roseanne herself,
11:10the Connors is very much a continuation of the original show.
11:15The focus shifts instead to widower Dan Conner and the family moving past her death.
11:21Viewers seemed to get over it.
11:23Rosie needed painkillers.
11:26I had some, so I gave them to her.
11:29So, you're part of a neighborhood drug ring.
11:32Congratulations.
11:33The Connors aired for several seasons,
11:36and it's nowhere near as weird as when the family won the lottery in the original run.
11:40So, I began writing about having all the money in the world,
11:44and I imagined myself going to spas and swanky New York parties,
11:47just like the people on TV,
11:49where nobody has any real problems and everything's solved within 30 minutes.
11:54Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
11:58James' death.
11:59Good times.
12:00The Evans family loses its patriarch.
12:04We regret to inform you that your husband, James Evans, was...
12:12killed in an automobile.
12:18Zombie outbreak.
12:20Community.
12:21This Halloween episode changed what the community college set sitcom could be.
12:31You punched a lady, bitch!
12:36Urkel's first appearance.
12:38Family matters.
12:39The nerdy neighbor became a sensation in its 12th episode, and the show shifted focus.
12:46You get that, I've got to go up and help Rachel.
12:54Hi, Mr. Winslow.
12:56I'm Steve Urkel.
12:57No!
12:59Graduation.
13:00Glee.
13:01Much of the cast graduates high school, and the action splits between Ohio and New York.
13:06I had a friend who was a big baseball player.
13:10Michael Chang, Jr.
13:11Back in high school.
13:15He could throw that speedball fire.
13:19Make you learn to like the full ball.
13:22Quinn Fabre.
13:23Charlie Harper dies.
13:24Two and a half men.
13:26Actor Charlie Sheen's infamous exit brought a new character, played by Ashton Kutcher.
13:32I guess now is as good a time as any.
13:56Switch on notifications.
14:04Originally a comedy about a flawed afterlife where everything that could go wrong does,
14:09The Good Place pulls the rug out from under us in its first season finale.
14:14Holy motherfucking shirtballs.
14:19Eleanor Shellstrop is struck with a moment of realization.
14:23She and her friends aren't in The Good Place.
14:25They're in The Bad Place.
14:27And the not-so-angelic Michael is revealed to have constructed this afterlife and all
14:33its quirks as a form of psychological torture.
14:38Oh man, I can't believe you figured it out.
14:45Oh god, you ruined everything, you know that?
14:50This revelation sets the show and its characters on a course of moral,
14:54ethical, and theological discovery.
14:57The Good Place changes the rules and overall premise, but it never loses its sense of fun
15:02and whimsy.
15:04Shall we?
15:04You know what, bro?
15:06Do your worst.
15:07We figured it out once, we can do it again.
15:10Because you know what, Michael?
15:13Ya bae say-
15:16Which of these moments do you remember watching live?
15:19Tell us in the comments.
15:21That's enough, Bernard.
15:25Mustn't get yourself worked up.
15:29Do you agree with our picks?
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