6 Unbelievable Betrayals Sitcom Characters Were Forgiven For

While sitcoms typically don’t dwell on the negative, it’s still strange when a character is forgiven for a particularly difficult betrayal, especially when they don’t deserve it. Over the years, many of the funniest sitcom characters of all time have betrayed someone, but it’s often something trivial or silly, and everyone quickly moves on from it with little pushback or hurt feelings. However, this isn’t always the case.

Some TV show betrayals surprise us all, especially if you don’t see it coming, but even more so when whatever heinous act is forgiven by the other characters. Whether it’s a betrayal that is suddenly never mentioned again or one that the characters (and sometimes, even the audience) weirdly move past, these sitcom characters really should’ve faced more repercussions for their actions.

6

Kim’s Miscarriage Lie

‘Scrubs’

The entire J.D. and Kim relationship arc in Scrubs is all over the place, which makes this betrayal even more frustrating. Shortly after they start dating, Kim falls pregnant, but she later moves to Tacoma to take another job. J.D. visits her for a sonogram appointment in “My Road to Nowhere,” only for Kim to reveal she has lost their child. However, 16 episodes later, J.D. unexpectedly bumps into Kim at a seminar and discovers she is still very much pregnant.

While J.D. is upset at first, and naturally so, it’s wild how he essentially sweeps this matter under the rug. Understandably, he wants to keep the peace for their baby’s sake, but it’s also baffling how little he actually processes the fact that the mother of his child lied about them dying. Even after Sammy is born, the focus shifts to J.D. and Elliot, and later, Kim and Sean. Perhaps we’ll see more of J.D. and Kim’s co-parenting team in the upcoming Scrubs reboot, but it’s unlikely this betrayal will be mentioned again.

5

Eric Abandoning Donna Before Their Wedding

‘That ’70s Show’

Fox

Even though Donna later admits she also isn’t ready to get married in the final episode of That ’70s Show Season 6, it’s still completely unbelievable that Eric leaves her before their wedding. Eric spends years hounding Donna about commitment, even breaking up with her at one point over her not wanting to wear her promise ring, yet she still chooses to say yes when he proposes because she loves him. Thankfully, Eric comes back, and Donna seems relatively okay with the situation.

There are a couple of references to Eric abandoning her and their engagement in general later down the line, which initially seems like a build-up to Donna finally kicking off about the whole matter, but it fizzles out and never really turns into anything. In fact, out of all of That ’70s Show‘s characters, Kitty and Bob’s reactions are pretty much the only ones that make sense. Even though Donna doesn’t want to get married yet either, Eric embarrassing her like that and disappearing is still a huge betrayal, especially as he then ends up running off to Africa, too.

4

Andy’s High School Girlfriend

‘The Office’

Andy Bernard’s betrayals in The Office are plentiful, and thankfully, he is usually held accountable by those around him in these situations. However, one thing he somehow manages to get away with is dating a high schooler. Naturally, Andy loses his mind over this information when he spots Jamie at the local high school, but he stupidly questions the girl, rather than realizing how bad it looks for him and making a quick exit. While this isn’t a betrayal in the traditional sense, it is still a betrayal of trust because Jamie is a minor.

Although it can be argued that Andy had been unaware of her real age, he should’ve had an inclination when she wanted to knock over mailboxes with her friends, and as an adult, it was his responsibility to ensure his relationship was appropriate. The deleted scenes included in the Superfan cut of this episode make this situation even worse, too, as the future Dunder Mifflin manager tries to justify her maturity. Weirdly, nobody references this later on, nor does there seem to be any backlash after the documentary airs.

3

The Chang Dynasty

NBC

Ben Chang’s dictatorship in Community is one of the show’s more over-the-top storylines, but then again, that’s the perfect way to describe the character, too. Chang quickly proves himself as a villain from the very first episode, but in Season 3, he takes his security job and grows it into a full-blown dynasty. Not only does Chang take over Greendale entirely, but he also uses his army of child soldiers to orchestrate the study group being kicked out and the kidnapping of Dean Pelton.

After Chang’s tyranny is put to a stop, he disappears for a while and later returns under the pseudonym of Kevin, claiming he has “Changnesia.” While it isn’t immediate, the characters slowly start to move on from Chang’s horrific actions, and by the last season of Community, everyone has essentially forgotten what he did. Chang even admits the “Changnesia” is fake after a while, but because everyone knows he is unhinged and wacky, they just accept him for who he is and carry on as if nothing happened.

2

Leonard’s Cheating

‘The Big Bang Theory’

CBS

One sitcom betrayal that comes out of nowhere is when Leonard randomly confesses to cheating on Penny in The Big Bang Theory. This admission of guilt is completely out of the blue, and Leonard decides to choose the worst possible opportunity to share this with Penny: while on their way to get married. Understandably, Leonard wants to marry Penny with a fresh slate, and he doesn’t want to begin the rest of their lives together with this secret.

However, the fact that he makes out with another woman is utterly baffling. Leonard spends so much time throughout the show, but especially in the earlier seasons of The Big Bang Theory, being paranoid about Penny around other men (even when they weren’t officially together), that his cheating borders on hypocrisy. Considering the type of character Penny is, it’s strange that she swallows this harsh truth and finds a way to move on. While it’s her decision to forgive him, it is weird that Penny doesn’t kick up a lot more of a fuss than she already does before doing so.

1

The Barnabus Reynolds Fraud

‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’

FX

Even though the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia characters don’t really care about being forgiven, there is one betrayal that stands out from the bunch. After the IRS tracks down Dee in “Sweet Dee Gets Audited,” the gang stages a funeral for baby Barnabas Reynolds, the child Dee gives birth to when serving as a surrogate to Carmen and her husband. It’s rather extreme the lengths Dee goes to so she can avoid being charged for tax fraud, but what’s strange about this is that the show never really mentions the fallout of this episode.

At the very end, the IRS auditor realizes it is all a scam when the coffin falls over, and instead of a body, a bunch of rocks fall out. While It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is typically episodic, there are also plenty of callbacks to past installments. In fact, the return of Carmen, one of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia‘s best recurring characters, is one in itself. It’s odd that there is no mention of Dee being fined or even imprisoned for her crime, let alone the rest of the gang as her accomplices, especially as her surrogacy storyline is such a major one. Therefore, it can be assumed that Dee was forgiven by some absolute miracle.