10 Things Television Fans Found Too Distracting

Since the dawn of television, shows have welcomed the occasional celebrity guest, and these appearances are often fun and entertaining, but that's not always the case. When Billy Crystal and Robin Williams popped in for coffee on Friends, it was a welcome escape, but most walk-ons aren't like that.

Typically, a celebrity will appear on a series, and it will completely upend the ongoing story for the sole purpose of having someone on there who can say "look at me!" Celebrity cameos are great when they're done well, but when they are rammed down the viewer's throats for absolutely no reason, the fans notice.

Another example of a great celebrity cameo came when Michael Jackson voiced a character claiming to be the pop singer in an early episode of the Simpsons. The singer requested not to be credited for the role, and instead, he was called "John Jay Smith."

That kind of cameo works well because it's done in a manner that goes out of its way to not credit the celebrity. When Donald Trump showed up on the set of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 1994 to offer up some awkward and unusual witticisms, it was just weird. Trump's appearance did nothing for the episode other than make it noteworthy on a list about terrible celebrity cameos more than 25 years later.