10 TV Shows That Pissed You Off Straight Away
4. Killing Off Holly (And Bringing In Sara) - CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation may be remembered for its aggressively formulaic case-of-the-week format, but its pilot episode was actually surprisingly bold, introducing audiences to doe-eyed young CSI Holly Gribbs (Chandra West)... only to have her be shot by a suspect at the end and die in the next episode.
Gribbs was reportedly killed off because test audiences didn't like her, and though her death set a tone of unpredictability from the start, in retrospect it felt like a worthy character being dispatched way before her time because of the whims of ever-frustrating test audiences.
The issue, really, is that Gribbs' death was the impetus for Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) being brought into the fold as her replacement, and if you ask many CSI fans, Sara is by far the most irritating member of the main cast.
Actress Jorja Fox herself has admitted as much, and so we'll sadly never know how more appealing Holly could've been in her place instead.
After all, if Sara was part of the team from day one, it's tough to imagine test audiences not finding her sour, humourless attitude completely offputting.
Though Sara did become less of a cliched hard-ass know-it-all in later seasons, as a replacement for Holly she only made us wish they'd kept the plucky new recruit around instead.