5 of the best and 5 of the worst time jumps on television

Eve CrosbieDec 23, 2022, 23:42 IST

"New Girl," "House of Dragon," "The Walking Dead" all featured time jumps.FOX, AMC, HBO

Time jumps have been a staple of storytelling for years and can breathe new life into TV shows.
"House of the Dragon," "Lost," and "Parks and Recreation" all managed to pull off big time jumps.

"House of the Dragon" is the latest show to nail a good time jump.

"House of the Dragon" featured a 10 year time jump which saw some roles recast.Ollie Upton / HBO

"Fringe" had one of the biggest and best-executed time jumps we've seen on television.

The final season of "Fringe" took place 20 years into the future.FOX

We'll never forget the surprise time jump that happened on the "Lost" season three finale.

"Lost" tricked viewers into thinking the flash-forwards were flashbacks.ABC

"Hannibal" jumped forward three years in its third and final season, which allowed it to introduce a new villain into the storyline.

"Hannibal" jumped forward three years in its final season.Brooke Palmer/NBC

The "Parks and Recreation" time jump laid the groundwork for more comedic situations.

The time jump in "Parks and Recreation" left viewers wondering what had happened between Leslie (Amy Poehler) and Ron (Nick Offerman).NBC Television Universal

"New Girl" also jumped forward for its final outing, but it caused the sitcom to lose some of its charm.

The time jump in "New Girl" changed a lot of things.FOX Image Collection via Getty Images

"One Tree Hill" shifted ahead four-and-a-half years in season five, denying viewers the chance to see the gang's college days.

"One Tree Hill" skipped ahead four years at the beginning of season five.Warner Bros. Television

The time jump in "Riverdale" isn't the main reason we stopped watching, but it didn't help.

"Riverdale" featured a mid-season time jump.The CW

"The Affair" jumped the shark when it attempted to introduce a new storyline and character in its final season set 30 years into the future.

"The Affair" jumped forward 30 years for its final season.Showtime

"The Walking Dead" was meant to soften the blow of Andrew Lincoln's exit but didn't manage it.

Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes on AMC’s “The Walking Dead."Gene Page/AMC

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