I’ve noticed a lot of shows add babies into their plot line later. I’ve never understood this trope because the babies don’t add anything and it doesn’t make sense. Here are some shows that added the baby trope unsuccessfully

Schitt’s Creek: Jocelyn became pregnant during season four of “Schitt’s Creek.” She left her pregnancy test in the Roses’ bathroom at the motel they were staying at so the Roses assumed Alexis was pregnant. It made for a funny joke but once the baby was born he added pretty much nothing to the show. The only purpose he served was being a pun (Roland Moira Schitt).

Once Upon A Time: The baby trope almost made sense in this show. The series starts with Emma arriving in Storybrooke during her adult life and meeting Snow White, also known as Mary Margraret Blanchard. She turns out to be Emma’s mother. After Snow White reunites with Prince Charming, also known as David, they express wanting another child because they didn’t have the chance to raise Emma. They had Neil and he was prominent for a few episodes but the show seemed to forget about him until the finale.

My Wife and Kids: The “My Wife and Kids” finale was abrupt. Maybe this trope would’ve worked if the show wasn’t canceled before its sixth season. Michael and Jay didn’t plan to have anymore kids but Jay revealed her pregnancy during the episode. Since this was the finale the baby trope didn’t go anywhere during this series and it could have potentially worked if they got that last season.

Malcolm in The Middle: “Malcolm in The Middle” did a good job with adding Jamie and having him make prominent appearances. The finale shows Lois and Hal (their parents) horrified over the fact that Lois is pregnant again because she was hoping to have the kids out of the house. I understand what the endings imply with the kids causing mischief but why add that if the series is over?

These shows were all good shows but used the baby trope when it made no sense. I still don’t understand why shows do that.

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