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Let’s be honest: There is entirely too much good television to watch these days. So how does the modern showrunner get audiences to tune in? When good writing isn’t enough, writers lean on scandalous moments and crazy plot twists to pull in ratings. The latest trend in bonkers storytelling seems to be incest.

Now, incest isn’t that new of a trope. After all the Old Testament and Greek mythology is overflowing with tales of siblings marrying siblings and history is rife with cousins marrying cousins to keep titles in the family. A few years ago, a number of HBO dramas all tinkered with the taboo subject at the same time. Today, though, it’s “trendy” once more. The entire plot of Game Of Thrones is sparked into action when little Bran finds Jaime plowing his twin sister Cersei, incest is at the heart of the sadistic twist in Crimson Peak, and a disturbing brother-sister romance is at the heart of Starz’s Flesh & Bone. Oh, and the surge in interest in Star Wars reminded everyone that Luke and Leia once shared an awkward kiss.

That’s not all. The new Freefrom fantasy drama Shadowhunters will likely have to deal with its own incest-fueled storyline. Last weekend, I asked the cast and showrunners if the new series would stay close to the books in regards to Jace and Clary’s “are they siblings/aren’t they siblings?” relationship. They said that the show will follow the books — where, yes, it’s often suggested the two love birds are brother-and-sister.

Even the BBC is spicing up their period dramas with elicit sibling love. The British network’s lavish adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s War & Peace comes to America on Monday night, and in between glorious acting and gorgeous costume design, there is a subplot about incest. Tolstoy’s epic tome included rumors that Helene and Anatole Kuragin were engaged in an incestuous affair, but the new miniseries shows it. Well, at the very least, the two are very touchy-feeling with one another. While I liked War & Peace and the unbridled passions of its characters, that one scene seemed dropped in just to spark conversations (such as this very one).

Like shocking mid-season deaths, surprise pregnancies, and characters being resurrected from the dead, incest can be used deftly in drama, but when employed too often it loses its punch. The more and more I see these amoral trysts onscreen, the less shocking and the more lazy it seems. How disgusting is that? I’m becoming numb to the grotesque act of incest! That’s what happens, though, when writers decide to spice up a perfectly good narrative with unnecessary scandal. Soon, every show is trying to top one another in terms of lines being crossed and envelopes being pushed until there are no more boundaries to break down.

So that’s why I’m pleading with showrunners and TV writers: ENOUGH WITH THE INCEST ALREADY!!! It’s at best uncomfy to watch and at worst gross and clunky. If you want your show to be truly revolutionary, try simple, straight-forward writing that doesn’t need scandal to pull a viewer in. That would be a real twist for a lot of shows running today and one that I would welcome.