30+ Great Shows That Really Lost Their Way By The End
I'm a massive fan of television. It started when I was young and watched hours of Disney Channel shows, but of course, it has now expanded into the world of adult television through several different genres – drama, comedy, horror, you name it, and I've probably watched it. I had to do something while at home when the pandemic had us confined to our homes.
But in my time watching show after show, various options started out fantastic. They had excellent plots, brilliant storytelling, and great acting, then slowly dwindled. From terrible, horrible TV show endings or shows that dipped in quality over time, here are 30+ great shows that lost their way by the end.
The Walking Dead
Do you want to hear a fun fact about myself? I watched The Walking Dead until the bitter end, and the emotional Walking Dead finale made me cry a ton. But man, it definitely could have been better.
The Walking Dead started hot when it first aired and had a pretty steady and brilliantly told storyline until about Season 6, and then when Andrew Lincoln ended up leaving, it all started to tumble down the weeds.
While we have a good amount of fan favorites coming back for The Walking Dead universe shows, it never quite picked itself up after that when the show was one the series to be watching.
Lost
Lost is known now for its awful finale, but truthfully, the entirety of the series had a downfall slump. The main reason is that it was literally consumed by all the mysteries that needed to be solved by the end of the series, and somehow, the show 'lost' itself that way. And, of course, we don't even need to talk about the horrible ending. I hadn't even watched the show then; it was all I heard about for weeks.
Riverdale
I remember writing long ago that I had plenty of issues with Riverdale, but I never expected it to turn into the off-brand MCU because that's exactly what happened somehow and they all had powers. And then, in the last season, the main group went back in time somehow. What the heck? What happened?
This hit CW show started so good with the murder mystery, and then it just tumbled completely.
Game Of Thrones
So I'll be honest here and say that I have rewatched Game of Thrones, and plenty of it still holds up, but you can tell it starts to dip in quality at the very beginning of Season 7 – maybe even Season 6, though I did love "Battle of the Bastards."
Even so, the Game of Thrones ending is pretty much considered one of the worst of the 2010s, and as a hardcore Daenerys supporter, I fully stand by that. They did my girl – and almost all of these characters – dirty.
The Office
The Office is another clear-cut example of when a main character leaves, the show starts to fall apart. The hit sitcom did try to pick itself up after Steve Carell left in Season 7, but it never reached the heights of where it once was. I was glad we saw him for the finale, but it never felt the same.
Heroes
The first season of any show is crucial, and Heroes had one of the best, featuring the story of ordinary people who discover they have superhuman abilities. This was the superhero show before all the MCU shows started to take over.
But then Season 2 came along, and this show went downhill fast. It was just horrendously bad, and I, for one, struggled to get through the rest of the seasons after that.
Westworld
Westworld had everything going for it: a fantastic idea, an excellent Westworld cast, and, the best yet, the funding of HBO to truly take this world into the new age.
But then both Season 2 and Season 3 happened, and the plot got so convoluted I could barely keep up with it, and all the characters I once loved, I ended up hating. And then the fourth season came and it’s just so different from what we were given. Unsurprisingly, it was canceled after the fourth season when backlash started to grow more and reviews went down.
That '70s Show
I don't know what it is about Season 7 and some sitcoms, but that was the case for That '70s Show, when Topher Grace, who played Eric Foreman, left the show. And, of course, it never recovered. I don't care if he did appear in That '90s Show; it just doesn't feel the same.
How I Met Your Mother
I don't need to get into this. How I Met Your Mother was great, from the fantastic cast to the comedy to Barney and his jokes, but the intensely divisive ending ruined everything. It just did. I can't return to the series and only recommend finishing it to some.
Weeds
Weeds is a black comedy that ran for several seasons on Showtime and tells the story of a widowed mother who starts selling marijuana to support her family. And while the first few seasons were great, the rest were very different. It felt like another show in its later seasons, and by the end (102 episodes), the plot didn't feel remotely similar to how it was in the first season.
Glee
There is so much to like about Glee. The Glee cast is incredibly talented, and the best Glee covers still top my playlists, but the story took a nosedive after Season 3. Both Season 1 and Season 2 were great, and Season 3 was alright but still enjoyable, but Season 4-6 was just an utter catastrophe of a story that was only saved by some of the brilliant voices on that show. Other than that, it can stay locked away at McKinley High.
Supernatural
Supernatural was an excellent fantasy series about two brothers hunting down demons, ghosts, and monsters. And I did enjoy this series until the end, but it certainly was not the same show from the beginning. Many plot points needed to be clarified, and there was plenty of fan service, so as much as I like my spooky boys, it didn't need to be like this.
The Big Bang Theory
So I'll fully say that The Big Bang Theory is a great show, but this is another case where it feels that the last few seasons were there just for the money. There was no impressive story to be told, and the characters experienced little growth. It was just a dive into obscurity.
Pretty Little Liars
Pretty Little Liars was just an unnecessary drag. Again, a murder mystery is always good, but when the puzzle doesn't make sense towards the end, it makes the show that much harder to follow. And not only that, but the main characters weren't still in high school by the end. They were in college and out in the working world – this should have been just a high school story.
Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl should have just ended after a few seasons, but it went on because it was the biggest show ever at the time. The series was fun until the later seasons, where the reveal of who Gossip Girl is was utterly disappointing and nonsensical. Not only that, but the finale – and final season overall – felt rushed.
Two And A Half Men
Fun fact – I just binge-watched all of Two and a Half Men not long ago and I enjoyed it – until about Season 10.
Charlie Sheen did bring a certain vibe to the show that Ashton Kutcher couldn't, but he did keep the show going for about two seasons before it started to fall apart more than it already had.
Euphoria
Okay, so Euphoria technically is still ongoing. However, I'm still determining if we'll even get Season 3 ever since the tragic passing of Angus Cloud. I'd be fine if it ends with two seasons.
The first season of Euphoria was great television, but the second was so out there and had so many plot points that didn't make sense. The acting was the only thing that saved it because that's always great. But other than that? There's little to love about Season 2. Some things were improved, but others weren't.
Gilmore Girls
We all like to turn on Gilmore Girls when the fall comes around, but have we forgotten that the ending is terrible? And that Rory's character is utterly destroyed by the end of it? Yeah, I thought so – and the revival didn't do an excellent job of making it any better.
Killing Eve
The first two seasons of Killing Eve were brilliant, and I loved watching this cat-and-mouse game. But then the next two seasons' plots fell apart entirely, and it led to characters that really shouldn't have been featured getting the spotlight, followed by an ending that fans are not super happy with.
13 Reasons Why
I liked 13 Reasons Why during its first season because it told a bold message about the effects of bullying and words. But this show should have remained just a miniseries because the seasons that followed were unnecessary and ultimately dissolve the point of the first season when they somehow try to redeem Bryce (the assaulter).
Scrubs
Scrubs ran for nine seasons and took the world by storm with its medical comedy mixed with drama. Plus, viewers got to know Dave Franco for the first time. But the later seasons feel like messy attempts to try and make funny jokes that do not land and a story that is not there at all.
Suits
I know Suits was wildly popular on Netflix in August 2023, but the series is just ok to me compared to many other great legal dramas. Don't get me wrong, the first few seasons are great television, but as the show goes on and the cases become stranger and more unique, it's different from the show it originally was.
Bones
Twelve seasons happened for Bones, and the show was alright, but everything was dragged out so long that by the time there was a payoff, there were barely any more fans to care as much. And not only that, but the story would become more convoluted as time passed. I won't spoil anything, but it's a hard watch for later seasons.
Community
Okay, hear me out; I love this show and the Community cast, but let's be honest: Seasons 4, 5 and 6 were not the best. Both Season 4 and 5 were bad, and while Season 6 was getting a little better, it was nowhere near as good as the first three seasons of this show. I'm hoping that the Community movie will bring that level of comedy back.
Money Heist
The thing about Money Heist is that it was so much fun at first. Was it over the top? Yes, totally, but that's what made it fun to watch. But then, as the series went on, it just got ridiculous with its story, and nothing made sense.
Once Upon A Time
Admittedly, I was a big Once Upon a Time fan because I loved Disney movies, but by the time this show ended, it felt like a Disney cash grab using the most famous names from their list of princesses and characters to make a buck. Elsa somehow even made it into this show. The story didn't mean anything anymore.
True Blood
I put this on here because I know how badly my mother and father hated the ending of True Blood, and I decided to watch it. Not only did the series' narrative completely fall apart by the finale, but the characters were making choices and decisions that didn't align with what the story had set up for years before. Nothing made sense.
Dexter
I enjoyed watching Dexter for the first time, and I actually say Dexter is worth re-watching, but I can see why most people don't watch it after Season 5 nowadays. The story certainly takes a dip in quality, and the ending is only for some and is controversial for a reason. I do think Dexter: New Blood made up for it a bit.
Shameless
Shameless was my favorite TV show, but after Emmy Rossum left, it was always different. The Gallagher family dynamic fell apart, and nothing ever flowed as well. Rossum wasn't even there for the finale, making it feel even more incomplete.
The Vampire Diaries
Do I even need to get into this? The Vampire Diaries died when Nina Dobrev left, and the story fell apart. I don't care what spinoffs there are; you can't make me watch them.
Modern Family
Don't even get me started on Haley in this show or any of the choices these characters make at the end of Modern Family that make me want to rip my hair out. I will go on for hours. This show was so good until it wasn't, and it drove me mad.
House Of Cards
House of Cards was a brilliant drama on Netflix, but of course, the central star, Kevin Spacey, faced several allegations of sexual misconduct, so it had to shift course – and from there, it just fell apart. It should have been canceled once Kevin Spacey.
All of these shows are worthy of a single watch, but maybe not a rewatch. There is plenty of great drama here, but I can also live without it. Either way, I'll go check out Breaking Bad for the umpteenth time – that'll never let me down.
