Finding genuine success as a TV show is no simple feat. The episodic nature of TV suggests more short-form storytelling than the likes of movies, but recent years have seen audiences’ expectations of TV grow to incorporate longer narrative arcs that tie whole seasons — if not an entire show — together cohesively. It’s a storytelling minefield, and one that requires careful writing and consistent vision. Many of the best TV shows manage that balancing act perfectly, while others find it more difficult. However, some TV shows build their success over a period of years, only for it all to fall apart at the very end.
After having spent years impressing critics or cultivating an expansive audience, some shows begin to show cracks just before the end. This has led to many disappointing last seasons throughout TV history, as fans go from loving a show to despising the way its story crumbled in the final chapter. It’s a phenomenon that usually tanks a show’s reputation, with even some of the most massive TV hits falling victim to the shortcomings of their own final season.
7) Dexter
Dexter‘s original eight-season run remains an incredibly impressive feat, as managing to keep its premise alive over such an extended period without the quality dipping too much was truly outstanding. However, the show’s final season was a different beast entirely, with its best character arcs all crumbling into an ill-conceived mess in the build-up to one of the most awful finales, ruining an otherwise great TV show. The final season was so poor that spin-offs eventually emerged to try to salvage Dexter‘s story, but they failed to recapture the magic of its original run.
6) Roseanne
Roseanne was once one of the most beloved shows on television. The show’s original final season inexplicably abandoned the cornerstone of its charm — the everyday workings of a typical white, working-class American family — and instead spun a bizarre story about a lottery win, all later revealed to have been a coping mechanism for the titular character, ending things on a frustrating and dark note. While a revival attempted to breathe life into the once-iconic sitcom, it is instead remembered as a TV show that fired its star and pivoted into its own spin-off.
5) That ‘70s Show
That ’70s Show is a sitcom whose brilliance is often overlooked. Capitalizing on nostalgia while also delivering a solidly comedic story brought to life by an exceptional ensemble cast, it proved to be a huge success. That is, until the final season, when the main character left, and the show fell apart. The departure of Topher Grace and the absence of Ashton Kutcher led to the final season of That ’70s Show feeling disjointed, and without the chemistry of its core cast, the show seemed to simply go to pieces.
4) Scrubs
Scrubs built its massive success on a very specific set of foundations. The quirky charm of its central cast and the blend of wacky comedy with moments of deceptively hard-hitting drama proved a winning formula for its first eight seasons. The show’s apparent ending was perfect, until a further season was announced, taking Scrubs in a new direction. It’s a TV show that got way worse after dropping its original premise, with its ninth season a huge disappointment to the majority of the fans who once loved it.
3) Lost
At one stage, Lost was the most talked-about show on TV. Its central mystery and countless twists and turns made it the prototype for prestige television in the 2000s, elevating it to incredible heights of success as fans tuned in to find out exactly what would happen to its characters. Unfortunately, its final season is remembered for delivering one of the most disappointing TV show endings in history, failing to adequately wrap up its many unanswered questions in a way that satisfied the legions of fans who had spent years following its narrative.
2) How I Met Your Mother
It’s easy to forget just how popular How I Met Your Mother was in its heyday. Throughout its initial run, the sitcom earned a huge audience who enjoyed its fun premise and the central mystery regarding the identity of Ted’s future wife. Predictably, the show’s final season struggled to stick the landing, subtly ruining its entire story. Instead of delivering an interesting conclusion, it descended into a mess of cliches that many fans felt retroactively ruined much of the show’s previous charm.
1) Game of Thrones
There are very few TV shows that can claim to be as successful as Game of Thrones. Throughout its run, it became a veritable pop culture phenomenon, with its story gripping viewers around the world and prompting rampant speculation about how its final season would wrap things up. Sadly, Game of Thrones season 8 was not the final season the show deserved, ending things on a note that fell incredibly flat. It’s remembered as one of the most anti-climactic and dissatisfying final seasons in TV history, proving just how much the show fell apart in its final chapter.
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