By [ad_1]
In a world where time is money, television has always strived for longevity. Hundreds of shows are produced every year, each hoping to attract enough viewership to keep its cast and crew employed for as long as the audience will permit. Unfortunately for many, they fail to even get past the pilot episode.
But what happens when a show overstays its welcome? When its initial spark fizzles out as its creatives, who are under contract for several seasons, run out of ideas and drive the show into unexpected, bizarre directions? From comedies and crime dramas to teen series and sci-fi, there are many TV shows that should’ve probably stopped after the first season.
10 Scream Queens Didn’t Need A Second Season… Or A Third
Ryan Murphy’s black comedy Scream Queens should’ve definitely stopped after its first semi-successful season. The slasher-movie-inspired series follows the Kappa Kappa Tau sorority at Wallace University, a group of girls who find themselves the victims of a mysterious serial killer dressed like their school’s Red Devil mascot.
While not a favorite of critics, Scream Queens amassed a big enough audience to garner a far less fruitful second season that led to the show’s cancellation in 2016. Over the years, the show has gained a cult following, leading to the production of an upcoming third season. But… was a third season even needed? Fans of Scream Queens‘ signature campy humor will probably say yes, but the ratings will decide.
9 Big Little Lies Should’ve Ended When The Book Did
Big Little Lies‘ star-studded cast speaks volumes about its high quality, but that still doesn’t justify a second season. The HBO drama series is an adaptation of the novel of the same name, which follows a group of Californian women whose lives change after a murder disrupts their community.
The first season was a huge success for HBO, winning several important awards including eight Primetime Emmys. While the second season added Meryl Streep to the cast and was somewhat well-received, there’s no denying it didn’t reach the same levels. Perhaps the show should’ve ended when the novel did too.
8 The First Season Of Gossip Girl Changed Teen Dramas Forever
It’s universally acknowledged that the first season of Gossip Girl completely revolutionized the world of teen dramas. The CW series recounts the lives of various upper-class teenagers in New York whose secrets are constantly being exposed by an anonymous entity known simply as Gossip Girl.
Gossip Girl’s first season is solid, establishing the main characters brilliantly and giving each of them a purpose and an important season-long arc. Things turn murkier after that, as the follow-up seasons create nonsensical storylines, try to redeem terrible characters, and even bring people back from the dead at the drop of a hat. The show could’ve easily stopped at season one and felt complete, but The CW isn’t known for knowing when to stop, is it?
7 Prison Break Should’ve Ended When They Broke Out Of Prison
Prison Break’s premise of an innocent man trying to break out of prison with the help of his brother should’ve immediately made it a single-season show. The twenty-two-episode first season even ends with the two brothers achieving their freedom, albeit not resolving all of the show’s storylines.
While the rest of the seasons have received mixed to mildly positive reviews from critics and viewers alike, most agree that the serial drama didn’t need an extended storyline past the first season. Once they were out of the prison, where things were adrenaline-fueled and action-packed, no audience member really cared about what happened next.
6 Riverdale Keeps Coming Up With Ridiculous Storylines
Four years since its debut, Riverdale has turned from a mildly interesting and highly stylized teen drama into the internet’s favorite laughingstock. The CW series places the Archie Comics characters into a much more taciturn version of Riverdale, where they find themselves embroiled in the small town’s mysteries.
Riverdale‘s first season is the only season with a coherent and concise story, perhaps attributed to its short thirteen episodes. The mystery behind Jason Blossom’s disappearance is intriguing enough to guide it, but once that storyline is resolved and the series steps into whackier territory, Riverdale just lost the spark that got people watching in the first place.
5 Bloodline’s Second & Third Seasons Failed To Captivate
Netflix’s Bloodline follows the Rayburn siblings, who get their world turned upside down by the return of their estranged brother Danny. The show has received multiple notable accolades, including five Primetime Emmys, two of which it won, and four Satellite Awards nominations.
When Bloodline was first released, it received much praise for its gripping story and its wonderful performances, particularly that of Ben Mendelsohn as Danny Rayburn. As per Netflix’s usual practices, the streaming powerhouse renewed the thriller drama series for a second and a third season that failed to captivate viewers the same way the first season did.
4 Stranger Things Lost Its Initial Spark Over Its Three Seasons
Stranger Things created a worldwide phenomenon when it was released on Netflix in mid-2016. Using elements of 1980s science-fiction and horror pop culture, the series focuses on a group of children in Hawkins, Indiana who keep experiencing supernatural events linked to an enigmatic girl called Eleven.
Admittedly, there’s a lot to explore in the world of Stranger Things, but there’s no escaping the truth—the first season remains the best. As the show expands from a small town mystery into bigger and scarier things, it loses the nostalgic charm that made its first season so successful.
3 The First Season Of True Detective Is A True Auteurial Work Of Art
True Detective‘s nature as an anthology series meant that change was inevitable, but that doesn’t mean that people don’t still miss Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson in the lead roles. The first season of the crime drama series remains the best in the eyes of many, with Mahershala Ali’s reign coming at a close second.
While the second and third seasons stand on their own, the first season stands out for its auteurism. Only one director and one writer had creative control over the series, a rarity in TV that made the first season more akin to a film and allowed them to take risks to great success. Maybe things would’ve been different if they’d continued with this model in the following seasons.
2 13 Reasons Why Should’ve Ended After Its First 13 Episodes
Once upon a time, 13 Reasons Why was about a girl who had committed suicide and left a series of cryptic tapes as her letters for those who wronged her. The show was wildly successful despite its flawed depiction of mental illness and frustrating storylines, and thus Netflix renewed it for three more seasons, which were even more disappointing than the first.
There was no reason—other than its undeserved popularity—for 13 Reasons Why to be longer than its first thirteen episodes. Despite being marketed as a more adult and serious take on teen issues, the show quickly turned into a run-of-the-mill teen drama with slightly darker themes.
1 Heroes Lost Focus As The Seasons Went On
The first season of NBC’s Heroes was a critical darling at the time of its airing, receiving acclaim from critics and viewers alike for its cast, writing, and take on the superhero genre. The series follows a group of people who discover they have supernatural powers after a solar eclipse and went on to receive fourteen Emmy nominations.
After its highly successful first season, the show began going downhill. Many criticized the second season’s pacing and lack of focus, two aspects that stood out positively during the previous season and would continue to decline in the following episodes along with the network’s ratings. In the end, Heroes evolved from a new and imaginative superhero story into a grim and boring drama that had comic book fans turning back to DC and Marvel instead.
About The Author
[ad_2]
