Top 20 Worst Final Seasons of TV Shows

A 100% critics rating can sometimes be deceiving. Coming out at the height of the vampire craze, “The Vampire Diaries” quickly found a loyal following. It maintained its popularity for years, but started to struggle towards the very end, especially after the protagonist left before the seventh season. The show’s problems only grew during its eighth and final run, with the plot becoming unnecessarily convoluted, and the lead being brought back seemingly just to advance the final storyline. Additionally, it struggled to find satisfying endings for all of its leads– something that even Elena’s return couldn’t fix. Overall, it was a shaky ending for what had been a surprisingly good program– and left many fans wanting more.

Sometimes, keeping things simple is the way to go. Starting as a straightforward show about a young woman navigating adulthood, “Felicity” was renowned by critics and viewers. For the first three seasons, it didn’t really stray from its original concept, with several stories being centered around her love life. But in season 4, everything went off the rails. A subplot was introduced wherein Felicity was essentially sent back in time to try dating someone else. The decision went against everything that had been established. To top everything off, they reverted back to the original plot at the last second– making those episodes nothing more than a “what if” exercise. The bizarre conclusion had little appeal, leading to a decline in ratings.

Some shows can’t help but go full nuclear in their final hour. When it first started airing, “The 100” immediately caught interest for its take on a post-apocalyptic future. It only grew more acclaimed throughout its tenure, with its deeper themes and characters being praised. When the initial episodes of the final season aired, many were confident that it would end on a high note. Unfortunately, those hopes were dashed the longer it went on. It all came to a head after Clarke’s character assassination and death of Bellamy, destroying an arc that had been built since the beginning. While it came close, it simply couldn’t stick the landing, causing it to go out with a whimper.

While some programs sour on their own, others are a victim of their circumstances. For years, “House of Cards” was lauded across the board, with Kevin Spacey at the helm. Accusations coming out about him in late 2017 led to his swift removal– but rather than end the show there, they decided to go through with the final season without him. The focus shifted to Claire and her own ambitions– leading to several characters being killed off in the process. Other aspects were muddied, such as the iconic fourth wall breaks that were suddenly being awarded to smaller roles. The changes, and the Spacey-sized elephant in the room, essentially sent the whole “House of Cards” tumbling down.

Some shows decide to just throw everything at the wall and see what sticks– with “Glee” being one of the biggest offenders. Although the sixth season showed promise in the beginning– both by introducing a new batch of interesting students and returning to its campy roots– it quickly devolved into chaos and fan service. Several characters went against their previously established beliefs, beloved relationships ended, and the stories became too unrealistic– even by “Glee”’s standards. It all finished off with the original cast achieving their wildest dreams, and everything neatly falling into place. While undoubtedly nice, it came across as pure pandering to Gleeks.

While it originally gave new perspectives into one of the world’s most prestigious families, it still couldn’t save itself from floundering in its final hour. The series spanned several decades, with the final season primarily focusing from the late 90s to the mid-2000s. As such, it was heavily centered around Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ deteriorating relationship and her tragic passing. While that section was highly praised, everything that came afterwards was not. Many felt as though “The Crown” had long overstayed its welcome, particularly as it moved into the younger generations of the Royal family. It was clear they had bitten off more than they could chew, causing what had once been a riveting show to completely fizzle out.

At its peak, this show was a breath of fresh air amongst its contemporaries– but even that couldn’t ensure a perfect run. “Killing Eve” took the concept of a spy series and turned it on its head, peppering in romantic, dramatic, and comedic moments that kept the audience on their toes. The fourth and final season essentially took all of that good will and spat on it. It seemed to be going in the right direction initially, especially after it seemed Eve and Villanelle had gotten closer. Just when it seemed there may be a happy ending in sight, the latter of the two was suddenly killed– playing into a harmful trope and angering the fanbase in the process.

There are some shows that try to go on long after they should’ve ended– and this is one of the biggest offenders. Even after a couple of middling seasons and a feature-length film, “Prison Break” still returned for a fifth installment in 2017. While it featured some returning favorites, the story itself had taken a huge hit. They even undid a major character death– completely destroying any emotion derived from the original scene. Beyond that, the unrealistic elements were less exciting and harder to ignore. This led to the finale feeling underwhelming and cheap by the time it rolled around– despite it having been seemingly written to appease fans.

This was unfortunate proof that some shows are helped by an early cancellation. At its peak, “Arrested Development” was regarded as one of the best sitcoms of the era. After a nearly decade-long break, it was revived by Netflix in 2013. However, it ended up falling victim to its own success. The original humor of the first three installments was practically impossible to live up to, setting up the finale for failure. Season 5 was the biggest victim of this, with the courtroom-centered story failing to make the same impact as earlier plotlines. Its fall-off was further proven by a reliance on callbacks– proving that it had become a shell of what it had once been.

You’d think that after years, certain aspects of a program would be set in stone. However, “Once Upon a Time” decided to break that mold by replacing a majority of the cast before its final season, leaving only three long-running cast members. This also meant that several of the characters the audience had grown to love had been completely altered. That was only the beginning of its downfall. The timeline also suddenly jumped forward by several years, altering several plots in the process. Even the setting was completely different. The final season essentially feels like a reboot. The extreme changes only harmed its legacy, turning it into a complicated mess that not even magic could save.

It may have gotten a second chance at an ending, but the original can never be swept under the rug. By the time Season 9 of “The X-Files” came to fruition, both of the leads had already moved on. This led to David Duchovny only appearing in the finale, and Gillian Anderson expressing her own intent to quit. This led to smaller roles suddenly being elevated to main character-status, which didn’t give them enough time to develop or win the audience over. The writing also took a significant hit, essentially destroying everything that had made the previous seasons so impactful. This all led to an extremely unsatisfying ending that took a movie and a revival to correct.

To be fair, this Showtime original had left its heyday long before it reached the final season. The charming premise of a widow selling maijuana to support her family instantly grabbed critics and viewers alike. However, by the end, it was hard to root for Nancy Botwin. Her antics of screwing everyone over, including her children, had gotten old several seasons ago. Shane’s potential for a good ending crashed when they made him a crooked cop, and Doug starting his own cult was a nonsensical thread that added nothing to the story. Speaking of story, the final season revolved around the forgettable plot of Nancy and co. going corporate. When the finale jumped forward several years to show them all wealthy, we found it pretty hard to care.

With the modern superhero boom still in its early days, NBC’s original creation instantly got everyone’s attention. “Heroes” was a hit during its first season, but sadly ran out of steam almost immediately. In 2007, the WGA writers' strike saw the producers scramble to salvage the show’s storylines. Viewership plummeted and by the time the 4th season ended, it had retained only around half of its fan base. We’re surprised anyone stuck through it all. Season 4 had somehow made a carnival of ne’er-do-wells boring, with the villain being a messy combination of motives. Sylar, the villain of the stronger early days, surprisingly turned good. And most other characters barely served a purpose, if at all. Naturally, it was canceled soon after.

This medical sitcom gained a passionate following thanks to off-the-wall humor and a tremendous amount of heart. Although NBC canceled it after the seventh season, ABC picked it up to give it an ending. Season 8 was a high point and the finale was as perfect an ending as viewers could’ve hoped for. However, when it was well-received, ABC got greedy. It decided to bring “Scrubs” back for a ninth season. Unfortunately, the majority of the writing staff had left and half the characters were replaced by far less likable ones. The pivot to med school could’ve been an engaging one. But the jokes felt thin and there was no heart, making “Scrubs” seem like a severely watered-down version of its former self.

Long before this sitcom received a revival in 2018, its final season in the late 90s disappointed fans everywhere. What had made it a hit was its focus on a working-class family. Viewers related to their struggles and laughed along as they worked through them. But Season 9 took all that away when the Conners won the lottery for $108 million. Gone were the realistic plotlines. Instead, the family enjoyed its ridiculous wealth and received convenient happy endings. It was a complete 180 of what had made the show great. In a final backstab, the finale revealed none of it actually happened. It was all a story made up by Roseanne, who couldn’t cope with losing her husband to a heart attack.

“True Blood” hit at just the right time, releasing during the peak of modern vampire mania. But by the time its run ended, the creative juices had long since dried up. Characters we once loved no longer felt like themselves and the plotlines on display just went around in circles. Sookie and Alcide as a couple never made sense, nor did they draw any passion from fans. Jason and Violet’s weird relationship wasn’t too pleasing to watch either. Coupled with these plotlines were baffling creative decisions, like choosing to kill Tara off-screen, only to make her a ghost to draw the death out. It’s no wonder some viewers feel like Season 6 would’ve made a better ending.

The history of TV is full of sitcoms that continued on past their prime. Sadly, “That ‘70s Show” sits pretty high on that list. To be fair, it can be challenging for a show to continue when the main character leaves. After Topher Grace’s Eric left in the Season 7 finale, the show weirdly kept him tied to plot points. Additionally, Ashton Kutcher only appeared in five episodes to give Kelso an ending. The show attempted to fill their holes with new character Randy Pearson, who proved a pale imitation as Donna’s new love interest. The group dynamic just didn’t work and the writing suffered as well, leading to a major decline in viewers until it limped across the finish line.

Like many shows, “Dexter” got weaker the longer it went on. Despite this, Season 8 had a decent start. Of course, no one remembers that as the rest of the terrible season overshadows it. Important plot points are completely forgotten about, such as anything to do with LaGuerta’s death from Season 7. Others go nowhere, like giving Masuka a daughter. It all came down to poor writing, which culminated in one of the most hated finales in TV history. Dexter ended up faking his own death, leaving his son Harrison to whatever fate, and living in secret as a lumberjack. It was a poor note for the Bay Harbor Butcher to go out on.

The final season of this epic fantasy featured the same level of incredible effects, stunts, set and prop design, and acting that made it a phenomenon. That, in part, is why it was such a major disappointment. With only six episodes, Season 8 was a mad dash to the finish line that placed spectacle over substance. The character arcs of Dany, Jaime, and Jon still have fans angry today. Daenerys’ descent into madness felt particularly poorly handled. The short episode count also meant ‘The Long Night” wasn’t actually all that long. And the less we hear about its controversial cinematography, the better. Also, Bran as King? How is that satisfying?

“How I Met Your Mother” comedically stretched a meet cute across multiple years. But stretching a single wedding weekend over an entire season was miserable. Simple plotlines wore extremely thin, like chronicling Marshall’s journey to the Inn for over half the season. The one bright spot was Cristin Milioti as the fabled Mother, whose charm actually lived up to expectations. But the finale ruined even that. It jumped around throughout the years, showing Barney and Robin getting divorced three years later, only for Barney to have a daughter with a one night stand. Worse, Ted’s story concludes with the Mother’s passing, only for him to once again proclaim his love for Robin, at the urging of his kids. What a waste of time!



Which TV show do you think fell off the hardest in its last season? Let us know in the comments below.