Ending a TV show can be a real challenge. Unlike a film, which can simply try to end on a satisfactory note after a couple of hours, TV series need to balance telling a complete story with the possibility of being renewed for additional seasons.
As such, numerous TV shows had the chance to end things on a perfect — or at least very good — note, and yet were renewed again and again past that point. In many cases, but not all, their actual ending proved to be widely disliked, often occurring after many stopped watching the show.
8 Buffy Never Reached The Same Heights After Being Uncancelled
Buffy the Vampire Slayer initially ended in its fifth season after being canceled. Shortly after, however, another network bought the rights to the show and brought it back for two more seasons. The fifth season was considered by fans as one of the show’s best, while the sixth and seventh were ranked amongst its worst.
In particular, the fifth season finale, ‘The Gift,’ was a beloved episode. Although it ended on a poignant and tragic note, it gave each character their moment to shine, wrapped up its story in a gripping manner, and paid off on an entire season of build-up to the showdown between Buffy and Glory. By contrast, ‘Chosen,’ the show’s ultimate finale, was considered to ring hollow in comparison.
7 Scrubs Tried A Season Without Its Principle Characters
The quality of Scrubs was rocky for a time, with its initial cancellation happening amidst contentious seasons, a distinct decline from the show’s golden age. However, after a questionable seventh season, the eighth was viewed as a real return to form, and many fans found it a fitting send-off for the show’s second cancellation.
Only for the show to be revived again, this time with a change in premise. Moving JD and the action to a medical school in place of the hospital, the show reduced the role of many popular characters and introduced a new cast it didn’t do very much with. Many fans consider it a real disappointment and prefer to treat the show’s eighth season as its final.
6 Thirteen Reasons Why Was Only Applauded In Its First Season
The first season of Thirteen Reasons Why had a large impact when it first came out. With its hard-hitting, bleak look at school bullying and teenage mental health and its graphic depictions of many of its topics, it courted controversy but was well-received by critics and audiences.
After its self-contained first season, the show moved past the book it was adapting, expanding the story into three more seasons. These were widely considered to have diminishing returns, with the show’s final episode thought to be insulting, pointless, and difficult to take seriously by many.
5 Futurama Has Had Many Good Endings, But The First Stands Out
Futurama was rare in that it had four episodes with a good claim to being its final episode, owing to the show being frequently canceled and brought back. Each of these had their fans, and no one era of Futurama was universally considered to be worse than the others.
Nonetheless, if the show had wanted to end on its most beloved finale with a run of well-liked seasons under its belt, its first finale would have been when to stop. Although all of them were liked, the first, ‘The Devil’s Hands Are Idle Playthings,’ was beloved upon its release and made for a fitting, funny, and emotional ending to the show.
4 The Office Could Have Redeemed Itself With Its Ending
The Office was another show known for uneven quality, with the show considered to get better or worse with every other season for a time. Season 6 was, on the whole, considered one of the worse seasons. However, fans liked its more emotional plotlines, including the wedding between Pam and Jim, and Michael Scott preparing to leave Dunder-Mifflin.
Had the show ended in Season 6, many fans would likely have considered it a strong ending. Instead, the show soldiered on for three more seasons, none of which are well-liked by fans. In a twist, however, the finale is still fairly beloved, just brought down by the content that comes before it.
3 How I Met Your Mother Needed To End Ten Minutes Sooner
The finale of How I Met Your Mother made itself instantly notorious with its twists, many of which were viewed as undermining the show itself. However, nothing about it was more infamous than its final few minutes. The ending revealed that the titular Mother died six years before the show and that Ted was telling the story to try and justify his ongoing love for Robin.
Had the series ended before it attempted to pair Ted and Robin up yet again, the finale likely would have been contentious but considered a worthwhile send-off for the whole cast. By taking things past the high note of Ted and the Mother being happy together, the show angered almost all of its fanbase.
2 Pretty Little Liars Goes On Five Seasons Past Its Central Question Being Answered
For the first two seasons of Pretty Little Liars, the entire point of the show was to learn the identity of ‘A,’ the person messaging and threatening the protagonists following the disappearance of their friend Allison. That question drove the show’s plot and character development, forming an enjoyable mystery.
Despite this, the show attempted to continue for five more seasons after ‘A’ was revealed at the end of season 2. Had it ended there and then, it would have been remembered as a solid and satisfying mystery. Instead, all of the show’s subsequent content is considered by fans to be much lower quality.
1 Supernatural Tried To Top The Biblical Armageddon
Supernatural‘s refusal to end became somewhat memetic towards the end of its life. From the Winchester brothers battling monsters as they searched for their missing father to them becoming the spanner in the works for the Biblical Armageddon, the show’s first five seasons formed an enjoyable and progressive journey.
Many shows would take this as a natural endpoint, but Supernatural continued for another ten seasons, ultimately ending in its fifteenth season. Its finale became infamous quickly, and the ten seasons since its natural endpoint are considered weaker than the first five.
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