There are some shows with good potential that networks axe before their time, and then there are those that overstay their welcome. We have seen some great TV in the last couple of years, but not all those shows have really lived up to viewers’ initial expectations.
Shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Good Place were once the talk of the town, to the point when B99 got cancelled, hundreds successfully rallied for the show to be picked up by another network. But many think that the show never quite lived up to its original charm after its revival. Here is a list of a few shows that started off really strong but failed to keep viewers hooked until the end.
Yellowjackets
When season 1 of Yellowjackets first debuted in 2021, it was a runaway success among networks and critics. The thriller show follows a team of wildly talented high-school girls soccer players who survive a plane crash deep in the Ontario wilderness – with the narrative flashing back and forth from them as teenagers in the woods to the surviving adults trying to move on from the horrific tragedy. But the second season tested audiences’ patience a lot more. While many viewers tuned in to watch the thrilling, ‘lord of the flies’-esque story of the young girls stranded in the presumably haunted wilderness – the second season gave a lot more airtime to their adult counterparts. Halfway through season two were also some shocking deaths of characters that seemed integral to the plot, so fans were really left confused about how the creators were planning to stretch this story for three more seasons, as they had planned.
Stranger Things
Stranger Things was arguably a cultural reset in the world of TV, and one of the first shows to put Netflix on the global map. One of Netflix’s flagship series, Stranger Things has attracted record viewership on the streaming platform. It has been critically acclaimed for its characterization, atmosphere, acting, soundtrack, directing, writing, and homages to 1980s films. But now in its fourth season, the show seems to have lost its charm. Many argue that past the second season, the show focused too much on teenage drama and romance, rather than its extraterrestrial themes. Fans also noticed a recurring habit of the writers introducing a new, lovable character at the beginning of each season only to brutally kill them off in the final episode.
Secret Invasion
MCU’s recent decline in quality stories is very apparent to viewers and longtime fans of the franchise are finding it extremely difficult to defend some of the movies and tv shows released in the last couple of years. There were a few hits – like Loki and WandaVision – but mostly misses. Add secret invasion to the list of MCU misses, because their most recent show also failed to create any noise. Given how popular the storyline of ‘secret invasion’ is in the original comics, fans were actually excited about the show. But the general consensus is that while the first two episodes started off strong, the story fizzled out in the end and was a major disappointment. Viewers also discovered some plot holes that contradicted MCU’s previous films, leading to intense criticism.
Westworld
Westworld’s first season was one of the most intelligent television seasons ever. It presented viewers with a barrage of symbolism, incredible plot twists, and different timeframes that trusted viewers to keep up. Westworld Season 1 was meaningful and complex, but not convoluted or pretentious. It combined beautiful aesthetics and gripping action with a deep exploration of its themes, and complex layered storytelling protecting a groundbreaking twist. No other Westworld season managed this. Fans and critics lambasted Season 2 for slipping into convoluted and confusing territory. Season 3 drew fan ire for its simplicity and for wasting beloved characters. Many considered Season 4 an improvement, but not to the show’s glory days.
Gilmore Girls
The beloved show about a mother-daughter duo has made its way back into the spotlight thanks to Instagram edits and a new generation of tv watchers has now discovered it. During its original run from 2000 to 2007, the show was refreshing – but rewatching it today, viewers are noticing plotlines that don’t hold up and did not necessarily age well. While the first few seasons are still fan favourites, many feel like there is something missing from the later seasons of the show. The writers also made the characters really unlikeable, having them make horrible decisions throughout. The show seems to have lost its homely charm after its 5th season, to the point that many found it impossible to watch. Add to that – the revival mini-series, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, which aired in 2016, really left viewers with bad taste.
