Please make it stop: 7 Great TV Shows that overstayed its welcome in the fans’ hearts

Great TV shows are hard to come by on television. While there are many series that are created with dedication and have a solid premise, there are few that find immense popularity, becoming a part of pop culture phenomena. Therefore, when a show achieves this status, they should be able to maintain its hype.

However, there have been series that reached that pinnacle but made several blunders and found themselves surrounded by criticism. From repetitive plots to lacklustre characters, here are seven TV Shows that fell from their greatness because of their weaknesses.

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Glee, Lost, and other TV Shows that overstayed their welcome

1. The Walking Dead

Based on the comic book series of the same name by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, and Tony Moore, this post-apocalyptic horror and drama series was developed by Frank Darabont for the television. The show aired for eleven seasons and while its first few seasons were acclaimed, the viewership began to drop in the later seasons.

The show was set in a time period when human civilization had been destroyed by a zombie apocalypse and the remaining survivors had to band together and survive, while also staying vigilant from other zombie threats. The central group of survivors also had to confront other human survivors who had turned hostile, had formed their own communities, and would often times get into conflict with them.

Some of the reasons for the TV show's decline were prolonged and repetitive storytelling. After airing for more than a decade, the viewers and critics felt that the show had the same plotlines that were being recycled. Further, many characters died gruesomely, which severed the bond that fans might have formed with their favorite characters.

The reliance on shock value and a decline in quality of the direction were the final nails in the coffin. Some people note that the departure of Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes and the arrival of Negan created a shift in the show’s tone, which was not liked by the viewers.

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2. Grey’s Anatomy

Created by Shonda Rhimes and starring Ellen Pompeo, this popular medical drama has been airing since 2005 and has 21 seasons currently. The show focused on the personal and professional lives of a group of doctors, interns, and residents, at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital.

The TV show's central protagonist was Meredith Grey, played by Pompeo, who starts as a surgical intern and gradually becomes the hospital’s chief of general surgery. The show was a huge hit in its prime and was loved by fans and critics alike for its dramatic storylines, fully-fleshed characters, and a look at both the medical and personal lives of the ensemble cast.

While the show is still viewed by lots of people, there is a general notion that the show has now overstayed its welcome. Multiple factors are the cause for this. Some of these are, the loss of key characters like Cristina Yang, Derek Shepherd, and more. Loss of medical accuracy and a focus on the younger cast, along with loads of drama, has also alienated the viewers who wanted a sense of authenticity.

Plus, critics and viewers have noted that the show has introduced fewer compelling characters, and most of them have repetitive storylines about relationship issues. All these issues have led to the series facing a downfall in terms of quality.

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3. Supernatural

Starring Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, this action and horror drama series was created by Eric Kripke and aired for 15 seasons. The show was initially intended for five seasons but the TV show's popularity led to it being extended to 15.

However, as it happens with extended shows, its popularity began to wane and there were multiple reasons for it. The series originally focused on two brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester, played by Jared and Jensen respectively, who have the power to find and hunt ghosts, monsters, demons, and all kinds of supernatural beings.

The exploits that the two brothers got into, made them fan favorites and the younger audiences were charmed by their adventures. However, because the show was aimed for five seasons, many viewers and critics have noted that the additional ten seasons were a stretch and after creator Kripke departed, problems started arising.

Viewers noticed that the show became more humorous and deviated from its original focus on darker and serious elements. Characters like Jack and Castiel were seen as improperly fleshed out and the show began formulating old plots into new packages. All this led to the view that the show had declined in quality and even the last season was rushed and did not give a proper ending to some of its long-running plots.

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4. Riverdale

Developed by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and based on the characters from the Archie Comics, this teen mystery drama show starred KJ Apa, Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes, Cole Sprouse, and others. The show aired for seven seasons and while its first few seasons were popular and went viral, its later seasons went steadily downwards, and critics and fans began to criticize multiple aspects of the series.

The show began on a mysterious note as it focused on the fictional town of Riverdale and its famous teenagers, Archie, Jughead, Betty, and Veronica. The show was about a murder that had taken place in the town and how the central teenagers try to solve it and comes across various conspiracies. There were many factors, however, that contributed to the TV shows decline.

Viewers were unhappy with the shift in tone over the seasons and the introduction of complex plots, which became borderline outlandish. Similarly, the show introduced various genres like musicals, fantasy, and more, which was inconsistent with the original theme of mystery, and was therefore seen as cheesy and out of place.

The lack of fully fleshed characters also led to the series’ drastic decline in viewership. Finally, viewers were divided about its finale; while some appreciated it for its creativity, while others felt that it was unsatisfying.

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5. Lost

Created by Jeffrey Lieber, JJ Abrams, and Damon Lindelof, this sci-fi adventure drama series aired for six seasons and revolved around a group of passengers on a flight between Sydney and Los Angeles, who get stranded on a mysterious island in the South Pacific Ocean, after the plane crashes on the island.

The show drew elements of the supernatural, horror, and science-fiction, and alternated between how the survivors were trying to survive and get back to safety and their backstories. However, even the popular show was not without faults. Some of the reasons why people began to distance themselves from the show was the fact that the series had introduced a lot of muddled storylines that were difficult to follow and did not bring any conclusion.

In the later seasons, many episodes were seen as fillers, which viewers felt were just there to stretch the show and did not add anything important to the plot. Finally, viewers felt betrayed as they were looking towards answers about the island’s origins and the characters’ destinies, but it was all left unresolved.

The show focused more on philosophy and abstract concepts and the sense of mystery took a backseat. The final season was the most divisive, with many viewers feeling that the show ended on an ambiguous note and the flash-sideways technique was confusing.

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6. 13 Reasons Why

Based on the novel of the same name by Jay Asher, this teen drama series was developed by Brian Yorkey and starred Dylan Minnette. The show was popular but controversial because it included intense scenes about suicide. The show focused on a group of high school students who face a range of social issues that affect teenagers in modern times.

The first season was about Clay Jensen (Minnette), who falls for Hannah Baker (Langford), however, she is bullied and abused by her batchmates and she commits suicide and leaves a box of cassette tapes behind that detail the reasons and the people who were responsible for her death.

The show aired for four seasons but it was only the first season that received critical and commercial acclaim for its themes, performances, and subject matter, even when there was some criticism about the suicide scene in the season finale. However, Netflix continued to churn out three more seasons and all three received negative reviews.

The series’ later seasons were criticized for being repetitive, lacking originality, lacking well-developed characters, and losing its original essence. Broadly, the show was critiqued for its glamorization of suicide, graphic depiction of the topic, and lack of nuance. Experts felt that such harmful depictions of a serious topic could affect vulnerable youth and lead to increase in suicides.

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7. Glee

Created by Brad Falchuk, Ryan Murphy, and Ian Brennan, this jukebox musical and comedy drama series aired for six seasons and was critically and commercially acclaimed for its unique premise that revolved around the fictional William McKinley High School in Ohio, where a group of members in the school’s glee club compete in the show choir circuit and face issues related to relationships, family, s*xuality, and gender.

The show had a large ensemble cast that got more additions as the show went on. The show was also successful because of its covers of hit songs and its own original music, which garnered millions of sales. The first season was the most loved but the later five seasons received mixed reviews.

Some reasons as to why the TV shows viewership and rating began to fall include the inclusion of a new cast that did not create a favorable impression, the departure of the original writing team, which included Ryan, Ian, and Brad. A shift in tone of the series post the departure of the three, whereby it left its comedic origins and focused more on melodrama, was also the cause behind the show's decline.

Finally, the tragic deaths of cast members like Cory Monteith, Naya Rivera, and Mark Salling, made audiences feel that the show was cursed, which impacted its viewership.

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