Sometimes, it’s good to have a clear idea of when something should stop. This can apply to everything from jokes, games… andTV shows especially. It’s unfortunate that some great shows end up being way less popular than they should due to a lengthy runtime and overused material. If a story can’t be stretched beyond a particular season, then there’s no point in doing that.
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The following shows clearly didn’t get the memo and kept on going way past their expiration date. It’s a shame, especially since these shows arguably had great endings that were squandered in favor of trying to stay relevant with more content. It’s easy to see why so many people don’t rate these shows all that high anymore.
10Sherlock
Sherlockwas all the rage when its first two seasons aired. The show was impeccably smart, fun to watch, and featured some brilliant cinematic sequences that dwarfed anything that had come before it.
However,Sherlockjust became somewhat of a messfollowing its third season, which wasn’t all that great, to begin with. The plot was convoluted and made no sense, with the performance of the two main leads being the only reason to really watch this train wreck.
9Stranger Things
Stranger Thingscould’ve been a miniseries that wowed peoplewith its nightmarish horrors. Instead, the massive success of the first season caused the studio to retread the same flavor of bizarre narratives over and over again, to the point where they stopped being mystical.
The unnerving nature of the horrors inStranger Thingswas one of the biggest draws of the show, and it’s a shame that it has disappeared in later seasons. It’s the classic example of a show that went on for longer than it should.
8Squid Game
This might be cheating sinceSquid Gamedoesn’t have a second season… yet. However, the open-ended nature of the show’s ending pretty much confirms another chapter in this riveting series.
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7The Office
The fact that Steve Carell’s contract was not extended forThe Officeis a shame. That being said, the episode where he left was pretty bittersweet and was a great send-off for the series legend.
However,The Officestill tried to continuewithout its star actor, which was a bold move that ultimately didn’t pay off. The narratives weren’t really all that interesting, and it became clear to fans that the show should’ve ended long before it did.
6Dexter
There was a time whenDexterwas one of the hottest shows around. The idea of sympathizing with a serial killer sounds pretty odd, yetDextermanages to make viewersroot for a killer of killers.
This psychopath is the best reason to watch the show… and the only reason to keep on going after the fourth season. The show could’ve ended on a bittersweet note, but continued onward with poor writing that didn’t really do justice to the high standardsDexterhad set early on in its run.
5Black Mirror
Black Mirrorisn’t really a show that can have an ending. After all, each episode tacklesa completely different self-contained narrativethat is dystopian in some form or the other.
However, there’s no denying thatBlack Mirrordefinitely dipped in quality over time. The last season was an absolute travesty, and ending at Season 4 wouldn’t have been the worst thing for this critically-acclaimed series.
4Community
The brilliant mind of Dan Harmon led to the birth of a wonderful show that featured smart writing and lovable characters. However, it also faced its share of problems during its run, which saw everything fromnetwork changesto the departure of series regulars.
Even with these issues,Communitytried its hardest to stay afloat when it should’ve just ended with a bang. Instead, the end of this show feels like something that was long overdue, which is sad given the impeccable quality of this series.
3Money Heist
Money Heistbroke records and made waves after shifting over to Netflix, where it was an instant hit. This Spanish telenovela was a riveting binge, with its characters being pretty interesting as well.
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However, the massive success of this show caused Netflix to cave in and introduce another heist out of nowhere. While this did make for more entertaining material, the show did stretch its runtime unnecessarily just to cash in on the hype.
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Each season of24is self-contained, but it seems that the series used this as an excuse to keep on reusing the same plot threats over and over again. As a result, the allure of the series waned over time.
Jack Bauer started out as an intimidating agent but turned into a rather tiresome sight, with the show itself losing the edge that made it so great.24could’ve gone out on a high, but destroyed its reputation with a string of mediocre seasons.
1Prison Break
Prison Breakis easily one of the best thrillers ever made… during its first season. The tense moments as the two brothers strive to escape the lockup and prepare to do so make for truly riveting television.
However,Prison Breakmakes a big mistake by making another season. The whole point was to break outside of the prison — which is stated in the name itself! — and carrying this show forward for four more seasons was a ridiculous idea.
