No matter how popular or acclaimed a television series may be, it can be brought down by a bad ending.
Whether it’s a show’s attempt at trying too hard to make a statement or due to a decline in quality in later seasons, these are the ten TV shows with the worst endings.
Game of Thrones
The elephant in the room here has to do with the fact that A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin has yet to finish the books on which the HBO adaptation Game of Thrones is based.
As a result, showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss only had notes to work from. Even then, there’s still the potential for a climatic final season. Instead, Benioff and Weiss rushed through the show’s ending. The love and care that were present in the early seasons were gone. Characters made stupid decisions, teleported across the world in the blink of an eye, and set up major moments that would ultimately fall flat.
Seinfeld
After Larry David left the series following season 7, Seinfeld saw a minor drop in quality. It was still enjoyable but not quite the same; perhaps the team had finally begun to run out of ideas.
David returned for the series finale, but The Finale had more in common with a clip show than a satisfying send-off. Thankfully, we’d get an unofficial reunion arc in Curb Your Enthusiasm that more than makes up for the poor reception of the finale.
How I Met Your Mother
What happens when you lock in a series finale decision early on in the series that will invalidate the growth, development, and storylines of major characters fans fell in love with? You upset nearly everyone in that fanbase!
That’s what happened in How I Met Your Mother. After finally meeting and adoring Ted Moesby’s soulmate, she is killed off to end up with one of his best friends, Robin, who had just married one of Ted’s other best friends, Barney.
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Roseanne
Here’s a thought for any aspiring screenwriters. If you want a sitcom to have a major plot twist in its final moments, don’t bother.
Yet that’s what happened with Roseanne, as we learn that the final season was nothing more than a fantasy; none of it had ever happened.
The finale was so hated that the show’s 2018 revival retconned Dan’s death.
Scrubs
First, if you ask a Scrubs fan how many seasons the show had, they’ll immediately respond with eight, acting like the 9th and final season doesn’t exist.
Honestly, it shouldn’t exist. The Season 8 finale was the real send-off for the characters we love, whereas Season Nine was a blatant attempt by ABC, which took over the show from NBC, to milk a cash cow dry.
The Sopranos
The Sopranos ends on the controversial creative choice to leave the fate of Tony Soprano up in the air. We’re left wondering if someone killed Tony as the scene cuts to black and goes silent for a few seconds.
Yes, there are indications that he did indeed die, but the fact that it’s left up in the air made it frustrating, leaving a poor taste in the mouths of many.
Dexter
One of the unfortunate parts about being a Dexter fan is the realization that the original series, which lasted for eight seasons, only has a handful of good ones.
Despite hinting at a return to form in the show’s seventh season, its finale is an absolute disaster in every way, including Dexter faking his own death.
Dinosaurs
On one level, having a sitcom about humanoid dinosaurs end with an extinction-level event feels on the nose. On the other hand, it’s a little too grim for a sitcom about humanoid dinosaurs.
Changing Nature doesn’t hold back any punches with hits themes on global warming and climate change. However, despite its good intentions, it failed to resonate with viewers.
Dallas
One of the most watched series finales in television history, Conundrum is an example of what happens when you try to wrap up a show long past its expiration.
Despite running for over 350 episodes, Dallas overstayed its welcome. As a result, the writers struggled to properly conclude the series and give the characters a worthy goodbye. Ultimately, the finale is anticlimactic. A glimpse into everyone’s life without J.R. is a good idea, but it doesn’t come together.
Quantum Leap
Despite its cult classic status, Quantum Leap suffers from a poor series finale. One key reason is that the original finale for season five wasn’t supposed to be a season finale. The show’s future was in question, and by the time the episode aired, NBC had decided not to renew it.
As a result, a “concrete” ending for the show, presented in title cards, feels tacked on, while the actual episode isn’t strong enough to give fans a proper send-off.
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