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40 TV Shows That Had Terrible Final Seasons

40 TV Shows That Had Terrible Final Seasons

Published: June 17, 2024 by Tad Malone

This year, long-running shows like “Blue Bloods” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” will see their end. It’s hard to tell if the final seasons of these beloved, long-running shows will meet audience expectations or miss their mark entirely. While some shows last one or two incredible seasons, others manage to hold the line through years if not decades, and keep hitting their mark until the very end. Some TV shows, however, have terrible final seasons.

It’s hard to say exactly what causes a notable TV show to flounder or make a series of missteps in its final season. A successful TV show requires a well-oiled machine with many moving parts to hit the mark continually, year after year. Plus, suffering from success in television is a very real phenomenon. Casts, writing crews, or showrunners often become too famous and demand more money and privileges to continue working on a show.

Other times, important members just quit, ruining a show’s chance at cohesive quality. There is also the idea of “jumping the shark,” derived from a late-run “Happy Days” episode where the character Fonzy water-ski jumps over a live shark. The term suggests a point where the fundamental intent of the show has been exhausted, instead reduced to exaggeration and a discordant, pandering-like novelty. Let’s not forget “Flanderization,” a term derived from the extreme, almost caricature-like transformation of “The Simpsons’” character Ned Flanders over the years.

Whatever the case, some television shows utterly fail in their send-off seasons. This results in a disappointing or downright bad climax to an otherwise excellent series. It’s not always the show’s fault, however. Sometimes, final seasons simply can’t meet, much less exceed, diehard fan expectations. In this article, we will explore TV shows that had terrible final seasons, some of which you’ve probably suffered through yourself. (For TV shows with terrible final episodes, check out 15 TV Shows With the Most Dissatisfying Series Finales Ever.)

Methodology:

To determine the television shows that had terrible final seasons, 24/7 Tempo reviewed episode-level data on audience reception from IMDb. TV series were ranked based on the difference between the average IMDb rating for episodes in the final season and the average across all episodes. Only shows with at least 40,000 IMDb user reviews total were considered.

Here is the list of TV shows that had terrible final seasons.

40. Castle (2009-2016)

Source: Courtesy of American Broadcasting Company

Source: Courtesy of American Broadcasting Company

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 7.7/10 (19,831 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.1/10 (173,503 votes)

39. Married… with Children (1987-1997)

Source: Courtesy of Fox Network

Source: Courtesy of Fox Network

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 7.7/10 (11,782 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.1/10 (110,575 votes)

38. Luther (2010-2019)

Source: Courtesy of BBC America

Source: Courtesy of BBC America

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 8.0/10 (7,658 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.4/10 (153,532 votes)

37. Psych (2006-2014)

Source: Courtesy of USA Network

Source: Courtesy of USA Network

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 8.0/10 (9,861 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.4/10 (105,152 votes)

36. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990-1996)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 7.5/10 (14,103 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 7.9/10 (143,898 votes)

35. Money Heist (2017-2021)

Money Heist (2017-2021) | Najwa Nimri and Álvaro Morte in Lo que se habla en la cama (2021)

Source: Courtesy of Netflix

N/A

Source: Courtesy of Netflix

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 7.7/10 (60,235 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.2/10 (527,783 votes)

34. The Crown (2016-2023)

The Crown (2016-2023) | Elizabeth Debicki in No Woman's Land (2022)

Source: Courtesy of Netflix

N/A

Source: Courtesy of Netflix

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 8.1/10 (23,259 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.6/10 (254,584 votes)

33. Gilmore Girls (2000-2007)

Source: Courtesy of The WB Television Network

Source: Courtesy of The WB Television Network

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 7.7/10 (16,212 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.2/10 (146,745 votes)

32. Community (2009-2015)

Source: Courtesy of National Broadcasting Company

Source: Courtesy of National Broadcasting Company

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 7.9/10 (45,196 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.5/10 (291,179 votes)

31. Supernatural (2005-2020)

Source: Courtesy of The WB Television Network

Source: Courtesy of The WB Television Network

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 7.8/10 (97,198 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.4/10 (479,940 votes)

30. The West Wing (1999-2006)

Source: Courtesy of National Broadcasting Company

Source: Courtesy of National Broadcasting Company

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 8.3/10 (15,439 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.9/10 (84,926 votes)

29. Seinfeld (1989-1998)

Source: Courtesy of National Broadcasting Company

Source: Courtesy of National Broadcasting Company

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 8.3/10 (80,102 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.9/10 (348,794 votes)

28. Weeds (2005-2012)

Source: Courtesy of Showtime Networks

Source: Courtesy of Showtime Networks

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 7.3/10 (7,297 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 7.9/10 (116,948 votes)

27. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015-2020)

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015-2020) | Ellie Kemper in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015)

Source: Courtesy of Netflix

N/A

Source: Courtesy of Netflix

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 6.9/10 (5,822 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 7.6/10 (78,307 votes)

26. The Good Wife (2009-2016)

Source: Courtesy of

Source: Courtesy of CBS

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 7.7/10 (12,429 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.4/10 (82,198 votes)

25. Californication (2007-2014)

Source: Courtesy of Showtime Networks

Source: Courtesy of Showtime Networks

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 7.5/10 (10,337 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.3/10 (187,930 votes)

24. Vikings (2013-2020)

Source: Courtesy of History Channel

Source: Courtesy of History Channel

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 7.6/10 (75,320 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.5/10 (577,054 votes)

23. The Office (2005-2013)

Source: Courtesy of National Broadcasting Company

Source: Courtesy of National Broadcasting Company

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 8.1/10 (122,460 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 9.0/10 (702,350 votes)

22. Dragon Ball (1995-2003)

Source: Courtesy of FUNimation Productions

Source: Courtesy of FUNimation Productions

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 7.6/10 (9,512 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.5/10 (64,694 votes)

21. Line of Duty (2012-2021)

Source: Courtesy of Acorn Media Group

Source: Courtesy of Acorn Media Group

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 7.7/10 (10,183 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.7/10 (69,392 votes)

20. Fear the Walking Dead (2015-2023)

Source: Courtesy of American Movie Classics

Source: Courtesy of American Movie Classics

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 5.8/10 (13,736 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 6.8/10 (143,090 votes)

19. Modern Family (2009-2020)

Source: Courtesy of American Broadcasting Company

Source: Courtesy of American Broadcasting Company

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 7.5/10 (27,097 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.5/10 (478,539 votes)

18. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-2021)

Source: Courtesy of Fox Network

Source: Courtesy of Fox Network

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 7.4/10 (35,503 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.4/10 (357,453 votes)

17. How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014)

Source: Courtesy of CBS

Source: Courtesy of CBS

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 7.3/10 (125,945 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.3/10 (724,910 votes)

16. Columbo (1971-2003)

Source: Courtesy of National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Source: Courtesy of National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 7.2/10 (25,025 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.3/10 (41,433 votes)

15. True Blood (2008-2014)

Source: Courtesy of Home Box Office (HBO)

Source: Courtesy of Home Box Office (HBO)

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 6.8/10 (13,523 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 7.9/10 (259,168 votes)

14. Shameless (2011-2021)

Source: Courtesy of Showtime Networks

Source: Courtesy of Showtime Networks

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 7.4/10 (13,976 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.5/10 (280,933 votes)

13. The X-Files (1993-2018)

Source: Courtesy of Fox Network

Source: Courtesy of Fox Network

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 7.5/10 (33,031 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.6/10 (247,780 votes)

12. Dragon Ball Z (1989-1996)

Source: Courtesy of

Source: Courtesy of Cartoon Network

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 7.6/10 (22,416 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.8/10 (145,991 votes)

11. That ’70s Show (1998-2006)

Source: Courtesy of Fox Network

Source: Courtesy of Fox Network

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 6.8/10 (16,370 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.1/10 (188,580 votes)

10. The Flash (2014-2023)

Source: Courtesy of The CW Network

Source: Courtesy of The CW Network

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 6.2/10 (19,721 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 7.5/10 (367,164 votes)

9. X-Men: The Animated Series (1992-1997)

Source: Courtesy of Fox Network

Source: Courtesy of Fox Network

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 7.1/10 (5,909 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.4/10 (47,092 votes)

8. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)

Source: Courtesy of Syndicated

Source: Courtesy of Syndicated

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 7.4/10 (79,694 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.7/10 (134,848 votes)

7. Arrested Development (2003-2019)

Source: Courtesy of Fox Network

Source: Courtesy of Fox Network

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 7.1/10 (14,983 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.7/10 (322,797 votes)

6. The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)

Source: Courtesy of CBS

Source: Courtesy of CBS

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 7.5/10 (78,689 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 9.1/10 (92,448 votes)

5. Dexter (2006-2013)

Dexter (2006-2013) | Michael C. Hall, Erik King, and Jennifer Carpenter in Dexter (2006)

Source: Courtesy of CBS

N/A

Source: Courtesy of CBS

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 6.8/10 (76,465 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.7/10 (760,384 votes)

4. Two and a Half Men (2003-2015)

Source: Courtesy of CBS

Source: Courtesy of CBS

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 5.2/10 (15,118 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 7.1/10 (279,153 votes)

3. Scrubs (2001-2010)

Source: Courtesy of American Broadcasting Company

Source: Courtesy of American Broadcasting Company

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 6.3/10 (10,013 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.4/10 (269,631 votes)

2. Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Source: Courtesy of Home Box Office

Source: Courtesy of Home Box Office

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 6.2/10 (1,124,330 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 9.2/10 (2,266,140 votes)

1. House of Cards (2013-2018)

House of Cards (2013-2018) | Cody Fern in House of Cards (2013)

Source: Courtesy of Netflix

N/A

Source: Courtesy of Netflix

Avg. IMDb user rating, final season: 4.1/10 (45,030 votes)
Avg. IMDb user rating, all seasons: 8.6/10 (528,777 votes)