A TV show’s longevity demonstrates its popularity and capacity to deliver quality content over many years. However, despite their success and acclaim, the most enduring series still end up airing disappointing episodes from time to time.
To determine the most disappointing TV episodes of all time, 24/7 Tempo reviewed IMDb data on audience reception for all television episodes since 1970. Television episodes were ranked based on the percentage decline in IMDb user rating for individual episodes from the overall average IMDb user rating for all episodes in the series. Only episodes with at least 150 individual reviews of shows with at least 20,000 series reviews and at least four seasons were considered. Talk shows, biography shows, documentaries, game shows, and news programs were not considered. Only one episode per television series was included.
The episodes on this list saw at least a 29% drop in IMDb user rating compared to the overall series rating. All included shows ran for a minimum of 4 seasons and 25 episodes. Thirty-two of the series have an IMDb series rating of at least 8.0 out of 10, with “Game of Thrones” and “Rick and Morty” exceeding 9.0.
Five of the longest-running shows with disappointing episodes lasted over 20 seasons each, including perennial hits “Saturday Night Live” and “The Simpsons” which combine for 85 seasons on air and counting.
Eight of the low-rated episodes were series finales for Emmy winners like “Game of Thrones,” “House of Cards,” “True Blood,” and “How I Met Your Mother.” Some of the worst-reviewed episodes occurred in a show’s last season.
Trekkies didn’t embrace all of the episodes from the various Star Trek series. Four of the lower-rated episodes on our list are from separate Star Trek enterprises. (Also See TV Shows That Were So Popular They Were Turned Into Movies.)
Here are most disappointing TV episodes of all time.
50. Star Trek: Enterprise, “These Are the Voyages…”
- Episode IMDb rating: 5.3/10 (-29.3% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 7.5/10 (57,295 votes)
- Original airdate: May 13, 2005
49. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, “Let He Who Is without Sin…”
- Episode IMDb rating: 5.6/10 (-30.9% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.1/10 (68,398 votes)
- Original airdate: November 11, 1996
48. iCarly, “iMeet Fred”
- Episode IMDb rating: 4.7/10 (-30.9% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 6.8/10 (43,142 votes)
- Original airdate: February 16, 2009
47. Supernatural, “Bloodlines”
- Episode IMDb rating: 5.8/10 (-31.0% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.4/10 (469,038 votes)
- Original airdate: April 29, 2014
46. Babylon 5, “TKO”
- Episode IMDb rating: 5.8/10 (-31.0% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.4/10 (33,707 votes)
- Original airdate: May 25, 1994
45. Homeland, “Long Time Coming”
- Episode IMDb rating: 5.7/10 (-31.3% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.3/10 (354,442 votes)
- Original airdate: December 21, 2014
44. The X-Files, “Teso dos Bichos”
- Episode IMDb rating: 5.9/10 (-31.4% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.6/10 (240,465 votes)
- Original airdate: March 8, 1996
43. True Blood, “Thank You”
- Episode IMDb rating: 5.4/10 (-31.6% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 7.9/10 (255,358 votes)
- Original airdate: August 24, 2014
42. 13 Reasons Why, “Senior Camping Trip”
- Episode IMDb rating: 5.1/10 (-32.0% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 7.5/10 (308,561 votes)
- Original airdate: June 5, 2020
41. Pretty Little Liars, “Game Over, Charles”
- Episode IMDb rating: 5.0/10 (-32.4% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 7.4/10 (174,992 votes)
- Original airdate: August 11, 2015
40. Younger, “It’s the End of the World, Worm Girl”
- Episode IMDb rating: 5.2/10 (-33.3% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 7.8/10 (24,706 votes)
- Original airdate: April 15, 2021
39. How I Met Your Mother, “Last Forever: Part Two”
- Episode IMDb rating: 5.5/10 (-33.7% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.3/10 (713,016 votes)
- Original airdate: March 31, 2014
38. The Goldbergs, “Eracism”
- Episode IMDb rating: 5.3/10 (-33.8% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.0/10 (39,935 votes)
- Original airdate: November 25, 2020
37. Power, “Exactly How We Planned”
- Episode IMDb rating: 5.3/10 (-34.6% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.1/10 (50,680 votes)
- Original airdate: February 9, 2020
36. Little House on the Prairie, “The Halloween Dream”
- Episode IMDb rating: 4.9/10 (-34.7% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 7.5/10 (25,639 votes)
- Original airdate: October 29, 1979
35. The Good Doctor, “Irresponsible Salad Bar Practices”
- Episode IMDb rating: 5.2/10 (-35.0% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.0/10 (108,067 votes)
- Original airdate: February 15, 2021
34. Tales from the Crypt, “The Kidnapper”
- Episode IMDb rating: 5.2/10 (-35.0% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.0/10 (26,248 votes)
- Original airdate: June 7, 1996
33. Scrubs, “My Night to Remember”
- Episode IMDb rating: 5.4/10 (-35.7% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.4/10 (265,620 votes)
- Original airdate: March 1, 2007
32. Star Trek: Voyager, “The Fight”
- Episode IMDb rating: 5.0/10 (-35.9% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 7.8/10 (74,814 votes)
- Original airdate: March 24, 1999
31. Rick and Morty, “Rickdependence Spray”
- Episode IMDb rating: 5.8/10 (-36.3% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 9.1/10 (571,318 votes)
- Original airdate: July 11, 2021
30. The 100, “Blood Giant”
- Episode IMDb rating: 4.8/10 (-36.8% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 7.6/10 (267,510 votes)
- Original airdate: September 9, 2020
29. Doctor Who, “The Twin Dilemma: Part One”
- Episode IMDb rating: 5.3/10 (-36.9% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.4/10 (38,488 votes)
- Original airdate: March 22, 1984
28. The Blacklist, “Misère”
- Episode IMDb rating: 5.0/10 (-37.5% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.0/10 (272,312 votes)
- Original airdate: April 23, 2021
27. Miami Vice, “Missing Hours”
- Episode IMDb rating: 4.6/10 (-38.7% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 7.5/10 (28,922 votes)
- Original airdate: November 13, 1987
26. Black Mirror, “Mazey Day”
- Episode IMDb rating: 5.3/10 (-39.1% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.7/10 (615,076 votes)
- Original airdate: June 15, 2023
25. Fear the Walking Dead, “Amina”
- Episode IMDb rating: 4.1/10 (-39.7% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 6.8/10 (138,790 votes)
- Original airdate: May 22, 2022
24. Man vs. Wild, “Man vs. Wild with Bear Grylls and Prime Minister Modi”
- Episode IMDb rating: 4.9/10 (-40.2% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.2/10 (23,072 votes)
- Original airdate: August 12, 2019
23. Brooklyn Nine-Nine, “The Good Ones”
- Episode IMDb rating: 5.0/10 (-40.5% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.4/10 (344,394 votes)
- Original airdate: August 12, 2021
22. Snowpiercer, “Ouroboros”
- Episode IMDb rating: 4.1/10 (-40.6% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 6.9/10 (59,775 votes)
- Original airdate: March 7, 2022
21. Grey’s Anatomy, “Leave a Light On”
- Episode IMDb rating: 4.4/10 (-42.1% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 7.6/10 (330,268 votes)
- Original airdate: March 5, 2020
20. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, “Intimidation Game”
- Episode IMDb rating: 4.4/10 (-45.7% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.1/10 (118,057 votes)
- Original airdate: February 11, 2015
19. Dexter, “Remember the Monsters?”
- Episode IMDb rating: 4.7/10 (-46.0% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.7/10 (748,830 votes)
- Original airdate: September 22, 2013
18. Bewitched, “Samantha and the Loch Ness Monster”
- Episode IMDb rating: 4.1/10 (-46.1% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 7.6/10 (23,489 votes)
- Original airdate: September 29, 1971
17. The Rookie, “Double Trouble”
- Episode IMDb rating: 4.3/10 (-46.3% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.0/10 (58,266 votes)
- Original airdate: March 21, 2023
16. Two and a Half Men, “Of Course He’s Dead: Part 1 & 2”
- Episode IMDb rating: 3.8/10 (-46.5% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 7.1/10 (274,590 votes)
- Original airdate: February 19, 2015
15. The League, “Adios y Bienvenidos”
- Episode IMDb rating: 4.4/10 (-47.0% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.3/10 (51,221 votes)
- Original airdate: November 18, 2015
14. The Witcher, “Out of the Fire, Into the Frying Pan”
- Episode IMDb rating: 4.2/10 (-47.5% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.0/10 (553,840 votes)
- Original airdate: July 27, 2023
13. The Flash, “The Good, the Bad and the Lucky”
- Episode IMDb rating: 3.8/10 (-49.3% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 7.5/10 (363,757 votes)
- Original airdate: March 15, 2023
12. The Walking Dead, “Diverged”
- Episode IMDb rating: 4.1/10 (-49.4% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.1/10 (1,050,088 votes)
- Original airdate: March 25, 2021
11. Riverdale, “Chapter Ninety-Four: Next to Normal”
- Episode IMDb rating: 3.2/10 (-50.8% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 6.5/10 (152,242 votes)
- Original airdate: September 29, 2021
10. Doctor Who, “Orphan 55”
- Episode IMDb rating: 4.2/10 (-51.2% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.6/10 (235,731 votes)
- Original airdate: January 12, 2020
9. American Horror Story, “The Future Perfect”
- Episode IMDb rating: 3.9/10 (-51.3% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.0/10 (334,835 votes)
- Original airdate: October 20, 2021
8. The Simpsons, “Lisa Goes Gaga”
- Episode IMDb rating: 4.0/10 (-54.0% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.7/10 (425,664 votes)
- Original airdate: May 20, 2012
7. The Golden Girls, “Empty Nests”
- Episode IMDb rating: 3.6/10 (-56.1% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.2/10 (45,374 votes)
- Original airdate: May 16, 1987
6. Game of Thrones, “The Iron Throne”
- Episode IMDb rating: 4.0/10 (-56.5% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 9.2/10 (2,213,032 votes)
- Original airdate: May 19, 2019
5. Killing Eve, “Hello, Losers”
- Episode IMDb rating: 3.4/10 (-58.0% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.1/10 (128,396 votes)
- Original airdate: April 10, 2022
4. Saturday Night Live, “Donald Trump/Sia”
- Episode IMDb rating: 3.1/10 (-61.3% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.0/10 (51,210 votes)
- Original airdate: November 7, 2015
3. Roseanne, “Roseambo”
- Episode IMDb rating: 2.7/10 (-61.4% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 7.0/10 (45,317 votes)
- Original airdate: November 19, 1996
2. Star Trek: The Next Generation, “Shades of Gray”
- Episode IMDb rating: 3.3/10 (-62.1% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.7/10 (131,080 votes)
- Original airdate: July 15, 1989
1. House of Cards, “Chapter 73”
- Episode IMDb rating: 2.6/10 (-70.1% decline from show average)
- Full series IMDb rating: 8.7/10 (521,731 votes)
- Original airdate: November 2, 2018