In the world of TV shows, success can be a fickle thing.Some start incredibly bad but get betterAs they progress and some are great from start to finish. However, some shows can start off amazing, with well-thought-out first seasons with interesting storylines and detailed characters, but sadly fizzle out when it comes to later seasons.
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There are multiple TV series that unfortunately fit into this category. FromRiverdaletoWestworld, the list is sadly quite long. Sometimes stopping after the first season is for the best. Here are 10 TV shows that had great first seasons, but tanked afterwards.
‘Riverdale’ (2017 -)
Riverdale’sseason one aired in January 2017 and everyone had high hopes for the new teen series. Centered around the murder of local golden boy Jason Blossom, a group of friends works together to navigate their way through their town’s murky secrets. With a world based on the popularArchie Comics,Roberto Aguirre-Sacasabrings a dark and sinister nature to the peppy comic series.
However, after the first seasonRiverdalejust simply tries too hard. With cringe-worthy musical episodes and the random mix of paranormal into the ordinary town, things just don’t make sense anymore. What’s most surprising is thatRiverdaleis set to air its seventh season. No one can figure out why shows with amazing potential are getting canceled after their first seasons, yetRiverdaleis still on air.
‘Jessica Jones’ (2015 - 2019)
WhenNetflixstill housed its several originalMarvelshows, the dark and intenseJessica Joneswas part of that mix. The show centers aroundKrysten Ritter’sJessica Jones, a private detective with impressive superpowers. Jessica spends the first season trying to come to terms and get over her immense trauma after being the victim of mental, physical, and sexual abuse at the hands of the season’s villain Kilgrave (David Tennant).
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However, after Jessica defeats her foe and the demons along with him, the second season is something of a disappointment. This is mainly due to the lack of a captivatingly evil villain. Thanks to Tennant’s masterful performance, any of the following villains just can’t live up to the evilness of Kilgrave.
‘13 Reasons Why’ (2017 - 2020)
Based onJay Asher’snovel of the same name,13 Reasons Whydeals with topics like teen suicide, sexual assault, drug abuse and depression. When Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford) takes her own life, she leaves a box of cassette tapes behind. When he finds the tapes, her classmate Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette) endeavors to find out why she did what she did. Along the way he unearths many other people’s traumas while the town feels the effects of such a tragedy.
After their first season, which was widely successful and popular, Netflix continued the show for three more seasons.An act that was assuredly not needed. Within the first season we had a beautifully sad story with a distinct beginning and ending. With the addition of more seasons, the story was unfortunately mucked up in its entirety.
‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ (2018 - 2020)
From the same minds behindRiverdalecame a new rendition of the classic ’90s sitcom, with a dark and occult twist. On her 16th birthday, Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka) must reconcile her half witch, half mortal sides of her nature whilst protecting her friends and family from the evil power of the dark lord. Filled with enough horror and comedy, the first season ofChilling Adventures ofSabrinawas a happy departure of the cringiness ofRiverdale.
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When the show got picked up for a second season fans were elated. However, they would soon come to findChilling Adventures of Sabrinawould fall victim to the same thing Riverdale did. Trying too hard. When will these shows learn that sometimes less is more?
‘Prison Break’ (2005 - 2017)
As the name suggests,Prison Breakshould have been a one-season miniseries. The story follows Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) in his mission to save his wrongfully convicted brother Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell). Getting thrown in prison himself, Scofield along with his brother plan to escape the prison they’re in.
While the first season was received well by critics, the following installments got much less praise. Somehow stretching the story for an additional five seasons was an astoundingly bad idea. The story got pulled and stretched out so much it eventually ripped and became so terrible that is got canceled.
‘Heroes’ (2006 - 2010)
Following the lives of a bunch of seemingly ordinary people who discover sudden and powerful superpowers,Heroeswas incredibility popular with the release of its first season in 2006. With young and amazing stars likeMilo VentimigliaandHayden Panettiere, fans fell in love with this daring new series.
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Unfortunately,Heroesfaced a massive decline in positive reviews when its second season hit screens. With fans saying that the show got noticeably slower and less entertaining, creatorTim Kringfelt the need to apologize to fans for losing the direction needed for the later seasons.
‘Westworld’ (2016 - 2022)
With the excitement of its first season extremely difficult to replicate,Westworldtells the story of an extravagant theme park designed for the mega wealthy. A place where they can act out their fantasies in the Wild West with the park’s “hosts” (the “hosts” being realistic androids that only purpose is to entertain their guests).
The show’s excitement led the public to believe that it would inherit the crown thatGame of Throneswore at the time. However, when the second season came out, fans recognized the lack of spark and spontaneity from the first season. With increasingly complicated plots that simply confused watchers,interest died out quickly withWesterworld.
‘The Umbrella Academy’ (2019 -)
WhenTheUmbrella Academy’sfirst season premiered in 2019, audiences were excited about this new story about a group of adoptive siblings all miraculously born on the same day. With unique powers of their own, these siblings come back together after years of estrangement for their father’s funeral. Not only is it awkward, but they discover that they only have a simple matter of days to save the word from the apocalypse.
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With the first season ending on a cliffhanger, fans were eagerly awaiting the release of season 2. However, they would come to be disappointed as the whole premise of the first season repeats itself. Never learning from their mistakesThe Umbrella Academyshows a lack of development and growth within their characters.
‘The Good Place’ (2016 - 2020)
With the first season being a genuinely comedic season,The Good Placefollows the life - or rather, afterlife - of Eleanor Shellstrop who is mistakenly put in the ‘Good Place’, a heaven-like utopia. Eleanor must hide her morally imperfect behavior whilst trying to become a better person.
Full of laughs and compelling characters, the first season ofThe Good Placewas warmly received by audiences. However, after the release of the second season, fans were beginning to lose interest. By the third season the show became annoying and neither as funny nor clever as the first season.
‘Lost’ (2004 - 2010)
Created byJ.J. AbramsandDamon Lindelof,Losttells the story of the group of survivors of Oceanic Flight 815, a plane flying from Australia to Los Angeles that crashes on a remote desert island. Once they arrive, the castaways struggle to survive and realize they must now deal with way more than they bargained for, including mysterious smoke monsters, polar bears, and all sorts of supernatural happenings.
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With the number of mysteries to be solved as an insurmountable level,Lostsimply lost its way after the first season. The introduction of brand-new mysteries without solving previous ones led the show’s writing to becoming sloppy and unprofessional. It is truly unfortunate that after such an iconic first season, an incredibly unsatisfying ending is what the show will be remembered for.
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