Well, at least you have the time to watch that one show you keep putting off and binge episode after episode. And when the show has tons of episodes to keep you busy that’s great, right? Well not always. Some shows start great but keep dragging themselves on, season after season until it becomes a convoluted mess everyone is bored of and wish for it to be put out of its misery. Here are some of those shows.
Heroes
First airing in 2006, Heroes, arguably had one of the best first seasons of any show with engaging characters and a tight, well-written and engaging plot set into motion from the pilot. The first season was a hit with closure at the end so if you wanted you could have ended there and been happy with watching a solid show. However, for whatever reasons (probably money), NBC decided to churn out 3 more seasons as well as a 6 episode spin-off, Heroes: Reborn. There is certainly a noticeable drop in quality which doesn’t make it unwatchable but a disappointment compared to the glory of the first season. It’s a show that should have been one and gone, it had a story that fit perfectly and didn’t need continuing, but sadly did due to greed of the producers like so many other shows.
The Simpsons
First airing in 1989 and since accumulating 30 seasons, currently in its 31st, with an insane 673 episodes. It’s a feat in and of itself that the show has lasted as long as it has and is loved by many, especially during its “golden years” i.e. around about the first 10 seasons. However, with the show going as long as it has, it was guaranteed to run out of steam eventually and sadly it eventually did.
the creators haven’t seemingly been able to recapture the magic of what made The Simpsons so great in the past.
While there is the occasional good episode, the creators haven’t seemingly been able to recapture the magic of what made The Simpsons so great in the past. Instead, the show keeps losing more and more viewers and retains quite weak ratings. The show has had a great run (more like a marathon) but has clearly passed its prime, and not recently. We have reruns to keep us entertained for years now so it is likely best to pass on the torch to more relevant and fresh animated shows.
Friends, How I Met Your Mother, and The Big Bang Theory
Sitcoms are something you either love or you hate, and are very dependant on the characters you are watching. If you don’t like them from the start it’s unlikely you will keep watching for 7 seasons. Shows like Friends, How I Met Your Mother, and The Big Bang Theory are arguably some of the biggest sitcoms out there thanks to the interesting characters they dealt with. But there is only so much you can do with a character in terms of development and relationships and sadly it’s a pitfall all off these shows seem to fall into. They all explore the characters in their show well from Sheldon to Chandler, and Monica to Barney but it reaches a point where there isn’t anything left to do. But, instead of ending the show there with a nice little bow on top, unnecessary conflict is added to extend the show devolving into a loop, from which the receptiveness does get boring. It makes for a frustrating watch and takes away from the end product.
Riverdale
Netflix is home to many brilliant tv shows that are a treat to watch like Sex Education and Stranger Things, and are shows we are desperate for new seasons of. Riverdale is not one of those shows. It sucks. While the first season was barely watchable, the later seasons have seemingly thrown logic to the wind with writing so bad it could rival my own. The show needs to be put down before I put myself down. Personally, anything beyond the first episode makes it a show that has lasted way too long. It’s safe to say I like this show as much as I like the coronavirus.