These TV Shows Went on Way Too Long

Additional Coverage:

35 TV shows that went on way too long — sorry (businessinsider.com)

When to Say Goodbye: Examining Shows That Overstayed Their Welcome

In the ever-evolving landscape of television, some shows are tragically cut short, leaving fans yearning for more. But then, there are those that defy logic, chugging along for seasons beyond their prime, leaving viewers to wonder: when is it time to pull the plug? We’ve compiled a list of 35 shows that, in our humble opinion, lingered a little too long, whether due to a dwindling plot, an overextended premise, or simply the relentless march of time.

Let’s dive into a few notable examples that arguably wore out their welcome:

“Stranger Things”

While we were never going to complain about more time in Hawkins, the nine-year wait for “Stranger Things” to wrap up its five-season run, only to deliver an arguably underwhelming finale, was a tough pill to swallow. This isn’t so much a content issue as a calendar one.

When the series began, its young stars were, well, kids. Fast forward nearly a decade, and these “kids” are now fully-fledged adults – we’re talking “Millie Bobby Brown is a wife and mother” adults.

It felt a tad ridiculous, then, to see the show conclude with its main characters still navigating high school graduation.

It also highlighted that perhaps “Stranger Things” was never meant to balloon into the massive franchise it became. The Duffer Brothers, for all their creative genius, weren’t seasoned universe-builders.

So, was the decade-long payoff worth it? We’d lean towards no.

Here’s hoping shows like “Severance” get a more timely release schedule to keep audiences engaged.

“Suits”

Did “Suits” truly need to continue after the departure of Meghan Markle and Patrick J. Adams in season seven?

The show’s core premise – a brilliant, but degree-less, lawyer, Mike, somehow thriving at a top firm for years – was always a stretch. However, the snappy banter between Mike, his mentor Harvey, Harvey’s loyal secretary Donna, and paralegal Rachel (played by Markle) was undeniably compelling.

But when real-life royal duties called Markle away, leading to Rachel and Mike’s exit in the season seven finale, the show lost its beating heart. The dynamic between Mike and Harvey was the glue, and without it, “Suits” simply wasn’t the same, lasting only two more seasons.

“Grey’s Anatomy”

“Grey’s Anatomy” is gearing up for its 22nd season this month, a remarkable feat for a show that began as a drama about surgical interns and their romantic entanglements. Over two decades, it’s delivered a seemingly endless parade of deaths, breakups, and natural disasters.

Pinpointing the exact moment it should have ended is a challenge. Was it after season five with the departures of Katherine Heigl and T.

R. Knight?

Or season eight when Chyler Leigh and Eric Dane left Seattle? Many would argue it was definitively after Sandra Oh’s exit in season 10, or perhaps Justin Chambers (Alex Karev), the show’s emotional core, leaving in season 16.

Now, with Meredith Grey herself, Ellen Pompeo, stepping away from Grey Sloan, it’s surely time for the show to finally close its doors. The consensus is clear: “Grey’s Anatomy” has been on the air far too long.

“Westworld”

Once a prestige hit, “Westworld” was abruptly canceled by HBO in 2021 after four seasons, despite creators claiming it only needed one more to conclude its intricate narrative. This sudden end begs the question: should it have been a one-season limited series all along?

As critics noted, being a “Westworld” fan became an exhausting endeavor after season two’s bewildering, aspect ratio-shifting, time-jumping plot. The first season, a perfectly engrossing exploration of AI, humanity, and the dark side of human nature within a high-tech Wild West theme park, stands alone as a masterclass.

Alas, “Westworld,” we barely knew what was going on half the time.

“Homeland”

“Homeland” is another prime example of a show that could have excelled as a limited series but was stretched across eight seasons. And here’s a hard truth (spoiler alert for a show that concluded in 2020): Damian Lewis’ Nicholas Brody should have met his end at the close of season one, marking a powerful conclusion to his and Carrie Mathison’s story.

Instead, the undeniable chemistry between Lewis and Claire Danes (Carrie) led to the inevitable being postponed, with the show spinning its wheels until Brody’s death in season three. Even then, despite their relationship being the heart of the show, “Homeland” continued for five more seasons, each with diminishing returns.

“The Walking Dead”

The “Walking Dead” universe, after 16 years and a staggering six spin-offs, is still shambling along. Since its 2010 premiere, we’ve endured 11 seasons of the original, eight seasons of “Fear the Walking Dead,” two seasons of “The Walking Dead: World Beyond,” a season of “Tales of the Walking Dead,” two seasons of “The Walking Dead: Dead City,” three seasons of “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon,” and one season of “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” – with more on the way.

No matter how much you adore zombies, it’s simply impossible for all of these interconnected narratives to maintain quality and freshness over hundreds of episodes.

“The Big Bang Theory”

“The Big Bang Theory” mercifully concluded its 12-season run in 2019, thankfully putting an end to approximately one million “Bazingas.” While initially an enjoyable sitcom about a group of brilliant but socially awkward scientists and their “dumb” neighbor, it became increasingly formulaic and hacky as the years wore on.

Sheldon devolved into a walking collection of catchphrases, and the on-again, off-again romance between Penny and Leonard lost its spark. That it lasted for 12 seasons while genuinely underrated comedies were prematurely canceled remains its biggest crime.

“The West Wing”

While a little more President Bartlet in our lives is always welcome, there’s no denying that “The West Wing” lost its true magic when Aaron Sorkin, who penned virtually every script, departed after the fourth season in 2003. That season could have served as a logical endpoint, with Bartlet securing a second term and his staff continuing their work.

Instead, the show pressed on for three more seasons. While not inherently bad, they never quite reached the transcendent heights of Sorkin’s original episodes, finally concluding in 2006.

“Scrubs”

“Scrubs” is often lauded by medical professionals for its realistic portrayal of hospital life, and it certainly delivered plenty of laughs and tears across its initial seven seasons on NBC. After its cancellation, ABC swooped in to pick it up for an eighth season in 2008.

Creator Bill Lawrence crafted a beautiful finale that saw our beloved characters riding off into the sunset. Or so we thought.

ABC then commissioned one more season, unofficially dubbed “Scrubs Med,” which relocated the show from a hospital to a medical school, retained only three original cast members, and introduced a slew of new characters, much to the dismay of audiences. Thankfully, the show was truly canceled after that in 2010, with many fans electing to pretend that ninth season never happened.

However, brace yourselves: a tenth season with Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke, John C. McGinley, and Judy Reyes is reportedly heading our way in 2026, meaning “Scrubs” might be making a reappearance on this very list soon!

“Friends”

“Friends” is undeniably one of the most cherished TV shows of all time, making it hard to admit it probably lasted at least one season too long. With a core group of six friends, original storylines eventually became scarce. The decision to pair Rachel and Joey in season 10, after nine seasons of absolutely no romantic interest, was a glaring sign that the writers were out of material.

Moreover, the characters themselves became louder, more exaggerated caricatures of their former selves. Watching an early episode followed by a season ten installment reveals a startling difference in tone and character depth.

“Big Little Lies”

When HBO announced its adaptation of Liane Moriarty’s best-selling novel “Big Little Lies” in 2015, starring a powerhouse cast, expectations were sky-high. The 2017 premiere delivered, with phenomenal chemistry, a gripping pace, and an impeccable soundtrack. Its multiple Emmy wins in the limited-series category solidified the understanding that this was a contained story.

But two years later, we were back in Monterey. While season two brought us Meryl Streep’s iconic scream, “Big Little Lies” should have remained a limited series.

Hollywood, take note: extending a story beyond its original source material rarely pays off. There’s usually a good reason the author didn’t write a sequel.

The fate of a long-threatened third season remains to be seen.

“13 Reasons Why”

Some argue that “13 Reasons Why,” based on the novel of the same name, shouldn’t have even had one season, with critics claiming it glorified suicide and sent the wrong message to teens. Regardless of that debate, even the show’s biggest fans can agree that the story went completely off the rails after season one.

It began as the poignant story of Hannah Baker, a teenager grappling with anxiety and depression, who left behind 13 tapes explaining her eventual suicide. By season four in 2020, Hannah was a distant memory, and the show had mutated into a convoluted murder-mystery thriller with gratuitous trauma, as NME aptly described.

“Pretty Little Liars”

If you were on Twitter (now X) during an episode of “Pretty Little Liars,” you’ll recall the show’s captivating hold. This phenomenon, about friends terrorized by an anonymous stalker named “A,” was a must-watch.

However, its runaway success led to a problematic pattern: promising to reveal the real “A” every single season. Even after “A’s” identity was revealed in season two, more “As” kept popping up.

How many “As” could there possibly be? The show spiraled into increasing confusion, mercifully ending after season seven in 2017 – though it also spawned two spin-offs.

“The Vampire Diaries”

“The Vampire Diaries” likely should have ended after its star, Nina Dobrev (Elena), departed in season six. It ultimately concluded two years later. The show originally centered on a love triangle between Elena and two vampire brothers, Stefan and Damon, but lost its focus over time.

Despite this, it continued, doubling down on the (often polarizing) romance between Damon and Elena. It arguably never recaptured the storytelling highs of its second season.

Elena’s coma at the end of season six saw the show curiously continue without its main character for two unnecessary seasons. Without her, “The Vampire Diaries” struggled, finally ending after season eight in 2017 – though character journeys could be extended through “The Originals” (until 2018) and “Legacies” (until 2022).

“One Tree Hill”

“One Tree Hill,” chronicling the lives of high school friends in the fictional North Carolina town of Tree Hill, would have been perfect if it had concluded after high school graduation. The post-high school era became overly convoluted and soap opera-esque. The show attempted to bypass the common “college problem” by jumping four years into the future, which was initially inventive but eventually led to an unbelievable level of success and fame for this single group of friends.

It ended in 2012 after season nine, arguably five years past its prime. In 2024, news broke that Sophia Bush and Hilarie Burton are working on an “OTH” revival with Netflix, so more may yet be on the horizon.

“Scandal”

“Scandal” grew increasingly ridiculous and melodramatic as it progressed, ultimately concluding in 2018. Many would argue the show never truly recovered after the introduction of B-613, the all-knowing, super-secret Black-Ops intelligence organization.

This marked a pivot from a political case-of-the-week drama with a compelling love story between political “fixer” Olivia Pope and the US President, to a frankly unwatchable soap opera where every character was either a murderer or met a dramatic end, spending most of their time yelling.

“Once Upon a Time”

“Once Upon a Time” was rightfully canceled in 2018 after its low-rated seventh season. The show attempted to continue after shedding six of its main characters, but it would have been wiser to simply pull the plug.

The premise – fairytale characters living in a fictional Maine town – was intriguing for a season or two. However, as the show progressed, the connections between characters became increasingly unbelievable, with almost everyone eventually revealed to be related.

“Family Guy”

“Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane himself has admitted conflicting feelings about his show. In 2011, he told The Hollywood Reporter, “Part of me thinks that ‘Family Guy’ should have already ended.

I think seven seasons is about the right lifespan for a TV series.” It’s hard to disagree, especially as the misadventures of the Rhode Island-dwelling Griffin family feel a bit tired these days.

Yet, season 24 is set to kick off in February, and the show is reportedly guaranteed to air through season 29.

“Glee”

“Glee” truly began to lose its way when some of the original characters graduated high school. Reflecting on “Glee” in 2023 is difficult given the tragedies surrounding Cory Monteith, Naya Rivera, and Mark Salling.

But even putting that aside, the show likely should have taken its final bow after a couple of seasons. One critic even wrote in a review of the 2015 series finale that the show “got bad” in its second episode. The novelty of turning popular songs into show choir performances quickly wore off, and the replacement characters introduced in season four, after much of the Glee Club graduated, never quite clicked.

“Gossip Girl”

Many fans claim the 2012 reveal that Dan Humphrey, New York City’s “Lonely Boy,” was actually Gossip Girl, ruined the show. However, the show was arguably on a downward spiral long before that.

“Gossip Girl” is a prime example of a show that struggled to sustain itself beyond the high school years. It made little sense for all the main characters to attend college in Manhattan when Blair, Serena, Nate, and Dan had all expressed desires to leave the city for their higher education.

By season four, their continued association, despite openly hating each other, became illogical.

“Gilmore Girls”

If there’s one thing “Gilmore Girls” fans can agree on, it’s that the final season was a mess. The show’s heart and soul, writer and producer Amy Sherman-Palladino, departed in 2006, leaving a void.

Some argue that the mediocrity of season seven was a direct result of her absence. Season six itself marked a radical departure from the usual Stars Hollow hijinks, focusing instead on Rory and Lorelai’s estrangement and the slow, painful unraveling of Luke and Lorelai’s engagement.

The 2016 Netflix reboot, “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life,” somehow managed to make things even worse, revealing that Rory had undergone minimal personal growth, and Lorelai and Luke had made no progress on their long-standing communication issues.

“24”

“24” introduced an innovative premise: each episode unfolded in real-time, with each season covering a single day. But it certainly didn’t need eight seasons, a 2008 TV movie, a 2014 revival, and a 2017 spin-off.

Realistically, how many seasons can you watch CTU agent Jack Bauer save the world, get betrayed, torture someone, and be chased by the federal government? Its creators thought at least nine.

Initially praised for its inventive structure and willingness to take risks by killing off main characters, “24” quickly became formulaic. The sheer amount of pain and suffering Jack endured each “day” became excessive – his wife, four girlfriends, father, and brother all perished over the course of the show.

“Smallville”

A cornerstone of the Superman canon is that Clark Kent becomes Superman after moving to Metropolis from his small town of, you guessed it, Smallville. But “Smallville” missed that memo, with Clark moving to Metropolis in season five with no red cape in sight.

He didn’t even don the suit until the 2011 series finale (which is also when he finally learned to fly). Yes, it took “Smallville” an excruciating 10 seasons for Clark Kent to finally become Superman.

To be fair, the creators likely never anticipated a 10-season run when they implemented their “No tights, no flights” policy, but that doesn’t make the delay any less frustrating.

“That ’70s Show”

“That ’70s Show” spanned from 1976 to 1979 in its narrative, yet lasted for eight seasons. It took five years for the core group to graduate high school, so naturally, the show began to drag. There’s only so much entertainment to be had from watching friends sit in a basement and get stoned.

However, the show definitively should have ended when Topher Grace (Eric Forman, the main character) departed after season seven in 2005. Ashton Kutcher (Kelso) followed suit after the first four episodes of season eight, replaced by the almost universally disliked character of Randy (sorry, Josh Meyers!).

Fans were also irked by the seemingly out-of-nowhere relationship between Fez and Jackie, effectively ending the beloved Jackie and Hyde pairing. While the 2023 sequel series “That ’90s Show” (which was canceled after two seasons) confirmed Jackie and Kelso reunited and brought back Eric, we might have been better off without it.

“The Office”

It became evident that “The Office” was running out of steam after Jim and Pam finally tied the knot in season six. The writers resorted to throwing unrealistic obstacles at them, such as a random cameraman suddenly developing feelings for Pam. Introducing such melodramatic plot points into a workplace sitcom about a Pennsylvania paper company simply didn’t make sense.

But the final nail in “The Office’s” coffin was Steve Carell’s decision to exit after seven seasons as the lovable, albeit incompetent, Michael Scott. Season eight was the first to receive a rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes. It would have been far better to end on a high note.

“Happy Days”

The term “jumping the shark,” defined by Urban Dictionary as “a moment when something that was once great has reached a point where it will now decline in quality and popularity,” originated from the season five premiere of “Happy Days.” In this infamous episode, Fonzie, played by Henry Winkler, literally jumps over a shark on water-skis. This stunt left viewers bewildered – wasn’t this supposed to be a show about small-town ’50s nostalgia?

“Happy Days” ran for 11 seasons from 1974 to 1984, but many pinpoint the “jumping the shark” moment as the definitive turning point in its history.

“Weeds”

“Weeds,” a show about a suburban single mom who cultivates and sells marijuana to support her family, started with immense promise. It offered a fascinating glimpse into the hidden lives of suburbia until it shifted its focus to drug cartels, murder, and increasingly unpleasant themes.

Seasons one and two, with Nancy as a low-level marijuana dealer in the quaint California town of Agrestic, were nearly perfect. But when the show ventured across the border into Mexico?

Not so much. It’s almost impossible to find someone who watched “Weeds” all the way to its 2012 conclusion, by which point it had become far too dark to enjoy.

“True Blood”

“True Blood” ignited the vampire craze in 2008, predating “Twilight” on the big screen and “The Vampire Diaries” on The CW. For three seasons, it was a campy, bloody, and sexy show centered on Sookie, a psychic waitress, her complicated relationships with attractive vampires, and the lives of her friends and family.

However, “True Blood” took a nosedive after it was revealed that Sookie was a fairy. As she herself aptly described upon learning the news: “I’m a fairy?

How… lame.” Following this reveal, the writers struggled to integrate other mythological creatures, with little success.

Original showrunner Alan Ball departed after season five, and “True Blood” arguably should have followed suit. The show ended on a low note in 2014, a conclusion that still frustrates fans to this day.

“How I Met Your Mother”

“How I Met Your Mother” should not have stretched for nine years. Taking nearly a decade to tell one story feels almost cruel to viewers, especially the eagle-eyed, devoted fans who spent years dissecting every episode for clues about the titular mother’s identity. The glacial pace angered both Ted’s fictional children and the real-life audience, and the show’s humor diminished over time.

Perhaps if the show had built up the mother’s reveal over only four or five years, rather than nearly a decade, fans might have been more accepting of Ted and Robin (his ex-girlfriend and best friend’s ex-wife) ending up together, instead of raging that it was one of the worst endings of all time.

“Dexter”

Dexter, a serial killer who meticulously targeted only bad guys, became less appealing and more unrealistic as the show progressed, especially as writers increasingly attempted to humanize him. Even if you were rooting for Dexter, it became impossible to watch him face no consequences for his actions – every time someone neared exposing him, someone else conveniently eliminated the threat, preventing Dexter from having to compromise his moral code by killing an innocent.

Furthermore, the 2013 series finale is widely regarded as one of the worst ever, though subsequent revivals and prequels (“Dexter: New Blood,” “Dexter: Original Sin,” and “Dexter: Resurrection”) have attempted to offer some redemption.

“Modern Family”

When “Modern Family” premiered in 2009, it was universally adored by fans and critics, reflected in its high Rotten Tomatoes scores. It earned seven consecutive Emmy nominations for Best Comedy Series, winning five of them. It was a true 21st-century comedy, celebrating a diverse family encompassing a gay couple, an interracial couple, divorce, and adoption.

However, when it lost the award for the first time in 2015, it should have been a clear signal to start winding things down. Yet, the show continued, and despite receiving no Emmy nominations in 2018, it soldiered on for a tenth season. The show finally ended in April 2020.

“Desperate Housewives”

“Desperate Housewives” began in 2004 as an intriguing mystery about a group of friends rattled by their friend Mary Alice’s shocking suicide. But as the years passed, characters became less likable and plots more nonsensical – remember when Edie was electrocuted after surviving a car crash? Eight seasons proved to be far too much time to invest in the ladies of Wisteria Lane.

“Two and a Half Men”

One of the show’s titular “two and a half men,” Charlie Sheen, exited after eight seasons in 2011, dismissed after publicly insulting the show and its creator, Chuck Lorre, among other issues. The sitcom, about a wimpy chiropractor Alan, his underachieving son Jake, and his ladies’ man brother Charlie, continued for four more seasons, replacing Charlie with a depressed billionaire named Walden, played by Ashton Kutcher.

The show ended on a low note in 2015, with IGN writing, “don’t think [we] could come up with a worse ending.” The truth is, the show was already on a downward spiral before Sheen’s departure, but his exit should have been the final nail in the coffin.

“Supernatural”

In the end, it turns out “Supernatural” wasn’t immortal, unlike many of its characters. The show explored a vast array of otherworldly creatures – angels, demons, vampires, werewolves, leprechauns, and more – with two brothers, Dean and Sam Winchester, tasked with ridding the world of these evils.

Few, if any, shows can remain fresh for 300 episodes. There’s only so many times someone can go to hell and back before it loses its impact, which likely explains why the show concluded after 15 years.

“Castle”

It’s always a risky move when shows finally allow their central romantic couple to get together – the romantic tension is often far more entertaining. “Castle” began in 2009 as a procedural about a charming mystery novelist, the titular Castle, tagging along with a no-nonsense homicide detective, Beckett. The two shared undeniable chemistry, and for four seasons, they danced around their obvious feelings.

But when they finally united, the show lost some of its mojo. The writers had to twist themselves into knots to inject conflict into their relationship instead of allowing them to be happy, frustrating fans throughout the next four seasons until its end in 2016.