No matter how strong a TV show’s legacy seems, a terrible finale can ruin the entire show in retrospect. The most obvious example of a bad finale ruining an otherwise excellent show is Game of Thrones. The hit fantasy show changed TV forever, making fantasy narratives more mainstream and normalizing the massive effects budgets thrown at such projects. The show won awards, boosted tourism for its locations, and dominated conversations for years. Still, the troubled season 8 of Game of Thrones ended with a finale that divided viewers, leaving many unimpressed.
While the decision on whether a TV show can be considered a masterpiece is up to the viewer, the best TV shows of all time tend to prioritize character development and storytelling. Breaking Bad may have a couple of polarizing episodes, but any plot issues are overshadowed by the acting. Shows like House might have a repetitive plot, but the characters are compelling enough that this is overlooked. That said, no matter how visually striking a show is, or how well its characters are written, a bad finale can turn it from a masterpiece into a frustrating viewing experience.
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House of Cards
Claire’s Brutal Legacy Ends With An Improbable Cliffhanger
House of Cards was one of the best political shows on TV, with its constant twists and surprising drama. Unlike other political series, it rarely had dry moments, and it smoothly explained the roles of the cabinet, making the series accessible to people without a good grasp of politics. The acting was excellent, with the central characters Frank and Claire being unlikable and mesmerizing at the same time. The show looked set to be a masterpiece, but after issues surrounding Kevin Spacey came to light, Robin Wright (Claire) was left to carry House of Cards alone.
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While the situation was not ideal, Wright and her character were capable of carrying the final season. However, the ludicrous finale ruined both season 6 and the show itself. House of Cards had its improbable moments, but in its final minutes, Claire stabbed the former Chief of Staff in the Oval Office. Revealing that Doug Stamper had killed his former boss was an odd writing choice, but leaving the finale on a cliffhanger after which Claire was certain to be caught was even stranger. The finale could have saved the legacy of House of Cards, but it failed dramatically.
8
The Promised Neverland
The Finale Took Away The High Stakes Of The Story
The Promised Neverland is an anime that follows a group of children escaping from an orphanage after they discover that they are being raised to be demon food. The show’s dark premise, characterization, and visual style brought rave reviews, and rightfully so. And while fans of the original source material were unhappy with the changes to season 2, many new viewers were still impressed, at least until the finale.
The Promised Neverland‘s finale crams years of plot into one episode, and it gives most of the characters an unrealistic happy ending.
The Promised Neverland‘s finale crammed years of plot into one episode, and it gave most of the characters an unrealistic happy ending. This defeated the terrifying premise and negated a major character’s sacrifice, leading to The Promised Neverland‘s downfall.
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Dexter
The Finale Left The Lead Character A Voiceless Lumberjack
Dexter‘s finale was one of the most unpredictable finales of all time, but this was not a good thing. After killing his mother and countless other serial killers, Dexter’s lack of action led to Debra being in a permanent coma. His decision to mercy-kill her made Debra his final kill, which many reviewers found out of character.
Dexter’s controversial choice to be a lumberjack without his signature internal monologue was a bizarre writing decision. The finale had none of the humor and wit that defined Dexter, and it felt like an attempt to neatly resolve every loose end, no matter how improbably.
6
Killing Eve
The Finale Was Voted The Worst Of All Time
Killing Eve centered on the sociopathic assassin Villanelle (Comer) and MI5 agent Eve Polastri’s mission to take her down. Both Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh were widely praised for their performances, depicting their characters’ cat-and-mouse chase and sexual tension impressively. And the show broke apart sexist tropes throughout its run.
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However, shortly after Eve and Villanelle finally kiss in the finale, Villanelle was killed by gunfire. This fits Hollywood’s outdated “bury your gays” trope in which a gay character dies shortly after finding happiness with a partner. And the choice was predictably unpopular; a study conducted by JeffBet even found that Killing Eve had the most disappointing finale of all time.
5
The Umbrella Academy
The Tragic Ending Destroyed A Story About Hope
The core message of The Umbrella Academy was that chosen family is more important than who you are born to. The adopted Hargreeves siblings were dysfunctional but generally supported each other while trying to heal from the trauma their father caused. The cinematography, script, and soundtrack were all perfect, and the time-and-space jumping story was a complex but extremely fun journey.
It was a bummer of an ending, ruining The Umbrella Academy‘s legacy and message of survival against the odds.
So, when the Hargreeves siblings discovered that their existence was what splintered the universe in the final season, their resulting sacrifice went against every positive message in the show. It was a bummer of an ending, ruining The Umbrella Academy‘s legacy and message of survival against the odds.
4
Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl’s Identity Made No Sense
Gossip Girl may not be a masterpiece in the traditional sense, but it was one of the defining shows that influenced pop culture in the 2000s. Gossip Girl is extremely quotable, with iconic fashion looks and a mystery that related to teen life — but in an uber-rich New York fantasy.
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The identity of the mysterious blogger known as “Gossip Girl” was never going to please everyone, but Dan Humphrey made no sense as Gossip Girl. The reveal ruined the show on a rewatch, and Gossip Girl‘s legacy would likely have been better if the blogger had remained a mystery.
3
How I Met Your Mother
The Finale Undid The Character Arcs Built Over Nine Seasons
How I Met Your Mother could have been one of the best TV sitcoms of all time, but after the show had built up and developed its characters for nine seasons, the finale went off the rails. After spending nine seasons detailing all the women Ted had slept with before, the show finally introduced his kids’ mother, Tracy. However, she almost immediately dies of cancer during a time jump.
This was already a controversial choice, but How I Met Your Mother then veered away from meeting the mother to Ted reconciling with Robin. This undermined the premise of the show and all the necessary character growth throughout.
2
Star Trek Enterprise
The Finale Promised Great Things But Never Delivered
The world of Star Trek is one of the richest and most interesting in the science-fiction genre. That said, the finale of Star Trek: Enterprise appeared to throw out all the features that made Star Trek so successful. The show killed off a major character as a plot twist, and with strangely minimal grief from the rest of the characters.
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Additionally, Star Trek characters have made some incredibly inspiring speeches, and while it appeared that the speech Archer was writing was going to be one of the show’s best, he was never seen delivering it. This undermined the series as well, ensuring that the end of Star Trek: Enterprise was underwhelming.
1
The Sopranos
The Show’s Controversial Finale Overshadows The Story
The Sopranos gave us some of the best gangster characters in TV history, and some reviewers still consider the show a masterpiece. The late James Gandolfini might have been the highlight of the series, but the acting was excellent throughout. The Sopranos follows the formidable New Jersey mafia boss Tony Soprano as he starts therapy for panic attacks, which he is hiding from the other mafia members. The show often killed main characters, with a common theme being that we never know when we’re going to die, and the finale illustrated that in an unusual way, frustrating many viewers.
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Tony is meeting his family in a diner, and the scene cuts between him, his daughter in her car, and a man at the bar, which is playing “Don’t Stop Believin‘.” The screen suddenly cuts to black mid-song, ending the show, and possibly Tony’s life. While some viewers have drawn parallels to an assassination in The Godfather, The Sopranos finale has been polarizing as it leaves viewers unclear if Tony Soprano died or not. The finale was described as both “amazing” and “disappointing” by critics, and has become a defining feature of the show, which was otherwise fantastic.
