TV audiences put a lot of pressure on screenwriters to pen the perfect ending to a series, and it's no surprise.
Dedicated viewers have invested their limited time season after season watching their favorite characters evolve and overcome any hardships thrown their way.
Writers owe it to fans to close out the show that's kept them on the payroll in a respectful manner.
A perfect example of one of the best TV series finales is HBO's Six Feet Under, where all the main characters got the proper send-off in a poignant manner to give fans a sense of closure.
But not all series have achieved this benchmark so effectively.
Curious to hear examples from disappointed TV viewers, Redditor AbelNB asked:
"What TV Show had the worst ending?"
FYI: Spoiler alerts that can actually help prevent you from wasting your time.
These fantasy shows were way beyond the realm of being plausible.
Hocus Pocus
"Merlin has a pretty horrible ending. Seasons 4 and 5 really felt like the show was beginning to be something special and then it just ends."
– jamers_the_great
Puppet Alien
"Nobody will remember this, but the correct answer is ALF."
"It was supposed to be a cliff hanger, but the show got cancelled, and they ended the series with ALF being captured and taken away to be disected. GOOD NIGHT KIDS!"
– Fritzo2162
End Of The Race
"Dinosaurs ended on a mass extinction event caused by the dad or something. GOOD NIGHT KIDS!"
– MelQMaid
Defeated
"Xena:Warrior Princess."
"20 years later and I am still pissed off."
– EfficientDismal
These TV viewers were left with unresolved plot lines.
Classified Bummer
"X-Files."
"Tried to tie several story arcs together that directly contradicted one another and did it with a clip show."
– Thegerman959
Closure From A Different Show
"Like Quantum Leap, My Name Is Earl ended on a cliffhanger which was cancelled soon after S4 . The only resolution given was on the first episode of Greg Garcia's next project Raising Hope where a TV news broadcast in the background said a man in Camden County completed his list."
"NBC had a knack for making bonehead decisions..."
– Final-Ad-2033
House Of Cards
"Should have ended when he got the presidency. It was all weak after that - Frank had a goal in the first few seasons, it's what drove him. Then he gets it, and his motivation is just... keeping what he has."
"Perfect end scene was when he did his signature knock on the president's desk. Cut to black. End show."
– SeraphStarchild
This Bombed
"Jericho. That show had so much potential and they just loosely wrapped it up leaving me very unfulfilled with no conclusion or closure."
– iamkylo214
Ambitious shows have a tendency of not delivering at the end.
"Heroes. God the writer's strike really had that show go wildly off the rails."
– RozRae
Pretty Little Mess
"Pretty little liars, the creator never even knew how it would end. I hate that show because it was great for the first maybe 2 seasons then just terrible from then on."
– Weirdo_trans_guy
Schlock Holmes
"BBC Sherlock"
"The whole reason I loved that show was the mystery being explained by cold hard logic and the powers of observation. The entire last season was basically Sherlock sister has mind control which takes effect within seconds. Total BS and I hate it. That was my favourite tv series of all time and I felt physically ill when they just murdered the whole season like that."
– benawen
I held off on watching Game of Thrones because I didn't want to give in to the hype.
After hearing so many fans gripe about the disappointing series finale, I'm glad I didn't waste my time.
But I wonder, is the journey still worth the commitment, even if the destination leaves you feeling all dressed up and nowhere to go?
@JenWave95/X
@gearinco/Bluesky
