Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

TV Series That Had The Absolute Worst Endings

A viewer sitting in front of the TV
Mollie Sivaram/Unsplash

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?

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

A woman throwing her hand in a man's face.
woman standing in front of man during daytime
Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

People Share The Red Flags That Signal Someone Wasn't Raised Right

Nature vs. nurture.

There is that age-old debate about whether or not someone is who they are because of how they were raised or if it's simply part of who they are.

Keep ReadingShow less
snowboarder
Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash

People Break Down Which Jobs Seem More Appealing Than They Really Are

When we're kids, we often dream of having a variety of jobs when we grow up.

At age 5, I was trying to choose between being a firefighter and a nun. Both didn't seem like a viable option.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from mskimmerling's TikTok video; image of person wearing a full-face snorkeling mask
@mskimmerling/TikTok; Imgorthand/Getty Images

Woman Shares Scary Warning About The Dangers Of Full-Face Snorkeling Masks In Viral TikTok

When we go on vacation, we generally like to try out new things, things that we couldn't do from our own homes, like scuba diving or skydiving or taking selfies with wildlife in the background.

Like any other extracurricular activity, there are safety precautions that should absolutely be observed to avoid ruining the whole vacation.

Keep ReadingShow less
Scholastic Book Fair banner with screenshot of tweet
UCG/Getty Images; @heart_pages/X

A Viral Tweet About The Scholastic Book Fair Sparked A Hilariously Heated Discussion

We haven't thought about the Scholastic Book Fair in ages.

The glitter pens, the range of posters from cars to kittens, scented erasers, diaries complete with lock and key.

Keep ReadingShow less
dark ocean water
Matt Hardy on Unsplash

People Who Spend A Lot Of Time At Sea Describe Their Eeriest Experiences

The Earth's oceans and seas cover about 71% of the planet's surface.

The total area of the oceans is 361 million sq km (139 million sq miles), while the total area of land is just 149 million sq km (57 million sq miles).

Keep ReadingShow less