Every entertainment medium makes significant leaps forward over time but there's an extra level of innovation that accompanies television. There used to be a time where television was considered inferior to the cinematic experience. However, storytelling on TV has entered a golden age that's responsible for some of the best narratives and characters of recent decades.
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Sadly, television can struggle with figuring out how to extend stories for multiple seasons, potentially longer than originally intended. There is no shortage of television shows that continue long after they've lost their purpose. The viewers who remain tend to stick around because of the time that they've already invested into the program.
J.J. Abrams has translated his skill of creating mysterious serialized television into modern installments in cinematic franchises. Alias was a thrilling spy drama that lasted for five seasons. Alias prided itself in its incredible cliffhangers and its ability to leap ahead in its story and subvert expectations. This desire to frequently reset the slate became Alias' biggest problem. Alias and its characters grew increasingly exaggerated. The scope and stakes are so ridiculous by the final season that it's nearly unwatchable.
. Season 1 RT rating: 84%
. Season 5 RT rating: 100%
One of the most frustrating things about being a fan of a popular TV show is that success can sometimes overpower story. Plenty of series continue after their natural expiration point because they're still big draws for their respective networks. Similarly, Dexter is carried by its compelling premise. A vigilante serial killer hides in plain sight within the Miami police department, but the idea reaches greater diminishing returns each season. Dexter's initial four seasons maintain a relatively consistent level of quality. However, each season is sloppier than its predecessor, leading to a truly baffling finish.
. Season 1 RT rating: 82%
. Season 8 RT rating: 33%
Audiences mainly tuned into House Of Cards' later seasons for closure and the curiosity of how Kevin Spacey's exit would be handled. The pivot to Claire Underwood isn't necessarily a bad idea, but House Of Cards is a two- or three-season show that's dragged out for six seasons.
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The stakes and obstacles are ridiculous by the end, and its best days were its early ones. Even House Of Cards' most committed fans jumped ship before the end. Unsurprisingly, House Of Cards ended on a weak note with little fanfare.
. Season 1 RT rating: 87%
. Season 6 RT rating: 65%
There's a certain novelty to Entourage's insider look at a struggling actor's journey to make it in Hollywood. Unfortunately, Entourage became known for gratuitous sex and excessive celebration as opposed to subversive comedy. Vinnie Chase's journey grows stale and the characters regress instead of progressing. Entourage wore out its welcome and nearly became a caricature of itself. Despite having very little left to say by the end of season eight, a feature film later followed.
. Season 1 RT rating: 73%
. Season 8 RT rating: 46%
Heroes only ran for four seasons, with a one-season attempt at a reboot, Heroes: Reborn. Heroes faced issues as early as its second season. The debut season of Heroes has incredible storytelling, but the popularity of these burgeoning heroes pushed the show to scrap its original plans. Instead, they continued with characters who had already concluded their original stories. Each season of Heroes struggles more than the last. It's only Heroes' ongoing mythology and curiosity about the fates of these once-beloved characters that kept people along for the ride.
. Season 1 RT rating: 82%
. Season 4 RT rating: 29%
Showtime is sometimes guilty of running series into the ground, keeping them around for as long as possible. There's a quirky charm to Weeds when it first begins. Weeds follows Mary-Louise Parker's Nancy Botwin as she struggles to make ends meet for her family and finds a solution in peddling marijuana.
Nancy's problems continually get out of hand. Many view Weeds' abandonment of its original suburban setting, Agrestic, as its natural end. However, Weeds carries on for eight seasons, sends the Botwins to Mexico, and gets further off course from its original mission statement than its creators could have imagined.
. Season 1 RT rating: 79%
. Season 8 RT rating: 40%
The X-Files has played a pivotal role in the development of mainstream genre storytelling and had a lengthy run of more than 200 episodes. The show maintained a surprising level of quality when it came to its episodic monster-of-the-week stories. However, the increasingly convoluted and changing alien conspiracy mythology exhausted viewers. The loss of David Duchovny during The X-Files' later seasons didn't help and many viewers returned for the finale and revival just to learn what was going on.
. Season 1 RT rating: 83%
. (Initial Final Season) Season 9 RT rating: 22%
. Season 11 RT rating: 77%
Any TV show is going to experience fatigue over the course of more than 250 episodes, but Two And A Half Men could have ended its run much earlier. There's nothing particularly innovative about the sitcom's premise where Charlie Sheen's lecherous Charlie Harper acclimates to life with his brother and nephew.
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Charlie Sheen, and later Angus T. Jones, both left the series, giving its final seasons a very different energy. Fans were watching out of both obligation and morbid curiosity.
. Season 1 RT rating: 80%
. Season 12 Rt rating: 33%
Archer started as a brilliant satire of the spy genre that features an entertaining cast of unscrupulous characters. After 12 seasons, Archer recently returned to its spy roots. For several seasons, Archer abandoned its core premise/genre and transformed itself into a noir mystery, adventure serial, and space drama. Archer has taken some extreme stylistic detours that have given it an unusual shelf life. Many audiences have returned to see where Archer is headed after its "coma seasons," but there's a sense of obligation and closure that's present alongside the anticipation.
. Season 1 RT rating: 95%
. Season 11 RT rating: 80%
Californication is essentially a vanity piece for David Duchovny who effortlessly plays egotistical womanizer, Hank Moody. Hank's unrepentant behavior and his ability to fail upwards as he works to maintain a healthy family has a sweetness in its core. However, the series starts spinning its wheels surprisingly quickly. Hank is always messing up, and his revolving cast of temporary romantic partners results in less impact with each new introduction. Californication's central story is lost, leaving the series feeling aimless and ending on a whimper.
. Season 1 RT rating: 74%
. Season 7 RT rating: 44%
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