S/O Series that have been a huge disappointment - TV series

[camlan]

If you are going to have an over arching theme - then plan it as a miniseries. Plan it out beginning middle and end have the network or better Netflix/Amazon/Hulu buy the whole thing. Put in online/on air and let me watch it knowing I get to see your ending. I don't have to fear fox/Sci-fi or other network pulling the rug out from under us and cancelling  - or worse putting the epis in a different order, forcing editing out stuff they don't like and then cancelling the show because it is to hard to follow doesn't make sense. 

I'm hoping streaming will make it easier for great storyteller to tell their stories.

Or do what the creator of Babylon 5 did--plan out a specific story arc and determine how many seasons will be needed to tell the story. From the beginning, B5 was planned to last for 5 years. Tell the story, then end the show.

From the point of view of the networks/cable company, it's better to wring every last possible cent of advertising dollars out of a show.

From the point of view of the fans, it's best to end on a high note, not a dying sigh.

[Snooks]

Heroes - Hayden Panettiere was on a chat show the other week and even she commented on how people would tell her they loved the first series then just stop talking.  My problem with Heroes was that they started off with a semblance of logic (powers were inherited/genetic) and threw in a bit of mystery (Peter and Nathan's parents/HRG) then the whole thing just went off on a crazy tangent with all sorts of people getting powers and all the rules of powers that were hinted at were dropped.  I can fully get on board with alternative universes/strange happenings but only if there is consistency in the storytelling.

Other series I've given up on:
Treme - too many storylines stretched too thin - they should have made it like The Wire and dug deep into one strand of people in each series.
Once Upon A Time - stringing a story out with no end in sight.

Someone mentioned Blackadder and I think the strange thing about that is that each series is pretty much standalone.  Series 2 is my brother's favourite, series 3 is mine and series 4 is my dad's.

[TeamBhakta]

How I Met Your Mother 

[daen]

Bones.

The first 4 maybe 5 seasons were great, but then when the show got eaten by the pregnancies I was done.

I hated this one from the first episode. Mainly because the main character was nothing like the one in the books the show is based on. I figured the book character was too "old" and not hip enough for target audience, whatever that may be, and the network figured if they put someone younger, and presumeably better looking in, it woudl get better ratings.

I also loved Gray's Anatomy, and ER, and many other shows, in the beginning. But some of them just go on so long, and the story lines get so ludicrous, i stop watching. I don't ahve much time to watch tv to begin with, so committing to a series is difficult.

Occasionally I will watch Bones, but I'm finding it less and less pleasant. I'm okay with the main character being different from the book - it irks me a little, but the industry tends to do that sort of thing. The storylines are usually good, but Bones herself doesn't make sense as a character - I can't picture her knowing enough about human nature to be able to write best-selling novels, for one thing. The everlasting relationship overlay over everything gets old, too. One larger-than-life dramatic relationship? Sure, bring it on - in small doses. Everyone in the lab being blatantly on the hunt or on the make? Please stop. Stop now.

Apparently I dislike the show more than I realized.

As for X-files - it went on far too long. The writers had planned out the story arc, then agreed to more seasons, and ended up haphazardly nailing bits and pieces to the original conspiracy idea to make it last longer. They contradicted themselves a few times along the way. I also had trouble with Scully being the believer and Mulder or Doggett being the skeptic - it didn't sit right. I would still consider re-watching episodes from the first few seasons, but I would be selective, more so as one gets further into the series.

[guihong]

M*A*S*H*.  The first seasons with Henry Blake were classic, but gradually it got very preachy.

[wolfie]

Bones.

The first 4 maybe 5 seasons were great, but then when the show got eaten by the pregnancies I was done.

I hated this one from the first episode. Mainly because the main character was nothing like the one in the books the show is based on. I figured the book character was too "old" and not hip enough for target audience, whatever that may be, and the network figured if they put someone younger, and presumeably better looking in, it woudl get better ratings.

I also loved Gray's Anatomy, and ER, and many other shows, in the beginning. But some of them just go on so long, and the story lines get so ludicrous, i stop watching. I don't ahve much time to watch tv to begin with, so committing to a series is difficult.

Occasionally I will watch Bones, but I'm finding it less and less pleasant. I'm okay with the main character being different from the book - it irks me a little, but the industry tends to do that sort of thing. The storylines are usually good, but Bones herself doesn't make sense as a character - I can't picture her knowing enough about human nature to be able to write best-selling novels, for one thing. The everlasting relationship overlay over everything gets old, too. One larger-than-life dramatic relationship? Sure, bring it on - in small doses. Everyone in the lab being blatantly on the hunt or on the make? Please stop. Stop now.

Apparently I dislike the show more than I realized.

As for X-files - it went on far too long. The writers had planned out the story arc, then agreed to more seasons, and ended up haphazardly nailing bits and pieces to the original conspiracy idea to make it last longer. They contradicted themselves a few times along the way. I also had trouble with Scully being the believer and Mulder or Doggett being the skeptic - it didn't sit right. I would still consider re-watching episodes from the first few seasons, but I would be selective, more so as one gets further into the series.

But Mulder was the believer and Scully was the skeptic. I stopped watching before they left the show because i just couldn't stand to see it go downhill anymore.

[cheyne]

Burn Notice.  Once Fiona killed Carla the show was over for me. I will watch it sporadically with DH, but don't really care much anymore.

[Julia Mercer]

90210, the Beverly Hills 90210 sequel, I watched a few episodes to see what it was all about, but couldn't get into it. For the longest time I couldn't get into the Degrassi sequel Degrassi The Next Generation and it's sister Degrassi, but I watched it here and there, and while it's nothing like the original Degrassi series from the 80's (nothing can beat that), I don't mind it!

[lilfox]

Older series that even I gave up on (and usually I watched series til the bitter end):

Frasier.  I didn't bother with the last season at all.
Cheers - okay, I did watch the whole series but yeah, the last season or two weren't necessary.
The Simpsons.  I will still catch an episode once in a while but meh.  And it used to be appointment TV for me.
Law & Order (original).  I think I've seen them all but once Jack became the DA, I couldn't get into the new ADAs or cops.
L&O Criminal Intent - even half a season with Vincent D'onofrio was too much, considering what they did with his character.
Gray's Anatomy.  Somehow they manage to make major cast shakeups feel formulaic.

[MrTango]

M*A*S*H*.  The first seasons with Henry Blake were classic, but gradually it got very preachy.

It did get preachy, especially when Alan Alda started directing more and more episodes.

With that said, there were a couple really good episodes with Harry Morgan as Col. Potter.  I also really enjoyed watching the progression Maj. Burns' insanity.

[Bethczar]

West Wing after Aaron Sorkin left.

The last season, with the election, was amazing. Did Sorkin return? I stopped watching it for a while, too.

[KenveeB]

I'm still sad about Eureka!. They fiddled with it too much, then seemed to get back on track, then discontinued it. Sob.

<sniff> Oh, Eureka. It was the best show on television -- smart, funny, great characters. Then it just went weird. I stopped watching it when they did time travel for about the third time and reset the entire continuity.

[TeamBhakta]

I'm still sad about Eureka!. They fiddled with it too much, then seemed to get back on track, then discontinued it. Sob.

<sniff> Oh, Eureka. It was the best show on television -- smart, funny, great characters. Then it just went weird. I stopped watching it when they did time travel for about the third time and reset the entire continuity.

I disliked the Grace and Henry story line. She just didn't fit in at all. That plus I got bored with "Oh look, yet again I know within 2 minutes who secretly caused Today's Major Disaster (TM)."

[Acadianna]

Treme - too many storylines stretched too thin - they should have made it like The Wire and dug deep into one strand of people in each series.

Since we're from New Orleans originally, my son and I were very much looking forward to Treme.  We lost interest within 2-3 episodes though.

[Kaora]

Once Upon A Time - Okay, this was vaguely interesting for a few episodes.  I watch until around the time Jimeny comes in, and just give up because I don't feel like watching it anymore.  My BF still bugs me to watch it, points out a nerd news blogger called it the best piece of Disney fanfic ever, but I don't know.  If I wasn't interested in continuing it then, why now?

Sliders - It's still great, so long as you pretend that the first two seasons are all there are, and make up your own ending in a fanfic. I'm sort of glad that Artuo from the first Earth (not his evil twin) is still technically around (so says Torme, and there is a little evidence in the show to prove it.)  At least he escaped the madness of the later seasons.

Quantum Leap- Both great and bad.  I'm not dissing it too much, as I quite like the series, but I can also see where others could say it went wrong.  Unlike a PP, I quite liked the ending, and thought it was quite nice, and a good sequel hook, if one should ever (formerly) exist.

Otherworld- Okay, I had to find and watch this one myself, since it was around shortly before I was. Eight episodes and that's the truth, with a potential ninth out there.  Family is exploring ancient Egyptian ruins, during a very specific planetary alignment; the pyramid they are in gets hit by lightning, and they end up transported to a new planet that is sectioned off into separate zones, with no man's land separating each one, and the family, with access to a high level keycard (data crystal) on the run from the planet's government, discovering each new zone.  They all have separate cultures and rules, and are essentially treated as nations under a dystopian government.  Very good concept, but it ended up flopping and was never heard from again (mostly.)  Dealt mainly with the family learning how to integrate with a new zone each episode, and trying to find a way back to Earth.