Nothing gold can stay, and isn’t that unfortunate. That statement was never truer when speaking about television. Even the greatest shows of all time stumble, and some never recover.
Below are 10+ of the worst seasons of television ever to haunt the small screen.
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They remain as warnings and reminders of how even the smallest miscalculation can have catastrophic consequences on viewership.
Season 9 of *Scrubs*.
The ninth season of Scrubs is the perfect example of a show not knowing when to call it quits.
They tried to reinvent the wheel and turn Sacred Heart into a teaching hospital for a new generation of doctors.
Season 8 of *Dexter*.
There are multiple seasons of Dexter that could’ve been included on this list, but the worst by far is season 8.
Dexter and Deb engage in a weird sibling love relationship and Dexter commits one of the greatest character betrayals in the history of TV.
Season 9 of *The Office*.
An office without a manager is like a ship without a captain: utter and total chaos.
After the departure of Steve Carrell (Michael Scott), the show never fully recovered, By season 9, many fans were happy to put The Office out to pasture.
Season 6 of *House Of Cards*.
House of Cards ground to a quick and sudden halt following the departure of Kevin Spacey. The show simply lacked the star power to lurch forward.
Combine that with shoddy writing and a less-than-believable premise, and the final season is a black mark on an otherwise brilliant, groundbreaking series.
Season 7 of *New Girl*.
Tired. Redundant. Unoriginal. These are the three adjectives I’d use to describe the final season of New Girl .
It appeared as if the show’s writers simply ran out of ideas toward the end. It devolved into the TV equivalent of a dog chasing its tail.
Season 8 of *Game Of Thrones*.
By the time that the final season of Game of Thrones rolled around, there were about a million and one fan theories for how the show was going to end.
Any single one of those would have been better than what we actually got.
Season 10 of *Modern Family*.
The final season of Modern Family was just plain frustrating, mostly due to their treatment of Haley Dunphy’s character.
I’m sorry, but to have her go through this whole evolution as a person, only to have her end up back with Dylan, was disappointing.
Season 4 of *Homeland*.
So Homeland made the fatal mistake of killing off their best character at the end of the 3rd season. What follows next is pure, hot trash.
The show completely derailed from that point on, becoming almost unwatchable and cringe-worthy.
Season 5 of *Weeds*.
Weeds got too big for its britches. It worked best when it wasn’t trying to be anything other than what it was: an enjoyable sitcom about a widowed housewife who sold pot.
It did not work with Nancy as the ex-wife to a murdered drug lord on the run from a cartel.
Season 3 of *Californication*.
This is a prime example of a show not knowing when to quit. Had Californication been only one season long, it would be hailed as one of the most impactful series of the 2000s.
Instead, it became a hilarious shell of what it once was.
Season 7 of *Entourage*.
Vince’s descent into addiction and depression provided some of the most cringe-worthy moments in Entourage . It marked a departure from the predominately carefree and lighthearted nature of the character that just seemed…unbelievable.
The show attempted to shine a light on the pitfalls of celebrity and failed miserably.
Season 1 of *The Simpsons*.
Give The Simpsons some credit: their series premiere was over 30 years ago! It’s only fair that some elements would understandably not hold up.
Sadly, the animation wasn’t fully developed and Dan Castellaneta’s voice for Homer still sounded like a bad Walter Matthau impression.
Season 4 of *Shameless*.
There’s a recurring trend of shows betraying their fabric and being punished for it. Perhaps none are more guilty of this than Shameless .
Season 4 was just plain dark. From here on in, Shameless stopped being a sitcom.
Season 4 of *Community*.
Affectionately known as “The Gas Leak,” season 4 was the beginning of the end for Community .
The firing of creator Dan Harmon, as well as the friction with Chevy Chase was just too much to overcome.
Season 9 of *How I Met Your Mother*.
For a number of years, How I Met Your Mother was one of the best running sitcoms on TV.
By the time it reached its 9th season, I, along with several loyal viewers, were watching solely out of spite.
Season 7 of *Pretty Little Liars*.
The last season of a show always has to be a wrap-up. But Pretty Little Liars tried to do too much in the last season.
They introduced new plots and characters and tried to fit too much into one season.
Season 5 of *Teen Wolf*.
The actual season would have been really good had the plot chosen to look at just one storyline.
But by pushing everything together, the show appeared confused, muddled, and kind of badly written. But hey, they tried their best.
Season 7 of *Buffy the Vampire Slayer*.
In the last season of Buffy , the writers added too much betrayal. And while we normally love some drama, this was the kind of betrayal that seemed unrealistic.
We honestly couldn’t believe any of the decisions that the characters were making.
Season 2 of *Friday Night Lights*.
Season 2 was just full of too much drama that didn’t seem realistic. Between murder plots and little side stories, it became hard to keep track of everything that was happening.
But I’m sure that some people enjoyed the endless drama.
Season 9 of *American Horror Story*.
While many were excited about the ’80s horror that would be brought to the table in season 9 of AHS , it didn’t quite hit the mark as we thought it would.
The writing was simply not as good as the other seasons. It wasn’t as creepy, either.
Season 8 of *That ’70s Show*.
Eric Forman leaving and being replaced by Randy was just not good.
Eric was not only a funny character, but he was the main character. How do you get rid of the main character and still go on for another season?!
Season 3 of *The O.C.*
Marissa being killed off was probably one of the biggest mistakes in television (and that’s saying something, considering what Game of Thrones did).
The show quickly fell flat after that, as the drama lessened (and we love drama), and the core group fell apart.
Season 1 of *Parks and Recreation*.
Don’t get me wrong, Parks and Rec is one of the greatest comedy shows ever, but season one was definitely a little harder to get through.
But tons of comedies have trouble finding their footing at the very beginning, so we’ll excuse it.
