All good things must come to an end, even our favorite TV shows. Over the years, we have seen some of our favorite TV shows linger for far longer than they should have.
Often, the storylines became boring or too convoluted, while our favorite characters became obnoxious versions of themselves. In order to remind everyone that we can have too much of a good thing, here is a list of ten TV shows that have lasted way past their prime.
True Blood
There was a time when series and movies about vampires were a dime a dozen but none were as popular and as deliciously evil as the southern gothic, True Blood. Based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris, the show quickly became a critical success and a cultural phenomenon.
Unfortunately, after season three, the show dragged on for another four seasons with increasingly stranger plotlines that viewers and seemingly even the characters could not care about. From witches, fairies to werepanthers, the show became a sad parody of itself and perhaps it would have been saved by ending a little sooner.
The Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang Theory is one of those universal shows where almost everybody has at least seen an episode. Created by the King of Sitcoms Chuck Lore, the show lasted an incredible twelve seasons.
However, over the years the quality of the show dwindled and fans got tired of the lazy jokes and that many of the characters like Raj and Sheldon became sad caricatures of themselves. In the end, the show would have been better served to have ended much earlier.
X-Files
There has been no more successful sci-fi show than the X-Files. The show was a fresh take on the extraterrestrial and conspiracy theory genre that had fans hooked from season one. However, over time, the show became lost in its own world with increasingly complicated and bizarre plot lines.
However, the real death of the show came with David Duchovny's departure at the end of season seven. The success of X-Files was mainly due to the chemistry between David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. It made absolutely no sense for the show to continue without him. Although Duchovny returned for the reboot, the show had already lost a lot of the magic that made it so popular.
Once Upon A Time
Once Upon A Time is the most child-friendly series on this list. Based on all our favorite bedtime stories, the show added new and intriguing twists to the fairytale genre. In season six, the show perfectly ended its main storyline and gave a fitting send-off to almost all of its characters.
Unwisely, the show was picked up for an additional season with an all-new premise and cast, and fans did not like it at all. Therefore, it was no surprise that the show was canceled after the seventh season.
Black Mirror
Some shows just shake the very fabric of television and Black Mirror is certainly one of those shows. This sci-fi anthology became an instantaneous critical hit due to its mind-bending episodes that probably left all of us with even more anxieties about technology.
The show was seemingly going strong for its first four seasons but after a two-year wait, many fans were left disappointed and underwhelmed with its fifth season. Only having three episodes, the fifth season seemingly lost touch with its core ideals and was simply not as creative as the past seasons. Although there will likely be a sixth season, some fans hope it will just stay at five.
Archer
As Archer hoped to find a way around this by taking some notes from day time TV and decided to throw its lead into a coma in season eight.
The idea was that each subsequent season would follow Archer through his various dream worlds. At first, this seemed like a creative twist but as the seasons continued fans missed the old Archer and the show's continuity. Thankfully, Archer finally came out his coma in season nine and fans are hoping that the show will return to its previous glory.
Supernatural
Easily the most controversial show on this list, the CW's Supernatural has been on our screens for nearly fifteen years. However, many fans felt that the show was only meant to last five seasons with the finale "Swan Song" being the fitting send off to the show, as was the intention of creator Eric Kripke.
The first few seasons after it's fifth struggled to find its feet without Kripke, while fans particularly hated the show's seventh season. However, Supernatural currently has had a very strong final season that is very similar to season five, so perhaps the show will be able to redeem itself.
Altered Carbon
Netflix's Altered Carbon was one of the surprise sci-fi hits of 2018. Set in a dystopian future where people have the ability to transfer their consciousness to different bodies, the first season was full of intrigue, betrayal, and mystery.
Season two was recently released on Netflix and unfortunately, there was a stark difference from season one. Due to shorter episodes, it felt very rushed while also lacking some of the amazing scenery and edgy plotlines of the previous season.
Girls
Back in 2012, Lena Dunham's show Girls became an instantaneous hit for its relative success at portraying barely functioning, twenty-something women in New York. The show was raw and had many wonderfully flawed characters that fans either related too or that made them feel much better about themselves.
However, the last season of the show kind of struggled with itself and its characters. Some of the characters like Marnie didn't really grow while the lead Hannah ended up as a watered-down version of herself. In the end, the show just stopped feeling as real and with Dunhum's many controversies, the show should have perhaps ended much earlier.
Community
Everybody loves a good sitcom but none were as unique and as inventive as Dan Harmon's Community. The show became well-known for its creativity, its concept episodes, and its very talented cast and crew. However, the show went through a variety of changes that did not sit well with fans and even with some of the cast.
From Harmon's firing in season four, the departure of Chevy Chase and Donald Glover and its move to Yahoo! Screen, the show just had too many changes that affected the quality of the show. As a result, the later seasons are often the least liked by fans and perhaps Community would have been better suited with a shorter run.