It’s laborious to get the ending of a narrative proper. As a neighborhood of writers, we at Spoiler TV are nicely conscious of that. It’s particularly difficult when producing a TV present with an viewers of a number of million folks per episode, every with their very own concepts about how the finale ought to unfold. It’s inconceivable to please everybody – somebody will at all times be sad, complaining that their favourite character’s arc felt weak or that the actors weren’t given a worthy send-off.
However then there are exhibits the place the finale is such a disastrous letdown that almost all of the viewers agrees that it’s a trainwreck with no survivors, a remaining act of self-destruction. Every thing the present spent years constructing is destroyed within the remaining episode(s), leaving the viewers feeling betrayed after investing a lot time and emotion into the sequence. Some finales virtually appear to mock viewers for staying loyal by way of all these seasons and years. It feels as if the ultimate storyline was intentionally crafted to punish followers for transport a pair that was by no means meant to be or for rejecting a personality the creators have been decided to push. Different exhibits, nonetheless, collapsed below the load of their very own ambition, making an attempt too laborious to create the right ending, solely to buckle below stress, speeding the finale or cramming in an excessive amount of without delay.
We at SpoilerTV have come collectively to compile an inventory of the exhibits we imagine have been robbed of a satisfying conclusion.
Dexter – Cristina
| Michael C. Corridor © All Rights Reserved. |
The Dexter sequence finale, “Remember the Monsters?” (Season 8, Episode 12), is broadly thought-about one of the disappointing endings in TV historical past as a result of it did not ship a satisfying or logical conclusion to Dexter’s journey. All through the sequence, Dexter Morgan fastidiously balanced his double life as a blood-spatter analyst and serial killer who adopted “The Code.” However within the finale, he makes irrational, uncharacteristic decisions—particularly in how he handles Debra’s destiny and his personal supposed “self-exile.” Debra (Jennifer Carpenter), arguably the present’s emotional core, is shot and left brain-dead after a rushed and poorly executed shootout with Saxon. As an alternative of letting her die with dignity, Dexter decides to unplug her life help and eliminate her physique within the ocean—similar to his victims. This not solely contradicts his love for her but additionally feels chilly and mindless.
After dumping Deb’s physique within the sea, Dexter steers his boat right into a hurricane, seemingly committing suicide. Nonetheless, the present inexplicably reveals that he faked his dying and is now dwelling as a lumberjack in Oregon. Why? The reasoning is unclear. Dexter simply decides he brings doom to everybody he loves, so as a substitute of being together with his son Harrison (whom he simply deserted to Hannah, an ex-lover on the run), he isolates himself within the woods. It felt lazy, unearned, and utterly out of sync with the Dexter we knew.
Oliver Saxon (the Mind Surgeon) was a forgettable, underwhelming antagonist. In comparison with previous villains just like the Trinity Killer or the Ice Truck Killer, he lacked charisma or depth. His remaining showdown with Dexter was over in seconds, making him really feel like a throwaway villain somewhat than a real remaining problem for Dexter.
One of the vital irritating points was the shortage of closure. All through the sequence, Dexter was at all times on the sting of being caught—by legislation enforcement, his colleagues, and even his personal conscience. However ultimately, he merely walks away, avoiding justice, reckoning, or redemption. It felt just like the writers didn’t know the right way to finish his story, so they simply… didn’t.
The ending ignored what made Dexter nice: its psychological depth and ethical complexity. The backlash was so sturdy that Dexter: New Blood needed to are available in years later to attempt to repair it, however by then, the harm was completed. As an alternative of an exciting or emotional payoff, it left followers scratching their heads—and making a whole lot of lumberjack jokes.
Home MD – Eve
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| Hugh Laurie © All Rights Reserved. |
The ultimate episode of Home MD, titled “Everybody Dies,” aired on Could 21, 2012. The episode acquired blended reactions from viewers and critics alike. Some viewers appreciated the introspective nature of the episode, which centered on Home analyzing his life and future whereas treating a drug-addicted affected person. The episode featured cameos from a number of characters from earlier seasons, including a way of nostalgia. The decades-long friendship between Home and Wilson was highlighted, which many followers discovered very becoming. Nonetheless, others felt that the episode was overly sentimental and melodramatic, straying from the darker, extra life like tone of the present’s earlier seasons.
Dr. Lisa Cuddy, performed by Lisa Edelstein, didn’t seem within the remaining episode of Home MD. She left the present after Season 7. Lisa Edelstein selected to go away the present because of contract disputes. Within the storyline, Cuddy moved away from New Jersey following a violent finish to her relationship with Home, which included Home driving his automobile into her eating room. This occasion shocked many followers and the writers acquired some substantial warmth for this. Cuddy’s absence within the finale felt like a big oversight, particularly given her significance all through the sequence and her significant relationship with Home. The underwhelming response to the finale episode and even the whole remaining season triggered an ongoing debate between followers in regards to the finale’s effectiveness and its place within the sequence’ legacy.
Main Crimes – Julia
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| Robert Gossett, Kearran Giovanni, Phillip P. Keene, Tony Denison, Mary McDonnell, G.W. Bailey, Raymond Cruz, Michael Paul Chan, Johathan Del Arco and Graham Patrick Martin © All Rights Reserved. |
The primary present that instantly involves thoughts once I consider butchered sequence finales is TNT’s Main Crimes. As a spin-off of The Nearer, the crime procedural ran for six seasons, solely to finish with the primary character’s dying and people closest to her disregarding her values and every thing she had stood for. Commander Sharon O’Dwyer Raydor, the top of LAPD’s Main Crimes division, mom of three and a newlywed, was needlessly killed off 4 episodes earlier than the sequence finale, seemingly primarily to take away her rule-following, principled presence from the equation.
Whereas the present consisted of an ensemble solid, Sharon Raydor was basically the present’s central determine. Because it turned clear that Main Crimes probably wouldn’t get renewed for an additional season, season 6 was written with the understanding that it could be the ultimate chapter. The creators selected to finish the present by pushing apart the girl who had carried the sequence for six seasons and shifted the main focus to a personality who had turn into more and more disliked by a good portion of the viewers, a reality they have been undoubtedly conscious of.
To make issues worse, they killed Sharon Raydor in essentially the most uninspired approach doable: they gave her a coronary heart situation and had her ignore her physician’s orders (which was very a lot out of character for her) till she collapsed and died. The second she took her final breath, her adopted son and colleagues wasted no time in disregarding every thing she had stood for, unraveling her legacy. As the ultimate slap within the face, they eliminated the actress’s identify from the opening credit sooner than one may blink. Nice present – terrible ending. Sharon Raydor deserved higher, the actors deserved higher and so did the followers.
Sherlock – Anjali
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| Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch © All Rights Reserved. |
Anybody who has ever watched BBC’s Sherlock (2010-2017) is aware of that it was the most effective trendy diversifications of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s titular detective, Sherlock Holmes. For the primary two seasons, every thing was completely praise-worthy, from the writing to the appearing to the tales that got a modern-day twist and the hype changed into a full-fledged web phenomenon which exploded amongst audiences who weren’t solely utterly invested within the “Johnlock” mania of the duo, however within the fandom making an attempt to resolve one of many greatest mysteries when Sherlock seemingly faked his dying in season 2 which despatched Tumblr (and your entire web as a collective complete) right into a frenzied chaos for 2 years till the third season aired.
At first of season 3 Sherlock makes his triumphant return, reuniting with John after being presumed useless. Whereas Watson’s anger, devastation, and shock at seeing his greatest good friend once more have been centered on the “why” somewhat than the “how,” the thriller of Sherlock’s survival remained entierly unanswered. As an alternative, each rationalization was changed into a parody. Even Andersen’s character turned a comic book aid, appearing as a stand-in for the viewers. Obsessive about determining how Sherlock survived, he joins a fan group and creates a conspiracy board stuffed with pictures and strings, making an attempt to attach the dots and make it make sense. It got here throughout because the showrunners disregarding the query about Sherlock’s survival as unimportant and each principle changing into irrelevant, which in flip, urged that every one the fandom’s effort and time and dedication into one thing that they had really loved immersing themselves in was for nothing.
There’s additionally the problem of Eurus Holmes, a sibling of Sherlock and Mycroft that didn’t exist for your entire earlier episodes and seasons, till all of the sudden, she was conjured out of skinny air. She had a really convoluted backstory and ties to Moriarty and a grand plan to destroy her brother’s lives and John’s as nicely – however by the top of the sequence, every thing felt extra of a letdown than every episode that preceded it. Andrew Scott’s portrayal of Jim Moriarty casts an extended shadow, as no different villain matched his brilliance. The present began to really feel divided into two halves, earlier than season 2 and after.
The magic was gone, that lightning in a bottle feeling which was captured twice, didn’t work a 3rd or fourth time and although Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman’s chemistry continues to be the speak of the fandom, even years after the present “ended” (although by no means formally renewed or cancelled final season 4, the present is taken into account completed) it is secure to say that Sherlock had had its swan music with the finale of season 2 which was a peak tv expertise.
The X-Recordsdata – Elena
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| David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson © All Rights Reserved. |
“Not only the worst X-Files episode of all time, but the worst television my eyes have ever had to see.”
“There (are) some TV series that (I) don’t think know when to end.. This eleventh @thexfiles season is a remarkable example.”
“Worst tv series finale? The X-Files finale ruined me.”
Want I say extra?
The season 11 finale, “My Struggle IV” raised extra questions than it answered, particularly, why Chris Carter was writing one more being pregnant storyline for Scully, who was in her mid-fifties. Between Cigarette Smoking Man insisting he was William’s organic father, William’s dying, and Scully telling Mulder they’re anticipating a child, it’s secure to say that followers have been left confused and disillusioned. This present’s dealing with of fertility and conception left a lot to be desired, however in a present in regards to the paranormal, writers have a specific amount of leeway, which they’ve used unsparingly.
It have to be mentioned that at a sure level within the unique run, Chris Carter and different writers of the X-Recordsdata had misplaced their imaginative and prescient relating to the mytharc and the “truth” that guided the characters and their choices. He additionally acquired criticism from many viewers for the best way during which he dealt with Mulder and Scully’s relationship after such a slow-burn romance. Many followers believed the present ought to have led to season 8, as references to the pilot and former episodes have been made, and so they felt the story had come full circle.
There may be a lot to be mentioned about showrunners extending a sequence past its rightful finish, whether or not for revenue or legacy. On this case, evidently the revival didn’t garner the enchantment of the unique followers in the identical approach.
In a November 2024 episode of David Duchovny’s podcast, Gillian Anderson says in regards to the revival storyline, “It felt like Scully’s trajectory was no longer one of strength and agency, it felt like it was beholden to an old idea of what a woman is and that’s all she could talk about, literally.” referring to the return of their son William, who glided by Jackson Van De Kamp.
Sadly for the producers and actors, if the X-Recordsdata reboot ought to ever turn into a actuality, they’ll by no means escape the shadows of their predecessors, and any makes an attempt, irrespective of how renewed and bold, would in the end be futile.
My recommendation? Rewatch the unique sequence and flicks! 9 seasons is far more than the common today, and although the sequence finale was really despised by many, most argued that the 2 revival seasons featured some enjoyable monster-of-the-week episodes, and so they loved with the ability to watch Mulder and Scully develop collectively by way of one other interval of their lives.
The 100 – María Sol
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I began watching The 100 a number of years after it initially premiered, and shortly I turned obsessive about it, making it an instantaneous favourite. The primary seasons have been superb, filled with twists and turns that saved us engaged, with nice character improvement for nearly everybody. The characters have been at all times dealing with dilemmas that typically led them to do good, however different occasions took them to a darkish place.
I can admire seasons 5 and 6, although they weren’t one of the best. Nonetheless, I feel issues began to go downhill in season 7, the place they launched too many plotlines, virtually one in each episode, sending the characters to totally different planets. This didn’t assist a lot in closing the story, which ideally ought to occur within the remaining season of a present.
However the primary concern for me was Bellamy’s journey. They turned him into some form of villain, which went towards every thing we had seen in his character improvement. The height of this was his dying—not the truth that he died, as I form of imagined that might occur ultimately, however the how and why of his dying. It felt like a betrayal for Clarke to kill him after every thing that they had been by way of. I perceive she did it to guard Maddie, however ultimately, it was utterly ineffective since she couldn’t assist Maddie both.
Anyway, although I’m not an enormous fan of how the story concluded, I nonetheless suppose The 100 is a good present value rewatching. Although, perhaps I will simply fake that final season by no means existed.
Which TV finale left you essentially the most disillusioned? Share your ideas within the feedback!
