The problem with having your TV series be a huge success after a great first season is that the expectations for a fantastic followup are sometimes too high to meet.
So many shows throughout history have gained buzz with a perfect Season 1, only to disappoint fans with lackluster storylines, the addition of unnecessary characters, or the inability to deliver the same quality storytelling the second time around.
FANDOM created a list of seven television shows that started off as must-see TV and ended up at the bottom of our DVRs.
Heroes
Heroes was an instant hit for NBC thanks to its ensemble of rich characters and their interweaving storylines, but Season 2 introduced too many new faces that slowed down the show’s pacing and took screentime away from characters that fans loved. And despite there being too many storylines going at once, nothing really new seemed to happen until the finale, with viewers complaining that many plots seemed to be recycled from the first season. Although things slightly picked up as the superhero drama progressed, it never fully recovered from the hit its popularity took in the second season.
Revenge
Revenge was pure over-the-top, campy fun when it premiered in 2011, as fans watched Emily Thorne draw a vengeful red X over the photos of her father’s enemies. Her feud with Victoria Grayson provided catfights on par with Melrose Place and Dynasty, some of the best primetime evening soaps of all time. But things took an unfortunate turn in Season 2, as the show introduced a slew of less important characters and a terrorist organization known as The Initiative. The evil group not only made Victoria seem weaker, but it convoluted the plot to the point where it just wasn’t fun anymore.
Glee
Glee was groundbreaking when it first debuted in 2009, managing to create a musical television series that pulled in huge audiences while serving irreverent comedy and twisted storylines that felt different from high school shows that came before it. But like many Ryan Murphy projects, it felt like the writers started with a strong concept and then didn’t fully flesh out where to take it next. The series traded in its unique storytelling for themed episodes that forced random stories in order to be able to fit in certain songs by featured artists. Plots became wildly inconsistent and the magic of the series was quickly lost.
True Detective
HBO’s True Detective became a phenomenon when it came out in 2014, so hopes were high for the anthology series’ second season. But those hopes were quickly dashed once fans discovered that the follow-up story wasn’t packing much of a punch. Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson got rave reviews for their roles in Season 1, but the new cast, featuring Rachel McAdams, Colin Farrell, Taylor Kitsch, and Vince Vaughn, was unable to deliver the chemistry of the previous iteration. The central mystery, much like the writing overall, was also unable to compare to the intriguing first season.
Empire
Every episode of the first season of Empire felt like it was the season finale, simply because it was jam-packed with so many jaw-dropping moments and intense cliffhangers. But apparently there could only be so many shocking deaths or stunning twists before the writers seemed to run out of steam. Alliances changed in ways that didn’t feel realistic — how could Jamal possibly side with his abusive, homophobic father over his supportive mother? — and breakout character Cookie lost the spunk that originally made her so exciting to watch. Now, instead of feeling like a season finale, each episode has us wishing it was the series finale.
Lost
Lost is not only the name of an ABC drama about survivors of a plane crash, but it also serves as the perfect word to describe how fans felt while trying to figure out what was going on during the show’s six-season run. The series was never known for being simple or easy to follow, but things got a whole lot more complicated during Season 2. While the show consistently churned out mysteries for its viewers to try to solve, the second year’s stories left fans confused, impatient, and disappointed. Although the series introduced new characters in Season 2 who were well received, it ultimately left too many questions unanswered. Fans felt the stories were going nowhere and the show started losing viewers by the millions.
Twin Peaks
If you ask TV critics to name the worst second season in television history, many will point to Twin Peaks with no hesitation. Even co-creator David Lynch has spoken out about his show’s second year, saying that it “sucked” after network execs forced him to reveal the show’s central mystery — Who killed Laura Palmer? Once the intrigue of the mystery was gone, the show veered off course and began delivering campy, goofy, and absurd storylines in its place. Lynch got the opportunity to make things right with his 2017 revival of the series on Showtime, but he’s publicly washed his hands of the original’s second season for good.
