The original post: /r/television by /u/Stankassmfgorilla on 2025-07-05 00:18:10.
For me, it’d have to be Sons of Anarchy.
It was always over the top and unrealistic, but there was a good and interesting story at its core (it was a modern day adaptation of Hamlet) and it really had the potential for greatness. The problem it ran into was it went on for WAY too long.
I’ve always felt the first 4 seasons were great. Minus a few missteps, it was one of the best programs on television during that time. Once Season 5 aired, even though viewership was still rising with each season, the quality fell off HARD.
The show became so self indulgent and gratuitous, to the point where it was almost a parody of itself. It was over the top to the point of unintentional hilarity, yet the showrunner and writers were asking you to take it seriously, and the show took itself way too seriously as well. It became a soap opera. Season 6 was an improvement on 5, but still heavily flawed. Season 7 is one of the biggest turds I’ve ever seen and I couldn’t believe the show ended the way it did.
It’s just a shame they couldn’t restrain themselves more. If they would have condensed the last 3 seasons into one long season split into two parts, it could have been way better. There was way too much fat that needed to be trimmed off. An excess of filler to meet that 13 episode quota per season.
What TV series did this for you?