10 TV Shows With Incredible Potential That Went Downhill After One Season

Summary

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• Popular shows like Prison Break and Glee suffer from declining quality after the success of their first seasons, with subsequent storylines unable to live up to their initial promise.
• Shows like American Gods experience changes in showrunners and cast, leading to a noticeable shift in storytelling and a decline in quality.
• Riverdale, 13 Reasons Why, and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina start strong but lose their original appeal as they introduce more controversial and convoluted storylines, resulting in backlash from viewers.

It is getting increasingly difficult to come up with original ideas for new shows, and it is even more challenging to keep them afloat after the initial success of season 1. Over the years, there have been quite a few series with promising premises and characters, but their own success has been the death of them. For instance, Prison Break had a fascinating first chapter where the lead characters got to evolve and fulfill their purposes, but all the subsequent storylines had no chance at topping season 1. The once-popular show might get a second chance soon, and with any luck, the Prison Break reboot will fix the mistakes of its predecessor.

When a series is well-developed with a lot of soul and heart poured into it by the entire creative team and cast, it is bound to find success and be appreciated by its audience. However, going forward, it is easy to lose track of what was appealing in the original season and stray far away from it. The reason can be the showrunner’s wish to experiment, the outside circumstances that get in the way of carrying on in the same fashion, or something else altogether. In the end, it is about shows becoming too popular for their own good.

10 American Gods

Where to watch: Hulu

Having premiered to critical acclaim, American Gods was supposed to become the next big hit. Unfortunately, after season 1, the original creators, Bryan Fuller and Michael Green, exited the project, and several American Gods actors left the show with them. The series’ core cast and showrunner changes didn’t do it much good, and seasons 2 and 3 noticeably had quite a different approach to storytelling, which felt inferior to that of the first chapter. It is a shame that American Gods‘ potential was never realized, and the show’s cancellation after season 3 mercifully put an end to everyone’s sufferings.

9 Westworld

Where to watch: Max

Similarly, Westworld season 1 was a beautifully crafted story that was easy to get hooked on, but season 2 and the subsequent continuations failed to live up to the gold standard the series had set up for itself. Starting from season 2, Westworld seemingly did not know what to do with itself, introducing more and more mysteries that would be impossible to solve in the time frame available. Still, the show managed to last four seasons until it eventually concluded, and Westworld‘s season 4 ending completely rewrote the series’ history, showcasing everything that was wrong with the story.

8 Glee

Where to watch: Hulu

Glee‘s pilot and season 1 delivered the perfect dark lens for the American high school experience. The show’s ensemble cast was compelling, the characters themselves were relatable human beings who made mistakes, and the storylines were fresh and exciting. As Glee progressed, the story arcs got wilder and wilder until every character became so annoying that it was hard to root for them. Rachel Berry, in particular, went from a slightly bossy girl with big aspirations to a narcissist who didn’t mind manipulating her friends and betraying people left and right to get what she wanted. Glee deserved better.

7 Riverdale

Where to watch: Netflix

Riverdale season 1 featured a brilliant mix of a murder mystery and high school drama that didn’t feel over the top. The main characters were genuinely nice people who tried to make the best of a bad situation. Then season 2 rolled around, and that was when all the weirdness started. Riverdale‘s storylines became less and less coherent with each season, and while the show’s reinvention of its core genre was gripping, the fact that the series stopped making any sense halfway through spoke louder than words. Thankfully, the show came to a baffling conclusion with season 7, although Riverdale‘s series finale ending felt like a fever dream.

6 Prison Break

Where to watch: Hulu

Prison Break would have been better off as a miniseries that ended with season 1 on a high note. Sadly, the show became too popular and lasted for additional four seasons. The story of Lincoln Burrows and Michael Scofield and their prison break wasn’t meant to turn into a government conspiracy tale. Nor was it meant to repeat its successful season 1 a few years later with the expectation that the second prison break would be as well-received as the original. Prison Break season 1 was enthralling, but it truly should have stopped at that or developed the storylines in a direction that wouldn’t be so forced.

5 13 Reasons Why

Where to watch: Netflix

13 Reasons Why was another show that was never intended to last past season 1, at least not in the way it did. Hannah Baker’s devastating suicide and its impact on the people in her life was the central topic, and as controversial as the subject was, it raised a few important conversations. Afterward, the series tried to explore other taboo themes, such as the postmortem redemption of a rapist and the second chances of an almost-shooter. These story arcs were even more controversial than the first, but they didn’t hold the same emotional weight, and the series experienced backlash for different reasons altogether.

4 Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina

Where to watch: Netflix

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina started out as a promising, drastically different show about Sabrina Spellman, and part 1 delivered a devilish horror story. Starting from part 2, the weirdness was embraced, but not in a good way. Eventually, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina fell victim to whatever doomed Riverdale — the show was trying too hard and doing too much with the characters. The two Sabrinas story arc in part 4 was the final straw that got the show canceled for good. However, there are now rumors of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina season 5, which has the potential to either ruin the series further or help it rise from the ashes.

3 The Umbrella Academy

Where to watch: Netflix

The Umbrella Academy season 1 was essentially a hilarious superhero story about a dysfunctional family that had to prevent an apocalypse. Even though the superhero genre was already getting tiresome by the time season 1 was released, the show managed to make its tale about the Hargreeves stand out. However, the same impending end of the world theme couldn’t work in all the subsequent seasons. Hopefully, The Umbrella Academy season 4 will dial down on the apocalypse at hand and provide a satisfying conclusion that will allow the show to properly say goodbye to its core characters.

2 Jessica Jones

Where to watch: Disney+

Jessica Jones was easily one of the most underappreciated Marvel shows, but it might have had to do with the fact that the series slowly went downhill after season 1. The first chapter’s success was ensured by Jessica and Kilgrave’s confrontation and everything that it entailed. Even though David Tennant did briefly reprise his role in season 2, it wasn’t enough, and the villains of the sequel chapter could never live up to the bar set by Kilgrave. Jessica Jones never recovered after the loss of its best antagonist, but Krysten Ritter’s heroine was a delight to watch all throughout.

1 Heroes

Where to watch: Peacock

Heroes was arguably the most popular superhero show of the 2000s, and yet its decline in quality was extremely evident. Season 1 centered on the new superheroes’ self-discovery and search for control — the premise was original, and the cast’s performances were out of this world. Starting from season 2, Heroes lost its unique spark by constantly shifting the focus and destroying the world that it carefully built in the first chapter. The storylines became repetitive and, as a result, less entertaining, and the show came to its inevitable end in season 4, but it was for the better.