Whether you binge-watch it or take it easy by watching an episode a day, cuddling up with a television series is one of the best ways to spend time and keep boredom at bay. Luckily for us viewers, tons of streaming services provide audiences with great watches. While some turn out to be really entertaining, offering viewers thought-provoking and entertaining narratives, others fall short of expectations.
Less often than we'd like, a TV show lives up to its true potential throughout its entire running time; a great series can indeed count on a very promising premise but end up disappointing viewers when it comes to its execution. From Dead Like Me to Heroes, Reddit analyzes which TV shows could've been better if only they went in another direction.
10 'Dead Like Me' (2003 - 2004)
Starring Ellen Muth and Mandy Patinkin as grim reapers who reside and work in Seattle, this 2003 series created by Bryan Fuller counts on an inventive narrative. Patinkin plays the protagonist who is recruited after being hit by the toilet seat of the re-entering Space Station Mir.
When asked which shows failed to live up to expectations, a Redditor on the platform mentioned the dark and witty comedy Dead Like Me, which had the potential to provide viewers with amazing worldbuilding. Other Redditors felt the same way. "It was like quantum leap but for dead people," MINKIN2 said. "Had some great set up and promise but was cancelled too early to reach it's full potential."
9 'The Walking Dead' (2010 - 2022)
Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead was, by far, AMC's biggest hit, running for a total of eleven seasons. The series introduces audiences to Andrew Lincoln's iconic Rick Grimes, an ex-small-town sheriff who later leads a group of survivors amidst a zombie apocalypse.
While the post-apocalyptic series remains very well-liked (and possibly the best of the genre along with this year's The Last of Us), some Redditors argue that it could've taken a different, stronger direction. "It started out sooo strong and now it just limps along," oldguydrinkingbeer wrote. "It's never been able to decide whether it wants to be a stupid, shlockly action show or an engaging character drama, and so it fails at being both," another Redditor said on a different post.
8 'Dexter' (2006 - 2013)
A very popular TV show created by James Manos Jr., Dexter centers around one of the most charming, funniest, and likable fictional serial killers to ever be depicted on television. Although Michael C. Hall's character spends his days solving crimes, he goes through his nights committing them, resulting in some unexpected TV deaths.
Although the intriguing (and oftentimes hilarious) crime drama show undeniably makes for a great viewing experience, some audience members believe it did not ultimately live up to what it could've been. "Dexter could have been amazing. If they could have continued it like the 2 first seasons it would have easily been one of the best shows every in my opinion," propsnuffe explains.
7 'His Dark Materials' (2019 - 2022)
When a young orphan girl named Lyra (Logan's Dafne Keen) attempts to find a kidnapped friend, she accidentally stumbles upon a sinister plot involving stolen children, which eventually turns into a journey to understanding a phenomenon called Dust, as well as learning the truth about her parents and the adventurous but dangerous destiny that awaits her.
Based on the treasured children's fantasy novels written by Philip Pullman in the mid-nineties to early two-thousands, His Dark Materials counts on a promising and entertaining narrative. However, its TV show adaptation seemingly fell short of viewers' expectations. "This is probably gonna be an unpopular opinion, but I find His Dark Materials to be very boring. Everyone had hyped up the source material and made me super excited for the show, and then it fell flat for me," a Reddit user wrote.
6 'Sleepy Hollow' (2013 - 2017)
Loosely based on the 1820 short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving, Sleepy Hollow centers around Tom Mison's Ichabod Crane, who is resurrected and pulled through time in order to uncover a mystery dating back to the founding fathers.
Created by Philip Iscove, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci, the 2013 action-adventure series offers viewers a compelling twist on the famous traditional tale. Still, viewers on the platform agree that the first season – considered a "cult" favorite – was the only solid one. "And it only became worse after that. So much worse," inksmudgedhands admitted after recapping what happened before. "Even now, fans of the show will tell you to watch the first season and stop."
5 'Life' (2007 - 2009)
Starring Damian Lewis as the main lead, a former police officer who was wrongly imprisoned for 12 years and comes back to the force to resume work, the quirky crime drama by Rand Ravich is generally beloved by audiences and often criticized by critics.
On the platform, it is clear that users are disappointed with the series' wasted potential. But what was Life's main issue, according to Redditors? "It had a great concept, great acting and two good seasons, but didn't survive the writer's strike," bigb9919 explained. The character-driven show was canceled after one season.
4 'Terra Nova' (2011)
Set in a far future (the year 2149), the adventure drama Terra Nova follows an ordinary family, the Shannons, who are transported back 85 million years to a prehistoric Earth, later joining a colony of humans who attempt to build a civilization.
Created by Kelly Marcel and Craig Silverstein, Terra Nova features both alluring visuals and a creative plot that held the potential to be so much more. According to LascielCoin, the series featured an "amazing concept, decent actors, terrible writing. And then it got cancelled just as it was starting to get better." On the platform, a Reddit user also said that "The 100 is what Terra Nova could have been."
3 'FlashForward' (2009 - 2010)
Brannon Braga and David S. Goyer's science fiction mystery series centers around a special task force in the FBI who attempts to uncover what has caused the entire world's population to black out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds and awaken with short glimpses of their lives six months into the future.
"There is so much they could have done with that show, but by Christ it lost focus quickly," n0bodynose said, proceeding to explain what went wrong in the middle of the series. "Didn't watch it after that." The 2009 series featured a unique narrative with good performances, so it's a shame it didn't hold up (and was consequently canceled after only one season of 22 episodes).
2 'Revolution' (2012 - 2014)
Revolution analyzes what would happen in the face of a permanent global blackout where electricity was cut, and everyone and everything got their switch turned off to chaotic results. It takes place fifteen years after the world goes dark and centers around a group of revolutionaries who attempt to stop a militia that's taken over the former U.S.A.
Although Eric Kripke's show started strong and featured an appealing concept, it ultimately crumbled down in the decisive moment (execution). As fimbot puts it, "I think Revolution had a really cool idea, that was executed pretty poorly. It got a lot better in the second season and they started focusing on an actual revolution which was cool but it was too late."
1 'Heroes' (2006 - 2010)
Following the lives of multiple super-human people across the globe – as they learn the truth about themselves and seek to cope with their daily routine while keeping disastrous events from happening – NBC's Heroes by Tim Kring is a reboot-worthy sci-fi show that initially appealed to many viewers.
While the series featured a solid first season depicting a creative world with compelling characters, it ended up dropping the ball in the following seasons. "The first season was great, but the next ones got worse and worse," WuTown remarked. In a reply, vincentmarius added, "too bad it was killed by the writers' strike."