Top 10 Bad Seasons From Good TV Shows

Script written by Trevor Fonvergne

Top 10 Bad Seasons From Good TV Shows

Well...you can’t hit it out of the park every year. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’re counting down the Top 10 Bad Seasons from Good TV Shows.

For this list, we’re looking at television shows that are generally thought to be of high quality, but which had one season that was particularly a low point. We’re not discussing shows that gradually declined in quality, because we already have a list for that. To clarify, we don’t think these shows are bad, in fact, we think the opposite, but not all seasons hit the mark. Since we’ll be discussing plot points from these seasons, beware of potential spoilers.

#10: Season 3                 
“Arrow” (2012-)

This badass adaptation of DC’s character Green Arrow featured another DC legend, Ra’s al Ghul, as the big bad of its third outing. It was therefore incredibly disappointing to see the show drag out a soapy will-they-won’t-they romance between Oliver and Felicity, hardly utilizing its extremely underdeveloped villain. Not only did it bore fans of the series, it also pissed off diehard Batman fans, as the show was accused of ripping off characters froma better-known franchise. At least “The Flash” had a stellar first season that same year, compensating for Team Arrow’s shortcomings. 

#9: Season 2                  
“Friday Night Lights” (2006-11)

Despite the later critical acclaim and awards this series received, it nearly became a forgotten two-season cancellation victim thanks to this sophomore slump. For a show that’s unapologetically about small-town football, there really wasn’t enough football… Coach wasn’t even coaching! Rather, it focused on why the Panthers and Coach needed each other without really progressing any storylines. Oh, and don’t even get us started on that random murder cover-up subplot. The show isn’t entirely to blame, though, as the season was cut seven episodes short thanks to the Writers Guild of America strike.

#8: Season 2                
“Heroes” (2006-10)

Speaking of a sophomore slump, “Heroes” came off its astounding first season flying high...before crashing and burning that is. The series didn’t seem to know what the main storyline was and it certainly took its time advancing the abundance of plots, including more than one hackneyed love story. Series creator Tom Kring has gone on record about his regrets for this season, acknowledging that there was a lack of direction and pacing, stating that the events of the seventh episode should have taken place in the first one. Yikes.

#7: Season 9                
“Scrubs” (2001-10)

This is the first final season of a series on our list, and it certainly won’t be the last. Despite a respectable attempt to revitalize the show by moving it to a different location, the new characters and writers simply didn’t stick like the previous ones. Series creator Bill Lawrence even wanted to change the name of the show to “Scrubs: Med School” to differentiate it from the previous eight seasons, which he considered the entirety of the original series. Sadly, the low quality resulted in low ratings, and we were forced to say goodbye to what remained of a once great sitcom.

#6: Season 4               
“Arrested Development” (2003-06; 2013-)

One of the first in the current television trend of rebooting cancelled series, Netflix picked up a fourth season of this show seven years after it was cancelled. The reaction to this announcement was pure excitement... followed bypure disappointment. While the reviews weren’t terrible, this iteration decided to take place over a short amount of time, focusing on different characters each episode. This robbed the series of the chemistry between the dysfunctional Bluth family, which is what made the original series great. 

#5: Season 1     
“Parks and Recreation” (2009-15)

We know what you’re thinking. “Parks and Recreation” was one of the best comedy series of the last decade! That’s entirely true...save for the first six episodes. The characters were underdeveloped, the jokes weren’t particularly funny, and it all felt like a less funny rip-off of “The Office.” Some even complained that the show was too mean-spirited, as most episodes ended with the optimistic Leslie coming up short. Thankfully, NBC gave the show another chance, and the following six seasons gave us likeable, surprisingly realistic characters and allowed its wonderful cast to finally shine.

#4: Season 9           
“Roseanne” (1988-97)

Many of the entries on this list are criticized for betraying the heart of the show, and that’s most obvious in this sitcom’s final season. “Roseanne” won audiences over with its realistic portrayal of a struggling, working class family, but that was all thrown out the window when the Conners won the lottery. To add insult to injury, in the series finale, we learn that the entire series was actually just a story written by Roseanne, and what she didn’t like about her real life, she changed. The most heartbreaking thing is that we never really got a chance to say goodbye to the characters of this legendary sitcom.

#3: Season 2          
“The Walking Dead” (2010-)

You all must know by now that we at WatchMojo dig “The Walking Dead,” but this season just wasn’t up to snuff. Despite a promising beginning, audiences slowly realized that by the halfway point, nothing was really happening. After a first season that established the show as one of the most thrilling and shocking dramas of all time, this season focused far too much on the walking and not enough on the dead. Despite an upswing in the last few episodes, too much of this season feels like filler material in a show where we expect more.

#2: Season 8  
“Dexter” (2006-13)

And here’s yet another unfortunate final season. “Dexter” had been criticized of declining quality for several seasons, but was still relatively well regarded. That is, until they reached their endgame. While the whole season ended up being extremely boring when it should have been taking more risks, the final nail in the coffin was the disastrous series finale, which saw Dexter mercy-killing his adoptive sister and faking his own death to become...a lumberjack? While it’s certainly not how we expected our favorite serial killer to end up, it’s definitely not how we wanted it. 

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few dishonorable mentions.
Season 6           
“Stargate SG-1” (1997-2007)

Season 7          
“Red Dwarf” (1988-)

Season 4   
“Alias” (2001-06)

Season 5        
“The West Wing” (1999-2006)

Season 9          
“How I Met Your Mother” (2005-14)

#1: Season 4  
“Community” (2009-15)

We hate to pick on such a criminally underrated show, but we just can’t forgive the only season of this cult classic that was severely missing its showrunner, Dan Harmon. While earlier and later seasons were praised for their unique and interesting stories, Harmon’s departure made it difficult for the show to be as clever as it once was. Additionally, the season was plagued by controversy surrounding Chevy Chase badmouthing the show, walking off set, and using racist slurs, resulting in his departure late in the season. Thankfully, the creator returned to the show for two additional, better seasons...and a movie? We can only hope.

Do you agree with our list? What’s your least favorite season of your favorite TV show? For more consistently fantastic top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.