Top 20 Worst Final Seasons of Animated Shows

Dear Journal, can you please bring Doug back to Nickelodeon? Most who followed the middle-school adventures of Doug Funnie were disappointed when his TV show relocated to ABC. Many viewers felt that the later episodes lost the world’s offbeat personality, with everything from character dynamics, storylines, and even music feeling dry and stagnant. The final season amplified these complaints, featuring plots that lasted too long and wooden moral lessons that no longer resonated with sincerity. Even the big moments, like Patti’s long-awaited proposition for a “date-date,” didn’t feel as impactful as they should have. The once beloved Nicktoon ended on a disheartening note, followed by a lackluster movie release that only worsened the blow.

Cameos from celebrities are a trick “Johnny Bravo” pulls multiple times, but most fans wouldn’t argue they’re what defined the show. So why does the finale of the whole thing center around a guest appearance from Shaq? We understand this isn’t a show focused on plot. We’d just like a little more finality in our finale. Does Johnny finally find love? Or does he face his ultimate comeuppance? Okay, neither of those is particularly likely, but the final season could’ve explored these questions. We wanted some change in the status quo, and meeting an NBA star doesn’t cut it.

Ren and Stimpy were never really for everyone. Those that did appreciate their bizarre and bawdy take on humor relished the days when creator John Kricfalusi ran the show. After Kricfalusi’s departure, the new team struggled to maintain his unique vision, and the final season suffered the worst. Compared to the early stuff, fans found the stories to be formulaic, and the animation somehow lacked the bold originality and delightful grotesquery that made it stand out. Consequently, the final season felt like a big letdown that was unfortunately predictable under the new leadership. Though it was not as disliked as the “Adult Party Cartoon” reboot, whose negative reception fully solidified the doom of Stimpy and Ren.

Serialized shows were everywhere in children's animation during this era, from “Adventure Time,” to “Steven Universe,” and even “Regular Show.” That said, there was still plenty of room for goofy cartoons that were just that, and “Wander Over Yonder” served that purpose to a tee—until it didn’t. The show proved why it’s probably better if not all shows incorporate serialization in its second and final season. The show got canceled, making its experiment with longer-form storytelling feel rushed. Lord Dominator, in particular, doesn’t get the arc she deserves—we love a good redemption story!

“Danny Phantom” is a beloved Nickelodeon show from “Fairly OddParents” creator Butch Hartman, known for its spectral high jinx and overarching plotlines. Unfortunately, it ended in a way that, while not ghastly, left us feeling disappointed. The awkwardly paced and overstuffed two-part finale makes us wish we could have seen our second favorite Ghostbusters in a feature-length conclusion instead. That said, we’ve already seen the “Fairly OddParents” reboot—could “Danny Phantom” be next? We’d love to see these characters again for a second goodbye with some room to breathe, especially now that the Danny and Sam romance is (hopefully) out of the way.

While technically a miniseries, “Wizards” was essentially the third chapter in a trilogy. It had the daunting task of concluding not one but three separate animated shows set in the science fantasy “Arcadia” world co-created by visionary filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, being the followup to “Trollhunters” and “3Below.” Unfortunately, “Wizards” received the shortest runtime of the three shows despite having the most ground to cover. The concluding series has to resolve an entire universe, and the pacing suffers for it. There was an “Arcadia” movie released after this, but unfortunately, it has a similarly mixed reputation amongst viewers, with complaints about underdeveloped characters.

Some say “The Flintstones” went downhill with Pebbles’ birth in Season 3. Others point to Bamm-Bamm’s arrival in Season 4. Even well into Season 5, though, the show was still producing strong episodes like “Dr. Sinister.” Yet, most agree that the series officially jumped the Brontosaurus in Season 6 with The Great Gazoo. Like Scrappy-Doo, we’re sure that Gazoo has his unapologetic fans. However, there’s no denying that his very presence undermines the show’s prehistoric premise and his grating voice doesn’t help. Gazoo aside, the final season included some of the show’s most bone-headed storylines like Fred turning into an ape. Despite Gazoo’s exit in the penultimate episode, we’re not confident that the show could’ve recovered had it gotten a seventh season.

There’s an unfortunate trend of even beloved shows dropping off in quality as they enter their final run of episodes. What makes “Jimmy Neutron” frustrating is the lack of evolution in the characters and cliched plots in the final season. The intended finale is a generic “villains band together” story, and things could have been more interesting… especially for Jimmy and Cindy shippers. This is a franchise whose pilot was a theatrical movie, and the show was a massive success. Why couldn’t the final season have been just as epic? Nickelodeon, if you’re listening, it’s not to give Jimmy the cinematic sendoff (or revival!) he deserves.

Nickelodeon seemingly has a habit of letting beloved shows end unceremoniously. Even after running for over a decade and being one of Nickelodeon's most popular shows ever, receiving three theatrical films, “Rugrats” ended with a whisper, not a bang. The finale is a run-of-the-mill episode instead of a celebration of a show with a 13-year legacy that helped put Nick on the map. The “All Grown Up” sequel series shows us what Tommy and the gang got up to as teens, but we wish we got a more fitting end to their era of infant escapades.

To say that the final season of this once universally praised series was divisive would be an understatement. While Season 8 got some positive reviews from critics, its audience score on Rotten Tomatoes doesn’t even crack double digits. Viewers were especially upset regarding the fate of Princess Allura, one of the show’s only women of color. Shiro and Curtis’ wedding might’ve marked a significant moment for LGBTQIA+ representation if the show had taken more time to flesh out their relationship. The pairing felt like an empty gesture after what happened to Adam the previous season - which showrunner Joaquim Dos Santos apologized for. The drop in quality doesn’t excuse the toxic backlash from various fans. That said, “Voltron” just didn’t come together in the end.

Sugar, spice, everything nice, and a dash of Chemical X. These were the ingredients for an awesome cartoon, but “The Powerpuff Girls” lost an essential ingredient during its last seasons: creator Craig McCracken, who shifted attention to “Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends.” “Powerpuff Girls” was entrusted to the controversial Chris Savino, who couldn’t maintain the sharp timing that McCracken brought to the table. Following an underwhelming fifth season, the show officially lost its Mojo (and its Jojo) in a sluggish final season. With cringe-worthy episodes like “Sun Scream” and underwhelming villains like Pirate Crack McCraigen (get it?), the Powerpuffs were long past their prime. However, we will take the final season over any episode of the reboot… or that live-action show that never went anywhere.

When the OG “Ninja Turtles” series ended, audiences felt it had become too dark and brooding after starting on a lighthearted note. With the 2003 series, it was the other way around. Fans praised the first five seasons for capturing the gritty edge of the comics. With Season 6’s “Fast Forward” storyline, though, you could sense the censors urging the showrunners to tone it down. This was even more apparent in the final season, “Back to the Sewer.” The kid-friendly tone came with some jarring redesigns. The Turtles have pupils now? The stories fell flat as well with the Turtles having to fight another Shredder while April and Casey plan a wedding. At least the movie “Turtles Forever” ended this incarnation on a higher note.

“Dexter’s Lab” had two opportunities to go out in style: the Season 2 finale “Last But Not Beast” and the TV movie “Ego Trip.” While both brought a sense of finality, Cartoon Network decided to resurrect “Dexter” for two more seasons. Unfortunately, creator Genndy Tartakovsky was moving on to other projects and voice actress Christine Cavanaugh was on the verge of retirement. Chris Savino took over as the main creative force, which went over about as well as his “Powerpuff Girls” tenure. Not only did the show undergo an underwhelming visual overhaul, but the comedy became slower, weirder, and at times trollish. Tartakovsky might’ve returned for Season 4’s “Chicken Scratch,” which originally debuted theatrically, but even then, the show had become a chore to watch.

It’s always impressive when a cartoon can balance zany antics with more serious elements. “Adventure Time” may be a children's show, but it struck this balance perfectly while having surprising depth. Even “Futurama” could sometimes get serious, but it knew not to overdo it. In its final season, “Centaurworld” strikes too strong a tone at any given time instead of finding a happy medium between the fun and the not-so-fun. It doesn’t help that the payoff is a rushed finale that floods the viewer with a ton of last-minute lore. We’d love to see more experimental adult animation on Netflix, so it’s a shame this show didn’t live up to the promise of the first season.

From the beginning, this animated reality show mash-up prided itself on bad taste. In the earlier seasons, though, the shock value was complemented by clever in-jokes and well-defined characters. By the time we got to the final season, virtually any wit went out the window in favor of forced dark humor and gross-out gags. This might be acceptable if the laughs delivered, but the creators seemed to get wrapped up in the mentality that if a joke is tasteless, it’s automatically funny… and if you disagree, then you’re just an easily-offended snowflake. A show can be funny and offensive, but we won’t tolerate laziness. Season 3 is so lazy that it leaves us on a clip show with many moments that aren’t worth reminiscing over.

You might’ve noticed a trend with several of these shows. Once the creator left, the series should’ve called it quits as well. “The Boondocks” may be the most obvious example. So much of this hilarious, provocative, and insightful show was grounded in Aaron McGruder’s biting commentary. With McGruder not returning for the fourth and ultimately final season, the show became a cheap imitation of itself with the commentary being sacrificed in favor of senseless shock humor. How bad was this final season? Based on the Emmy submission ballots, the crew apparently didn’t even enter it for Outstanding Animated Program consideration. There were talks of McGruder returning for a reboot, but with that project scrapped, we’ll have to settle for rewatching those first three seasons.

After the conception of Poof in Season 6 and the introduction of Sparky the Dog in Season 9, could this Nicktoon fall any further from grace? The worst was saved for last with Season 10 bringing in Chloe Carmichael, Timmy’s new neighbor who he must now share his fairies with. Just like the theme song’s updated lyrics, Chloe’s presence simply felt forced with Nickelodeon desperately attempting to milk what was left of this series. Almost a year after the Season 10 finale, Butch Hartman announced that he was leaving Nickelodeon. While the “Fairly Odd” franchise continued, Hartman’s exit essentially marked the end of the original series. We wish the show could’ve received a more ceremonious sendoff, but at this point, its cancellation was a relief.

It’s a bit ironic that “Things Change” is the name of the finale of this superhero action show, given that the episode and the season don’t seem interested in finishing any character arcs. A better name would have been “Things Change, People Don’t” or “The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same.” The point is, it was disappointing, leaving the final season on a sour note! The TV movie “Trouble in Tokyo” was no more conclusive. The Teen Titans later received a more comedic adaptation with “Teen Titans Go!”, and while the original still hasn’t received a full revival, it did at least get a fun crossover with the new version.

“Star” is one of the most energetic shows that Disney has ever produced. While the series never lost that energy, it did lose focus going into its last season. Throughout its run, the show seemed to be building toward one thing, only to abandon certain storylines and characters in the end. Toffee’s presence, in particular, was missed for much of the season. While it’s satisfying seeing Star and Marco finally declare their true feelings, we should’ve gotten here much sooner. The showrunners could’ve learned a thing or two from “Kim Possible,” which used its final season to explore Kim and Ron as a couple. Where the Starco romance dragged on, the finale has the opposite problem with too many rushed elements packed into 23 minutes.

Season 3 of “Gargoyles,” aka “The Goliath Chronicles,” opens on a promising note. That’s because the premiere was scribed by creator Greg Weisman. After that, Weisman had little creative input. A shift from syndication to ABC came with stricter censorship, leading to Weisman’s falling out. The once dark, emotionally complex series was dumbed down with stories about Broadway going Hollywood while villains like Demona took a backseat. The animation was downgraded as well with the outsourced Nelvana taking over for Disney Television Animation. If you want a “Gargoyles” continuation with Weisman’s personal touch, we’d suggest checking out the comic series that started in 2006. That is, you can find/afford to collect them all. Seriously, Disney, we need a reprint!

If you’re feeling particularly animated about your disappointment in your favorite show’s final season, let us know in the comments.