Sometimes we really love the first season of a show, but for some reason lose interest in the middle of Season 2. That's how we end up with a list of shows that need to be finished. This list may nag you whenever the titles on it are mentioned, but you still can't find the time and enthusiasm to tune in.
If this situation sounds familiar, we have good news. Not all second seasons need to be watched. Some shows are best if you pretend they are miniseries and stop at the Season 1 finale. Here are five notable examples, as pointed out by fans on Reddit.
The Handmaid's Tale (2017-present)
Hulu's dystopian series, based on the novel by Margaret Atwood, captivated viewers around the world when it premiered in 2017. Set in a totalitarian society where the few remaining fertile women are subjected to child-bearing slavery, the story was mesmerizingly dark and thrilling. Until Season 2.
The original book story concludes exactly where Season 1 ends. And while it is an open-ended and quite disturbing finale, that is probably where the show should have wrapped up. None of the subsequent seasons, written specifically for the series, could match the first.
Heroes (2006-2010)
Heroes is the example of the show where its immense popularity became the reason for its downfall. The story of ordinary people given extraordinary powers by a solar eclipse was originally penned as an anthology.
But instead of following an entirely new group of characters in each new installment, the creators decided to stick with the fan-adored stars of Season 1. Too bad they didn't know what to do with them.
Westworld (2016-2020)
When the series about the Wild West-themed park of the future first premiered on HBO, viewers couldn't believe how good it was. Season 1 broke all kinds of records and remains one of the most-watched first seasons of any HBO original series.
However, each subsequent season dipped or nosedived in quality, losing viewers and critical acclaim. Today, it is hard to find anyone who watched the show's finale. Season 1, on the other hand, remains a great standalone story with a sort of open-ended but fitting finale.
Altered Carbon (2018-2020)
The protagonist of Netflix's cyberpunk show lives and investigates a murder hundreds of years in the future, when people have learned to transfer their consciousness into different bodies, both human and synthetic.
Season 1 was highly praised by viewers, and Season 2 left them confused. It wasn't completely bad, but it couldn't keep up with the quality of its predecessor. It didn't help that the main character changed his body in Season 2. Joel Kinnaman was replaced by Anthony Mackie, who didn't fit the role according to many viewers.
Killing Eve (2018-2022)
Can you believe the BBC spy thriller that followed the tumultuous relationship between a British intelligence agent and a psychopathic assassin lasted four seasons?
The show made a point of hiring a new female head writer for each chapter, and it turned out to be a disaster for long-form storytelling. If Season 1, penned by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, was amazing, the show went off the rails starting from Season 2 and many viewers dropped out.
Source: Reddit.