19 Shows That Had Perfect First Seasons, And Then Went And Ruined It By Season 2
We asked the BuzzFeed Community which TV shows had first seasons that are so perfect, they should've just been a standalone series. Here's what they said:
Actual number of seasons: 3
"Perfect first season."
"I was so shocked at the downgrade between the first two seasons. Season 1 is nearly perfect and then Season 2 is like a PSA with little emotional weight. So disappointing."
2.Euphoria
Actual number of seasons: 2, with a third on the way (so far)
"Only because Season 2 was such a tremendous downgrade."
Actual number of seasons: 4, with a fifth on the way
"Even though I really enjoyed Season 4, nothing will beat Season 1. I don't know if it was the simple charm of kids being kids in the '80s or the gripping storyline, but there was something so unique and perfect about it that anything that followed just can't match what that season brought. While it's been great to watch the characters develop and see the story unfold, the first season would have been an immaculate miniseries if it ended right there."
4.Prison Break
5.Bones
Actual number of seasons: 12
"The first season was sooo good. Brennan changed a lot, and not necessarily for the best. Plus, Dr. Goodman was great."
"Season 1 Brennan is a little socially awkward and far too focused on her work, but is otherwise a typical adult woman. Anything beyond this, and you'd be convinced she was packed away in storage until the age of 30 and suddenly released into the modern era. And what drives me nuts is that the show gives her this whole disdain for human relationships and culture. She doesn't get them, doesn't like them, doesn't see the point. Which could be well-suited to her character if she was just an ME or coroner. But the show seems to forget she's an anthropologist (a field of study heavily reliant on an understanding of human relationships and culture, historically and currently, since she's also mentioned to do humanitarian work), and her main job for the Jeffersonian is, amazingly, NOT solving the FBI's current homicide. She's also a highly popular author of fiction novels, and nobody in the writers' room thought that might be at odds with her later characterization?"
6.Glee
Actual number of seasons: 6
"It was all downhill after Season 1."
"I love the show despite all its flaws, but it honestly should have ended after the first season."
7.Life
Actual number of seasons: 2
"Losing the second season would mean the whole conspiracy around Charlie was never solved, but the solution frankly wasn't that great, and all the characters were maimed along the way. Better to leave it as a single season stand-alone, a perfectly characterized unsolved gem of possibilities."
Actual number of seasons: 4 (so far)
"Season 1 was a freaking masterpiece. The rest…. Blergh 🤷♀️."
10.Westworld
Actual number of seasons: 4
"It had such a good first season and then went steadily downhill from there."
11.Deadwind
Actual number of seasons: 3
"Season 1 was a brilliant crime drama that always left you guessing and had no ludicrous twists for the sake of twists. Sadly Season 2 was cartoonish and Season 3 was decent, but not up to Season 1’s standard."
Actual number of seasons: 11 with multiple spinoffs
"I know it was meant to be a miniseries but man did they drag that one through the mud."
13.Heroes
14.The O.C.
Actual number of seasons: 4
"I rewatch only the first season of The O.C. and pretend like that's the whole show."
15.The Newsroom
Actual number of seasons: 3
"The Newsroom had the single best pilot episode of any show I've ever watched, and the season only went up from there."
16.Once Upon a Time
Actual number of seasons: 7
"Season 1 seemed to have a well-thought out season-long story to be told both in the real world and the Enchanted Forest. Come season 2, it was all over the place with no clear direction, and minimal correlation between the fairy tale and real world stories."
17.Riverdale
Actual number of seasons: 7
"Season 1 had its faults but was a solid murder mystery. It just got bizarre after that. Although, I must admit some of those bizarre moments gave me the best laughs I ever had in my life 😅."
18.Top of the Lake
Actual number of seasons: 2
"It had a compelling first season with a strong setting, an interesting mystery, and a great love interest. The second season brought the main character back to their regular life, which was boring, and destroyed the relationship."
19.Homeland
Actual number of seasons: 8
"That first season was so good and then it nose dived."
"It seemed like they relied on Claire Danes' character having a mental health episode every season, it got ridiculous. But damn, S1 was amazing."
Responses have been edited for length/clarity.
Did your favorite make the list? Let us know the comments!
