A large part of creating a quality TV show is knowing when to wrap it up.
No writer wants their series to end before the story has been completed, but letting it go on past its natural resolution can tarnish its reputation entirely.
Networks might still get some views, but is the extra season really worth ruining all the excellence that came before it?
We put together some examples of shows that should’ve quit while they were ahead.
Parks and Recreation
To be fair, there wasn’t anything bad about the final season. It was more unnecessary than anything else.
Each viewer is different, and some people need that time jump to see where the characters are headed in the future.
However, it felt off and didn’t quite go with the rest of the show. The Parks and Recreation Season 6 finale could have been the perfect stopping point with a few tweaks for closure.
Fringe
The problem with Fringe Season 5 is that it had no impact on the story, whatsoever.
It was cool to see what Peter and Olivia’s daughter would be like, but everything that happened in the final season was erased in the series finale.
The only difference is that Walter wasn’t there, as he had to sacrifice himself and go to the future during the last few minutes of the show.
There were definitely some entertaining aspects, but we could’ve done without it.
Chuck
No matter which way you look at it, a lot of fans were unhappy with the ending of Chuck.
Although some hope was offered for Chuck and Sarah in the show’s final moments, the last season was heavy with despair.
Due to Sarah’s memory loss, which is never fully resolved, it felt like a completely different show than the one the audience had initially invested in.
Once Upon a Time
The majority of the time, viewers become invested in the characters more than the story. We care about the story because it affects the people we’ve become attached to, and we enjoy watching their ups and downs.
After Once Upon a Time Season 6, the show lost almost all of its essential cast members, making the final season weak and pointless.
The sixth season would have closed out the series perfectly, with either a few minor adjustments or an additional episode to send the characters back to the Enchanted Forest.
13 Reasons Why
Forget about the last season, this one didn’t need the last three.
13 Reasons Why should’ve stayed a mini-series like it was originally intended to be, rather than overstaying its welcome due to its high viewership.
After Hannah’s story was over, it seemed as if the writers were scrambling for more ways to make the characters suffer, and we got tired of watching it.
The show was no longer about its title, or title character, and just got more hollow and depressing every season.
The Office
By textbook definition, it was an ensemble, but The Office never should have continued after Steve Carell’s departure.
Michael Scott was quite literally the star of the show and the one who forced the characters together in his hilarious attempts at commodity. Although they tried to replace him, no one else could ever live up to Michae’s legacy.
The series became boring and bland, and Dwight and Jim’s shenanigans were one of the only reasons it didn’t fade out completely.
Veronica Mars
Fans everywhere were ecstatic when Hulu announced they would be producing a Veronica Mars revival.
However, the internet ended up in a frenzy when the show decided to bring back the series simply to kill off a main and fan-favorite character. The worst part about the ending was that fans funded the Veronica Mars movie in 2014, in the hopes of getting closure for the leading couple.
The revival shattered everything fans rallied so hard for, making us wish that she show never would’ve started up again, in the first place.
The 100
The series still has two more episodes before it wraps up for good, and fans are already done with it.
Not only was Bellamy missing for almost the entirety of the season, but he was uselessly shot and killed by his best friend, leaving fans shocked and outraged.
For fans who spent the past seven years believing Bellamy and Clarke would end up together, it was a low blow.
The direction that the series took appeared to have more to do with behind the scenes issues than authentic storytelling, which is one of the reasons viewers have trouble accepting the final season, at all.
Pretty Little Liars
There were so many A’s we couldn’t keep track of them all. It began to reach a point where enough was enough.
Besides a few exceptions, time jumps rarely work well on TV, and Pretty Little Liars was best in a high school setting. The Perfectionists, the Pretty Little Liars spinoff, was set in college, yet only went on for one season.
The show should have given all the shippers their endgames at the end of Pretty Little Liars Season 6 and called it quits.
New Girl
Does anyone actually like the final season of New Girl? Considering that it wasn’t even supposed to happen, it felt like a forced mess.
Schmidt and Cece’s daughter was probably the only upside, as even Nick and Jess’s proposal and wedding was a letdown.
While we did want more of a resolution from Nick and Jess’s relationship, after they kissed in what was supposed to be the final shot of the show, their send-off ended up seeming lazy and half-assed.
The Vampire Diaries
You could blame The Vampire Diaries’ downward spiral on the loss of Elena Gilbert, but, The Vampire Diaries’ drop in quality started the moment that Klaus and his family left for New Orleans.
For many fans, Damon and Elena’s relationship kept the show afloat, and Katherine Pierce’s presence always upped the entertainment value, but after all that was gone, there was next to nothing left.
And, to be honest, we could’ve done without the Steroline storyline.
What about you, TV Fanatics?
Are there any shows you think overstayed their welcome?
Or do you wish they kept going even longer?
Let us know in the comments section down below!
Rachel Foertsch is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.