TV Shows With Fantastic First Seasons (That Shouldn’t Have Continued)

If you go down certain internet rabbit holes, you’ll find that there was once something called “The Season 2 Curse” on television. A quick Google search will reveal several popular (even now considered classic) TV series in various listicles that give legs to this strange yet true theory that held for years in television. I mean, who could forget the divisive season 2 of The Walking Dead that often resembled Little House on the Prairie more than the merciless survival zombie-drama that it was meant to be? Hell, if you were a teenager in the mid-aughts, you must remember a “little” show called Heroes, whose second season was practically an 11-hour-long teaser in 2008.

Well, let me tell you, that curse has never really disappeared but transformed into another version — one that, at times, lasted longer than a single season. Today, I’m here to talk about five recent/semi-recent shows that kicked off with a banger debut season but were followed up, sadly, with nothing but disappointment. These shows should’ve been one-season wonders we could recall with pure joy and enthusiasm instead of the bitter taste they left in our mouths because they didn’t know when to stop.

Bloodline

Available on: Netflix (U.S. and U.K.)

Although Bloodline wasn’t as ground-breaking as Netflix’s principal shows before it (like House of Cards or Orange Is the New Black), it still began in the era when the streaming giant actually preferred quality over quantity. The series shared a DNA with the best for being engrossing entertainment. Its first season was bold and innovative — immersed in a wondrous setting replete with the sticky heat and beaming sunshine of Florida — and featured a cast that stole your attention right away. Ben Mendelsohn was ripe for a showcase as the shady prodigal son Danny Rayburn, and Kyle Chandler needed a notably different lead role (as Danny’s cop brother, John) to go back to TV after playing the good-hearted and charismatic Coach Taylor on Friday Night Lights for five years prior. Not to mention movie legends Sissy Spacek and Sam Shepard in the supporting roles.

But Bloodline’s web of gloomy, traumatic family secrets and intricate lies was meant to last a single season for a reason. Once you get to that heart-shattering, phenomenally delivered twist that gave the entire core of the show, there’s almost nothing left to explore. The extremely underwhelming follow-up with season 2 confirmed that, and the third and final one spiraled straight into a full-blown disaster. Nobody can rob us of those sublime first 13 episodes, but many of us wish to be able to erase what came after.

13 Reasons Why

Available on: Netflix (U.S. and U.K.)

It’s still dumbfounding to think that 13 Reasons Why went on for four (!) seasons. We all know the why at this point, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less. Season 1’s premise was a clever and impressive concept with an execution that dared to painstakingly portray the delicate topics of teen suicide, peer pressure, sexual assault, and bullying. It was an ugly and triggering mental health trip in High Schooler Country, which was precisely the point. The show held a defiant willingness to explore uncomfortable areas where few (or none) had been before. But perhaps the attention that boldness has drawn is what killed the series afterward altogether.

Every subsequent season jeopardized that vital messaging — the one delivered originally without censoring out the sensitive bits — and gradually stripped away every crucial quality that made it outstanding. It was as if the writers kept apologizing for telling (and showing) their truth to ease the outrageous, concerning media and viewer response they were bombarded with. But even from a narrative standpoint, the show completely lost its aim and confident voice, having nothing intriguing or thought-provoking to say besides piling bad clichés on top of bad clichés. The result is a troubled legacy stained with scandals, poor reviews, and disappointed viewers.

Big Little Lies

Available on: Max (U.S.) and Now (U.K.)

David E. Kelley’s HBO show is the odd one out on this list. It’d be unreasonable to call Big Little Lies’ season 2 awful by any means. Unnecessary and redundant, on the other hand? Oh, yes. It’s the miniseries that refused to stay a miniseries just because it could. Most of the original actors from the first season returned to Monterey to extend upon the initial murder case and its repercussions but had a lot less interesting things to say and do. That goes for the writers, too. All the essential themes (trauma, guilt, abuse, etc.) the series had poignantly examined previously are watered down a notch, depriving their initial potency and the element of surprise. Overall, the follow-up just wasn’t needed and weakened the impact of the show.

Bad Sisters

Available on: Apple TV+ (U.S. and U.K.)

Apple TV+’s Bad Sisters came out of nowhere. The first season of the series is rambunctious Irish-flavored whodunnit, every bit as funny as it is intense, that slowly wins us over with its sharp-tongued protagonists, spectacular views of Ireland, and the impenetrable bond of sisterhood. From the start, the show had the feel of a miniseries with a well-thought-out narrative and an ending that brought closure to nearly every subplot and character arc. We learned who killed the insufferable husband (Claes Bang) and how they got away with it, minimizing the consequences.

But given its popularity and success, the creators just couldn’t leave it alone — and Apple TV+ was more than willing to keep the series alive. It’s too bad there was almost nothing to go on. For season 2, the writers fabricated a contrived plot out of thin air to mirror the murder mystery structure of season 1 but lost nearly everything else that made the show unique in the process. The witty writing turned stale and illogical, the characters we loved became obnoxious and unbearable, and the delicious black humor that was a sort of trademark diminished exponentially. Bad Sisters is simply bad now, and according to co-creator Sharon Horgan, things are far from over. 

Squid Game

Available on: Netflix (U.S. and U.K.)

I wish Netflix’s South Korean sensation wasn’t on this list. But let’s be honest, we all felt a sense of trepidation as we arrived at that final cliffhanger in season 1. We were worried (if also excited) because it didn’t make much sense to continue a story that was so spectacularly told and wrapped up leaving nothing but one, somewhat forced, loose end for a potential follow-up. How could they repeat or extend upon a story that crackled with suspense, unpredictably brutal twists, and complex characters (most of which have been killed) for a second time without losing any of that frenetic impact? They couldn’t.

Season 2 of Squid Game is a shallow rehash of what we’ve seen before (filled with repetition) and half as captivating as the first time around. To put it bluntly: it’s a cash grab. It adds almost nothing to the original premise and even less to its central theme of social commentary on class, inequality, and capitalism. The only positive is that its creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, likely got what he deserved in terms of financial compensation for how much he suffered during the making of the first season, which didn’t exactly make him rich. Initially, he didn’t even want to continue the show. That’s undoubtedly palpable in season 2, and it’s hard to imagine the third and final season would be any different whatsoever.

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