Special Report

The Worst TV Series Finales of All Time

Courtesy of HBO

Series finales are often polarizing. Oftentimes, people do not like the final episode simply because it’s the end of their beloved show. As time goes by, however, fans may change their opinion and see the end as fitting. Other times, they dislike it even more over time. 

To determine the worst television finales, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on current audience ratings from IMDb. Series finales were ranked based on the percentage decline in IMDb audience rating for the finale compared to the rating  for the series as a whole. 

When series finales are a total letdown it is usually for a few reasons. A finale may leave too many unanswered questions or reach an ambiguous conclusion that makes it seem like the show’s writer could not come up with an ending.

In the show’s creators’ defense, it’s hard to nail the perfect ending in serialized television, especially after years of built-up anticipation. It may be easier to get the ending right when it’s a movie and when it’s based on a true story because there is less room for creative risks. Sometimes, however, writers and directors just don’t get it — here are the worst movies based on true events

Click here for the worst series finales in TV history (there are some spoilers)

To determine the worst television finales, 24/7 Tempo reviewed audience ratings data from IMDb. Series finales were ranked based on the percentage decline in IMDb audience rating for the finale compared to the rating for the series as a whole. For example, the series finale of “House of Cards” has an audience rating of 2.4/10 — a 72.4% decline from the series overall 8.7/10 rating, the largest drop of any television show. Data on ratings and episode air date also came from IMDb.

Courtesy of National Broadcasting Company

15. Seinfeld, “The Finale”
> Series finale rating: 7.3/10 (3,186 votes)
> Full series rating: 8.8/10 (261,396 votes)
> Original air date: May 14, 1998

A record 76 million people tuned in to watch the last episode of the famous, influential sitcom. At the time of the show’s ending, after nine seasons on air, the series finale was disappointing. As time went by, however, the final episode has been described as fitting to the show. The four friends are on their way to Paris to celebrate a deal with NBC, but an emergency landing takes them to a fictional town in Massachusetts where they witness a carjacking and end up in jail for not helping.

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Courtesy of Home Box Office

14. Girls, “Latching”
> Series finale rating: 5.9/10 (832 votes)
> Full series rating: 7.3/10 (66,326 votes)
> Original air date: April 16, 2017

Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking comedy lasted six seasons. The show, which follows the personal lives of four young women, was seen by some as feminist. The series finale flashes forward five months to two of the “Girls” characters who are getting ready to co-parent the boy one of them just gave birth to. Some people had a problem with how the show ended because it ultimately did not answer the question of whether its main character will succeed in life or not.

Courtesy of SHOWTIME

13. Shameless, “Father Frank, Full of Grace”
> Series finale rating: 6.1/10 (1,527 votes)
> Full series rating: 8.0/10 (15,438 votes)
> Original air date: April 11, 2021

“Father Frank, Full of Grace” is the 12th and final episode of Season 11 and the series finale of the American version of “Shameless,” which follows the trial and tribulations of a dysfunctional family. In the episode, the main character, Frank (William H. Macy) dies alone in the hospital. Members of his family don’t appear to be very concerned with his deaths though as the episode shows them moving on with their own lives. Some fans did not like how the final episode ended as if Frank was the star of the show instead of the entire family.

Photo by Eric McCandless/Freeform - © 2016 Disney Enterprises

12. Pretty Little Liars, “Til Death Do Us Part”
> Series finale rating: 5.5/10 (1,833 votes)
> Full series rating: 7.4/10 (154,586 votes)
> Original air date: June 27, 2017

“Pretty Little Liars” came to a close after seven seaons with its series finale titled “Til DeAth Do Us pArt.” Fans finally learn the true identity of A.D — the evil twin of one of the characters, a theory that has been going around for a few seasons. The identity is revealed at the beginning of the two-hour finale, leaving the show enough time to create a new mystery by the end, which some viewers did not like.

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Courtesy of The WB Television Network

11. Supernatural, “Carry On”
> Series finale rating: 6.2/10 (19,555 votes)
> Full series rating: 8.4/10 (399,400 votes)
> Original air date: November 19, 2020

“Supernatural,” a show about two brothers who hunt and fight evil supernatural beings such as monsters and demons, lasted for 15 years on air. The final episode received mixed reviews from fans. Some praised it for leaving no unanswered questions, while others said the true finale was the penultimate episode and the last is just showing the two brothers enjoying life and not much more.

Courtesy of Amazon Studios

10. The Man in the High Castle, “Fire from the Gods”
> Series finale rating: 5.8/10 (2,471 votes)
> Full series rating: 8.0/10 (90,379 votes)
> Original air date: November 15, 2019

“The Man in the High Castle” shows what may have happened if Germany and Japan had won World War II. The show follows a young woman who discovers a tape that could help end the totalitarian regimes and the man who can stop her. Though fans praised how the show ended the storylines of its two main characters, they did not like that everything else was left open to interpretation.

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Courtesy of TV Land

9. Younger, “Older”
> Series finale rating: 5.6/10 (337 votes)
> Full series rating: 7.8/10 (19,113 votes)
> Original air date: June 10, 2021

“Younger” tells the story of a single mother who decides to reboot her career in publishing after she is mistaken for a younger woman. The show lasted for six seasons. The final episode ends with a callback to the first, implying that the main characters who were together at the beginning will end up together forever. Because this happens only at the very end and was completely unexpected, fans were left asking if there is more to the story.

Courtesy of Paramount Television

8. Star Trek: Enterprise, “These Are the Voyages…”
> Series finale rating: 5.3/10 (2,018 votes)
> Full series rating: 7.5/10 (47,507 votes)
> Original air date: May 13, 2005

“These Are the Voyages…” is the 22nd episode of the fourth season and the series finale of the science fiction TV series “Star Trek: Enterprise.” The final episode was the worst-received sendoff in the entire franchise’s history. One of the episode writers, Brannon Braga, said he regretted it. Bringing characters from a more popular Star Trek show in the finale did not help its ratings.

Courtesy of Netflix
7. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, “Chapter Thirty-Six: At the Mountains of Madness”
> Series finale rating: 5.2/10 (1,594 votes)
> Full series rating: 7.5/10 (81,066 votes)
> Original air date: December 31, 2020

Based on the Archie comic of the same name, “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” is a dark coming-of-age story about Sabrina, a half-witch and learns to live with both her family as a witch and with her friends as a human. The show ends with her death on Earth. Sabrina teleports to the Mountains of Madness. It’s not clear whether she will stay there forever or will somehow be able to get out.

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Courtesy of CBS

6. How I Met Your Mother, “Last Forever: Part Two”
> Series finale rating: 5.5/10 (17,686 votes)
> Full series rating: 8.3/10 (617,236 votes)
> Original air date: March 31, 2014

“Last Forever” is the series finale of the popular sitcom “How I Met Your Mother.” The episode serves as the 23rd and 24th episodes of season nine. Some fans did not like the final episode because of its twist ending — which is that the mom had died. An alternate ending was leaked online in which she is still alive.

Courtesy of Home Box Office

5. True Blood, “Thank You”
> Series finale rating: 5.0/10 (2,321 votes)
> Full series rating: 7.8/10 (231,439 votes)
> Original air date: August 24, 2014

“True Blood” follows the story of a young waitress who meets a mysterious man who turns out to be a vampire and her life changes forever. The show ends with him asking her to kill him so she can finally be free and normal. He also guilts two other characters into marrying each other, which the audience doesn’t seem to have expected.

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Courtesy of Showtime Networks

4. Dexter, “Remember the Monsters?”
> Series finale rating: 4.6/10 (18,486 votes)
> Full series rating: 8.6/10 (657,654 votes)
> Original air date: September 22, 2013

“Dexter” is a crime drama mystery in which the main character, Dexter, is both a lovable forensic technician and also a serial killer. He was trained by his father — who saw that Dexter was certainly on his way to becoming a murderer after witnessing the killing of his own mother — to kill only bad people. Many fans believe the show started moving in the wrong direction after seasons three and four. In the end, Dexter fakes his own death — and this is exactly what fans hope will not happen. The has been rebooted and “Dexter: New Blood” will air in November 2021.

Courtesy of CBS

3. Two and a Half Men, “Of Course He’s Dead: Part 1 & 2”
> Series finale rating: 3.7/10 (2,789 votes)
> Full series rating: 7.0/10 (244,899 votes)
> Original air date: February 19, 2015

“Two and a Half Men” is one of the most popular sitcoms in TV history. It lasted for 12 seasons, three more seasons after killing its main character Charlie, played by Charlie Sheen. It seemed like the show had moved on until the final episode. As its title may hint, the episode seems to revolve around Charlie.

Courtesy of Home Box Office

2. Game of Thrones, “The Iron Throne”
> Series finale rating: 4.0/10 (236,072 votes)
> Full series rating: 9.2/10 (1,820,420 votes)
> Original air date: May 19, 2019

“Game of Thrones” is a fantasy drama and one of the most watched shows in TV history. The final episode tells how characters are handling the destruction of King’s Landing –with Daenerys turning into the kind of ruler she sought to overthrow — and deciding on who will rule Westeros. The ending was described as disappointing by many as they felt prophecies about the true heir of the throne remained unfulfilled or did not matter. Fans even started an online petition for the last episode to be remade.

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Courtesy of Netflix

1. House of Cards, “Chapter 73”
> Series finale rating: 2.4/10 (7,220 votes)
> Full series rating: 8.7/10 (473,332 votes)
> Original air date: November 2, 2018

Kevin Spacey was the star of Netflix’s “House of Cards” until a sexual assault scandal that lead to the streaming network firing him. Spacey played Frank Underwood, a brutal politician who eventually becomes the president of the United States. The last season has his wife, who is also the vice president, take the highest office, and the last episode has her destroy Frank’s legacy. Some critics have described the episode as having no real storyline, just a waiting for something to finally happen.

 

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