TV Shows that started out good but ended badly

 

A few shows are able to remain interesting and consistent. Sopranos, the Shield, Breaking Bad and the Wire were fun and intriguing from beginning to end. On there other hand there are tv shows that started out great and somewhere in the middle they lost their way and the story got stale.

Vikings

Vikings was and is one of the greatest shows I have ever seen. The opening music theme set the tone and got me at the edge of my seat. Ragnar Lothbrok was one of the most charismatic characters I have ever seen. The actor that played the part did an amazing job. The first three seasons of Vikings were enthralling. There was action, battle scenes, romance, comedy and drama. 

However, after Ragnar dies in a pit of snakes, the series went downhill. The whole story of his three sons looking to avenge the death of their father started well but became nonsensical. I doubt the real Ivar the Boneless crawled on his belly. Looking at the character who played Ivar moving on all fours was unbearable. Then the whole story of the Vikings on Iceland or Greenland was so boring. The series goes to Russia and that was boring as well. Not to mention Bjorn Ironside dying on a horse on the battlefield. 

Vikings should have just stuck to history as much as possible. It would have been interesting seeing the story of Cnut, Harold Bluetooth, Harald Hadrada and even of William the Conqueror. But alas we had to see the Vikings go to America in some nonsensical plot.

The Last Kingdom

Last kingdom followed the story of Uhtred as he navigates between the Anglo Saxons and the Danes and Vikings. But the character who stole the show was Aethelwold. The sniveling villain in Aethelwold was the stand out character. He made the show all the more interesting with his schemes. However, when he dies in season 3 episode 10 the story fell flat and became stale. I had to skim watch season 4 nodding off in the middle. The silliest part of season 4 was when the battle between Uhtred and Edward stops midway. I didn't even bother watching season 5 because it was boring.

Sons of Anarchy

The story of Jax and the motorcycle was great until Clary Morrow died. A story is only as good as the villain and Clay was the bad guy you love to hate. After Clay is killed in season 6 episode 11 the story went downhill. Season 7 was lackluster. The idea of Jax killing his own mother was silly. And Jax committing suicide by riding into a truck was nonsensical. Still a great show though.

Top Boy

The first two seasons of Top Boy was amazing. The show looked at the lives of drug dealers in the Londond borough of Hackney. It was fast pace and unpredictable. Top Boy was like the Wire but in England. However, after the two seasons Top Boy was dropped in 2014 and came back in 2019 after Drake intervened and managed to get Top Boy reinstated on Netflix.

However, seasons 3, 4 and 5 were a struggle to watch. The story archs were repetitive and the acting apart from the lead actors was atrocious. I had to skim watch season 5. With that being said, the ending of Top Boy was great and conclusive. Unlike the Sopranos ending, Top Boy gave the audience closure and we walked away feeling that the bad guys had got their comeuppance. Friends turn on each other and Top Boy shows that crime doesn't pay.

Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones was a juggernaut from season one to season four. Game of Thrones was the greatest thing since slice bread. It took the world by storm and had people get withdrawals between seasons because it was so addictive. 

However, when the show producers ran out of book material Game of Thrones tumbled into mediocrity. The stories made no sense, Tyrion lost his wit, Littlefinger became an idiot and Daenerys turned into a raving lunatic. The plot was so boring and painful to watch and everything was about subverting our expectations. Game of Thrones could have been one of the greatest shows ever but will be forgotten and tossed into the abyss of irrelevance.