Unfortunately, loving a series and then realizing that the quality has gotten much worse is a pretty familiar experience for TV fans. It can be hard to feel like so much time has been invested and yet the characters and stories just aren't as fresh anymore.
Sometimes a single-season show is the best bet as viewers can sit back and relax, not worrying about whether the series will worsen in quality as the seasons go on. Other times, fans will tough it out and finish a show even if they don't love the last season or the series finale. There are many TV series in the past few years that have totally jumped the shark and gone down a path that fans just weren't pleased with.
Game Of Thrones
It's safe to say that the Game of Thrones series finale was one of the most anticipated in TV history. After eight seasons, fans had devoted so much time and energy and ion to this popular show, and they wanted a fitting ending.
Unfortunately, no one was thrilled with the final season, and the last episode was unsatisfying. The twist that Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) all of a sudden turned evil in the last batch of episodes came out of nowhere.
This Is Us
While This Is Us was once a dramatic and fascinating look at a family who lost their husband and father, it jumped the shark as soon as Jack Pearson's (Milo Ventimiglia) cause of death was revealed.
Fans didn't feel that he died in a legitimate way, and the fact that a Crock-Pot caused the house fire that ultimately led to his death felt really silly. This wasn't the right way to go. And as soon as everyone knew how Jack died, it didn't seem necessary or fun to watch the show anymore.
Pretty Little Liars
When Spencer Hastings (Troian Bellisario) was revealed to have an evil twin in the series finale of Pretty Little Liars, no one was pleased.
It didn't feel like the right move for the show, and the last season felt like a series of random twists and turns. Fans were eager for answers and it took so long to get them that watching PLL became exhausting.
Grey's Anatomy
With a 17th season premiering soon, Grey's Anatomy has featured every potential kind of medical problem and every potential couple seems to have fallen in love (and broken up). It's hard to know what stories are left to tell, and many fans gave up years ago.
No fan liked saying goodbye to Derek Shepherd and this seems to be when Grey's Anatomy officially jumped the shark, although viewers have various opinions on when the show became unwatchable. It was strange to watch Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) without her soulmate, and she has never seemed to recover.
Modern Family
Modern Family is one of the most popular sitcoms of recent years, and fans loved watching this wild and quirky clan meddle in each other's lives. But with 11 seasons, it makes sense that after a certain point, the show wasn't that funny anymore. Fans have various opinions on where Modern Family jumped the shark but it's safe to say that the final season wasn't up to par with the previous ones.
Sarah Hyland talked about being Haley messed up a lot but this seemed like a strange creative choice.
Dead To Me
Although the first season of the Netflix show Dead to Me was fresh and exciting, the second season felt lacking.
Christina Applegate's Jen and Linda Cardellini's Judy didn't have a compelling relationship anymore, and their friendship is shaky. Nothing could have beat the crazy revelation in the first season about what Judy did to Jen's husband. This is the kind of series that would have been just fine being canceled after season 1.
13 Reasons Why
The first season of 13 Reasons Why stuck pretty close to the YA novel by Jay Asher, telling the story of Hannah Baker's (Katherine Langford) suicide and all of the people who affected her.
But over the next three seasons, the series tried too hard to feature every possible problem that high schoolers could deal with, and it became too much. Many of the storylines are very disturbing, the show would have been much better as a miniseries.
The Bold Type
The Bold Type is a great show to recommend, as the story of three millennial women working at a magazine was always charming and important. Kat (Aisha Dee), Sutton (Meghann Fahy), and Jane (Katie Stevens) have an inspiring friendship and they always help each other through life.
But recently, the show has gone in a strange direction and viewers aren't happy with the plotlines this season. Fans were upset that Sutton had a miscarriage and that Kat's new love interest is conservative.
Orange Is The New Black
What began as a fascinating and important look at life in the prison system turned into a series that many fans left behind and didn't even finish. While Orange is the New Black had great characters, they weren't always treated the way that they should have been.
The show jumped the shark when Poussey (Samira Wiley) was killed, as it was a harsh death that was too shocking. It felt like a clumsy way to do social commentary, and it didn't seem necessary.
House Of Cards
It could be argued that House of Cards jumped the shark twice: when Zoe (Kate Mara) was killed at the beginning of season 2, and when Claire (Robin Wright) was raped.
It's a shame that many TV shows are still using assault as a plot device and not discussing in in a responsible manner. Many viewers had a problem with Claire's storyline.