A few rare TV shows manage to improve after changing their concepts, but others drop in quality while attempting to reinvent themselves. A strong premise can take a series far; just look at how Lost, Severance, and Pluribus have set themselves apart with fresh and gripping ideas. Sometimes, those ideas can carry a project through its entire run. Other times, series are forced to pivot and reinvent themselves.
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And TV shows like Supernatural or The Good Place are exceptionally good at reinvention. Others aren’t, though, failing because their changes are tonally inconsistent, repetitive, or too far along in their run. From a vampire show that gets worse after its heroine becomes a vampire to the CW’s murder mystery that went off the rails, these series are prime examples of the latter.
5) The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries opens with Elena Gilbert discovering the supernatural in her town, then follows her as she navigates the news that vampires, werewolves, and witches are real — and, for various reasons, have their sights set on her. The first few outings of the series weave together supernatural storylines and teen drama in a way that’s truly entertaining. However, things shift when Elena herself becomes a vampire at the end of Season 3. The show never regains its magic; instead, it loses its moral center and upends its best relationship dynamics. And thanks to a series of cast departures (including Nina Dobrev), it continues to tweak its premise through to the end. Sadly, it never really works.
4) Scrubs
Scrubs remains one of the most entertaining medical shows out there, but its final season reflects poorly on it — and it’s because it’s basically an entirely different series. The show we all love gets a proper send-off at the end of Scrubs Season 8, which is clearly meant to be the finale. However, Scrubs Season 9 returns with a new concept that it’s not bold enough to deem a full-on spinoff or sequel. It attempts to alter the comedy’s concept, changing its focus to medical students rather than the professionals we’ve been following. It also drags them along, though, resulting in a weird mash-up of new and old that doesn’t successfully sell either.
3) The 100
The first five seasons of The 100 are about a space colony returning to Earth, nearly a century after the nuclear apocalypse, and trying to survive there — all while becoming embroiled in conflicts with the people already on the ground. The CW series explores their attempts to forge an uneasy peace, and it eventually comes full circle in the Season 5 finale, when they’re forced to abandon the planet yet again. The 100 continues past this point, however, showing Clarke and the others discovering a new planet. They deal with new challenges there, but the drama soon begins to incorporate things like time travel into its story. It goes from a grounded exploration of humanity to an over-the-top sci-fi story that forgets why the early seasons are great.
2) Once Upon a Time
Once Upon a Time initially follows its heroine, Emma Swan, as she tries break a curse plaguing the town of Storybrooke, Maine. It’s a fun fantasy show that honors all sorts of fairy tale characters, but it departs from its original premise in Season 7. That’s when the show does a soft reboot, centering on yet another curse after Emma has already completed her mission and found her happily ever after. It doesn’t work nearly as well, losing the magic of the first six outings. It’s repetitive and doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, so it’s not that surprising the show was canceled shortly after. However, it is a shame that it missed its chance to go out on a high note in Season 6.
1) Riverdale
Riverdale starts as a small-town murder mystery that’s atmospheric and campy (and could be forgiven for moving all the way into cheesy territory at times). The first season sees its characters attempting to solve a murder that rocks their town. And it remains fairly grounded, which is not a word that can be associated with anything that comes after. As Riverdale continues, it brings in everything from magic to alternate realities. If done well, this might’ve worked, but the tone and focus of Riverdale feels wildly inconsistent for much of its run. It has a reputation for being out there, and its premise change after its first season or two is the reason why.
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