There is nothing harder in the TV world than pulling off a great ending. Even if a show comes out of the gates swinging with its first couple of episodes, it can fall flat on its face when it matters most, undoing all of the hard work from previous seasons. The most famous example, of course, is Game of Thrones. The first six seasons of HBO’s fantasy drama are all-timers, bringing the world of Westeros to life with ease. However, the final two seasons fail to recapture the magic and rush to an unsatisfactory conclusion. The failure of shows like Game of Thrones is why it’s vital to praise series that reinvent themselves on the fly.
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With the threat of cancellation always looming, creative teams will head back to the drawing board to find a way to make their stories and characters connect with viewers. It’s a thankless job most of the time, but it can pay off in a big way. Here are four TV shows that didn’t start strong but have incredible endings.
4) Parks and Recreation
Setting a show in a small town like Pawnee, Indiana, is a risk, as it’s hard to expect anything interesting to happen. Parks and Recreation fails to rewrite that narrative in its first season, with most of it focusing on a single sinkhole. The seasons that follow don’t make the same mistake, though, because they reinvent characters and introduce new and exciting ones. When it’s time for the Parks department to go their separate ways in Season 7, all the show has to do is let everyone be themselves.
3) The Office
Like Parks and Recreation, The Office makes up for a lackluster first season. The show hits its stride in its sophomore outing and doesn’t look back until the controversial Season 9, which does plenty of damage to characters like Jim Halpert and Andy Bernard. However, the rough times are worth it because The Office‘s finale is as good as it gets. Everyone gets a happy ending, including Dwight Schrute and Angela Martin, who finally marry after years of denying their feelings for one another.
2) Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad is one of the best series of all time; there’s no doubt about it. But Vince Gilligan’s series didn’t start off on the right foot. Season 1 is easily the weakest of the bunch, dragging out a story full of a bunch of unlikeable characters. Fortunately, it’s easy to forget all about that when Breaking Bad‘s final season rolls around. Walter White’s sins finally come back to bite him in a major way, but he doesn’t go out without a fight.
1) The Leftovers
It’s always hard to judge a mystery box show by its first season. However, The Leftovers doesn’t do itself any favors. The first batch of episodes is slow and has a truly dour tone. Season 3 makes up for all of that by finally peeling back the curtain and providing commentary on grief and what it really means to be alone. It’s hard to find a more worthwhile ending than what The Leftovers cooks up for Nora Durst and Kevin Garvey.
Which of these shows do you enjoy the most? Are there any other shows that start slow but have great endings? Let us know in the comments below!
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