8 TV Shows That Tanked After Their First Seasons, Ranked

Dan Clarendon

Sophomore slumps aren’t solely the domain of television — just ask the band members of U2, the filmmakers of the Cars franchise, the developers behind the Dragon Age video games, and any number of English Premier League teams.

But diminished returns are especially evident on television, perhaps because a TV show’s second season typically airs soon after its first, making the contrast glaring. Here are our picks for TV shows that went downhill in their second seasons — only some of which recovered — ranked by steepness of that decline.

8
Smash
Where to Stream Smash

Smash

2012–2013

After a first season that devolved into hate-watch-worthy campiness, Smash’s second season wasn’t so much so-bad-it’s-good as too-implausible-even-for-TV. As its two Marilyn Monroe wannabes continued their rivalry, Smash tried to convince us that both the musical Bombshell and its competitor Hit List were Tony-winning sensations. (Broadway’s new Smash musical perhaps has a chance.)

7
Prison Break
Where to Stream Prison Break

Prison Break

2005–2017

In an example of a TV show that outgrew its title, Prison Break ended its first season with its protagonists, yes, breaking out of prison. After that thrilling escape, we followed the Fox River fugitives as they evaded the authorities, but the show leaned too hard on its government conspiracy storyline and tried too hard to keep the gang together (often at other prisons).

6
Revenge
Where to Stream Revenge

Revenge

2011–2015

Like Heroes below and Prison Break above, Revenge, too, had a shadowy entity pulling the strings, though this time, it was called the Initiative and not the Company! But yes, a show that would have worked better as a miniseries about one Hamptons woman’s vengeful schemes stumbled forward with increasingly ludicrous twists across four seasons.

5
Friday Night Lights
Where to Stream Friday Night Lights

Friday Night Lights

2006–2011

Along with True Detective (below), Friday Night Lights rebounded from its sophomore slump, but its second season was a fumble for a what is otherwise a touchdown of a TV show. With one character committing murder, another hooking up with his grandmother’s caregiver, and another considering treatment via stem cells — shark steam cells, even! — the football drama was never soapier.

4
Homeland
Where to Stream Homeland

Homeland

2011–2020

This espionage thriller starts compellingly enough: A U.S. Marine is rescued from a terrorist compound and returned home, where a CIA officer suspects he’s a traitor even as she falls for him. After Season 1, though, Homeland’s machinations start becoming apparent, as do the Islamophobic stereotypes and cultural errors that had one critic calling it “the most bigoted show on television.”

3
13 Reasons Why
Where to Stream 13 Reasons Why

13 Reasons Why

2017–2020

Need 13 Reasons Why you shouldn’t bother with this show’s second season? Take Episodes 1 through 13. After an acclaimed but controversial first season, Season 2 put the Liberty High teenagers through even more trauma and ended with a scene so excruciating — and, arguably, gratuitous — that viewers called for the show’s cancellation.

2
Heroes
Where to Stream Heroes

Heroes

2006–2010

In one of the more notorious sophomore slumps on TV, Heroes followed a propulsive first season with a frustrating second season that — by creator Tim Kring’s own admission — was too slow-paced, too disjointed, and too romance-focused. The show never recovered in ratings or reviewed, even with its revival series.

1
True Detective
Where to Stream True Detective

True Detective

2014–

“It’s like blue balls in your heart.” “Never do anything out of hunger, not even eating.” “I’ll come back and butt-f*** your father with your mom’s headless corpse.” All actual lines from this show’s hangover of a second season. Nic Pizzolatto had some nerve criticizing True Detective’s fourth-season reboot, considering his name is on those Season 2 scripts.

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  1. O

    OliveSword

    Every season of Friday Night Lights was good.

    1. C

      CyanBucket

      Yes, but that murder plot was bad and just vanished in subsequent years

  2. G

    GreenCoffee

    Current example = last of us season 2.

    1. O

      OrangeFries

      Dumb take

  3. P

    Patrick

    Homeland and Friday Night Lights were both great...

  4. G

    GreenCoffee

    true detective season 2 was not uonto the level of season 1 but still much better than 4, which officially killed it imo.

  5. P

    PurpleWheel

    Riverdale. Worse drop off I have ever seen. It is not even close.

    1. O

      OrangeDog

      Trash ending

  6. O

    OrangeCandy

    I agree with Revenge. It should've been a miniseries. It started to get dumb by season 3

  7. C

    CyanCoathanger

    Sometimes shows have a great premise, but once that premise is fully explored (or carried out), there is nothing else to do with it. (Example: prison break)

    A good TV show (especially one with a unique concept) is like a book: getting the audience's attention off the bat is great... but then you have to KEEP that attention. In a good way, not in a stupid, throwing-spaghetti-at-the-wall kind of way.

    1. C

      CyanPopcorn

      The problem was prison break was envisioned as a single season mini series, it was supposed to be 13 and done. It was a hit fox wanted more they had to keep coming up with more and more reasons to keep it going, essentially turning it into the dirty dozen

  8. G

    GoldCocktail

    Umbrella Academy. First season was so well written and fleshed out. The rest of it... not so much.

    1. O

      OrangeDog

      Loved the first season. Watched it many times. You're right though the rest was meh dvd the ending was garbage in my opinion.

  9. G

    GreenPlane

    Homeland was good from beginning to end. The first season may have been it's strongest, but the rest was way better than of lot of stuff out there.

    1. B

      BlueLocomotive

      Seasons 2&3 got a bit bogged down with what to do with Brody but everything after that was great.

  10. C

    CyanBottle

    Westworld.

  11. G

    Gary Graham

    Season 1 was by far the best, Season 4 was the worst.

    Like anything else when you do something very right, what do you do for an encore?

  12. A

    Alexgrieve

    Sports night was another great show that got pulled after its first season. Why?

  13. B

    BlueFan

    I loved every season of True Detective. They all were very different, but had aspects that drew you in. Seasons 2 insight of someone who had dementia was brilliant. I also think season 3 showed us first hand what a Diddy party was like.

  14. G

    GoldPuzzle

    Actually Homeland was excellent , I have intel friends and there is realism in the series. The islam portrayal and the fact that their sometimes radical ways are also shown to be western bad behavioral driven .

  15. G

    GreenCarrot

    True Detective season 4 was very disappointing to me I kept watching and waiting for something great to happen and it never did.

  16. O

    OrangeDog

    Prison break took a bit longer than one season to go down hill. All of heroes was great, minus the reboot. And 13 reasons why 3nd season was crucial to understand more of why Becca did it.

  17. O

    OliveCactus

    Whispering Pines, The Last of Us, Squid Game, Goliath...

  18. O

    OliveRadio

    That whole scene with the bully in TD S2 you used as an example is one of the best moments of the whole series. That being said, S1 will never be achieved again

  19. R

    RedTurtle

    Homeland was an awesome show! I loved it but not everyone will! Great show!

  20. R

    RedCupcake

    This list doesnt make any sense. These were all good and lasted more then one season. Except smash

    1. C

      CyanCandy

      You really don't understand the point of this article do you...

    2. O

      OrangeDog

      It's not shows that only lasted 1 season. It's shows that they think went downhill after the first season. I don't agree with several of them.

  21. C

    CyanController

    This is woke, ill-informed crap.

    1. B

      BlueUmbrella

      By woke you mean well informed and intelligent?

    2. P

      PurpleDucky

      Woke should be banned from the English language. When political nutjobs learn A new word they use it in every context over and over.

      1. O

        OliveGrapes

        Agreed, get sick of hearing it.

      2. G

        GreenRocket

        Not to mention that they don’t even use it right, and actually have no idea what it means. They’ve recently hijacked black fatigue, and have no idea what it means, so they just make up what they think it means. In all actuality, the phrase was never meant to be”for” them, it was meant to be “about” them.