20 TV Shows That Failed To Stick The Landing

11. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

As almost any superfan will tell you (this writer included), Buffy the Vampire Slayer probably should have ended with its epic and emotionally poignant fifth season. 

That's to say that the next two seasons were meritless, only that they struggled to find an identity that suited Buffy's characters as they grew up and faced bigger, more adult challenges. Season six, for example, was a dour mix of dark romance and horrible tragedy that was too bleak to be enjoyed, its characters beaten by addiction and toxic relationships.

There was a slight course correction going into its seventh and final season, as the intrepid Scooby Gang were sent back to school for one final apocalypse, but even then Buffy struggled to end without finding a need to go bigger than it needed to. 

With an underwhelming final fight and some cheap character deaths, Buffy ended with chaos when it really should have leaned more into its more subtle aspects. Again, not without its merits - the arc of antihero vampire Spike (James Marsters), anyone? - but still a shaky, messy end for a fun little show that was always so confident and assured.