10 TV Shows That Would Have Been Better Off As Anthologies

7. The Killing

True Detective seems to have learned an important lesson from a similar precursor, The Killing. Namely, don't drag out what should be a one-season story across multiple years. The Killing began on AMC with enormous positive buzz, and was considered one of the best shows on television for some time during its first season. But then, the show took an enormous gut-punch with the reaction to its first season finale, which failed to resolve the major story arc of the season (the murder of Rosie Larsen). Subsequently, the show received as much, if not more, press for its continuous dance with cancellation and network shuffling than it did for actual content. This might have been a show where the definition of anthology series could be bent somewhat, by keeping some of the major characters around but presenting them with a new season-long case - or it might have succeeded by tying up the Larson storyline entirely, and moving on (as True Detective now is) to an entirely new set of stories and cast members.