10 TV Shows That Failed To Stick The Landing

Making a TV show is hard graft. There are people to wrangle, locations to scout, machines to lug around. With all that effort exerted, you need to conserve a little energy somewhere. Entourage managed to do this in the writers’ room, where in 2011 you could find the most laid back staff of scribes in the whole of Hollywood. Entourage went off the boil around season 3, but the finale took laziness to a whole new height.

What started off as a sharp and fun satire about the venal nature of Hollywood became a celebration of the venal nature of Hollywood. Nothing ever, ever went wrong for the characters. Or rather: things would go horribly wrong for about half an episode towards the end of the season, before resolving themselves with no effort on the part of the characters.

There’s no growth, no maturation - they start out as a 20-something movie star and his oafish mates, and end up a 30-something movie star and his even more oafish mates. After a drab and slow season, the show ends at a mad pace as they realise that, traditionally, something’s supposed to actually happen in final episodes. Unsurprisingly, everything works out the best for all involved (after overcoming momentary roadblocks), and they fly off into the sunset.

Entourage gets further demerits for the appalling feature film a few years later. One of the least cinematic movies ever made, it feels like three episodes of the show played back to back, and it ends like one too (spoiler alert: every good thing that could possibly happen to these characters ends up happening). Entourage is a cautionary tale: it’s great to have fun at your job, but remember you’re there to work, too.