10 TV Shows That Failed To Stick The Landing

The problem with gimmicks is they only stay fresh for a while. A serial killer who kills other serial killers? Sure, that’s a cool concept. But then what? Those who checked out of Dexter after the first two pretty decent seasons will likely be shocked to learn that it went on for 96 episodes, culminating in one of the most baffling have your cake and eat it finales in TV history.

The writers never could conclude whether Dexter was basically a good guy or a bad guy. Not in an interesting Tony Soprano kind of way, though; they just shifted the character around to fit their whims. He kills folks (bad!) - but the folks he kills are themselves murderers (good!). He’s incapable of feeling love (bad!) - but he has a cute little son (who, sure, he’s incapable of loving, but - good?). So how do you bring a character like that to a satisfying conclusion?

Well, if you’re the creators of Dexter, you just - don’t! Many theorised Dexter would end up turning himself in, making amends, or otherwise dying some manner of heroic death. Suffice to say, they were miles off. Instead, the cop-turned-killer drives his boat into a hurricane, presumably dying, before resurfacing in the Pacific Northwest where he lives out the rest of his days as a lumberjack. Because of course he does.

An unpredictable ending can be a great thing. But get too self consciously unpredictable and you can end up with nonsense. No one’s suggesting that every morally dubious character needs to get their just desserts - having Dexter pay for his sins wouldn’t necessarily have been any better. This conclusion hedged its bets, though, and sapped the show of what little dignity it had left.