10 TV Shows That Lost MILLIONS Of Viewers (And Why)
6. Once Upon A Time
A magical reimagining of some of the most iconic fairytales ever told, Once Upon A Time's uniqueness as a show reflected in its strong ratings, as it pulled in an average of 11 million viewers throughout its first two seasons. And, in spite of the fact that it would suffer a number of declines over the years, it always managed to recapture folks' attention with its unique spin on some beloved stories.
Unfortunately, the sheen would eventually wear off sometime around the fifth season when the ratings never recovered from the typical midseason lull, as the show began hitting series lows of 3 - 4 million on a weekly basis. And although it would last another two seasons, its ratings continued to nosedive, with the final season failing to achieve a 1.0. rating with the 18-49s - unheard of considering it once drew numbers like 3 and 4 in that demographic.
As it usually managed to overcome the aforementioned lull, Season 5's decline could have had something to do with fatigue, as fans grew weary of repetitive storylines as well as the fact that their favourite characters were consistently robbed of their happy endings. And the final season's dramatic decline was simply down to the fact that the showrunners attempted to reboot the show following the narrative's conclusion - something that ultimately got it cancelled.