10 TV Shows That Should Have Ended After One Season

Arguably the jewel in the Netflix crown, Stranger Things remains a true pop culture phenomenon. The release of season three was met with great fanfare, and it does huge numbers for the streaming giants. At this point, though, it’s less a TV series than an excuse for the actors to play ‘80s dress up.

The first season took heavy influence from the 1980s resumes of John Carpenter and Stephen Spielberg, but it had its own approach, too, which was refreshing and exciting. More importantly, it was stuffed with content, suspenseful and exciting, bingeworthy TV at its finest.

Like a band experiencing the sophomore slump, it was clear that the Duffer brothers had used up all their best ideas in the first run. Season two had a lot of dead air comparatively, including a huge misfire of an episode set in Chicago that was there to fill time. Season three, to a lesser extent, suffers from the same issue. They lean on ‘80s references and pop hits in lieu of engaging stories.

The tone and vibe of the show is unparalleled - if they took a Fargo approach and transitioned all this to an entirely new set of characters and stories, perhaps that would freshen things up.