10 TV Shows Too Big To Fail (That Did It Anyway)

5. The Defenders

Why It Was 'Too Big'

Five seasons across four separate shows were all building to this. The Defenders was effectively the small screen, street-level version of The Avengers, with the joint backing of Marvel and Netflix behind it.

While the Netflix MCU had taken a dip with Iron Fist, the majority had been acclaimed by both fans and critics, generating huge amounts of hype along the way for its more adult tone and jaw-dropping action. Even Iron Fist was somewhat forgiven, because it was all part of the build to The Defenders, in the same way not all of Marvel's Phase 1 films were great, yet important stepping stones. The Avengers had been a mammoth success, so surely The Defenders would be too, right?

Why It Failed Anyway

Although only eight episodes instead of the usual 13, The Defenders was plagued by the pacing issues that have in-part come to help define Netflix's Marvel Universe, with the biggest misstep being the wait until the end of the third episode for the titular team to assemble. We'd already been through most of the setup thanks to their solo shows, and the wait here dragged things out unnecessarily.

Compounding the issue was the Hand, the villain of Daredevil Season 2 and Iron Fist Season 1. They weren't exciting in either of those, and once again felt like a lacklustre threat, especially when combining the strengths of four superheroes. There was little justification for the team coming together, and The Defenders wasn't just a failure, but it's led to huge drop-offs in interest in the rest of the shows too, most of which have now been cancelled.