10 Unforgivable Mistakes That Ruined Great 2013 TV Shows

4. The Bridge Had A Chance To Be Geopolitically Meaningful

Unlike S.H.I.E.L.D. and Low Winter Sun, two shows which took turns for the worst relatively early in their runs, FX's The Bridge teased viewers for a bit longer into its freshman season. If S.H.I.E.L.D. and Low Winter Sun were the blind dates that went wrong at desert, The Bridge is the blind date who made you want to see him/her a few more times before going off the rails. In its first several episodes, the show conducted some fascinating world-building and raised some important geopolitical questions related to United States-Mexico border relations. With the standout acting of Diane Kruger and Demian Bichir at the center, The Bridge, more so than the freshman shows mentioned above, seemed to have the makings for an outstanding TV show. The whole season, the killer had been posing as this figure concerned with the preference given to United States citizens in crimes at the border. It seemed he desired some humanistic reforms with the El Paso law enforcement system. But then the reveal of the serial killer came. It turns out, he just wanted personal revenge on Bichir's character whom he blamed for the death of his family. He cared little for border relations. The show built up this vast world and tricked the viewer into thinking the show was about something exoteric, relevant, and internationally important; then the show betrayed the viewer with the inclusion of a hackneyed revenge story dealing with a Se7en-esque omniscient serial killer.