20 TV Shows That Failed To Stick The Landing

As one of the most popular and beloved sitcoms of all time, it can be difficult to look back on Friends and realise it wasn't all that good in its final years. 

When Friends started out, it was a down-to-earth and realistic portrayal of friends hanging out, falling in love, falling out, courting careers and change faced by us all, and it propelled itself forward with a unique style, great laughs, and a witty cast. 

But as it marched forward - particularly around the eighth season, maybe earlier - it became too unchallenging and mechanical with its laughs, each character became far too linked to their loudest traits (Ross and his over-the-top outbursts, Joey and his stupidity), and the relationship drama too artificial. 

Polished within an inch of its life, Friends lost that realistic edge that made it such a relatable gem in its early years, as well as that element of emotional surprise that made Ross and Rachel's will-they-won't-they so engaging, and the friends themselves so lived-in and real.