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19 Shows That Had Perfect First Seasons, And Then Went And Ruined It By Season 2

No new episode will ever be able to recreate the magic I felt watching Season 1 of Euphoria.

Lauren Garafano
by Lauren Garafano

BuzzFeed Staff

We asked the BuzzFeed Community which TV shows had first seasons that are so perfect, they should've just been a standalone series. Here's what they said:

1. Ted Lasso

coach ted lasso standing in a locker room
Apple TV+ / Everett Collection

Actual number of seasons: 3

"Perfect first season."

—amwhitehurst

"I was so shocked at the downgrade between the first two seasons. Season 1 is nearly perfect and then Season 2 is like a PSA with little emotional weight. So disappointing."

—stylishcupcake33

2. Euphoria

closeup of a teen standing outside at night
Courtesy HBO

Actual number of seasons: 2, with a third on the way (so far)

"Only because Season 2 was such a tremendous downgrade."

—serenafischer

3. Stranger Things

young teen girl with a shaved head and bloody nose standing outside
Netflix / ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection

Actual number of seasons: 4, with a fifth on the way

"Even though I really enjoyed Season 4, nothing will beat Season 1. I don't know if it was the simple charm of kids being kids in the '80s or the gripping storyline, but there was something so unique and perfect about it that anything that followed just can't match what that season brought. While it's been great to watch the characters develop and see the story unfold, the first season would have been an immaculate miniseries if it ended right there."

—sunflowersugar

4. Prison Break

lawyers in a courtroom
20thcentfox / ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection

Actual number of seasons: 5

"It would have been perfect as a mini-series."

—doofenshmirtzevilinc

5. Bones

people in a coroner's office
20thcentfox / ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection

Actual number of seasons: 12

"The first season was sooo good. Brennan changed a lot, and not necessarily for the best. Plus, Dr. Goodman was great."

—reallityfades

"Season 1 Brennan is a little socially awkward and far too focused on her work, but is otherwise a typical adult woman. Anything beyond this, and you'd be convinced she was packed away in storage until the age of 30 and suddenly released into the modern era. And what drives me nuts is that the show gives her this whole disdain for human relationships and culture. She doesn't get them, doesn't like them, doesn't see the point. Which could be well-suited to her character if she was just an ME or coroner. But the show seems to forget she's an anthropologist (a field of study heavily reliant on an understanding of human relationships and culture, historically and currently, since she's also mentioned to do humanitarian work), and her main job for the Jeffersonian is, amazingly, NOT solving the FBI's current homicide. She's also a highly popular author of fiction novels, and nobody in the writers' room thought that might be at odds with her later characterization?"

—lobsterlemonlime

6. Glee

group of teens performing on a stage
20thcentfox / ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection

Actual number of seasons: 6

"It was all downhill after Season 1."

—atticcrazy

"I love the show despite all its flaws, but it honestly should have ended after the first season."

—everynowandthenifallapart

7. Life

two detectives standing by their car
Nbc / ©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection

Actual number of seasons: 2

"Losing the second season would mean the whole conspiracy around Charlie was never solved, but the solution frankly wasn't that great, and all the characters were maimed along the way. Better to leave it as a single season stand-alone, a perfectly characterized unsolved gem of possibilities."

—jehanne13642

8. Scream Queens

group of young women huddled in shock
20thcentfox / 20th Century Fox Licensing/Merchandising / Everett Collection

Actual number of seasons: 2

"Season 2 was not it."

—jujubee_000

9. True Detective

two detectives with a crime wall behind them
Courtesy HBO

Actual number of seasons: 4 (so far)

"Season 1 was a freaking masterpiece. The rest…. Blergh 🤷‍♀️."

—lean4a7effe60

10. Westworld

two characters standing outside by their horses
Courtesy HBO

Actual number of seasons: 4

"It had such a good first season and then went steadily downhill from there."

—bethechangeyouwanttosee

11. Deadwind

closeup of a woman standing in front of a crime scene, looking away
Netflix

Actual number of seasons: 3

"Season 1 was a brilliant crime drama that always left you guessing and had no ludicrous twists for the sake of twists. Sadly Season 2 was cartoonish and Season 3 was decent, but not up to Season 1’s standard."

—davidwigton

12. The Walking Dead

two cops pointing guns
AMC / Everett

Actual number of seasons: 11 with multiple spinoffs

"I know it was meant to be a miniseries but man did they drag that one through the mud."

—caakle

13. Heroes

two people standing next to each other outside a building
Nbc / ©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection

Actual number of seasons: 4

"Season 2 was unwatchable."

—deadzy

14. The O.C.

two teens standing inside a restaurant talking
Warner Bros / ©Warner Bros / courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection

Actual number of seasons: 4

"I rewatch only the first season of The O.C. and pretend like that's the whole show."

—fayeolivia90

15. The Newsroom

woman in a blazer inside a newsroom
Courtesy HBO

Actual number of seasons: 3

"The Newsroom had the single best pilot episode of any show I've ever watched, and the season only went up from there."

—kjl11f

16. Once Upon a Time

woman leading her horse in the woods
Abc / ©ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection

Actual number of seasons: 7

"Season 1 seemed to have a well-thought out season-long story to be told both in the real world and the Enchanted Forest. Come season 2, it was all over the place with no clear direction, and minimal correlation between the fairy tale and real world stories."

—rmcullen

17. Riverdale

two teens sitting at a dinner looking ahead in a concern
Cw Network / ©CW Network/Courtesy Everett Collection

Actual number of seasons: 7

"Season 1 had its faults but was a solid murder mystery. It just got bizarre after that. Although, I must admit some of those bizarre moments gave me the best laughs I ever had in my life 😅."

—oneika_mb

18. Top of the Lake

two cops in their office
Screengrab / ©Sundance Film Series/Courtesy Everett C / Everett Collection

Actual number of seasons: 2

"It had a compelling first season with a strong setting, an interesting mystery, and a great love interest. The second season brought the main character back to their regular life, which was boring, and destroyed the relationship."

—stylishcupcake33

19. Homeland

closeup of a woman sitting on a couch
Showtime Networks Inc. / ©Showtime Networks Inc./Courtesy Everett Collection

Actual number of seasons: 8

"That first season was so good and then it nose dived."

—deadzy

"It seemed like they relied on Claire Danes' character having a mental health episode every season, it got ridiculous. But damn, S1 was amazing."

—taylora4e62a0521

Responses have been edited for length/clarity.

Did your favorite make the list? Let us know the comments!