Ever stopped watching a 'good' TV show?

MakeEmLaugh

Have you ever started watching a decent TV show (leaving aside soap operas, which rarely ever stop being shown) and then stopped watching several episodes/series in through lack of interest?

House of Cards springs to mind. Although I haven't seen all of it, I have friends who recently told me they stopped watching a few episodes into the latest series (Season 3), because they were so underwhelmed.

I started watching the Fargo TV show last year, but my girlfriend found it boring and we stopped (though I may go back and finish watching it myself, if I can find the time).

Happy to say I finish most shows that I begin watching, like The Wire, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad.

I actually think weariness over not finishing shows is a big part as to why I haven't watched the likes of Boardwalk Empire or Deadwood yet. It seems more logical to not start watching them than to start and then not find the time to finished, leaving you on a frustrated level of uncertainty.

MrWalsh

Yeah lots of them. Although sometimes I have come back later and watched the rest after hearing the next season was good.

Millennium - I liked it but it just got too "samey".

Jericho - too linear, didnt make it to the end of season 1.

Terra Nova - then they cancelled it anyway.

Falling skies - too much "twee" and too linear, watched the first season, never felt compelled to go back - wonder if it got better?

Homeland - gave it up after 6 or 7 episodes, never went back.

Sopranos - 1 episode - never went back, that was quite recently, I think maybe its just too dated to watch from the start now.

Orange is the New Black - stopped watching around episode 5 of season 1 but heard good things about season 2 so went back and it was worth it.

Never tried House of Cards, dont think Id be into it.

Mr.Saturn

Justified comes to mind, immediately. Post season-4 it lost its way, I feel, but reviews coming in say that the current, and last, is amongst the show's best. Will most likely binge once it's complete.

Portlandia. It's a sketch show, granted, but it's more the question as to how long you can go on producing a standard joke-mill show and not exhaust the premise quickly?

smilerf

Lost and the walking dead for me. Both bored me to tears

kn

smilerf wrote: »

Lost and the walking dead for me. Both bored me to tears

Didn't really get into Lost but it was the whole series that ended up getting 'lost' with the 'others' etc. Watched The Walking Dead for the couple of series which was good but then it just got stuck and gave up.

Tayla

Breaking bad- I did go back eventually and watch it but I found some of the episodes were so tedious that I just stopped watching it.

Also 24- I thought that was the biggest load of rubbish I've ever seen in my life, the acting was terrible, I watched up until the start of season 3 convinced it would have to get better because people raved so much about it but it was just awful and wasn't showing any signs of improvement.

_Kaiser_

The West Wing... I gave it 3 seasons and while it was good, it just felt like it was going nowhere beyond the "crisis of the week". I know it was in an era before season/series long arcs, but there was almost no character growth at all.

The Sopranos... Gets better as it goes on but god the early seasons are a slog. I thought I was watching a series about gangsters, not teenage angst and the spoiled wife's melodrama.

Homeland... watched season 1 but never went back for whatever reason

Mad Men... gave up in season 4 when they shifted the focus to the younger/secondary cast

holy guacamole

If I think a show is good then I keep watching it.

poeticmakaveli

Prison break! Only started watching it a few weeks ago and I loved the first 2 seasons, however,its just to dramatic,unrealistic,and stretched out now so in time eventually I might catch up with it!

Watching "the mentalist now and I've got 4 seasons watched in no time and my enthusiasm for it hasn't faded! What a show and I'm dreading when I finish it! Even though columbo was way way before my time it has been my favorite show and 'the mentalist' gives me that columbo feel to it, not to mention the many times of columbo references or some sort of affiliation to columbo I see in the show!
But yeah to answer your question originally:) prison break.

Blaithik

Yep, I stopped watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. About a third through the first season. I came back to it a while later and watched the rest, enjoyed it massively. I would highly recommend it to any Marvel fan.

(Also first post wooh yay clap clap)

AnonoBoy

Game of Thrones.

Who gives a flying f*ck if winter is coming or what Jon Snow knows?

hdowney

So many.
Homeland. I got bored
Game of Thrones. Much preferred the books.
24. Got bored
Nikita. Got bored
OITNB. Got bored

I'm sensing a theme!

FixitFelix

Breaking bad
The biggest load of horse **** I ever watched, stopped watching after the 3rd series

Skerries

The only show I can think of that I went back to due to recommendations was True Blood

most other shows I stop watching were due to a lack of continuing interest such as Lost Girl, Revenge and Nikita

I have heard that Agents of Shield gets a lot better so I may give that another try

Grays Sports Almanac

Watched the first 2 seasons of The Wire. No interest in watching the third.

ThisRegard

Tayla wrote: »

Also 24- I thought that was the biggest load of rubbish I've ever seen in my life, the acting was terrible, I watched up until the start of season 3 convinced it would have to get better because people raved so much about it but it was just awful and wasn't showing any signs of improvement.

I thought it was just me, I watched the first episode recently and thought it was awful, couldn't go back for a second one.

Lost interest in Fargo half way through too, not that it was bad, just didn't hold my interest.

Mad Men, couldn't finish out the first season.

Game of Thrones, managed the first season and 1 episode.

True Blood, nonsense when the witches or whatever they were arrived.

And that thing The Following, it just got ridiculous.

ThisRegard

Hollis Hurlbut wrote: »

Watched the first 2 seasons of The Wire. No interest in watching the third.

Season 2 is the slowest, and you'll be rewarded greatly by watching the 3rd and onwards.

Birneybau

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Game of Thrones.

Who gives a flying f*ck if winter is coming or what Jon Snow knows?

Oooh, controversial!

The Shield for me, into 5th season, haven't watched it in months, don't think I'll go back.

sweetie

Birneybau wrote:

The Shield for me, into 5th season, haven't watched it in months, don't think I'll go back.

Totally worth going back to finish it.

Dirty Dingus McGee

Watched the first season of Deadwood and gave up.

Although it is obviously a very well made show and the acting was excellent, I found it very grim and tedious and I got fed up of every second character being killed.

There was zero enjoyment to the whole thing and even though The Wire,The Walking Dead are serious and very grim shows they are fun to watch as well.It felt like a trial watching Deadwood.

I also gave up after I saw the first season of MASH.The film was excellent but the TV show was absolute sh1te, its hard to believe it was so popular.

Trond

Breaking Bad - eventually went back to it and finished it. Good show, overrated imo.
The Walking Dead - tried my best but bored me to tears, have tried and failed with it again.
Flashforward - Easily the worst show ever and I wasnt even loaded
The Following - utterly ridiculous lasted about 3 episodes
24 - Did one season never went back


Think its worth mentioning that both The Sopranos and The Wire look so much better in HD. Really brings them both to life visually if that was an issue for anyone originally....

lertsnim

2 episodes into the last season of The Sopranos I stopped.

Harry Angstrom

24, Lost, Prison Break and Homeland.

The Americans have this uncanny knack for taking one good idea and tearing the arse out of it for all it's worth.

Optimalprimerib

Jesus id say most of them. It would be easier to list the ones I finished.

FloatingVoter

Mad Men

The Wire

An above poster has just reminded me I never got around to finishing Deadwood.

First two were / are completely over-hyped. Maybe over a slow weekend or a long illness I'll get around to them but TV shouldn't feel like homework.

sebcity

Game of Thrones - Got halfway through season 2, lost interest.
The Shield - The 4.5 seasons, lost interest. Hope to give it another go.
Fringe - Watched the pilot, don't think I'll continue.
Homeland - Stopped half way through latest season, might continue.

Currently half way through Dexter and Parks & Recreation, liking Dexter, loving P&R

norabattie

Breaking Bad - Didn't get the hype at all
Homeland - Useless after Season 1
24 - Got bored halfway through season 1
The Blacklist - Seemed to be the same old same old every week although I may try and go back to it eventually.

TerrorFirmer

Breaking Bad only truly ramps up in the end of season 3 and season 4, up to that point I struggled at times, now I consider it one of the best TV shows I've seen.

Gave up on Ray Donovan, Justified, and Sons of Anarchy. Just couldn't get into them.

wp_rathead

Suits - was watchable but not my cup of tea
Criminal Minds - used to love it early on but jumped the shark one too many times (The IRA storyline and Tornado episode spring to mind)

Gwynplaine

Criminal Minds, a good show with some great ideas. It's the same thing over and over though, too serious, with Spencer super IQ dude and Baby Girl quirky computer chick just being over annoying.

Technocentral

_Kaiser_ wrote:

Mad Men... gave up in season 4 when they shifted the focus to the younger/secondary cast

They never did though, Don, Roger, Joan, Betty and Peggy have pretty much always been the focus right up to the last episode of the first half of the excellent 7th series.

Technocentral

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote:

I also gave up after I saw the first season of MASH.The film was excellent but the TV show was absolute sh1te, its hard to believe it was so popular.

It only gets good after the 4th or 5th season, plus it's awful with the laugh track that wasn't included on the BBC showings in the 70s/80s when I watched and loved it.

groovie

The Wire- after three seasons, seemed a good time.
Orphan Black - too many

clones

B Bad - 1.5 seasons, couldn't handle Skyler.
Soa - when they went oirish.

Went back to Justified, but Season Two is the high point for me. Stuck with Fargo for billy bob, got into it recently enough didn't care for it when it came out.
Stuck with Broadchurch too, it hurt though.

JaseBelleVie

Sons Of Anarchy for me. I watched up to Season 3 or so, I think. Can't honestly remember. But it just felt like way too much of a chore for me to keep watching it. I couldn't get into it at all, really. I kept thinking "This will get better. Loads of my friends are raving about it. It'll get better."

Nope, not for me it didn't. I caught some flak from my friends for not finishing it, but I just found it very overrated. Plus, could they not have found some actual Irish actors to play the IRA lads? I mean, come on. Some were Irish, granted. But most were not. That got on my wick.

gazump123

Watched half of the first season of Game of Thrones and stopped because I couldn't keep track of who everybody was.

MrWalsh

gazump123 wrote: »

Watched half of the first season of Game of Thrones and stopped because I couldn't keep track of who everybody was.

As a book reader I often find myself explaining who is who and what is what to non book readers. Tough going if you're not a book reader. Nice production values though.

Mr.Saturn

gazump123 wrote: »

Watched half of the first season of Game of Thrones and stopped because I couldn't keep track of who everybody was.

I would have not stuck with Game of Thrones had the missus not kept badgering me. She was taken by it, but I, similar to you, could not get my head around who was who and why I supposed to care.

Got there, eventually, but will admit to reducing it to "ah, your man" or "ah, that one" more often than I can account for, really.

Dexter would be another nomination. Season 3 foreshadowed the dip in quality that was to come, but Season 4 went and managed to be the best the series managed. Accidentally lost track and when it came time to catch up, it's like it became a completely different show somewhere. Yeah, it was similar enough, but there was just this element of tension gone and felt more like a procedural than fictitious case study.

jungleman

Dexter. I took a break from watching it after Season 4. I then watched all series of Breaking Bad, and when that finished I had a huge void in my nightlife. Decided to watch season 5 of Dexter. I had to stop after the first two episodes, it was the biggest pile of garbage I'd ever seen.

diusmr8a504cvk

The Walking Dead is tremendously boring, I was forcing myself to watch it for some reason.

The Republic of Telly has really gone down hill. When Neil Delamere left it was still alright but by Dermot Whelan's second season I stopped watching it. The new guy is a complete nobody.

NIMAN

Stopped Breaking Bad after Series 1 Episode 5, just wasn't doing anything for me.

shedweller

The Wire. Watched the first episode because everyone raved about it. Gave up half way through the first episode.
Tried the sopranos but it bored me. Did maybe two episodes.
Not a big tv viewer in fairness but still.
Herself watches Bones and i have half stuck with it but yer wan is annoying me now so i might not bother anymore.
Continuum started promising (to me!) But i got bored and gave up.
Shameless is good but is getting repetitive and i want to see the Gallaghers do well for themselves. But i have a sneaking suspicion they wont.
I can see how ould fellas just give up on tv. Seen it all before etc.

Diabhal Beag

Always Sunny. Liked it. Stopped watching around 3rd season, went back to watch it again and have given up again. No idea why. Maybe my expectations were way too high for it.

ricero

Sons of anarchy I gave up after the end of the 5th series. Jasus so many ****e characters and it was so tedious. Was a slog getting through an episode.

ricero

Diabhal Beag wrote: »

Always Sunny. Liked it. Stopped watching around 3rd season, went back to watch it again and have given up again. No idea why. Maybe my expectations were way too high for it.

Watch it is all I would say. Season 10 just finished and it is still quality. Best comedy to ever come out of the states.

Patty O Furniture

Grays Sports Almanac wrote: »

Watched the first 2 seasons of The Wire. No interest in watching the third.

Season 2 was the fav as it was more personal
The Following was boring & was unfollowed afterwards, so to say!
Resurrection should have stayed hidden, was boring & silly
TrueBlood afaik S06 when the witch got everyone stoned, turned off there

fruvai

ricero wrote: »

Best comedy to ever come out of the states.

:eek:

Necro

Lost - watched up until Season 4 twice and gave up twice. Introduction of the flashforwards really pissed me off.
24 - got to Season 3 but just couldn't handle the repetitiveness.
Breaking Bad is a very average show for first 2 seasons, glad I stuck with it though. Hated Skyler with a passion.
Desperate Housewives - muck. Lasted one season with the missus.
Under The Dome - for those annoyed with Game of Thrones, this is how you really bastardise a book. Kept watching until end of season 1 praying it would somehow find its way.

Plenty more just can't think of them... I watch a lot of TV...

ps3man

shedweller wrote: »

The Wire. Watched the first episode because everyone raved about it. Gave up half way through the first episode.

The Wire is a slow burner but worth it in the end.

For me, Prison Break. Was absolutely obsessed by it, the first episode coincided with me visiting Alcatraz, by season four and all that bollocks with the 'company' I just stopped, wasn't what I started watching it for.

rubadub

Misfits -stopped watching when Robert Sheehan left.

FixitFelix wrote: »

Breaking bad
The biggest load of horse **** I ever watched, stopped watching after the 3rd series

why the fuck did you sit through 3 seasons of a program you think is such complete & utter crap?!?

I hate antiques roadshow & Downton Abbey, I did not have to watch over 30 episodes of each of them to figure that out! Bizarre stuff.

bnt

I recently gave up on the well-regarded Twelve Monkeys. I've seen the film, and the series seems to be taking a torturous amount of time to get anywhere near the point. I'm interested in knowing whether it goes anywhere different to the film, but I don't feel like sitting through hours of gloomy corridors and inexplicable killings to get to the point.

ricero

fruvai wrote: »

:eek:

Without a doubt it is for me and the quality is still as strong as ever even during its 10th season. What would yours be ?

Also I gave up watching shameless around the time Mrs Doyle entered it and characters kept coming and going.