Fantasy Television shows are rarely broadcast in full, and even those that are are not guaranteed a satisfying ending. Fantasy is one of the hardest genres to bring to television because it lends itself to longer, broader storytelling – something that’s far from a given in the streaming age.
Many fantasy series are canceled before their time, often leading to unsatisfying conclusions for their characters. Others see their story through to the end but still fail to succeed, whether because of unpopular writing choices or circumstances beyond their control.
Whatever the reasons, it’s always disappointing when a beloved series is weakened by a disappointing ending. These fantastic shows definitely deserved better than the finales they gotwhich range from mildly disappointing to some of the worst endings in television history.
Cursed
those of Netflix Cursed The ending might have been better if it had been renewed for season 2, but it stands on its own – if you can ignore the ambiguity of Nimue’s fate. Cursed diverges from Thomas Wheeler’s book in this regard, as the sources confirm that Nimue survives her fall into the lake.
While its open ending may seem like a relief, given the series’ shortened runtime, it’s quite disappointing that this is how its story ends. Katherine Langford’s heroine deserves better than thatAnd Cursed overall, it should have been picked up for a second season. Its great potential seems wasted in just 10 episodes.
Merlin
13 years later MerlinThe series finale is still devastating to think about. And while a tragic conclusion isn’t always disappointing, That ended up being the case for the BBC show.. Fans massively criticized MerlinIt’s the series finale, and it’s hard to blame them. Not only did it deliver a devastating conclusion for its characters, but it also seemed unfocused and rushed.
Merlin could have gone down the path of tragedy if it had handled the events of the final season better. Unfortunately, they feel poorly put together. Given the cult following the series has had, it’s sad to see how much its legacy has been shaped by its divisive ending. It deserved so much better than that.
The Legend of Korra
The Legend of Korra‘s biggest weakness — its lack of an overarching story throughout its four seasons — isn’t the show’s fault, as it has had to deal with uncertainty surrounding renewals (via CBR). But whatever the blame, the spin-off’s final season was a step down from its previous one.
The Legend of Korra season 3 has high stakes and a big villain in Zahir, and it doesn’t quite deliver with its ending. In addition to that, the romance between Korra and Asami deserved to be more openoffering true LGBTQ+ representation. Needless to say, the final episodes prove disappointing, even if they’re not as unsatisfying as some of the other endings on this list.
The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries was strongest in its first four seasons, but things changed when Elena became a vampire. And after Nina Dobrev left the show, it was like a whole different story. This made it necessary for Elena to return for the finale, but unfortunately, his return to Mystic Falls still seemed a bit awkward.
As touching as Elena’s final moments in The Vampire Diaries are, the last scene seems disappointing for such an iconic and long-running series. Additionally, Stefan’s fate at the end of the series is a point of contention; he didn’t need to end up with Elena, but they could have given him a better fate than Elena’s. that. The Vampire Diaries deserved to end on a higher note, but continuing beyond its natural ending made that impossible.
Real blood
The Vampire Diaries isn’t the only popular vampire show to have a disappointing conclusion. Real blood was a captivating addition to the subgenre when it debuted, but the The HBO series failed to maintain its high quality throughout. By the time its ending came, it felt like a hollow shell of the series that it was.
Real bloodThe finale doesn’t resolve its romantic storylines satisfactorily after keeping viewers in suspense for seven seasons. It also doesn’t address all of the tensions present throughout the final release, making it both disappointing and inconsistent after everything that came before. It’s a shame, because it was a really great show.
Shadow and bones
Shadow and bones is another canceled fantasy series that could have had a better ending if it had continued – although Season 2’s distance from the source material doesn’t inspire hope. Shadow and bones The end of season 2 sees General Kirigan defeated, Alina Starkov becoming queen and discovering the powers of the shadows. This is uncharted territory, although we will never know if such changes would have borne fruit.
Viewers deserved better than to be faced with a major cliffhanger that even Leigh Bardugo’s books couldn’t answer. And digging deeper, Shadow and bones deserved a conclusion more in line with what happens in the source material. What makes its ending even sadder is the fact that we will never have Six of Ravens spin-off. It goes without saying that his fate is disappointing in many ways.
Game of Thrones
A list of disappointing TV endings wouldn’t be complete without Game of Thrones – because, no matter how you feel about the finale, there are definitely things that could have been handled better. Game of Thrones season 8 is not all bad, and the Starks have relatively satisfying endings. However, the way the final episodes rush toward the finish line doesn’t lend itself to satisfying storytelling.
Daenerys’ Mad Queen trick could have worked with more time, but Game of Thrones doesn’t give it enough to sell it entirely. There’s also the White Walker storyline, which disappointed viewers after seasons of build-up. With Game of Thrones being one of the most influential fantasy shows of all time, it’s a shame there’s no ending that lives up to this.
Supernatural
After 15 seasons of SupernaturalThe CW series deserved an incredible farewell — but it made choices in the series finale that viewers are still scratching their heads over. Dean’s fate is perhaps the biggest problem of the last episode; Even if Jensen Ackles’ character was destined to work for the family business, surely they could have given him a more epic ending.
Castiel’s death also seems pointless – and that’s not to mention how his final moments play into the “bury your gaystrope – and Sam’s ending, while fitting, proved divisive. With Supernatural enjoying such a long and enduring legacy, it should have had a more satisfying conclusion than this. It’s no wonder fans of the long-running fantasy series are hoping for season 16.
