These 5 TV Finales Sparked Massive Fan Backlash—Here’s How They Stack Up

Let’s be honest: nothing riles up internet crowds quite like a TV finale that completely whiffs the landing. There’s almost a sport to it at this point—spending years, sometimes decades, invested in a show, only for the final episode to make you question why you even bothered. Some finales cross over from ‘disappointed’ to ‘legendary levels of rage, memes, and online petitions’. Here’s a walk through the most infamous in recent memory, from strange creative choices to outright betrayal. I’ll break each one down with what actually went wrong—because sometimes, it’s almost impressive how badly they missed the mark.

5 TV Finales That Fans Love to Hate

1. Stranger Things

   I know, this one is still fresh—and for some people, maybe a little too fresh. ‘Stranger Things’ was Netflix’s golden goose, with a near-decade of hype and fan theories, so people expected a finale with real emotional punch. Instead, what we got was... not that.

   • Created by: The Duffer Brothers
   • Ran: 2016 to 2025 (that’s five seasons, 42 episodes)
   • Genre: Sci-fi, horror, coming-of-age
   • Main setting: Hawkins, Indiana (eventually Russia and California)

   Let’s start with the obvious: the finale felt bloated, with so many plotlines crammed in and barely any time to breathe. The ‘epic’ showdown with Vecna? It lasted about as long as a TikTok dance trend. As for Eleven, her ending was so ambiguous that people genuinely wondered if the Duffer Brothers were slipping in a hidden bonus episode.

   And you know it’s a problem when a finale is so confusing that Reddit is still trying to piece together the plot holes months later. ‘Stranger Things’ might have done a lot right, but sticking the landing? Not so much.

   If by some miracle you still haven’t seen it, it’s streaming on Netflix.

2. The Sopranos

   Now this one’s a classic. ‘The Sopranos’ is routinely called the greatest TV drama ever. But talk to anyone who watched it live in 2007 and ask about that finale, and you’ll get a story about everyone staring at a black screen thinking their cable went out. It ends—famously—with Tony in a diner, Journey singing, and then: nothing. Complete silence.

   • Created by: David Chase
   • Ran: 1999 to 2007 (six seasons, 86 episodes)
   • Genre: Crime, psychological drama
   • Main setting: North Jersey and bits of NYC

   For nearly twenty years, fans have debated what actually happened, because creator David Chase just let the arguments rage. Fun fact: he shot an alternate ending where Tony does get whacked. He chose the ambiguous version instead—and he refuses to answer questions about it even now.

   'No explanation, just 10 seconds of black screen, and everyone at home scrambling for the remote.'

   If you want to re-experience that existential dread, HBO Max has you covered.

3. How I Met Your Mother

   One of the most bitter debates in sitcom history belongs to ‘How I Met Your Mother’. After nine seasons of ‘will-they-won’t-they’ storytelling, it turns out the titular mother is basically a speed bump, introduced and then (literally) killed off immediately.

   • Created by: Carter Bays, Craig Thomas
   • Ran: 2005 to 2014 (nine seasons, 208 episodes!)
   • Genre: Sitcom, rom-com
   • Main setting: New York City (mostly Manhattan)

   The finale is infamous for torching years of build-up: Barney and Robin's wedding, which was basically the whole season, gets undone by a throwaway divorce scene. And the story wraps with Ted chasing Robin (again), leaving viewers right back where they started. Fan reaction was so negative, the DVD includes an alternate 'happily ever after' ending—probably the only time a sitcom has treated replacements like video game DLC.

   Feeling brave? It's on Hulu.

4. Lost

   ‘Lost’ did more than launch the modern serialized mystery—it also set the standard for how not to end one. After six seasons of smoke monsters, time travel, and weirdly urgent numbers, the finale turned philosophical and pretty much ignored the core mysteries.

   • Created by: J. J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, Jeffrey Lieber
   • Ran: 2004 to 2010 (six seasons, 121 episodes)
   • Genre: Sci-fi, mystery, adventure, drama
   • Main setting: A mysterious island after the crash of Oceanic 815

   People wanted answers to things like the Dharma Initiative, the island’s origins, or even that whole numbers thing. But the finale just wanted to hug it out and move on, leaving fans (and probably the writers) scratching their heads. Half the mysteries never got solved—it’s basically the Purgatory ending that both is and isn’t Purgatory.

   Curious (or a glutton for punishment)? It’s on Hulu too.

5. Game of Thrones

   It’s honestly tough to even joke about this one. ‘Game of Thrones’ was the big event series of the 2010s, so expectations couldn’t have been higher. Instead, fans got whiplash-inducing character betrayals and an ending so rushed you could practically hear the producers sprinting for the exit.

   • Based on: George R. R. Martin’s novels
   • TV creators: David Benioff, D. B. Weiss
   • Ran: 2011 to 2019 (eight seasons, 73 episodes)
   • Genre: Fantasy, political drama
   • Main setting: Westeros, Essos

   What really set people off were moves like Daenerys flipping from 'breaker of chains' to genocidal war criminal in about five minutes, or Jaime Lannister casually undoing years of development to go hang out with his evil twin. If you ever wondered what a season on fast-forward looks like, this was it. Maybe the biggest bummer: it sort of soured the early seasons retroactively.

   'The finale has polluted a great show, but hey, at least House of the Dragon is decent.'

   If you want to revisit those glory days (or rage-watch all over again), HBO Max is your portal.

So, which finale do YOU hate most?

There’s no definitive answer—unless you count internet comment sections, in which case, Game of Thrones probably ‘wins’. But it’s a weird club for a show to be in, when the ending makes you less likely to ever revisit those brilliant early seasons. Years of great TV boiled down to fifteen minutes of confused, disappointed fans.

What about you? Which finale left you the most let down? Drop it in the comments.