10 Fantasy Series That Disappointed Fans with Their Endings

Within the fantasy genre, a TV show relies a lot on its audience, as the fanbase for any speculative fiction can make or break the series’ legacy, especially when they’re disappointed. Even the fantasy shows everyone should watch once aren’t immune to letting down the viewer every once in a while. This doesn’t mean the series isn’t iconic or bad, but there are certain plotlines that audiences should take with a grain of salt.

Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina (2018–2020)

The reboot of the beloved supernatural teen comedy, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, took some liberties with the source material, making Chilling Adventures of Sabrina markedly different from the original. Taking on a much darker, horror-esque tone, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina tried to fulfill the niche of series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but the show had a mixed reception.

Suffering from a confused tone and uneven pacing, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina never found its footing, straying further into metatextual and campy territory. While this can work for a TV show, especially within the horror genre, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina didn’t have an overarching plot strong enough to handle the weight of its many storylines and character relationships.

The Legend Of Korra (2012–2014)

While The Legend of Korra is a fantasy show with a perfect ending, and in many ways, the project expands upon the themes of Avatar: The Last Airbender, it’s not without its problems. Korra is a show that gets stronger as the seasons progress, as the most disappointing and confusing season is widely considered to be season 2.

This is because The Legend of Korra introduced new lore and mythology surrounding the origins of the Avatar. While the story was exciting, the explosive ending of The Legend of Korra season 2 didn’t leave much room for the show to progress, requiring a soft reboot in season. In the end, this was for the best, but it does leave the show with a mixed legacy.

Shadow And Bone (2021–2023)

Dávid Lukács/Netflix

Based on the beloved book series by Leigh Bardugo, Shadow and Bone is one of many Netflix original shows that were cancelled too soon, unable to bring each novel to life. While Shadow and Bone was able to provide a decently satisfying ending, tying up a few loose ends before Alina left our screens for good, it wasn’t just the ending or cancellation that sparked controversy.

There were many aspects of Shadow and Bone that appealed to book readers and audiences new to the story, but flaws like leaning into tropes of the fantasy and teen genre sometimes held the show back. While it was smart for Shadow and Bone to include plotlines from Six of Crows, a fan favorite book, this meant that the pacing was often uneven, tackling too many storylines at once.

Game Of Thrones (2011–2019)

Perhaps the most famous and influential fantasy TV show of the 21st century so far, Game of Thrones should be remembered for its success more than its failures. However, this doesn’t mean that longtime fans of the show and the books aren’t right to still be disappointed by the show’s ending and the way it failed the characters.

Daenery’s death will always be a sore point for audiences, as her arc had enormous potential. Game of Thrones season 8 is sometimes unfairly criticized, as there were some exciting moments, but it’s impossible to ignore the fact that Bran being crowned king didn’t make a lot of sense, and many of the biggest deaths and plot twists were a letdown after eight seasons of waiting.

Merlin (2008–2014)

There are many epic conclusions to fantasy TV shows, but we’ll never get over Merlin‘s devastating ending. After spending five seasons hoping Merlin would reveal his secret to Arthur and that the pair would rule Camelot together with the help of magic and righteousness, the finale put them at odds and saw Merlin forced to wander the Earth waiting for Arthur’s return.

If Merlin had the chance to continue for additional seasons, it’s possible that this disappointing and tragic end would’ve looked very different. However, it’s hard not to let this conclusion alter the legacy of the show. In many cases, Merlin tackled a lighter tone, using the monster-of-the-week formula, so heavy episodes like the finale were difficult to swallow.

The Magicians (2015–2020)

It’s surprising that The Magicians isn’t more widely discussed in conversations about the best fantasy shows of the past decade, as its innovative story, tone, and vivid world set it apart from typical high fantasy. While the magic and fantastical settings drew us into The Magicians, it was the characters whom viewers were most invested in. Quentin, the protagonist, was far from perfect, but he anchored the story.

He was an important piece of the group’s dynamic. His exit at the end of season 4 threw a wrench in the show’s trajectory. It was doubly difficult for The Magicians to recover from this because the show had adapted all the books in the series it was based on, so the new narrative had to experiment, never delivering the conclusions we hoped for.

The Vampire Diaries (2009–2017)

Brilliantly blending romance, teen drama, fantasy, and never losing its sense of humor, The Vampire Diaries remains a classic addition to the genre for a reason. Often moving at a lightning-fast pace and introducing new characters and villains in quick succession, The Vampire Diaries never struggled to hold the audience’s interest until it started running out of ideas.

Nina Dobrev’s exit in season 6 was a signal of what was to come, as The Vampire Diaries no longer had its central love triangle to rely on. This made the final few seasons more repetitive than ever, failing to stand out compared to the early years. Worst of all, Bonnie, one of the best characters, didn’t get the happy ending audiences wanted for her, breaking our hearts.

Supernatural (2005–2020)

There’s a lot to recommend about the classic, long-running fantasy TV show, Supernatural​​​​​​. Constantly reinventing itself while digging into the parts of the series that audiences enjoyed the most, Supernatural stayed fairly consistent until its final season, which lost its way, delivering a dark and unsatisfying ending that has been dividing audiences since its premiere in 2020.

The bond between the Winchester brothers was one of the most important parts of Supernatural, and the final season undermines this connection, seeing Sam willingly move on from Dean’s death. His passing is one of the most anticlimactic parts of the show, coming out of nowhere and creating tonal dissonance with his characterization in the rest of the story.

Once Upon A Time (2011–2018)

When Once Upon a Time first premiered, it was one of the best new fantasy shows on the scene, mining the fairy tale genre for its classic stories while digging into the darker, more unexpected elements of its characters. However, there was always an expiration date for the premise of Once Upon a Time​​​​​​, as it only had so many fairy tales to bring to life.

While Once Upon a Time started losing steam in season 4, when it introduced newer Disney IP like Frozen, the final season is considered a major disappointment because of the time jump and the unnecessary conflicts that feel like repetitions of the early installments’ success. Additionally, the way Once Upon a Time continuously took away Regina’s happy endings was a major source of upset for audiences.

True Blood (2008–2014)

Famously campy, subversive, and sexy, True Blood was one of the best vampire TV shows on the air in the late 2000s and early 2010s, but even this series couldn’t live up to its own legacy. There are dated and controversial topics and storylines present in True Blood from the beginning, but it’s the series’s conclusion that’s most antithetical to the narrative’s initial themes and beliefs.

True Blood garnered a dedicated audience because it tackled taboo subjects and pushed boundaries. However, all of this was thrown out the window at the end of the fantasy show, with Sookie starting a family and leaving her supernatural past behind her. The nuclear family ending of True Blood isn’t bad on its own, but it didn’t hold up against the character arc for Sookie and the series.