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A series’ first season is capable of skyrocketing a show’s popularity, guiding viewers to take a look at the rest of what that show has to offer. Of course, that’s only if the season has been done right. Shows with an impeccable first season, like The Last of Us and Breaking Bad are prime examples. Unfortunately, with a great Season 1, chances of the second season living up to its first are frequently quite low.
With a mass of popularity for a series’ first season, it can put a lot of pressure on the second. The second season stirs audiences to continue with the rest of the series, giving the show a reason for its existence. Some series have a hard time displaying that, leading to poor viewership and eventually series cancelation. While there are some series that can recover from an awful second season, there are those that never do. In this list there are 10 second seasons that didn’t live up to standards and negatively impacted the entire series.
10
‘American Gods’ (2017–2021)
Created by Bryan Fuller and Michael Green
American Gods had a brilliant start, with fans hopeful, after its first season, for greater things to come. The show centers around Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle), an ex-convict and now bodyguard of Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane), a being fighting to save himself and others like him from being forgotten. Along the way, Shadow learns more about himself and the mythical world around him.
American Gods, initially visually appealing, focused heavily on its characters during its opening season, something that fans quite adored. By Season 2, the show’s many problems reared its head, showcasing a horrendous drop in quality, and behind-the-scenes strife. Although American Gods saw another season after its second, a way to get the series back on track, it was much too late. The show saw its end in 2021 due to its continued inconsistencies in plot, and dramatic declines in viewership.

American Gods
- Release Date
-
2017 – 2020
- Directors
-
David Slade
9
‘Luke Cage’ (2016–2018)
Created by Cheo Hodari Coker
Luke Cage was a welcome addition to Marvel’s series on the Netflix platform, bringing in a touch of cultural significance and an intriguing story. The show follows a former convict, Carl Lucus (Mike Colter), who has unnatural strength and impenetrable skin. Carl, better known as Luke Cage, soon begins his reluctant fight against evildoers.
The show’s first season offered social and cultural themes, giving audiences the potential of a truly innovative superhero series that housed interesting characters. Unfortunately, Luke Cage faltered after the main villain’s demise, leading the series to open its second season with a lot more generic superhero themes, with weak supervillains. This eventually caused the end of Luke Cage, leading it to be one of the unfortunate shows to make this list.

Luke Cage
- Release Date
-
September 30, 2016
- Showrunner
-
Cheo Hodari Coker
- Writers
-
Cheo Hodari Coker
- Franchise(s)
-
Marvel
8
‘Westworld’ (2016–2022)
Created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy
The intricate worlds of the series Westworld brought intrigue and innovation to its viewers. The story is set in the future where theme parks house high-tech interactive robots, called hosts. Once the main attraction, participating in the park’s narrative themes, the hosts begin to gain awareness and rebel against their creators.
While Season 1 of Westworld gained a mass amount of praise for its unique story, its second season did not stand up well against it. The series saw a loss of focus, losing its depth and becoming unnecessarily complex. Though the series held on long enough to offer two more seasons, Westworld’s second season was the start of its inevitable end, giving it a place among some of the worst second seasons that brought ruin to a series.

Westworld
- Release Date
-
2016 – 2021
- Network
-
HBO Max
- Showrunner
-
Jonathan Nolan, Lisa Joy
- Writers
-
Jonathan Nolan, Lisa Joy
7
‘Inside Job’ (2021–2022)
Created by Shion Takeuchi
Inside Job is an animated sci-comedy that brought glee to many conspiracy theorists and humored many others enough to become somewhat of a skeptic. The show centers around the shadow government who are devoted to keeping the conspiracies, which are in fact true, a secret. Among the team is scientist Regan Ridley (Lizzy Caplan), hilariously and awkwardly navigating the absurdity that is her job.
While the first season left fans anxiously waiting to see a father-daughter rivalry in the show’s next season, they were horribly disappointed. The character development that viewers were expecting was practically non-existent. Inside Job had comedic potential and a fun premise but struggled against Netflix’s bad habit of canceling animated shows. Although season 2 was poor, fans were still disappointed that the series had to go.
6
‘Heroes’ (2006–2010)
Created by Tim Kring
Heroes was one of those shows that had great potential, and this alone drew a mass of audiences in. Fans were especially eager for a superhero story, as there weren’t many during the series’ release. The show follows ordinary individuals who discover they have super-powered abilities. As they learn more about themselves and their powers, they eventually begin to cross paths, finding themselves at the forefront of saving the world.
Heroes had incredible promise, but by season 2, pacing issues had begun. The show’s decline left fans disappointed, as unresolved storylines and overall lackluster writing took precedence during the season. By the time two more seasons were created, fans had already lost interest and found it hard to connect with new and unnecessary characters. This ultimately led to the show’s cancelation after its fourth season.

Heroes
- Release Date
-
2006 – 2009
- Network
-
NBC
- Directors
-
Allan Arkush, Jeannot Szwarc, Adam Kane, Greg Yaitanes, Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, Roxann Dawson, Paul A. Edwards, John Badham, Donna Deitch, Kevin Dowling, Seith Mann, Ron Underwood, Paul Shapiro, Lesli Linka Glatter, S.J. Clarkson, Daniel Attias, David Straiton, Kevin Bray, David Semel, Holly Dale, Ed Bianchi, Nathaniel Goodman, Christopher Misiano, Ernest R. Dickerson
5
‘Altered Carbon’ (2018–2022)
Created by Laeta Kalogridis
This sci-fi series offered a unique story filled with action and thrill. Altered Carbon transports audiences into the future, where consciousness is digitized and stored. A prisoner, specially trained “Envoy” soldier Takeshi Kovacs (Joel Kinnaman), attempts to win his freedom by solving the supposed murder of an influential aristocrat.
Altered Carbon initially immersed viewers in its fantastic cyberpunk world. With an intriguing story and strong world-building, the series completely captivated audiences. Unfortunately for the show’s second season, it faltered greatly with a significant drop in quality, leading the show into a more generic sci-fi state. Due to Altered Carbon’s beloved originality out the window, the show received a dramatic decline in viewership, leading to the show’s eventual cancelation.
4
‘The OA’ (2016–2019)
Created by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij
This mysterious drama enthralled its audience with its stimulating plot. The OA follows a previously blind young woman’s return after seven years, with her sight completely restored. Now known as the OA (Original Angel), and encapsulated in mystery, she gathers five individuals to tell her mind-bending story.
Although The OA delivered an original plot and a thrilling concept of mystery in its opening season, the second season failed to deliver any important answers and lacked intimacy and depth. The story became convoluted and distant, which led to a potentially great series’ end, ensuring that its potential was left unrealized.
3
‘The Promised Neverland’ (2019–2021)
Created by Kaiu Shirai
The Promised Neverland skyrocketed in popularity from its very first episode. The thrilling anime follows a group of orphaned kids and their happy lives at the Grace Field House, where they are told that at the happy and healthy age of 12, they’ll be adopted. Unfortunately, the kids eventually find out the horrifying truth, leading to the children’s plan to secretly escape their fates.
The Promised Neverland is based on the manga of the same name written by Kaiu Shirai. The first season of the series brought an intensity that captivated its audiences, even with the slight deviations from its source material. Unfortunately, the second season’s deviations surpassed the first, and the new material did not live up to its well-loved, original storyline. This left fans extremely disappointed, marking it as one of the worst second seasons in anime history.
2
’13 Reasons Why’ (2017–2020)
Created by Brian Yorkey
13 Reasons Why became a global sensation after its premiere on Netflix, sparking discussions on a very sensitive subject matter. The emotionally packed series follows teen Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette) on his journey to discover the reasons his crush, Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford), made the choice to end her life.
With its bold themes, 13 Reasons Why made a significant impact on its audience. Although the show saw a natural conclusion in its fourth season, the second season is remembered for its irrelevance. Fans believed the opening season provided a complete story, and the second season ruined any closure they achieved regarding Hannah Baker’s story. This marks the series as one that should have met its end after its first chapter.
1
‘Squid Game’ (2021-)
Created by Hwang Dong-hyuk
Squid Game brought the concept of life-and-death games to the screen in a way that had viewers dramatically hysterical. The series centers around poverty-stricken individuals whose lives are turned upside down as they are offered an opportunity to gain a vast amount of fortune. Unfortunately for them, the cost of this great opportunity comes at a high price, as they are introduced to the deadly versions of childhood games, where they’ll have to put their lives on the line.
Squid Game’s opener was quick in gaining its fame, offering viewers an intense and gripping story. Fans, initially hesitant upon learning there would be a second season, were still eager to see what the series had to offer them next. However, when Season 2, which recently premiered in December 2024, delivered a much slower paced story, it heavily decreased the show’s intensity and suspense fans so loved. This ultimately left them dissatisfied with the popular series’ second season.

Squid Game
- Release Date
-
2021 – 2024
- Network
-
Netflix
- Showrunner
-
Hwang Dong-hyuk
Cast
-
Lee Jung-jae
Seong Gi-hun / ‘No. 456’
-
-
Park Hae-soo
Cho Sang-woo / ‘No. 218’
-
Stream
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