I guess it’s happened to everyone to look forward to a certain TV series with skyrocketing expectations. Sometimes these are mass phenomena deriving from the success of previous seasons, from the fame of some members of the cast, or from the creators themselves. This phenomenon can lead to an endless series of broken hearts when the TV series in question comes around canceled ahead of time (as in the case of 1899born from the creators of Dark) or to let the TV series expire in mere fanservice. There are few series that can handle the huge fan reception without pulling the story too long, one of them is its own DarkTV series had the firmness not to carry the series forward more than necessary just to ride the wave of success.
Today we are talking about those TV series which, in different ways, have not taken advantage of the great reception of the fans, starting from Dark
1) Dark
Dark tiptoed into the current TV landscape, literally blew our brains out, and we fell head over heels in love with Winden’s complex and fascinating universe. The German series has met with enormous success among the public and, in these cases, we all know how it ends: we ride the wave of the great reception of the fans to stretch the stock up to ridiculous.
This has not happened (thankfully) with Dark. The series began and ended following the story arc foreshadowed from the beginning. There were no digressions aimed at mere economic interest, and the result was truly surprising, with a product that from the first to the last episode manages to maintain a constant level of quality. A real rarity, as demonstrated by the other four TV series featured in this article, which did not take advantage of the great reception of fans in the diametrically opposite sense.
2) FlashForward
FlashForward is a very different chapter from Dark. If the authors originally planned three to seven seasons, we only managed to see one. The plot, the cast, the very positive reception of the public, all foreshadowed the beginning of a great new TV series. Unfortunately that was not the case.
The series pilot taped 12.47 million viewers, numbers that went down significantly towards the end of the season. The law of TV series is harsh and ruthless, and the numbers have led to cancellation of FlashForward after just one season.
The initiatives and protests of the fans who asked ABC to retrace its steps were also in vain.
3) Mindhunter
Jonathan Groff is the charismatic protagonist of MindHunter, a TV series that has fascinated many viewers and which, despite this, has never come to an end. If for a long time there was talk of a simple break, then came the confirmation of the cancellation from David Fincher himself, putting an end to a long and vain wait.
The showrunner explained that the costs of the TV series were too high and were not worth the risk of investing in a new season. However, it is one of Netflix’s most popular shows, although the platform has decided not to risk it with the third season. A must for anyone who loves i psychological thrillers and the 70s setting.
4) 1899
After the success of Dark we looked forward to it 1899TV series born from the mind of the creators of Dark. Skyrocketing expectations and a cast from all over the world provided all the conditions for a new masterpiece. Once again they make fun of our minds, twist and confuse them. There photography it’s crazy, the actors too and the plot is convoluted to the unthinkable.
All great, until Netflix broke our hearts by deleting 1899 after just one season. The awful thing is that the season 1 finale of 1899 it’s wide open, as if to suggest that the first eight episodes were a mere preface to something much bigger.
Probably the inevitable comparison with Dark it made the situation worse, but it was a TV series that certainly deserved another chance.
5) Vinyl
The expectations of the public in this case could only be skyrocketing. Behind Vinyl there is not only HBO but also important names such as Mick Jagger and Martin Scorsese. The series ended after just one season and an avalanche of criticism, but was it really worth it?
Richie Window, star of Vinyl, he aimed too high. He wanted to be the new Tony Soprano but couldn’t handle the weight of a role of this magnitude. Nevertheless Vinyl the renewal deserved it, and some storylines that didn’t have the opportunity and time to mature deserved it. On the other hand, the quality was not lacking, and the soundtrack made this series a little gem.