The Ultimate TV Letdown: The 50 Worst Series Finales

Game of Thrones concluded with Daenerys Targaryen's shocking descent into madness and destruction of King's Landing, followed by her death at the hands of Jon Snow and the unexpected selection of Bran Stark as king. Fans were particularly outraged by the rushed character development, especially Daenerys's transformation and the seemingly pointless long-term storylines like Jon's heritage, leading to widespread disappointment after eight seasons of intricate plotting.

Dexter wrapped its original run with the titular serial killer faking his death and inexplicably becoming a lumberjack in Oregon, abandoning his young son to the care of his girlfriend. This bizarre career change and abandonment of his family felt completely out of character for someone who had spent eight seasons developing meaningful connections while struggling with his dark passenger.

How I Met Your Mother delivered a controversial finale that revealed the mother had been dead for six years, only to have Ted end up with Robin – effectively undermining nine seasons of character development and romantic storylines. The twist felt like a betrayal to many fans who had invested in Tracy's story, only to have her relegated to a plot device in Ted and Robin's eventual reunion.

Lost concluded with revelations about the flash-sideways timeline being a form of purgatory where the characters reunited after death, though the island events were supposedly real. While some viewers appreciated the emotional character resolutions, many felt cheated by the mystical ending that left numerous plot threads dangling and questions unanswered about the island's true nature.

Two and a Half Men ended with Charlie Sheen's character being revealed as alive (though not portrayed by Sheen), only to have a piano dropped on him, followed by a fourth-wall-breaking moment with creator Chuck Lorre meeting the same fate. The meta-commentary finale seemed more focused on settling behind-the-scenes scores than providing a satisfying conclusion to the long-running sitcom.

Roseanne stunned viewers with a finale that revealed the entire series had been dreamt, and was a story written by Roseanne Conner, with major plot points altered from reality - including Dan actually having died from his heart attack and the family never winning the lottery. The revelation retroactively changed viewers' understanding of nine seasons worth of events, leaving many feeling that their emotional investment in the family's struggles had been undermined.