As the Stranger Things franchise moves closer to its final season, questions arise over whether the ending will live up to the hype, and if it does not, that will help take the heat off of other big franchises with notoriously bad endings. Throughout television history, there have been a handful of beloved series which captivated audiences across multiple seasons before ending in major disappointment. The unfortunate truth is that, even if the rest of the show was amazing, a bad finale can tarnish a TV show's reputation for a long time.
At this point, it is impossible to predict where Stranger Things will end up by its series finale. With four seasons under its belt, the franchise has thus far excited and entertained, with only minor debates about the quality of the show from season to season. It seems reasonable to assume that the Duffer brothers will ensure Stranger Things season 5 hits the mark, as they usually do. However, Stranger Things' consistency does not totally rule out the possibility of a terrible ending, the likes of which other popular TV franchises have suffered from.
Stranger Things Could Inherit Game Of Thrones' "Bad Finale" Label
If Stranger Things does have a terrible ending, it will likely take the place of current go-to "bad finale," Game of Thrones. In 2019, after eight seasons of betrayals and violence, Games of Thrones ended on an overwhelming feeling of dissatisfaction. Many felt like the entire final season had been rushed, and one major complaint was that the finale felt anticlimactic. Additionally, the stakes of Games of Thrones' final battle were not high enough, and certain scenarios did not play out as dramatically as they could have. With so much agreed-upon disappointment for Game of Thrones season 8, the series quickly fell from grace.
As the last big franchise to have an awful ending, Game of Thrones is the series many think of when they consider infamously bad TV finales, inheriting the title from Lost. However, if Stranger Things drops the ball with its own series finale, it will most likely take Game of Thrones' place. This is because Stranger Things has a vast viewership that may even surpass Game of Thrones due to its suitability for children and adults alike. If a big enough section of audience members are disappointed by the finale, then it is likely to become a derided piece of TV history, just like the Game of Thrones finale.
Stranger Things Ending Badly Means GOT's Ending Could Be Reevaluated
If Stranger Things becomes the ultimate bad finale franchise, replacing the Game of Thrones finale, then there is a chance that the HBO series' ending could receive a badly-needed redemption arc. In the scenario where Stranger Things ends badly, it will only be natural for audiences to compare it with other infamously bad finales. In this case, Game of Thrones' finale will either appear better or worse than Stranger Things.
If the lingering painful memories of Daenerys Targaryen's controversial villain turn are replaced by a bad Stranger Things finale, then this will ease Game of Thrones of the flack it has received since ending. With a reappraisal of the finale, critics may even go back and rewatch the Game of Thrones ending to find that, several years later, it does not seem as terrible as it did in the moment. Game of Thrones just needs another popular series to end badly and take away its negative spotlight.
Why Stranger Things (Probably) Won't End As Badly As GOT
In reality, the odds of Stranger Things having an ending as poor as Game of Thrones are slim. While Game of Thrones' decline occurred over time from season to season, Stranger Things has continually been well-received. Even if Stranger Things season 4 was not the most popular run, it still lived up to the franchise's brand and quality, whereas Game of Thrones was not always doing that by the series' end. Based on its track record, Stranger Things has a better chance of enjoying a great - or, at the very least, good - series finale.
Stranger Things also has less to live up to. Because Game of Thrones was based on George R. R. Martin's book series, it had certain points that needed to be covered. In contrast, the Duffer Brothers have full freedom to do whatever they want with the ending of Stranger Things, as long as it satisfies character arcs and plot lines. In this way, it seems unlikely that Stranger Things will have a finale bad enough to compete with Game of Thrones. Nevertheless, nothing can be certain. Game of Thrones should be prepared to enjoy a resurgence - if not after Stranger Things, then when the next bad finale arrives.