Who doesn’t love to unwind with some reality TV on occasion? Surprisingly, the lineup of shows today doesn’t look all that different from five or ten years ago. While it can be interesting to see a person or family’s development over time, after too many seasons, story arcs can start to lose our interest. Dynamics and show mechanics can feel repetitive even if the cast changes each season, causing fans to get bored. These are eight shows we think have outworn their welcome on our TV screens.
1. Welcome to Plathville
Welcome to Plathville focuses on the Plaths, who are a sheltered Christian family that used to live on a farm. It used to be one of our favorite reality shows, but this season has been extremely boring. For the first few seasons, the central drama of the show was the older children’s tenuous relationships with their parents, Kim and Barry.
While we’re glad that everyone has reconciled, it’s caused the show to become a real snooze fest. Unless something major changes with the Plath family dynamic, we anticipate that Welcome to Plathville won’t be getting another season.
2. Married at First Sight
Married at First Sight has gotten over a dozen seasons and has definitely outworn its welcome. When the show first aired, we were all captivated by the concept. It was extremely entertaining to watch two people who had just met get married and try to make their relationship work. We were all amazed when the show produced beautiful, successful couples like Jamie and Doug Hehner and Ashley and Anthony D’Amico.
But as Married at First Sight gained popularity, it started to feel like the contestants weren’t signing up for the show for the right reasons. The matchmaking experts have also had an extremely low success rate, especially in later seasons. It’s probably
3. American Idol
American Idol suffers from some of the same problems as Married At First Sight, according to fans. The reboot of the show hasn’t produced as many stars as the original run. The new judges don’t provide as much useful feedback to help contestants improve. Plus, fans think they allow singers that Simon, Randy, and Paula would’ve passed on, degrading the overall quality of the competition. Personally, we miss Simon’s trademark snark, which added an entertaining dynamic to the show that producers haven’t been able to replicate.
4. The Bachelor
The Bachelor franchise deserves some props for trying to shake things up. The producers have introduced concepts like The Golden Bachelor, and The Bachelorette Australia even had an LGBT-inclusive season. However, some fans think that the original Bachelor series is getting boring. They say that the talking head portions of the show are too repetitive and formulaic.
The “drama” between contestants is also predictable and boring. Instead, they wish that the producers would focus on highlighting the personalities of the contestants so fans could get to know them better. After all, it’s hard to feel invested in the outcome of a show when you don’t care about or relate to anyone on it!
5. Below Deck
According to Reddit users, Below Deck is another reality show that’s outworn its welcome. Below Deck focuses on a crew of workers on a luxury yacht. It follows them as they serve rich, eccentric guests who are often high-maintenance. Because of the show’s popularity, the network has produced multiple spin-offs, which has started feeling repetitive according to fans. Viewers also say Below Deck went downhill when stars Hannah and Kate left the franchise.
6. Real Housewives
The Real Housewives franchise is still going strong and airing new episodes. However, some fans say that they miss the vibe of the first few seasons of the show. According to Screen Rant, viewers think older episodes were more authentic and relatable. Now the storylines seem more scripted and fake, leaving fans wishing the show would return to its roots.
7. Little People, Big World
Little People, Big World follows the Roloffs, a mixed-height family. It’s an important reality show that’s helped raise awareness about the challenges little people face. However, it’s probably time for the Little People, Big World to come to an end considering there have been 25 seasons in total. Two of the main stars of the show, Zach and his wife Tori, have also left the production according to Parade. It’s hard to imagine Little People, Big World going on without them, so we probably won’t be tuning in if there’s a 26th season.
8. Sister Wives
Sister Wives is another OG reality show from TLC that follows a plural marriage family. It’s been on the air for over a decade and features the lives of Kody Brown, his current wife Robyn, and his ex-wives Janelle, Meri, and Christine. One reality TV writer believes that the show would be better without Kody, and we tend to agree. He’s become very defensive about the end of his plural marriage and is treating his ex-wives poorly, saying he never loved some of them. Instead of continuing to give Kody a platform, we’d rather see the show focus on the independent lives of his ex-wives.
Sometimes You Have to Say Goodbye
We all have reality TV shows that we love to hate, but at some point, enough is enough. When the same show has been on for over ten years and fails to bring anything unique in the new season, it’s time to focus on creating the next series. Shows like Tiger King have found cult success in part because of their short runs. Which shows do you think have overstayed their welcome and would’ve been better as a limited series? Let us know in the comments.