An amazing stand-alone film is tough to find these days, even a creative and well-done trilogy is often ruined. This is due to the money-driven milking that Hollywood has created to ensure financial success while destroying the actual art they manage to produce.

To “milk” something in this case means to exploit it, and any popular series or franchise is bound to be subject to this treatment. In no way am I saying that every franchise has fallen victim to this, some manage to escape this outcome and continue to build a cohesive storyline that maintains integrity and quality.

Unfortunately, not every franchise is so lucky. In certain cases, the extreme overproduction can cause the audience to hate the entire franchise or series as a whole. An example that comes to most minds almost immediately is the borderline tragedy that the “Fast and Furious” film series has become.

What started as a beloved franchise has become the opposite, as a collective groan from the audience is heard whenever a new trailer pops up on the big screens. The switch-up in reactions did not occur immediately, most fans were loyal to the franchise up to the third installment “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift”.

Instead of listening to the viewers’ response, they decided to trek on and pump out seven additional films. Each film becomes more ridiculous than the last as ideas run out and the “creative” direction takes a turn for the worse. What was once started as a simple movie about cars, actions, and family with a justifiable plot, became an outlandish concept somehow dealing with space travel.

The “Fast and Furious” franchise has sadly not been the only one to take a hit like this. The once spectacular Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) used to produce films that had a true sense of purpose.

There was a reason why a significant amount of time passed between each film release; the hard work and dedication put into each part of making the film was evident. The more recent films/TV shows by Marvel are not horrible, but the decline in quality is noticeable. 

Some might think that this overproduction does not affect what has been done in the past, but this is simply false. 

The original content never changes, but the attitude we hold towards it certainly does, this is where the destruction truly shines. Even though it may sound corny, there is definitely a “magic” that film lovers attribute to the MCU, but it can be lost in the snap of a finger. 

TV shows often fall victim to this outcome, and it is much more clear when a series should have run its course but continues with an obvious decline. One of the most infamous examples of this trope is found in the not-so-beloved “Riverdale” series. 

It was once seen as a decent–or at least tolerable–show to most viewers. None of the concepts within the plot were incredibly outlandish and there was quality found behind the storyline. As the show progressed, this could not be farther from the truth. 

This shift was so tragic, that it has become a massive focal point online; to say that any supporters of the show still standing are a part of the minority would be completely accurate. The rest of the watchers find themselves “hate-watching”, or using it as a guilty pleasure because of the absurd storylines. 

What could have stayed a respectable and enjoyed series was ruined because of the milking of franchises.