Let's say you've started watching a series which seems to have a number of mysteries going on in the background. A lot of mysteries. The writers keep dropping tantalizing hints as to something happening just out of sight, an overall myth arc which will tie all these little clues together into one grand revelation. This intrigues you, and you start taking lots of mental notes, which you then share on discussion boards with other people who've become fascinated by the show. Over time, more little clues come. But somehow, they never seem to help solve anything. In fact, any hint given just opens up two more mysteries. Boy, this thing is getting intricate. Millions of people have a billion theories as to what's happening. And everyone's waiting for the story to wrap up so they can find out who's right.
Finally -- perhaps after several years -- the story wraps up. And no questions are answered. In fact, still more vague clues are dropped, some of which contradict the originals. Not a single mystery has been solved, things are a thousand times more muddled than they were in the beginning, there may be a 'tune in for the movie' tease where you know things will get even worse, and it finally occurs to you that the writer on this crap was making the whole thing up as he went along. There was no myth arc. There was no grand design. You just spent several years of your life being led by the nose so that ultimately, the person holding the lead could laugh in your face before spitting in your eyes and dancing away to do it all over again. Except that there's no trust left -- and on any future series, no viewership.
You have just been a victim of
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheChrisCarterEffect
Right around this time, the pitchforks and flaming torches start to show up...