"fluff" padding is much worse than "can we get an extra season or three out of this show", IMO.

[ EDIT: d'oh, I meant to write this in reverse, as "fluff padding is much less bad than .... oh well. ]

I prefer stories to be told that already have a beginning, middle and end at their outset, not just some fingers-crossed "we might get 5 seasons, we can decide how it unfolds once we get to season 3" stuff that has dominated way too much TV.

Granted, the purely episodic shows (e.g. Star Trek, LA Law and the like) are immune to this, mostly.

But give me more True Detective, where the story ending is known before they even start filming, and the only question is "do we get to try another story?"