It seems like so many television shows that I watch had an opportunity for a perfect series finale moment and just continued onward, often becoming a shadow of their former selves. Some of these include:
Bones
Supernatural
That 70's Show
Scrubs
Smallville
Stargate SG1
This is not to be confused with shows that should have ended ages ago in general, but just keep dragging on for some reason, such as:
The Simpsons
Family Guy
How I Met Your Mother
What are other people's thoughts? Similarly, what are shows that you've seen that ended at a good time and really well? I think that the best example of that is Battlestar Gallactica.
Supernatural really should have ended at season five. Seasons six and seven were horrible (and enough for me to jump ship) and though I've heard good things about season gr8, I've also heard that the characters are still stuck in the same ruts they've been in since season two. Sad to see.
Scrubs is another one that held on too long. It even did a Saved By the Bell: The New Class thing.
And I'd mention all the Law & Order/CSI/etc series that are all well past prime and yet still bring in huge numbers. At least enough to stay on the air as crippled zombies where must-see tv used to be.
The Office is even worse, it's practically unwatchable and has been since at least Carell's exit.
Weeds kind of got bad, too, once Agrestic burnt to the ground. It got a bit too out there after that.
I haven't watched The Simpsons in well over a decade, and it was feeling old back then. I can't imagine it's better now.
Heroes jumped the shark big time and the writers' strike absolutely killed it and yet it persisted for another two (? Three?) seasons after a great first one. It was a shame, but it absolutely imploded in on itself by the time season two debuted.
The X-Files hit a brutal patch once Duchovny left and T-1000 and Annabeth Gish took over as Scully faded out. They tried to keep the show going, but it collapsed under the weight of its convoluted mythology and the lack of its chemistry-burning stars.
Lost started off amazing and its first season ended on a high note, but honestly the show was all downhill from there as it got increasingly more complex and ridiculous. It lost focus on the characters, began relying more and more on stupid Island Mysteries, filled seasons with insulting filler and then added a steady stream of new characters to replace old ones that were written off in more and more pointless ways. I know it still held a rabid following until it ended, but for me, Lost wore out its welcome midway through season two and never recovered.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer should have absolutely ended with season five. That would have been a great ending for it. Instead, we got two seasons of actors and writers phoning it in. A massive failure, honestly, even if seasons 6 and 7 had individual episodes, characters and/or arcs that worked.
I think it was clear that ER was past its prime by the time Noah Wylie finally departed.
Yeah, I've been watching Season 9(I actually thought that this was Season 8, but oh well). It has been good quality, but at the same time, it's hard to believe that 2 people that literally defeated Heaven and Hell would have any difficulty overcoming any other monster. I haven't watched the season finale yet, I'll likely do that tomorrow.
I was actually pretty impressed with this season finale of Supernatural. A few characters get stuck in their respective standard "season finale role"
Looking at you Mr "well intentioned but totally wrong in your beliefs despite Dean telling you you're wrong" Castiel and "Last minute rousing power of brotherly love speech" Dean.
but the build-up and payoff of the final scene was pretty cool. Probably one of the best final scenes the series has had.
Everything scares me... kitties scare me... squirrels scare me... corpses....corpses bring forth a pletora of confusing feeling which i prefer not to dwell on...:p
I agree, the Supernatural season finale/this season in general were enjoyable. Definitely the best season since the show's natural story arc ended. But I really hope that next season is the last. I feel like they have a once in a lifetime opportunity to redeem themselves for milking the cash cow by not ending the show after Season 5, but this current story arc A)doesn't have more than one more season to it and B)doesn't have any realistic story progression afterwards. We'll see what happens next year.
Lets assume the two things that weren't accomplished get accomplished, but all that does is foist something worse on the world. It would fit the character.
Alternatively, true Armageddon could happen and we see God come back and do a little bit with that before the whole world goes mundane.
I agree with Stargate SG-1, I despised the Orai arc. it was practically recycling the original storyline- stumble across an ancient evil, catch it's attention, find out you're severely outpowered, and go on a trek to find a way to defeat them.
too bad that it never actually "ended". it was cancelled. the two movies ended the series.
Scrubs ended when JD left Sacred Fart. I never bothered with Scrubs: Interns- especially when they started to develop personalities and stopped being the butt of JD's jokes. Like Gloria, the old lady who apparently had a child with the hook-handed, tall and an afro security guard.
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I agree with Stargate SG-1, I despised the Orai arc. it was practically recycling the original storyline- stumble across an ancient evil, catch it's attention, find out you're severely outpowered, and go on a trek to find a way to defeat them.
too bad that it never actually "ended". it was cancelled. the two movies ended the series.
Scrubs ended when JD left Sacred Fart. I never bothered with Scrubs: Interns- especially when they started to develop personalities and stopped being the butt of JD's jokes. Like Gloria, the old lady who apparently had a child with the hook-handed, tall and an afro security guard.
And one of those movies was practically just a repeat of the last episode of Season 8, plus it occurred after the first movie, which was the actual 'end' of the Orai story arc.
And sadly, I did watch some of the 'final season' of Scrubs..but it is just so bad that it is almost unwatchable. When I think of the show, I try to think of it as ending when JD left the hospital for good. Kind of like I try to pretend that the Matrix 2/3 never happened.
I'd also like to mention Prison Break, which obviously missed its ending by 3 seasons. Season 2 was already a stretch considering the premise of the show, but after that it got worse and worse, up until the giant cluster**** that was season 4.
very good call on this one.
For some reason, I struggled through the final few seasons, but actually missed the final two episodes... and honestly I didn't care enough to find out what happened. :/
Prison Break was another one of those shows (i.e. Heroes, Lost) that had a great premise and enough ideas for one or two seasons, but after that they were like "uh-oh, we have a hit on our hands but not enough material. Where do we go from here?"
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Burn Notice stopped being fun during season 4. Introducing a new main character to an already gelled cast always feels like a desperate move. Season 5 finally introduced the villain who kicked off the whole thing, but it felt too late. I think if Anson had been introduced in season 4 and wrapped things up then the show would have ended on a high note. Now it feels rote.
Burn Notice stopped being fun during season 4. Introducing a new main character to an already gelled cast always feels like a desperate move. Season 5 finally introduced the villain who kicked off the whole thing, but it felt too late. I think if Anson had been introduced in season 4 and wrapped things up then the show would have ended on a high note. Now it feels rote.
The introduction of Jesse actually felt pretty organic to me and the addition of a 4th cast person let them do a lot more a/b stuff, much like w13 post jinx/claudia, and if anything I think his addition helped
I feel like house went on too long and jumped the shark too. How many times can a guy relapse into doing hard drugs and keep his job at a hospital? They could have ended it when they shuffled the characters and made a new team. Heck the story line building the team was entertaining they could have stopped after that.
And when he hallucinates being a zombie hunter with a cane shotgun... that was the jumping the shark moment for me where I gave up on the show.
I agree that it's not true for TNG, but I felt that DS9 ran long, largely due to approximately nothing happening for the first 2.5 seasons. Every other episode was about Miles O'Brien, arguably one of the most boring characters in the history of the franchise.
@Fluffy: Agreed, House ran way too long. That was a 4/5 season show at best.
Instead of asking which shows "missed their ending", you should be asking "which question ended at just the right moment?"
From the top of my head, practically every TV series I've ever watched missed their endings. Their plots start running in circles or are no longer entertaining and meaningless to watch. Television networks have no incentive to kill off a popular series even if it has no story to tell because they're ultimately in it for the viewers and advertising dollars and not for the show's legacy.
So far the only show to make meaningful use of every season without being inadvertently canceled on the top of my head is...
- Breaking Bad
I think that Battlestar Gallactica ended at just the right moment, as did Fringe. And Chuck(I wasn't thrilled with HOW Chuck ended, but it was still good timing).
One shows that come to mind for me is Dragonball Z. While the show is my favorite Jap Anime there were several times in DBZ where they could have ended the seires.
When I saw the thread title, I thought this was about shows that should have had an ending but didn't, for which I would have happily volunteered SWAT Katz, Samurai Jack, and Batman Beyond (though in fairness, they did wrap the latter up in Justice League).
Honestly, though?
Doctor Who (the new series).
Once Davies stopped writing the script, it went all downhill for me. And my favorite Doctor got killed off, so it was just...bad. I think the only reason I still watch it is in hopes that they redeem it. And it was one of my favorite shows before Smith took over.
Let's see...
Xiaolin Showdown. And Jackie Chan Adventures. Both of those went on waaay too long. Same with Pokemon (though that's a given).
As much as Season 4 grew on me, Digimon should have ended at the end of Season 3. Period.
MacGyver was a show that went on forever and a day, but I actually really enjoyed MacGyver.
Elfen Lied ended way too soon IMO. I also never finished .//HACK: Sign, but I don't recall it being too long for my tastes.
After so many episodes, I stopped listening to the musical numbers on Whose Line is it Anyway (except the endings, and the 3-headed broadway star because those could get funny). I think Yu Yu Hakusho went on for a season too long, though I didn't mind it all that much.
Ozzy and Drix was a godawful show and shouldn't have gone on nearly as long as it did. This applies to basically any show that was on Kids WB, including Static Shock.
Man. I watch(ed) a lot of cartoons.
Also, I never saw the last season and a half/2 seasons of 24, but there was a point when I was ready to see it end, as well.
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Teen Titans and not the 2nd series based on it that's currently being aired on Cartoon Network, the ending was a HUGE cliffhanger that left more questions than answers. The series never explained how Terra doesn't remember Beast Boy anymore and for that it ended way too soon.
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"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
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What makes you say that HIMYM should've ended? Do you think they could've cleanly wrapped the major arc up in less time than they've used?
Considering the recycled plots, endless filler, devolution of the characters, and dumbed-down writing: yes, absolutely. The show has slipped in quality and it's becoming obvious that even the cast are getting tired of the show (Jason Segel, who's been phoning it in for at least two years, almost didn't come back for next year).
Thematically, the show is about all the ways Ted had to learn and grow and the events that lead him to meeting his future wife, but the past four seasons have featured little if any growth for Ted (in fact, he's backslid a couple times) and no events worth delaying the inevitable meeting with the Mother. Aside from resolving his desire to sleep around with his desire to settle down and getting over Robin three times in five years, Ted's arc has really gone nowhere since 2010 at least. Which may be true to life (especially his infuriating recycling feelings for Robin), but makes for repetitive, go-nowhere television.
Mid-season five would have been the ideal place to reveal the Mother (Cindy's roommate), even if Ted wouldn't have started dating her right away. With the major reveal accomplished on a tighter timetable, the show would have been more focused on how those two got together rather than Ted's aimless meandering years of the single life. By stringing the reveal out, the writers stretched the show thin.
Considering the recycled plots, endless filler, devolution of the characters, and dumbed-down writing: yes, absolutely. The show has slipped in quality and it's becoming obvious that even the cast are getting tired of the show (Jason Segel, who's been phoning it in for at least two years, almost didn't come back for next year).
Thematically, the show is about all the ways Ted had to learn and grow and the events that lead him to meeting his future wife, but the past four seasons have featured little if any growth for Ted (in fact, he's backslid a couple times) and no events worth delaying the inevitable meeting with the Mother. Aside from resolving his desire to sleep around with his desire to settle down and getting over Robin three times in five years, Ted's arc has really gone nowhere since 2010 at least. Which may be true to life (especially his infuriating recycling feelings for Robin), but makes for repetitive, go-nowhere television.
Mid-season five would have been the ideal place to reveal the Mother (Cindy's roommate), even if Ted wouldn't have started dating her right away. With the major reveal accomplished on a tighter timetable, the show would have been more focused on how those two got together rather than Ted's aimless meandering years of the single life. By stringing the reveal out, the writers stretched the show thin.
You're probably right. I haven't really paid attention since early Season 7, so I can't attest to the potential devolution of characters, but there was certainly filler/repetition to be had (which I think has to be true for most shows within the genre).
I can think of a few minor arcs/events that could've just been omitted in Season 5/6, to support your point. I just don't know how much faster they could've gotten the recent events finished (Robin/Barney's wedding & the baby, from what catching bits and pieces has told me).
Bones
Supernatural
That 70's Show
Scrubs
Smallville
Stargate SG1
This is not to be confused with shows that should have ended ages ago in general, but just keep dragging on for some reason, such as:
The Simpsons
Family Guy
How I Met Your Mother
What are other people's thoughts? Similarly, what are shows that you've seen that ended at a good time and really well? I think that the best example of that is Battlestar Gallactica.
Scrubs is another one that held on too long. It even did a Saved By the Bell: The New Class thing.
And I'd mention all the Law & Order/CSI/etc series that are all well past prime and yet still bring in huge numbers. At least enough to stay on the air as crippled zombies where must-see tv used to be.
The Office is even worse, it's practically unwatchable and has been since at least Carell's exit.
Weeds kind of got bad, too, once Agrestic burnt to the ground. It got a bit too out there after that.
I haven't watched The Simpsons in well over a decade, and it was feeling old back then. I can't imagine it's better now.
Heroes jumped the shark big time and the writers' strike absolutely killed it and yet it persisted for another two (? Three?) seasons after a great first one. It was a shame, but it absolutely imploded in on itself by the time season two debuted.
The X-Files hit a brutal patch once Duchovny left and T-1000 and Annabeth Gish took over as Scully faded out. They tried to keep the show going, but it collapsed under the weight of its convoluted mythology and the lack of its chemistry-burning stars.
Lost started off amazing and its first season ended on a high note, but honestly the show was all downhill from there as it got increasingly more complex and ridiculous. It lost focus on the characters, began relying more and more on stupid Island Mysteries, filled seasons with insulting filler and then added a steady stream of new characters to replace old ones that were written off in more and more pointless ways. I know it still held a rabid following until it ended, but for me, Lost wore out its welcome midway through season two and never recovered.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer should have absolutely ended with season five. That would have been a great ending for it. Instead, we got two seasons of actors and writers phoning it in. A massive failure, honestly, even if seasons 6 and 7 had individual episodes, characters and/or arcs that worked.
I think it was clear that ER was past its prime by the time Noah Wylie finally departed.
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Supernatural is actually on the up and up though, believe it or not, and season 9 has had consistent quality ending in a pretty sick season finale
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Lets assume the two things that weren't accomplished get accomplished, but all that does is foist something worse on the world. It would fit the character.
Alternatively, true Armageddon could happen and we see God come back and do a little bit with that before the whole world goes mundane.
too bad that it never actually "ended". it was cancelled. the two movies ended the series.
Scrubs ended when JD left Sacred Fart. I never bothered with Scrubs: Interns- especially when they started to develop personalities and stopped being the butt of JD's jokes. Like Gloria, the old lady who apparently had a child with the hook-handed, tall and an afro security guard.
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And one of those movies was practically just a repeat of the last episode of Season 8, plus it occurred after the first movie, which was the actual 'end' of the Orai story arc.
And sadly, I did watch some of the 'final season' of Scrubs..but it is just so bad that it is almost unwatchable. When I think of the show, I try to think of it as ending when JD left the hospital for good. Kind of like I try to pretend that the Matrix 2/3 never happened.
very good call on this one.
For some reason, I struggled through the final few seasons, but actually missed the final two episodes... and honestly I didn't care enough to find out what happened. :/
Prison Break was another one of those shows (i.e. Heroes, Lost) that had a great premise and enough ideas for one or two seasons, but after that they were like "uh-oh, we have a hit on our hands but not enough material. Where do we go from here?"
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The introduction of Jesse actually felt pretty organic to me and the addition of a 4th cast person let them do a lot more a/b stuff, much like w13 post jinx/claudia, and if anything I think his addition helped
I agree that it's not true for TNG, but I felt that DS9 ran long, largely due to approximately nothing happening for the first 2.5 seasons. Every other episode was about Miles O'Brien, arguably one of the most boring characters in the history of the franchise.
@Fluffy: Agreed, House ran way too long. That was a 4/5 season show at best.
From the top of my head, practically every TV series I've ever watched missed their endings. Their plots start running in circles or are no longer entertaining and meaningless to watch. Television networks have no incentive to kill off a popular series even if it has no story to tell because they're ultimately in it for the viewers and advertising dollars and not for the show's legacy.
So far the only show to make meaningful use of every season without being inadvertently canceled on the top of my head is...
- Breaking Bad
Let's not even go into DBGT...
Honestly, though?
Doctor Who (the new series).
Once Davies stopped writing the script, it went all downhill for me. And my favorite Doctor got killed off, so it was just...bad. I think the only reason I still watch it is in hopes that they redeem it. And it was one of my favorite shows before Smith took over.
Let's see...
Xiaolin Showdown. And Jackie Chan Adventures. Both of those went on waaay too long. Same with Pokemon (though that's a given).
As much as Season 4 grew on me, Digimon should have ended at the end of Season 3. Period.
MacGyver was a show that went on forever and a day, but I actually really enjoyed MacGyver.
Elfen Lied ended way too soon IMO. I also never finished .//HACK: Sign, but I don't recall it being too long for my tastes.
After so many episodes, I stopped listening to the musical numbers on Whose Line is it Anyway (except the endings, and the 3-headed broadway star because those could get funny). I think Yu Yu Hakusho went on for a season too long, though I didn't mind it all that much.
Ozzy and Drix was a godawful show and shouldn't have gone on nearly as long as it did. This applies to basically any show that was on Kids WB, including Static Shock.
Man. I watch(ed) a lot of cartoons.
Also, I never saw the last season and a half/2 seasons of 24, but there was a point when I was ready to see it end, as well.
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2012: Best (False?) Role Claim - Worst Town Performance (Group) - Best Mafia Performance (Group) - Best SK Performance - Best Overall Player
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"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"Cancel Culture is the real reason why everyone's not allowed to have nice things anymore." - Anonymous
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" - Mark 8:36
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
Considering the recycled plots, endless filler, devolution of the characters, and dumbed-down writing: yes, absolutely. The show has slipped in quality and it's becoming obvious that even the cast are getting tired of the show (Jason Segel, who's been phoning it in for at least two years, almost didn't come back for next year).
Thematically, the show is about all the ways Ted had to learn and grow and the events that lead him to meeting his future wife, but the past four seasons have featured little if any growth for Ted (in fact, he's backslid a couple times) and no events worth delaying the inevitable meeting with the Mother. Aside from resolving his desire to sleep around with his desire to settle down and getting over Robin three times in five years, Ted's arc has really gone nowhere since 2010 at least. Which may be true to life (especially his infuriating recycling feelings for Robin), but makes for repetitive, go-nowhere television.
Mid-season five would have been the ideal place to reveal the Mother (Cindy's roommate), even if Ted wouldn't have started dating her right away. With the major reveal accomplished on a tighter timetable, the show would have been more focused on how those two got together rather than Ted's aimless meandering years of the single life. By stringing the reveal out, the writers stretched the show thin.
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Fracture: Israfiel (WBR), Wujal (URG), Valedon (GUB), Amduat (BGW), Paladris (RWU)
Collision (Set Two of the Fracture Block)
Quest for the Forsaken (Set Two of the Excellion Block)
Katingal: Plane of Chains
You're probably right. I haven't really paid attention since early Season 7, so I can't attest to the potential devolution of characters, but there was certainly filler/repetition to be had (which I think has to be true for most shows within the genre).
I can think of a few minor arcs/events that could've just been omitted in Season 5/6, to support your point. I just don't know how much faster they could've gotten the recent events finished (Robin/Barney's wedding & the baby, from what catching bits and pieces has told me).