It’s easy to get attached to the world and characters of a good story, to get so enraptured in a series you never want it to end. TV shows are one of many ways we can escape from the real world and enjoy some adventure, mystery, or strange world. They provide entertainment, joy, catharsis, and a beautiful connection to the art of storytelling.
Even though we all love to hold onto our favourite shows as long as we can, sometimes it’s better to let them go on their own terms. Some shows are short and sweet with just a season or three, and then some shows run for more than a decade and decline more and more in quality with each year. The shows that run past their prime often do so due to audience demands. They sacrifice the quality of writing and plot in order to satisfy the viewers and usually kill their shows in the process. As much as we like to hold onto our beloved shows, sometimes it’s best to just let it end on good terms.
Here’s a look at shows that followed through on their promise to end and those that struggled to keep the stories alive.
Fleabag Maintained Its Charm
One of the shows that ended at just the right time wasFleabag, an incredibly well-writtenand award-winning show. The British series hadexcellent reviewsfrom critics and audience membersalike, who always raved over the show’s quality. It talks about grief, dysfunctional family, and complicated romantic feelings and gives the main character a beautiful healing arc. The best part is that the show does all this in just two seasons. The writers wrapped everything up perfectly and brought the story to a succinct close, despite viewers saying they’d love to see more. But the show retained its quality and charm by ending exactly when it was meant to.
Did Supernatural Last One Too Many Seasons?
Supernaturalis a show more notoriously known for seeming like it would never end. It started with a promising premise of two brothers searching for their missing father while continuing his work of saving people from monsters and the preternatural. Over the years, it grew increasingly popular, so much so that fans refused to see it die even though it was supposed to end at season 5 with the departure of the original showrunner. Instead, it went on to have 15 seasons andnow has a prequel show in developmentby one of the lead actors, Jensen Ackles.
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As the show went on, it saw a continual decrease in quality that led to fans even making fun of it all. The plot twists became increasingly ridiculous, plot holes more prevalent, and character relationships left unsatisfying and incomplete (not to mention the queer-baiting). Overall, the show sacrificed itself for the sake of a demanding audience and lost everything that made it so popular in the first place.
The Good Place Found Its Perfect Ending
Then there’s the wonderful and witty seriesThe Good Place,starring the ever-loved Kristen Bell. This series had the unique premise that follows characters in the afterlife for good people, except the main woman, played by Bell, was confused for a woman with the same name and should have gone somewhere much worse. The show revolves around Bell’s internal struggle as she tries to figure out the weirdness of the afterlife she’s in, along with the misfit group of people she befriends.
The Good Placehas charming and well-rounded characters, incredible twists and turns, and interesting discussions on philosophy and morality.Audiences ravedabout all aspects of the series. Even though the series was so well-liked, it ended nicely after a clean four seasons and retained everything that made it special.
Scrubs' Infamous Final Season
Finally, the show has one of the most disliked final seasons of all. Despite the fact thatScrubsis regarded asone of the better medical shows, it saw a steady decline as the seasons drew on. The show was originally canceled after season 7 but picked up by another network to give it a final eighth season. The showrunner was satisfied with the opportunity to wrap up the storylines. ThoughScrubshad gone on a bit longer than it needed to, it still got to have a conclusive ending – at least, until it got a ninth season with a whole new cast.
That final season is the one that makes audiences groan in agony to think about, and it pretty much ruins everything watched before. The show was popular enough that networks wanted to keep it alive to keep audiences happy, but in doing so, they lost all aspects of quality and writing.
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Creators always want to appease an audience and keep viewers watching. But at a certain point, it seems better to keep a series succinct as planned or learn when to cut losses. Dragging out a story too long for the sake of an audience doesn’t do a series any favours.
