What were some shows that you remember watching in their last years and it was very obvious before any formal announcement was made that this was the last season. Some of the ones I remember:

The Jeffersons in 1984-85: the cast complains that CBS did them wrong by cancelling them without notice, but it was very clear to me that CBS changed its timeslot as an excuse to axe it.

Diff'rent Strokes in 1985-86: the list of shows that switch networks only to get dumped is a long one. Watching Arnold still short but with a moustache I knew this one was on its way out.

Gimme A Break in 1987: When they switched up the scenario I knew this show was on its last legs.

227 in 1989-90: When Jackee Harry left they brought in 4 actors to fill her voiud and none of them could pull it off. Obviously the show was done.

Designing Women in 1993: CBS has a habit of getting rid of shows that are past their prime by moving them to bad timeslots. In 1992 this one was rated at #6 so to justify axing it they moved it to a bad time period and it fell to #69. They did similar things to shows like My Three Sons and others.

Different World in 1993: NBC took the show off in midyear which was a dead giveaway. Besides a show about college students can only run but so long and Cosby was over and Dwayne and Whitley were husband and wife.

Empty Nest in 1995: Actually I'm surprised this series ran as long as it did, I thought it was going to get cancelled in 1994.

Family Matters in 1998: another show that makes you wonder why a second network picked it up only to cancel it a year later. Like the Jeffersons the actors claim that they didn't know they were going to get cancelled which makes no sense to me.

Mad About You in 1999: I never watched this one much but in its last year the 2 stars were making something like $1,000,000 an episode and I was wondering why they were being paid so much for a show that was obviously on its last legs.

Cosby and Boy Meets World in 2000: Cosby fell off after Madeline Kahn died and BMW was a case of the actors getting too old for the show's premise. In Cosby's case Bill issued a statement to the press that the show was ending making it seem as if he decided to call it a day, but truthfully they were cancelled because of poor ratings.

Mad About You in 1999: I never watched this one much but in its last year the 2 stars were making something like $1,000,000 an episode and I was wondering why they were being paid so much for a show that was obviously on its last legs.

that had everything to do with Helen Hunt winning an Oscar in early 98 for As Good As It Gets, they offered her $1 million an episode to stay so they could promote that they have an Oscar-winner on the network, however there was a clause in the contract that Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt made the exact same dough per episode, so Reiser lucked out and got $1 million an episode as well, definately a contractual clause that worked out to his favor.

The Facts Of Life in 1987-1988, the last season was rather uneventful and in hindsight, proof that the show lasted one season too long. The eighth season was one of its best and the two-part "Out Of Peekskill" was a perfect series finale where tears were even shed when Jo rode off on her motorcycle... a great way to go out. By the last season, the four of them had really drifted apart and they spent most of the season eating cereal (literally) and the series finale was a REAL let-down

Happy Days in 1983-1984, I read that season 11 wasn't surely the final season until later into the season, but when you look at it, it really had "final season" written all over it. Richie and Ralph made return appearences, all of the new characters were suddenly written out of the series, Joanie and Chachi were back, etc... looking at it, you could tell that they really knew it was the last year the whole time

Roseanne in 1996-1997, you could tell that this was the last year the whole time. It's days as a top-rated show were over and Roseanne really took advantage of just doing what the hell she wanted to do knowing it was most likely not coming back for a tenth year. In first-run, the final season was a flop and a nightmare..... in hindsight watching them in reruns, you really see how autobiographical the season was and that many of the episodes are actually not so bad

That 70s Show:2004-2006 They're running out of ideas,and now they don't have Ashton Kutcher & Topher Grace.It's gonna be worse than it was last year

That 70s Show:2004-2006 They're running out of ideas,and now they don't have Ashton Kutcher & Topher Grace.It's gonna be worse than it was last year

That 70's Show should've just pulled the Happy Days route and let the show move into the 80's (turning it into That 80's Show). It's still stuck in 1979, even though it was in 1976 eight seasons ago... at this point into the show, Mila Kunis should be in her Jennifer Beals "Flashdance" phase while Fez has a geri-curl and wants to be Michael Jackson, those are moments that would've been priceless.

That 70's Show should've just pulled the Happy Days route and let the show move into the 80's (turning it into That 80's Show). It's still stuck in 1979, even though it was in 1976 eight seasons ago... at this point into the show, Mila Kunis should be in her Jennifer Beals "Flashdance" phase while Fez has a geri-curl and wants to be Michael Jackson, those are moments that would've been priceless.
They did make a show called "THAT 80's SHOW",and it bombed

The Cosby Show in 1991-1992, The last couple of seasons they tried to establish new characters (Olivia, Pam, Dabnis, Pam's Friends) But it really wasn't that funny anymore and it was missing most something such as Rudy was to old, Theo was seen rarely, Vanessa had stupid stories, and Denise was gone.

Home Improvement in 1998-1999, The Kids got old and they were using marty and his kids to often and it got boring and annoying, I still think they could have survived if they went with my idea for a 9th season.

NewsRadio in 1998-1999, I hate to say this because it has such a great cast but when Phil died to show went down hill, It was still a good show it just lost a lot when he died.

The Drew Carey Show in 2003-2004, Once Kate and Mr. Wick were gone and we rarely saw Lewis and Oswald it should have ended it was a great show to begin with unfortunately it didn't end great.

I'll try to do more later...

The Drew Carey Show in 2003-2004, Once Kate and Mr. Wick were gone and we rarely saw Lewis and Oswald it should have ended it was a great show to begin with unfortunately it didn't end great.
That's so true

They did make a show called "THAT 80's SHOW",and it bombed

yes but they should've let That 70's Show move into the 1980's instead of making 1979 probably the longest year in existance. There is so much 80's pop culture that the characters could've gotten caught up in and the show should be in 1983-1984 at this point.

Happy Days was known as being a show set in the 50's but the last few years were obviously set in the mid-1960's (unless we're supposed to believe that Jenny and K.C. wrote the songs their girl group performed and then the Supremes copied it, and that Joanie And Chachi were just being funny yet psychic when wearing Kinks 1965 tour shirts), instead of keeping 1959 a really really long year.

NewsRadio in 1998-1999, I hate to say this because it has such a great cast but when Phil died to show went down hill, It was still a good show it just lost a lot when he died.

I watched this show when it first aired. I definately knew it would be the last year. I was hoping it wouldn't be, but in my heart, I knew it was over. So when they aired the series finale (they called it the "Season Finale") I knew I was watching the very last episode. Sure enough a little while later, the show was officially cancelled. Luckily, the last episode worked as a season finale and a series finale.

The Cosby Show in 1991-1992, The last couple of seasons they tried to establish new characters (Olivia, Pam, Dabnis, Pam's Friends) But it really wasn't that funny anymore and it was missing most something such as Rudy was to old, Theo was seen rarely, Vanessa had stupid stories, and Denise was gone.

Cosby really lost it the last few years

[QUOTE=HUNG UP!]yes but they should've let That 70's Show move into the 1980's instead of making 1979 probably the longest year in existance. There is so much 80's pop culture that the characters could've gotten caught up in and the show should be in 1983-1984 at this point.

Throughout the entire run it took a few seasons for each year to pass. So it would have been in 1980 or 1981 now. I agree, it would make the show fresh and much funnier if they were to do that. That 80s show didn't work because of the characters. That 70s show already has characters that people like, so there is no reason to keep them in 1979. The ratings are in the toilet anyway.

Cosby really lost it the last few years

And yet it still went out on top. As I understand the show wasn't cancelled, but Bill Cosby chose to end the show. It doesn't make sense to me, because I don't know anyone who really likes the final seasons of TCS.

What's your idea?



It's actully Kind of stupid but I still think it could have worked, so here it is:http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?p=2841172#post2841172

And yet it still went out on top. As I understand the show wasn't cancelled, but Bill Cosby chose to end the show. It doesn't make sense to me, because I don't know anyone who really likes the final seasons of TCS.

I think ending the show in season 8 was a wise choice. Cosby's trajectory was almost identical to that of Roseanne's (ironically, also Carsey-Werner). Both shows were instant blockbusters from the first episode, and both shows stayed huge for the first six seasons, although the sixth season for each posted a slight decline from seasons 1-5. In the seventh season of both shows, ratings began to tumble and people started really losing interest but it still did reasonably well, then in the eighth seasons, both shows were out of the top 10 completely.... if Cosby had run on for a ninth season, I think it would've fallen out of the top 30 similar to Roseanne did her ninth season.

What were some shows that you remember watching in their last years and it was very obvious before any formal announcement was made that this was the last season. Some of the ones I remember:

The Jeffersons in 1984-85: the cast complains that CBS did them wrong by cancelling them without notice, but it was very clear to me that CBS changed its timeslot as an excuse to axe it.

Diff'rent Strokes in 1985-86: the list of shows that switch networks only to get dumped is a long one. Watching Arnold still short but with a moustache I knew this one was on its way out.

Gimme A Break in 1987: When they switched up the scenario I knew this show was on its last legs.

227 in 1989-90: When Jackee Harry left they brought in 4 actors to fill her voiud and none of them could pull it off. Obviously the show was done.

Designing Women in 1993: CBS has a habit of getting rid of shows that are past their prime by moving them to bad timeslots. In 1992 this one was rated at #6 so to justify axing it they moved it to a bad time period and it fell to #69. They did similar things to shows like My Three Sons and others.

Different World in 1993: NBC took the show off in midyear which was a dead giveaway. Besides a show about college students can only run but so long and Cosby was over and Dwayne and Whitley were husband and wife.

Empty Nest in 1995: Actually I'm surprised this series ran as long as it did, I thought it was going to get cancelled in 1994.

Family Matters in 1998: another show that makes you wonder why a second network picked it up only to cancel it a year later. Like the Jeffersons the actors claim that they didn't know they were going to get cancelled which makes no sense to me.

Mad About You in 1999: I never watched this one much but in its last year the 2 stars were making something like $1,000,000 an episode and I was wondering why they were being paid so much for a show that was obviously on its last legs.

Cosby and Boy Meets World in 2000: Cosby fell off after Madeline Kahn died and BMW was a case of the actors getting too old for the show's premise. In Cosby's case Bill issued a statement to the press that the show was ending making it seem as if he decided to call it a day, but truthfully they were cancelled because of poor ratings.

I agree with you on The Jeffersons, Diff'rent Strokes, and Empty Nest. But I think Married With Children went on too long as well. I love the show to death, but it went on for 10 years and 11 seasons. I think they should have wrapped it up in 1993 or 94. The last few years showcased Al being the loser he was hanging with his buddies. That should have been showcased in earlier seasons. Then, Bud grew a beard in the laster seasons. They should have moved his character out.

The Cosby Show in 1991-92 finish in 18th that goods for most shows but bad for the Cosby Show he need stop but Roseanne should have ended after the 1995-96 Season

in the 90s
Shows like ended very Bad in the ratings are: Who's the Boss?, Growing Pains, Family Matters, The Wonder Years, Roseanne & Murphy Brown

shows that ended just in time was about a season or two alway from being bad: Home Improvement finish in top 10, Full House finish in 25th & The Cosby Show finish 18th

ratings schmatings, I personally enjoy most of the last season of Roseanne, it was godawful at it's time but when you watch the reruns now, there's a lot of good episodes during the season.

Hell, this is controversial, but considering how good season 9 was IMO, I wouldn't have minded a season 10

Happy Days in 1983-1984, I read that season 11 wasn't surely the final season until later into the season, but when you look at it, it really had "final season" written all over it. Richie and Ralph made return appearences, all of the new characters were suddenly written out of the series, Joanie and Chachi were back, etc... looking at it, you could tell that they really knew it was the last year the whole time

I read that they weren't 100% sure about the show's status when they came to the point of filming the series finale. But the show's ratings had been dropping steadily and it was likely that the show would be cancelled, so they filmed the 11th season finale as a final episode. My guess is they didn't want to film it like a regular season finale and find out afterwards that the show had been cancelled, say, like what happened with Archie Bunker's Place.

I think deep down Garry Marshall knew the show had run its course and at least he gave it a proper send off. Too bad Ralph and Potsie couldn't have been there. I think it would have been funny if Chuck had shown up unannounced at the wedding and no one knew who he was. He could have then reminded everyone he was the older brother and then miraculously, they would have remembered him.:D

Chachi could have yelled at Joanie: "How can you forget you had another brother...?":rolleyes:

ratings schmatings, I personally enjoy most of the last season of Roseanne, it was godawful at it's time but when you watch the reruns now, there's a lot of good episodes during the season.

Hell, this is controversial, but considering how good season 9 was IMO, I wouldn't have minded a season 10

I agree to an extent, even though the 9th season isn't the show at its peak, it did have a few highlights. Anyway, Roseanne said from the start that season 9 was going to be the last season of the show. The show was originally supposed to end in season 8, but ABC convinced Roseanne and Carsey-Werner to add an additional season. Roseanne herself said she knew the show was hers and she had the power to do whatever the hell she wanted, so she went for it unapologetically. To this day, she has no regrets about that season of the show. I don't think Roseanne's last season was that horrible ratings-wise in retrospect, it did finish at #35 that season, which is more than decent for a sitcom these days. While not #1, like the show was at its peak, it was still respectable for a show that ran for almost a full decade. Murphy Brown's ratings in its last season on the other hand is a whole other story...

I read that they weren't 100% sure about the show's status when they came to the point of filming the series finale. But the show's ratings had been dropping steadily and it was likely that the show would be cancelled, so they filmed the 11th season finale as a final episode. My guess is they didn't want to film it like a regular season finale and find out afterwards that the show had been cancelled, say, like what happened with Archie Bunker's Place.

I think deep down Garry Marshall knew the show had run its course and at least he gave it a proper send off. Too bad Ralph and Potsie couldn't have been there. I think it would have been funny if Chuck had shown up unannounced at the wedding and no one knew who he was. He could have then reminded everyone he was the older brother and then miraculously, they would have remembered him.:D

Chachi could have yelled at Joanie: "How can you forget you had another brother...?":rolleyes:

even though you're right that they weren't 100% sure, I do think deep down they knew it was going to be the last season, it really had all the makings of the last year by getting rid of all the new blood, ala Ashley, Heather, Jenny, Flip, K.C., and even though Roger stayed, he had far reduced screen time, while the episodes began revolving around the classic characters again, and bringing back Richie and Ralph for a special episode was a nice way for the writers to really have the show come full circle. It very much seemed like an extended goodbye present to the fans.

Wings. That last year, when they didn't even have a mechanic, and Joe and Helen had that new house...it got pretty lame.