we were having this debate on the Charmed board because half the board considers the show "cancelled" while the other half of us are considering the show "ended" because all three of the leads have said that they don't have the intention of doing a ninth year, so the announcement that season 8 is the end isn't a surprise.

Anybody else consider it different when a show is cancelled, and when a show ends by the choice of the cast and crew?

IMO, all these shows "ended", they weren't cancelled:
Cheers
Friends
Seinfeld
Sex And The City
Everybody Loves Raymond
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
M*A*S*H
Golden Girls
Three's Company

IMO, all of those were shows that ended by choice, as opposed to the network coming down and saying "we're letting you go". I don't think it's fair to say any of those shows are cancelled, especially when you consider how hard NBC has tried to get Seinfeld and Friends to return, if they cancelled them, they never would've bothered. Plus, if a show returns with a spinoff the fall after the finale, that's a good sign they didn't want the show to go

When I think of "cancelled", I think of shows that the cast was willing to keep it going but the network decided enough was enough. The cast of Eight Simple Rules would've liked another season, but they couldn't get one.... whereas the cast of Friends didn't want another season, but NBC would've given them one if they had wanted it.

who else agrees there is a huge difference between cancelled and ended series? A good comparison presently is that The Sopranos is going to enter its final season on HBO in a few months... HBO would cause hell to freeze to bring it back, whereas What I Like About You is as good as gone and WB wouldn't renew it even if Jennie Garth whored herself to the network execs.

I agree with what your saying, I wonder if we can all put together a list...?

Now Im not sure about this one but was Roseanne cancelled or did it just end?

I have heard both sides of the story and they are these:

Roseanne wanted the show to end with the 8th season and Dan's Heart Attack but when ABC asked them to come back Roseanne said fine as long as I can do what I want, and she made it really different which forced ABC to cancel it...

however I have also heard this:

ABC let Roseanne know at the beginning of the 8th Season that they were planning on ending it but half way through the season they decide the ratings were still good enough to continue it so they asked them to stay through the middle of the 9th season Roseanne was getting alright ratings but not the best ratings but ABC still wanted the show for a tenth season however Roseanne said enough was enough and she was gonna end it...

So what really happened?

I agree with what your saying, I wonder if we can all put together a list...?

Now Im not sure about this one but was Roseanne cancelled or did it just end?

I have heard both sides of the story and they are these:

Roseanne wanted the show to end with the 8th season and Dan's Heart Attack but when ABC asked them to come back Roseanne said fine as long as I can do what I want, and she made it really different which forced ABC to cancel it...

however I have also heard this:

ABC let Roseanne know at the beginning of the 8th Season that they were planning on ending it but half way through the season they decide the ratings were still good enough to continue it so they asked them to stay through the middle of the 9th season Roseanne was getting alright ratings but not the best ratings but ABC still wanted the show for a tenth season however Roseanne said enough was enough and she was gonna end it...

So what really happened?

what I heard was that ABC wanted a tenth season, but Roseanne would have to take a pay cut, and she said no. Plus, season 9 was the right time to go out anyways, everything came full circle

I think if a series has 100 or more episodes.. then the term ended should be used. If a series has less than 100 episodes.. then the term cancelled should be used.

I almways think that "ended" means that the show producers/cast decided to give up on it and "canceled" meant that the network took it off the air.

I think long-running series that have announced their impending departure should be labeled as either "ended" or "retired".

And long-running series who are just abruptly canned by a network without a series finale should be labeled as "canceled".

I think the 100 episode thing is a bit too simplistic. Dharma & Greg had well over 100 episodes, but it was definitely cancelled, not ended naturally. As for Roseanne, I also heard that Roseanne herself was angling for a 10th season, but ABC declined. I think it depends on a lot of factors, like:

1) When the ending is announced. If it's just left off the fall schedule at the upfronts in May, it's definitely been cancelled. In this way "Charmed" still hasn't officiall been cancelled, although most people are expecting it. Then there's Will & Grace, That 70s Show, The West Wing & 7th Heaven, all of which have already been announced, thus I would see them more as "ending."

2) The Ratings: if the ratings have been in decline for a while leading up to the series ending, I would definitely say it's been cancelled. All of the above series, for instance (except 7th Heaven) would go for another season if the ratings were better, but they're not. This is a very subjective area though.

3) The stars: If the stars decline to do another season, I would definitely say its ending, like Friends. But then again, this is subjective as well. Sure the stars of Charmed say they're not going another season now that they know they another season is unlikely to happen anyway. Maybe they just want to bow out gracefully instead of being kicked to the curb.

Also, Bea Arthur ended the Golden Girls because she became tired with the role. She wanted to leave earlier but Betty and Rue talked her into staying.

Also, Bea Arthur ended the Golden Girls because she became tired with the role. She wanted to leave earlier but Betty and Rue talked her into staying.

yep, Bea also ended Maude. She is a great businesswoman IMO, both Maude and Golden Girls were in decline when she quit, but both could've likely gone on another season or two, but Bea knew exactly the right time to bow out... and considering how stale Golden Palace felt without her, she made the right decision to end Golden Girls in 1992.

I think long-running series that have announced their impending depature should be labeled as either "ended" or "retired".

And long-running series who are just abruptly canned by a network without a series finales should be labeled as "canceled".

I agree, this is a good point of view.. I forgot there are some long running series who didn't have a proper series finale.

Although 3rd Rock From The Sun had a proper series finale they weren't sure if they were coming back or not. So Is That considered ending or cancelled

Although 3rd Rock From The Sun had a proper series finale they weren't sure if they were coming back or not. So Is That considered ending or cancelled

actually, I remember in late 2000, John Lithgow saying that season 6 was going to be the last year for Third Rock, so they ended the show because the end was announced by the star several months before the episode aired, giving it time for them to wrap things up. Third Rock's ratings were in decline by that time, but it still ended by the casts choice instead of having NBC axe it.

When I think of "cancelled", I think of shows that the cast was willing to keep it going but the network decided enough was enough. The cast of Eight Simple Rules would've liked another season, but they couldn't get one.... whereas the cast of Friends didn't want another season, but NBC would've given them one if they had wanted it.



I know one castmember of 8 Simple Rules that was happy when the show was canceled. Shortly before the show was canceled, in an interview by the NY Vue (NY Daily News), the girl that played Bridget said she wished the show would not have continued after John Ritter died and she was misserable on the set after the death of Ritter.