http://www.comicbookresources.com/community/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=20166

I was watching Happy Days today on TV Land, and it was the first episode of the last season, and during the theme song it reminded me that you could tell the end was near just by the theme song.

In it, they showed shots of Joanie and Chachi when they were young and then cut to them at their current age. In addition, the familiar Happy Days theme song was replaced with an "updated" version of the theme song.

Those are both signs that a show is about to end. For instance, the "updated" theme song in the last season of Quantum Leap and A-Team. Or the shots of everyone as young then at their current ages in the last season of Roseanne and the last season or so of Facts of Life.

Anyone have anything else that, when you see it, just screams, "This show is ending soon!"

And nothing obvious, like a major character leaving or the entire format of the show changing (Newsradio, Suddenly Susan).
:wave:

Well, the opening of "Drew Carey" know shows clips of past seasons, but since they started showing this new opening a season or two ago, and the show is still on, I guess it didn't spell the end for the show...

The entire format of "The A-Team" changed dramatically in the last season. Not only did they add new characters, but the team started working for a government organization, not as free-lance mercenaries. Changing the theme song wasn't the only death knell for that series.

The theme song changing isn't always a 'death knell' for a show. Like "Three's Company." It had a different theme song for each of it's eight seasons. "Dallas" and "Knots Landing" changed their theme songs very frequently. I think a good death knell for shows in when kids who were in high school when the show started are entering college or in the Army and when they have little kids who start going to high school. Like "Step by Step." Brendan and Mark were well into late middle school and mid-high school grades when the show ended.

Originally posted by JT
The theme song changing isn't always a 'death knell' for a show. Like "Three's Company." It had a different theme song for each of it's eight seasons. "Dallas" and "Knots Landing" changed their theme songs very frequently. I think a good death knell for shows in when kids who were in high school when the show started are entering college or in the Army and when they have little kids who start going to high school. Like "Step by Step." Brendan and Mark were well into late middle school and mid-high school grades when the show ended.

Well with TC they used a shorter version of the season 6 version (it was also used at the end of season seven) for it's last season..that might've been a death knell.