In your opinion which shows got really bad in their final year? Here are my votes
1. Beverly Hillbillies
2. Little House on the Prairie ( New Begining)
3. New Leave it to Beaver
4. Bonanza

Any others??

Roseanne

Roseanne was the worst. The Beverly Hillbillies and Little House were still watchable.

"My Three Sons"

Just about every show goes down in its final year or years and does not leave on a high note.

Roseanne and Bewitched.




Although the idea of the Connor's winning the library may have worked out, it didnt.

Sanford and Son
Roseanne
Happy Days

The Wonder Years was its worst in its final season (1992-93) since the episodes were not as innocent as the first seasons. I mean, Kevin became rebellious! Sheesh, why couldn't he have been the same person we grew up with at RFK Junior High?

Let's see ... he:

1. Stole an owl mascot from a rival school (#94 "Homecoming")
2. Got drunk at a wedding (#96 "Scenes From A Wedding")
3. Went ga-ga over a teacher (#97 "S*x and Economics")
4. Got Winnie over to study for the SATs, only to fall asleep with her still there, and the guys dogged him about it (#99 "White Lies")
5. Went driving against parental orders to a Rolling Stones concert (which turned out to be a fake; #106 "Ladies and Gentlemen ... The Rolling Stones")
6. Repeatedly forgot to go to the store and get fasteners, on account of visiting a friend (#107 "Unpacking")
7. Made fun of a student's large nose (#109 "Nose")

That wasn't the Kevin Arnold with which I grew up. :mad:

I agree about Roseanne, but I think Everybody Loves Raymond went the farthest downhill the fastest. At least this season's first two episodes were horrid. They had some lousy episodes last season, but Monday's episode was the worst ever. Raymond wasn't funny, he was just plain ugly. The same goes for Marie and Frank. Even Robert was a cad toward Amy, and Deborah was completely demoralized. The only redemption was that she was proven right about Marie in the last scene, but that wasn't enough to make up for the rest of it. They should have given it the best comedy Emmy back when it was actually the best comedy, not wait until it's gone down the garbage disposal.

Roseanne

Coach

LaVerne and Shirley

Happy Days

Alice

The Walton's

Little House On The Prairie

Family Affair

That Girl

Rhoda

Facts Of Life

Designing Women

Originally posted by TheMaestro
Just about every show goes down in its final year or years and does not leave on a high note.


IMO some of the shows that left on a high note were

Mary Tyler Moore

Newhart

The Bob Newhart Show

Mama's Family

Mash

I agree that Mary Tyler Moore, Mama's Family, and Mash had good endings. That group hug and walking back for the tissues was probably the best ending ever. It's funny, though, I can't remember how The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart ended, as much as I loved them and watched them when they were on.

Diff'rent Stokes and What's Happening didn't end on high notes either.

Wings- I can't stand to watch the final season at all.

Everybody Loves Raymond- Like someone said earlier, the show has really gone downhill. I can't watch anymore.

The Cosby Show- Never should have brought on all those people.

Cheers- The whole bar burning down thing, Lilith leaving Frasier, and Woody running for city councilman. There were some good episodes, but if it had ended after season 10, the show would have gone out on a higher note.

Wings- I agree with Snoopy on this one. That vacuum episode is so horrible.

Cosby - Cousin Pam got more screen time than any of the Huxtable kids. And production of the show must've gotten cheaper because there was no episode (or if there was, very few) in which all 4 remaining Cosby kids appeared in the same episode.

Buffy - there were some good episodes this season, and the final 5 episodes were great, but 90% of the season didn't compare to the quality of season 1-6. Plus, there were too many characters added this season. I remember there were a few scenes where there were like 30 people in the Summers household. Some of us liked the show much better when it was only 5-6 people tops.

Diff'rent Strokes - the sets changed, Willis became a recurring character, and by the time, you could tell Gary Coleman was ready to move on

Newsradio - the show just died without Phil Hartman

Ellen - the show became it's own worst nightmare. I know that Ellen meant to revolutionize tv by coming out and all. But EVERY SINGLE EPISODE of the last season revolved around nothing more than plotlines like "Ellen comes out to the postman this week", "A grocery store clerk realizes Ellen's gay" and the sort. I think Ellen's toned it down and has become a good comedienne again. I thought she did good with The Puppy Episode, but after that, all of the supporting characters lost whatever importance they had.

Three's Company/Three's A Crowd - I count it as one show like people count AITF/Archie Bunker's Place. Everything was right about TC for 8 seasons, and then he met Vicki and Janet went a'packin. The late great JR just wasn't anywhere as funny on TAC, and I wish Janet and her husband would've at least been a neighbor or something. It might've been perfectly funny had it not been the spinoff to Three's Company. But since it was, it didn't come anywhere near the original.

Facts Of Life - season 9 had some good episodes, but it seemed like everything that was so great in season 8 suddenly worked against it in season 9. Plus, the final episode was a disgrace. Luckily they did a reunion to make it somewhat right. To think, Natalie wasn't even in the "goodbye" shot at the end, and Nat, Jo, Tootie and Beverly Ann all only were in the hour long finale for 3-5 mins each

Originally posted by BuffySlayer79
Newsradio - the show just died without Phil Hartman

Ellen - the show became it's own worst nightmare. I know that Ellen meant to revolutionize tv by coming out and all. But EVERY SINGLE EPISODE of the last season revolved around nothing more than plotlines like "Ellen comes out to the postman this week", "A grocery store clerk realizes Ellen's gay" and the sort. I think Ellen's toned it down and has become a good comedienne again. I thought she did good with The Puppy Episode, but after that, all of the supporting characters lost whatever importance they had.

As much as I hate to admit it, "NewsRadio" did go downhill after Phil Hartman died. I blame the writers. The actors all did their best and put on some very funny performances. But the writing was like no one cared anymore. Given their history in the ratings, they probably figured no one was watching anyways.

As for "Ellen", I agree completely. I don't care that she's gay. The show just got worse in season five. The first few episodes after she came out were great, but then it just changed. We saw her friends less and less too, that last season.

Originally posted by James
The Wonder Years was its worst in its final season (1992-93) since the episodes were not as innocent as the first seasons. I mean, Kevin became rebellious! Sheesh, why couldn't he have been the same person we grew up with at RFK Junior High?

Let's see ... he:

1. Stole an owl mascot from a rival school (#94 "Homecoming")
2. Got drunk at a wedding (#96 "Scenes From A Wedding")
3. Went ga-ga over a teacher (#97 "S*x and Economics")
4. Got Winnie over to study for the SATs, only to fall asleep with her still there, and the guys dogged him about it (#99 "White Lies")
5. Went driving against parental orders to a Rolling Stones concert (which turned out to be a fake; #106 "Ladies and Gentlemen ... The Rolling Stones")
6. Repeatedly forgot to go to the store and get fasteners, on account of visiting a friend (#107 "Unpacking")
7. Made fun of a student's large nose (#109 "Nose")

That wasn't the Kevin Arnold with which I grew up. :mad:

Thats the worst he did?? Sounds like an angel to me, its not like he went into homeroom and started shooting.

Roseanne
Wonder Years
Rhoda
I Dream of Jeannie

Although "Bewitched" and "Happy Days" sunk to terrible levels in their final years I believe both of the shows were a little better in their last year than the previous 2 or 3 years... obviously it was still nothing as good as their early episodes

Originally posted by TheMaestro
Thats the worst he did?? Sounds like an angel to me, its not like he went into homeroom and started shooting.

You know how Theodore Cleaver never did anything controversial (at least in comparison to what I listed) on Leave It To Beaver? The writers on The Wonder Years should have taken the advice from the LITB writers.

I think Im in the minority but I like Roseanne's last season.


I didnt like the last season of Sanford and Son though.

Originally posted by James
You know how Theodore Cleaver never did anything controversial (at least in comparison to what I listed) on Leave It To Beaver? The writers on The Wonder Years should have taken the advice from the LITB writers.

This kid was 17 turning 18 and lived in the 60's. Most teenagers go through a stage where they change. Plus, Kevin didn't even do anything that bad. He'd be considered a wuss by today's standards, so I don't see why you think it's so taboo that he got drunk at a wedding. It's not like he drank himself stupid at some frat party and slept with every girl he saw.

The show itself was all about coming of age. If he didnt turn into a rebellious teenager then it would not have been true to life. I think Kevin made me feel more like someone I could relate to. I dont dig the innocence persona. But of course, that is just me.

By the way, Kevin came of age during the seventies. Only the first couple of seasons were set in the late sixties.

I hate to admit this, but Laverne & Shirley wasn't as good as it could have been during its last season. The departure of Shirley was really the ending of the entire show.

Happy Days, in my opinion, went downhill when Ron Howard and Don Moist departed the show. The later seasons weren't as good as the earlier ones.

The last season of The Andy Griffith Show wasn't so hot either. Adding new characters to the series was a total turn-off. They weren't appealing at all. This show should have ended when Don Knotts left the series.



Now on the flipside, these are the shows that I think left on a high note: I Love Lucy, The Munsters, Mary Tyler Moore, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Brady Bunch, and The Wonder Years.

Originally posted by BuffySlayer79
Ellen - the show became it's own worst nightmare. I know that Ellen meant to revolutionize tv by coming out and all. But EVERY SINGLE EPISODE of the last season revolved around nothing more than plotlines like "Ellen comes out to the postman this week", "A grocery store clerk realizes Ellen's gay" and the sort. I think Ellen's toned it down and has become a good comedienne again. I thought she did good with The Puppy Episode, but after that, all of the supporting characters lost whatever importance they had.

I definitely agree with all of that!

Originally posted by Crimson and Clover
I think Im in the minority but I like Roseanne's last season.



I actually liked the last season of Roseanne. I didn't like EVERY episode, but I did like a lot of them. Some were totally ridiculous, but others were still just as funny as previous seasons.

Originally posted by BuffySlayer79
Cosby - Cousin Pam got more screen time than any of the Huxtable kids. And production of the show must've gotten cheaper because there was no episode (or if there was, very few) in which all 4 remaining Cosby kids appeared in the same episode.

Buffy - there were some good episodes this season, and the final 5 episodes were great, but 90% of the season didn't compare to the quality of season 1-6. Plus, there were too many characters added this season. I remember there were a few scenes where there were like 30 people in the Summers household. Some of us liked the show much better when it was only 5-6 people tops.

Diff'rent Strokes - the sets changed, Willis became a recurring character, and by the time, you could tell Gary Coleman was ready to move on

Newsradio - the show just died without Phil Hartman

Ellen - the show became it's own worst nightmare. I know that Ellen meant to revolutionize tv by coming out and all. But EVERY SINGLE EPISODE of the last season revolved around nothing more than plotlines like "Ellen comes out to the postman this week", "A grocery store clerk realizes Ellen's gay" and the sort. I think Ellen's toned it down and has become a good comedienne again. I thought she did good with The Puppy Episode, but after that, all of the supporting characters lost whatever importance they had.

Three's Company/Three's A Crowd - I count it as one show like people count AITF/Archie Bunker's Place. Everything was right about TC for 8 seasons, and then he met Vicki and Janet went a'packin. The late great JR just wasn't anywhere as funny on TAC, and I wish Janet and her husband would've at least been a neighbor or something. It might've been perfectly funny had it not been the spinoff to Three's Company. But since it was, it didn't come anywhere near the original.

Facts Of Life - season 9 had some good episodes, but it seemed like everything that was so great in season 8 suddenly worked against it in season 9. Plus, the final episode was a disgrace. Luckily they did a reunion to make it somewhat right. To think, Natalie wasn't even in the "goodbye" shot at the end, and Nat, Jo, Tootie and Beverly Ann all only were in the hour long finale for 3-5 mins each


I completely agree with the Cosby show. Bringing in all those extra people killed it. And every show I saw with cousin Pam was nothing like the originals. I think it went down hill from there. There was nothing left to write about. I think they should've went on with letting the kids get married, just leaving the original cast in its place.

Three's Company/Three's A Crowd - I count it as one show like people count AITF/Archie Bunker's Place. Everything was right about TC for 8 seasons, and then he met Vicki and Janet went a'packin. The late great JR just wasn't anywhere as funny on TAC, and I wish Janet and her husband would've at least been a neighbor or something. It might've been perfectly funny had it not been the spinoff to Three's Company. But since it was, it didn't come anywhere near the original.

I agree totally. They should've never had a spin-off. I think it would've went alot longer if Janet hadn't moved away when she got married and Jack was as funny as Three's Company. He seemed much more serious in Three's A Crowd.

Originally posted by Original Prankster
This kid was 17 turning 18 and lived in the 60's. Most teenagers go through a stage where they change. Plus, Kevin didn't even do anything that bad. He'd be considered a wuss by today's standards, so I don't see why you think it's so taboo that he got drunk at a wedding. It's not like he drank himself stupid at some frat party and slept with every girl he saw.

There was Karen, Kevin's older sister, who was rebellious when she got older. That would have covered the rebellious aspect of the series, so I think it would be logical for Kevin to stay on the straight and narrow. Not everyone is rebellious. Kevin was the protagonist and Karen the antagonist IMHO.

Just my take!

Originally posted by Penny Lane
IMO some of the shows that left on a high note were

Mary Tyler Moore

Newhart

The Bob Newhart Show

Mama's Family

Mash

Don't forget The Golden Girls- wasn't Bea Arthur in charge of that? She was the one who wanted to leave TGG while it was still doing well, so she ended it after 7 seasons. She did the same for Maude, although I never got to watch it when they used to rerun them.

Originally posted by James
There was Karen, Kevin's older sister, who was rebellious when she got older. That would have covered the rebellious aspect of the series, so I think it would be logical for Kevin to stay on the straight and narrow. Not everyone is rebellious. Kevin was the protagonist and Karen the antagonist IMHO.

Just my take!

Oh yes, I forgot. You're always right and talk your way out of every situation. Karen was enough, gotcha.

Roseanne!
Family Matters

I loved some episode sfrom Roseanne's final season, but some of the episodes were horrible.

Ellen had about 10 fantastic episodes from her last season, highlighted by the episode in which Emma Thompson "came out" (watch it if you haven't seen it) and the finale, which was one of the best I've seen.

Cos changed focus so much on his show- whoever said it was the extra charatcers were right. Cousin Pam and her gang were a bad fit for the show and a bad fit period. It just reeked of a show trying to be hip when it was over the hill.

Here are the shows:
Bewitched - That was sad how such a well done, well acted and well written could turn so bad by keeping it on one year too long. The truth of the matter it should had ended after Dick York left the show. Even though Dick Sargent was decent in the role. Season six and seven did have some entertaining shows. Season eight was mostly rehashed plots from the first two seasons. But Erin Murphy, as Tabitha, shined that season. She was truly a natural child actor without being smart alecky or writers giving her dialogue beyond her years. Elizabeth Montgomery was stunning in the final season with longer hair and those mini skirts. But she did not want to be there in that final season. If watch the episodes from season eight she looked pissed off. She played Samantha in that final season more harsher and with anger issues.

One Day At A Time - The show was horrible in its final season. It would had went out on a better bang if it ended in season 8 with Ann and Sam getting married and then moving off to London for that grand job Ann got. Season 9 of that show is painful to watch.

All In the Family - Should had ended when Mike and Gloria moved.

The Jeffersons - That final season is painful and sad to watch. That show looked tired. The sad thing was they were reaching for storylines that year by divorcing Lionel and Jenny. I thought Mike Evans (the original Lionel) and Belinda Tolbert had good chemistry together. They looked as though they could had been married in real life.

Petticoat Junction - That season was horrible. June Lockhart is a great actress. Wrong replacement for Bea Benaderet. It was horrible the way the show did not acknowledged her passing by just pretending she never existed. Bea was truly the backbone of Petticoat Junction.

The Cosby Show - All those people up in that house took the warmth away from the show. It was way too far fetching to have Olivia stay behind with her step-grandparents while her father and step-mother were on a ship. That show wore its welcome out.

Night Court - The show lost its zanyness that Harry Anderson brought to the table in the first three seasons. It became one big sex joke after another.

Three's Company - That show looked tired and worn out in its final season.

Just about all of Norman Lear's shows that goes beyond 5 years are painful to watch in the final season because he does not know how to pull the plug.

The king of knowing when to go out on top is Dick Van Dyke. He and Carl Reiner pulled the plug while the show was still good and entertaining to watch. It had at least two to three seasons left. Before they started doing extra by giving Sally a husband or Laura getting pregnant, the two things that marks the end of a sitcom - weddings and pregnancy, they decided to end the series.

Speaking of Dick Van Dyke. The New Dick Van Dyke Show in its final season got worse. The Hollywood move was a terrible one and the cast had no chemistry. The Arizona cast with Fannie Flagg, Marty Brill, and Nancy Dussault was excellent. Unfortunately CBS did not give the show a fair chance. They should had cancelled it and call it.

Becker has also stunk this last season. I think I'm giving up on it.