abrupt ends to long-running sitcoms

[misterblowhole]

This is seeming to become a common trend this days, and it really bothers me.

Shows that have been on the air for substantial amount of time are given the axe around this time of year, and hence, no proper finale is filmed/aired.

It happened last season with Spin City, and now Drew Carey and Just Shoot Me are suffering the same fate.

All three of these shows were on for 6+ years and had a big following at some point in time or another. And the final episodes for these shows are often cliffhangers (obviously with the next season in mind) or just do not tie up loose ends. When these long-running shows do not get word beforehand that they are being cancelled, no proper finale can be put together.

It's one thing to pull the plug quickly on a rooke sitcom, or even one that's been around 1-2 seasons. But when a show lasts for 6,7 years, and it doesn't even air a proper finale, that is a complete slap in the face to all the loyal fans who have watched for many seasons.

I think we are seeing the death of the series finale as we know it. In the future, only a few series will have proper finales: Those that go out on their own terms, allowing themselves to put together a series finale (ie: Fraiser, Friends, Raymond). The rest are just going to fall off the map, victims of the springtime network axe. Because it appears, not even a show that has 150 episodes is good enough to get the advance warning for a series finale.

[Nanny Fine]

Good post.

I didn't realize Drew Carey wasn't coming back.

Maybe all shows should start filming an alternate "finale" every season just in case. Terrible

[*GoodMorningCalgary*]

Originally posted by misterblowhole
This is seeming to become a common trend this days, and it really bothers me.

Shows that have been on the air for substantial amount of time are given the axe around this time of year, and hence, no proper finale is filmed/aired.

It happened last season with Spin City, and now Drew Carey and Just Shoot Me are suffering the same fate.

All three of these shows were on for 6+ years and had a big following at some point in time or another. And the final episodes for these shows are often cliffhangers (obviously with the next season in mind) or just do not tie up loose ends. When these long-running shows do not get word beforehand that they are being cancelled, no proper finale can be put together.

It's one thing to pull the plug quickly on a rooke sitcom, or even one that's been around 1-2 seasons. But when a show lasts for 6,7 years, and it doesn't even air a proper finale, that is a complete slap in the face to all the loyal fans who have watched for many seasons.

I think we are seeing the death of the series finale as we know it. In the future, only a few series will have proper finales: Those that go out on their own terms, allowing themselves to put together a series finale (ie: Fraiser, Friends, Raymond). The rest are just going to fall off the map, victims of the springtime network axe. Because it appears, not even a show that has 150 episodes is good enough to get the advance warning for a series finale.

what are you talking about? Drew Carey is coming back. in the summer and sometime midseason next year. It will get a proper ending.

[Rob1]

If there ever was a program that deserved a series finale, it was "The Jeffersons." It ran from 1975-1985, which was a very long time, and the show just ended without one. Maybe George could have decided to retire, and chose to move to Florida. Florence could have felt that her home was in New York, and would have made the decision not to go with them. I think that would have been the best way to say goodbye to the show.

[*PinkLady*]

I think the "alternate finale" idea is a good one. It seems that anymore, all shows (even long-running ones) don't know what their fate will be after the season ends.

[AtlantaBravesFan29]

All In The Family is another show that didn't get a proper send-off,possibly where Mike and Gloria go to California at the end of the 1977-1978 season where everyone tearfully said their goodbyes. But after that and when it became Archie Bunker's Place in 1979 they didn't even give it a proper send-off then either. I think that when Mike and Gloria went to California was really the final episode of All In The Family,in my opinion.

[AtlantaBravesFan29]

The Nanny is another show that didn't have a proper send-off. When Fran and Max were married,they were great together even before that. But The Nanny never got a closing episode either. I believe that The Nanny should have at least had a closing episode. CBS had to cancel this great show before its time.

[DarleneIllyria]

Originally posted by BravesFan712002
All In The Family is another show that didn't get a proper send-off,possibly where Mike and Gloria go to California at the end of the 1977-1978 season where everyone tearfully said their goodbyes. But after that and when it became Archie Bunker's Place in 1979 they didn't even give it a proper send-off then either. I think that when Mike and Gloria went to California was really the final episode of All In The Family,in my opinion.

Ditto to all of what you said.

[TJL]

While I do agree that long running sitcoms should have a proper finale sendoff, "JSM" and "Drew Carey" should have said goodbye a few years ago.
Both shows really ran out of steam, and I guess out of respect for the casts of both shows, which at one time were ratings winners, their networks allowed tham to continue.
But when the magic is gone, watching a long running show grind to a halt can be painful.

My feeling is that every series that reaches the coveted 100 episode mark, which is usually when the syndication deal is reached, should start making plans for a finale.
That is usually when the shows creators, writers and producers start looking toward other projects, and the quality of thier hit show suffers. It is much better to go out on top, then to drop so far down in the ratings you're put out to pasture, or even worse, pre-empted for rediculous blooper shows.

[Czas na Zywiec]

Originally posted by BravesFan712002
The Nanny is another show that didn't have a proper send-off. When Fran and Max were married,they were great together even before that. But The Nanny never got a closing episode either. I believe that The Nanny should have at least had a closing episode. CBS had to cancel this great show before its time.

It had a series finale, it's just that it went on hiatus during its last season and the last few episodes airing during the summer. In the finale, they celebrate Fran's and Max's first anniversary, Fran goes into labor, CC and Niles get married, and fran delivers the kids. Brighton and Maggie go off to Paris while the Sheffields pack up and move to California.

[Czas na Zywiec]

Originally posted by TJL
pre-empted for rediculous blooper shows.

Or football. I love Matt Groening. He thought that if something ever happened to Futurama, they should have a finale. So during it's long hiatus, he made a finale to tie up the series just incase they didn't get renewed. And sure enough, Fox didn't renew it. Weasals. I'm just glad he was smart enough to think of that ahead of time.

[DarleneIllyria]

Originally posted by Original Prankster


Or football. I love Matt Groening. He thought that if something ever happened to Futurama, they should have a finale. So during it's long hiatus, he made a finale to tie up the series just incase they didn't get renewed. And sure enough, Fox didn't renew it. Weasals. I'm just glad he was smart enough to think of that ahead of time.

I've only watched one ep of Futurama, but I thought it was pretty good. It was new and fresh and you'd think it would stick around for awhile. I think Matt Groening works on the Simpsons and maybe the Simpsons should've been the one to go. I don't mean to piss off any TS fans, but I go into the jumptheshark.com website and I've read some of the comments for TS and most of the comments I did read said the show should've ended a long time ago.

I know TS is like Fox's baby, but if the show is getting bad, it should just leave. It's bad to have a good show and the show stays on for so damn long and it's sucking along the way and nobody has the balls to pull the plug. It's just better to go out on top.

For all the Simpsons fans that believe the show is just as good now as it was then, how you gonna keep that guarantee? What if the show stays on for another 3 or 4 years? Can you honestly say at this minute that the show will remain good every episode and it will rock and every show in the future will be a hit? You just can't. It could take a nosedive next year. It could take a dive this year. No guarantees.

I'm just posting my thoughts. Maybe if TS had been canceled and they kept Futurama, maybe Futurama would've started to suck. You just never know.

jmo

[Czas na Zywiec]

Originally posted by Jenny


I've only watched one ep of Futurama, but I thought it was pretty good. It was new and fresh and you'd think it would stick around for awhile. I think Matt Groening works on the Simpsons and maybe the Simpsons should've been the one to go. I don't mean to piss off any TS fans, but I go into the jumptheshark.com website and I've read some of the comments for TS and most of the comments I did read said the show should've ended a long time ago.

I know TS is like Fox's baby, but if the show is getting bad, it should just leave. It's bad to have a good show and the show stays on for so damn long and it's sucking along the way and nobody has the balls to pull the plug. It's just better to go out on top.

For all the Simpsons fans that believe the show is just as good now as it was then, how you gonna keep that guarantee? What if the show stays on for another 3 or 4 years? Can you honestly say at this minute that the show will remain good every episode and it will rock and every show in the future will be a hit? You just can't. It could take a nosedive next year. It could take a dive this year. No guarantees.

I'm just posting my thoughts. Maybe if TS had been canceled and they kept Futurama, maybe Futurama would've started to suck. You just never know.

jmo

The Simpsons is like Fox's Golden Messiah. Sure it was a great show, but the key word is 'was'. The Simpsons started to sink a few seasons ago and now it's just horrible. There was one episode where they were chosen to be on an 1800's reality show with no electricity or modern conveninces excpet for the camera in the confessional. It was so bad I wanted to barf. Futurama just keeps getting better and better as the episodes go by and it's beyond me why the show got treated so badly. And get this, TS has been renewed for another two seasons so far, if not more in the future! The Star Trek one is just one of the greats. There's a lot more, but sadly, only 72 episodes were made. Not bad, but this show deserved a lot more. Now it's doing great in ratings and it was the most watched program a few weeks ago ever for Cartoon Network. Too bad FOX let this Gem pass on.

[TJL]

Let us also not forget the The Sipmsons is now the longest running comedy on prime time TV. That's quite an achievement for a "cartoon," and a major feather in the cap for FOX.
You think they're going to give up the bragging rights to that?
Who cares if the show is slipping in quality! It's the longest running sitcom on the tube! It makes us tons of cash! Hooray for us!

[James]

Originally posted by misterblowhole
All three of these shows were on for 6+ years and had a big following at some point in time or another. And the final episodes for these shows are often cliffhangers (obviously with the next season in mind) or just do not tie up loose ends. When these long-running shows do not get word beforehand that they are being cancelled, no proper finale can be put together.

Such is exactly what happened to The Wonder Years. They should have at least had it go on one more season so we could see Kevin, Paul, and Winnie graduate from McKinley High! (Some college years would have been good, too.)