I just saw a headline out there that speaks of the fact that Once Upon a Time might be renewing for a 7th season. As we also know, the show’s star Jennifer Morrison will not be continuing with the show. She announced earlier this week that she’s moving on. And this got me thinking. What’s the harm in stopping Once Upon a Time right now? Why do so many shows have to drag out their series runs for so long that by the time they stop the show’s ratings have plummeted and fans are completely tired of the show.
On the surface I understand the answer. Money. It’s simple. A network will run a show until it’s last breath and last cent of profitability. But here’s my question. Why not have a hit on your hands, stop it, and create another one? Because the chances of a new hit are less likely? Maybe. But it’s a risk you should be willing to take. Call me crazy but if a show is a monster for a few seasons, you can bet people will want to watch a spinoff or a prequel or some iteration of said show so you’ve got years more worth of material but it’s also fresh. Look at Better Call Saul. The show is a monster hit and Breaking Bad‘s run was a perfect 5 seasons.
Don’t get me wrong, there are some shows that can last forever like Game of Thrones where fans will never tire of the show. But look at The Walking Dead. Does that show REALLY need to last 20 seasons like Scott Gimple said it’s going to? I think fans will eventually burn out and resent the show but that’s just my opinion.
Let’s look at another example. Big Little Lies. How awesome would it be if this one glorious season were the only one? But then if producers want to get greedy why not dive into each character? You could have miniseries after miniseries exploring the lives of each character and the show doesn’t get old.
The way I see it, it’s like a movie franchise. Television shows can act in the same way and they simply do not. They take ONE show and make it go week after week and year after year. This isn’t necessary at all. Am I off base in my analysis here?
If you have a hit show you don’t have to run it into the ground when there are so many other options out there to breathe new life into it.
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You didn’t reference either show, but I’ve always felt that the British “Office” was superior to the American “Office” in large part because Ricky Gervais knew when to quit when he was ahead, whereas the American version kept going long after it should have stopped.