Stating that any TV show has run its course and needs to be canceled is kind of difficult since it implies that there’s nothing else to be done with it and there are no fresh ideas that can be used to keep it moving forward. But with some shows, this is just the case. They hit a metaphorical wall and then start beating their heads upon it or they manage to get lost in the woods, again metaphorically, and end up doing little to nothing worth talking about after that. Some shows are harder than others when it comes to letting go since people become attached to them in a big way and don’t want to admit that it’s time to say goodbye to them. But if it doesn’t happen, if that finale isn’t delivered in a way that’s convincing and is an emphatic but possibly emotional end to the series, then allowing it to keep going could eventually let it just drag itself into the ground towards a slow and agonizing demise that can make people forget just why it was so great in the first place. The worst thing for any show isn’t being canceled, it’s being allowed to keep going so that it can tarnish the reputation that it built over the years, thereby destroying itself in front of the same fans that helped to keep it alive.
Sometimes it’s best to let a show go. Here are a few shows that went on for way too long.
5. Happy Days
Would you really want to see Henry Winkler acting like the Fonz these days? The guy is still a fun actor to watch, but he’s not the tough guy that people want any longer since he’s become the wisecracking old man that a lot of people now think of as fun and witty and not intimidating in the slightest. This show had a lot of great moments and it was one of those that a lot of people grew up with, even when it came to reruns since it was so great. But after a while, everyone started getting older and the novelty of it wore off in a big way, so it was time to go. But the fact that it hung on as long as it could did more damage than good.
4. Scrubs
There were plenty of dramatic moments in this show, but there was also a great deal of hilarity that made it a favorite show for a lot of people since it made the hospital experience into something that was a little more comical and way less depressing. Of course, that’s not the typical hospital experience for a lot of people, but it did help to ease the tension that might have otherwise come from the show. After a while, though JD had to grow up and become the doctor that he already was, and things had to change in a big way since the fun and games had been used up in a big way, especially once the cast changed.
3. Modern Family
Being a big Ed O’Neill fan it’s hard to say this about anything he’s done since he’s usually pretty great in anything he does. But in this instance it wasn’t just him, it was the fact that the entire cast was starting to run over the same material over and over, doing the same things again and again as the viewers were being told that it was something different but done in roughly the same way. There’s only so much of this that people can be expected to take, even as fans, since after a while the repetition of situations and the character development became a bit hard to take since it never, ever, changed.
2. Roseanne
There are a few reasons why this show needed to end eventually, and the titular character was one of them since despite being popular and seen as an icon she became a huge annoyance to many people as well. The fact is that Roseanne rode her fame to a level that could have and should have kept her secure for a while had her show changed gears or done anything differently. But after so long, the same thing just kind of grinds on people and makes them look for greener pastures and the newest attraction that’s being provided. Even a comeback wasn’t enough, since she couldn’t help but screw it up with her big mouth.
1. Once Upon A Time
Seriously, this show was good at one point, but after a while, it felt like it should have ended when the town was saved when everyone was secure, and without a ‘but wait, there’s more’ moment that could be eked out of the storyline. That’s truly how it felt with this show since each and every time it felt as though a conclusion had been reached, a fitting ending that people could get behind, the fairy tale found a way to continue. To be certain, that aspect is all well and good since it invites people to think of what might happen once the credits roll, but it became increasingly annoying since the stories that came after were constantly watered down.
Sometimes it’s best to end things on a high note and leave people wondering ‘what if?’.
Follow Us
