In one of the most bizarre cinematic turns of the last decade, a serialized B-grade franchise about vengeful sharks getting sucked up into superstorms and then raining down on landlocked population centers has become one of the most dependably entertaining series in the entertainment industry: one that has generated a considerable profit, galvanized a loyal fanbase and dominated any and all otherwise serious discussions about Shark Week. Maybe it was the first movie’s ironic, “so bad it’s good” quality, maybe it was the ludicrous premise or maybe it was just because so few movies (even the good ones) try to be fun anymore, but the franchise has long since outlived its rather one-note initial premise at this point, going on six movies into the series.
The thing is though, as questionably “good” as every one of these movies is, it really has been a lot of fun to watch develop from a somewhat creative disaster movie to the sprawling epic it’s turned into. It’s gone from a small coastal town to New York City to Washington DC to Space and back and honestly still feels like it has a lot more life let in it than much larger franchises like the DCEU. I know I’d rather watch any of these than sit through Justice League again.
Sadly, though, all good things must come to an end. Sharknado, whatever its faults, is not exception to this. The franchise’s upcoming sixth installment will ultimately be its last, leaving fans with a shark-shaped hole in their chest where their heart once stood.
The ending of Sharknado 5: Global Swarm saw series protagonist Fin Shephard wandering through the apocalyptic wasteland that once was the Earth, now devastated by Sharknadoes. While trekking through the ruins of Moscow, he runs into an old man who reveals himself to be his son: lurch sideways in time, here now to take his father back to the very first Sharknado to rewrite this series’ bizarre history from playing out the way it did.
While it’s been one Hell of a ride since the beginning, it’s understandable why SyFy would bring the franchise to a close. The ratings simply aren’t there anymore. The first movie drew in a whopping 1.4 million viewers when it first aired. The sequel swelled to a staggering 4 million viewers. But by the time that the fifth installment came out, only 0.6 million people tuned in for the latest adventure of the Shepard family. Like any studio, SyFy can’t keep the lights on if it can’t turn a profit off of these releases.
If this truly is the end, it seems like it will be a solid note to go out on: bringing the franchise full circle and bringing a close to all the craziness it unleashed on the world. The sixth, and final, Sharknado is scheduled to release on July 25 on SyFy.