The problem with excellent TV series is that we tend to wish they would stay on the air forever. Unfortunately, we often have to be careful what we wish for. Frequently we're forced to deal with a once-terrific show becoming less-than-stellar after its writers and producers run out of good ideas, and in retrospect maybe a solid and memorable ending would've been better than a long, sad, petering out. That's no way for a great series to end! Almost any classic show (but particularly serials) deals with this dilemma, and only a lucky few ever get to self-cancel in order to go out on a creative high.
To be clear, these are GREAT shows and we're lucky to have had them at all, but still... in retrospect, they probably should've ended sooner. Now when we re-watch them, we have to endure entire seasons that seem unnecessary. So here are our picks for great TV shows that perhaps ran a season (or two or three or ten) longer than they should have. Share your own in the comments!
The X-Files
Number of Seasons: 9 seasons and 2 movies
When It Probably Should've Ended: There's an ongoing debate about when exactly The X-Files went from must-see to over-the-hill. Was it the post-Season 5 feature film X-Files: Fight the Future? Was it when the series moved from Vancouver to Los Angeles to film? Or was it the Season 7 departure of David Duchovny as a series regular? Me, I'm going with the moment Mulder and Scully finally answered the question of "Will they or won't they?" with "They already did" during Season 7. What an anticlimactic bummer that was.
The O.C.
Number of Seasons: 4
When It Probably Should've Ended: While The O.C. certainly had its moments after its abysmal second season (particularly with the introduction of Season 3's Autumn Reeser), I prefer to think of the show as a one-season wonder. Season 1 was basically perfect, all 27 episodes (!) of it.
Smallville
Number of Seasons: 10
When It Probably Should've Ended: Smallville was a light 'n fun romp that brought in steady ratings for The WB and The CW, but its very premise had an expiration date. How long exactly was Superman a superhero before he learned to fly? Smallville had the audacity to suggest that almost every single character from the DC Universe somehow stopped by rural Kansas while Clark Kent was a teenager. But, putting all that aside, many fans agree the show probably shouldn't have continued after the Season 8 departure of Lex Luthor.
Dexter
Number of Seasons: 6 (and counting)
When It Probably Should've Ended: It's hard to imagine Dexter encountering a more perfectly matched (or incredible) villain than Season 4's Trinity Killer (John Lithgow). Plus, the season-ending revelation that Trinity had killed Rita served as a natural conclusion to Dexter's then-futile attempt to go "normal." Instead, we've had to endure a rape-revenge themed Season 5 and an astonishingly terrible Season 6 involving... UGH, nevermind.
The Simpsons
Number of Seasons: 23 (and counting)
When It Probably Should've Ended: This is a fish/barrel situation, as many people agree The Simpsons hasn't been truly great since the '90s. However, it's tough to agree on exactly when the series might have thrown in the towel. Was it during that ubiquitous "Who shot Mr. Burns?" promotion that spanned Seasons 6 and 7? Or was it the subtler decline in quality around Season 10? Whatever the case, ever since then the show's had a wildly uneven run, but I think it's safe to say that The Simpsons' enduring success means many of us are quite willing to accept quantity over quality.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Number of Seasons: 7
When It Probably Should've Ended: This is a tough one because the longevity of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a hard-earned victory on the part of its fans and its beleaguered creator Joss Whedon. Still, though... many fans agree that the latter seasons perhaps weren't as up-to-par with earlier ones. The natural climax of the series was Buffy's graduation from high school in Season 3, but many of its truly great episodes came in Season 4 ("Hush") and Season 5 ("The Body"). That said, perhaps the final two UPN seasons (remember that?) weren't quite as essential as everything that had come before? (Don't be mad, I'm just asking!)
ER
Number of Seasons: 15
When It Probably Should've Ended: ER was an instant classic when it debuted in 1994, not only because it offered a thrilling, unflinching look at emergency-room drama, but because its core cast of characters was immediately compelling. As many of them later graduated to movie careers, the show became a bit of a revolving door for new characters and concluded with an almost entirely different cast from when it began. While ER was never terrible, it's hard to deny that it lost its special magic once its main characters left. For that reason, either the death of Dr. Green in Season 8 or the exit of Dr. Carter in Season 11 could have offered memorable finality to the long-running series.
Lost
Number of Seasons: 6
When It Probably Should've Ended: I know, I know. This was a great show (one of my favorites!), and I even loved the controversial sixth season. My qualms relate to the boredom-inducing middle seasons, before the creators publicly announced an end game. The primary reason I haven't re-watched this series yet is the fear that much of it will feel like a waste of time, at least until things start heating back up during Season 4. If Lost has a final legacy, I truly hope it's that more shows will have definite end-dates as soon as reasonably possible.
What do you think? Agree/disagree? Are there any classic TV shows you think would've been better off with fewer seasons?
Comments (546)
I agree with everything except for ER. That show could have continued for years. Every year it was renewed by either new characters or new developments. I love the show and wish they had made even more seasons than 15.
Smallville should still be on tv! Then a movie spin off...
I agree with the OC, the later seasons were disappointing.
About LOST, I loved ALL the seasons, but the problem was the programming of the series I think, the ongoing drama "Is it gonna end??? When???" and the answer to that was, "let's make shorter seasons to make it last longer!!!"
That said, I believe that most definitely, OTH and Supernatural should be on the list.
OTH should have ended after lucas and peyton got married and left. I stopped watching after that.
And Supernatural should have ended with Season 5. It was the perfect ending the conclusion of a full story! I still watch the show, and I love it deeply, but lets face it... it's not even close to what it used to be. Re-watching Seasons 1-5 makes you understand what I'm talking about...moreless
Family Matters is a series that should have lasted fewer seasons. With the disappearance of the little sister to Harriet Winslow's cast replacement in Season 8 it really went downhill after the first appearance and subsequent loss of Steve Urkel's alter ego, Stephan Urkele
OTH should have ended after Season 6, Gossip Girl after 1-2 seasons booring...Last season of House without Cuddy and the others ...its not the same.. Hope this is the last season.. Otherwise.. DH is GREAT even at its final 8th season for Grey's anatomy - this is the best show ever - love every episod as if it was season one...
Bring back Dark Angel ;-) It ended too soon! Chuck should have ended sooner...
So many shows get strange and weird, most of the time after the 3rd Season, I think. Prison Break was one of the series that confused me with all the boring and stupid stories after the 2nd season already.
Dexter - agree a 100% after the Season 4 and him finding Rita dead. perfect end!
24 - loooved it, but it repeated itself over and over in every season, didn't it? Somewhere there was always a nuclear device to be found in time by Jack...
Housewives, Gossip Girl and Grey's Anatomy a long time ago - just plain boring.
One Tree Hill - a long, long time ago! How many times can Nathan and his dad fight and make up?
Make time for new series and stop cancelling great new shows like Swingtown or Off The Map after one season!!!
moreless
One Tree Hill. - TOTALLY Should NOT have ended! :)
Sort of agree with BTVS. I was a fan since the beginning, loved every eepisode. but feel as though it did lose some of the main aspects that we learnt along the way.
for eg: 1 slayer in all the world. - when one dies, another is chosen, makes sense for Kendra and Faith. - then in season 7, all the potential slayers. i found that a bit weird and not normal. otherwise why wasnt this ever raised in other seasons. - as much as i loved buffy, i felt it wasnt as great upon season 5 episode 2. - i really disliked the introduction of dawn. - :)
THE SIMPSONS!!! so good in the 90's, terrible since, unwatchable now.
The Office. When Michael left, the show should have ended.
I completely disagree with Buffy, that could've kept going and i'd still be watching. Season 6 was one of my favourites so I think it ended perfectly
Buffy could have continued for another 2 seasons and maintained the same ratings, which were very consistent throughout the entire run.
The character developments (or breakdowns) that followed Once More, With Feeling were so ugly that the middle of the 6th season was hard for many to take and thus ratings suffered a little, but the 7th season was spectacular on all accounts.
Not even Josh has been able to recreate what he accomplished with Buffy.
The entire TV industry knows it, to this day copies it, and yet still doesn't want to admit it!
All reality TV shows are running way too long!!
I would have to say House and Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives
Family Guy- the flashbacks are getting tedious!
one tree hill- after chad micheal murray and hillary burton left, it should have ended.
OC- season 2 could have been great but wasnt. dont get me started on the 4th season.
i cant believe two and a half men hasnt been mentioned, everything about that show is s$t!
Yes there are lots of shows that should have ended a LONG time before they did:
-One Tree Hill (just hang it up already)
-Grey's Anatomy (what else can happen to that hospital)
-Dawson's Creek (should of ended after season 4, although the finale was beautiful and hearkbreaking)
-I agree with the OC (once Marissa died it was time to stop)
-Gossip girl also needs to end. It seems like they're struggling to come up with new stories.
I definitely disagree with you on Buffy.
Lost should've ended after the 2nd season. it was downhill from there. Heroes should've ended after 1st season also prison break
I definitley agree about the OC, the first season was amazing and apart from a few odd episodes following that the rest were pretty poor. Think if they had had a better season 2 then we might still have the OC and it would have lasted longer.
I disagree about ER though. Have all 15 seasons on DVD and can watch them all the time. Think they are great. Yes the characters changed after series 8 with the likes of Greene and Benton leaving but the new ones were justt as good which i grew to love.
The only show I watched regularly on this list was The X Files. I loved that show when it was on and I think that the first 7 seasons were the best. The addition of Dogget & Reyes were terrible. I felt like they brought them on to be a kind of Mulder and Scully version 2, which they didn't pull off. I don't think they should have ended it after season 7, they just should have handled the rest of the series better. Don't forget, the last line of the season 7 finale was Scully telling Skinner "I'm pregnant." while he was visiting her in the hospital after Mulder was abducted. That was a damn good cliffhanger, which wouldn't have made a proper final line for a series. After that they had to continue on, they just didn't do it as well as they could have.
As for people on here complaining about M*A*S*H and Friends, their series finales, Goodbye, Farewell and Amen, and The Last One parts one and two, were the two most watched television events of all time, respectively. Don't forget, M*A*S*H's run was from the early 70s to the early 80s. TV was very different back then to what it is now. As for Friends, the only thing about the series finale that I didn't like was that Joey ended up alone. Monica and Chandler were married with two kids, Ross & Rachel had two kids between them and got back together before she left, and Phoebe was married to Mike. They should have given Joey a happy ending with someone too.
Scrubs I have a few complaints about. First, we didn't get to see a J.D. and Elliot wedding. After 7 or 8 years of watching their constant breakups and makeups I felt like the viewers were cheated in the end, especially since they made Turk and Carla's wedding such a big deal, and we even got to see the Janitor get married, along with a video from Jordan and Dr. Cox's wedding. Also I don't really like most of the people they brought on in the last two years or so. I don't like it when I follow certain characters storylines for seven or eight years only to have them replaced by a new cast in the last year or two. I can't really give an opinion about any other shows on this list, having only watched one of them regularly, so I'm just going to end it right there.moreless
In an older vein:
Happy Days -- After Ron Howard left
Laverne and Shirley -- When they moved to LA
Three's Company -- Either when the Ropers left or when Chrissy left
Roseanne -- when she hit the %^$#^^& lottery
Buffy should have ended BEFORE DAWN!!!!! Gawd, I can't stand her character!!
Other shows that I've dumped while they were still active are: House; Supernatural; Castle and Bones. That endless years long sexual tension killed it for me.
House, definitely. Probably should have ended after season 4, although there were a couple good episodes in seasons five and six.
COMPLETELY DISAGREE about Buffy...season 6 was my favorite..and 7 was a more than fitting ending....u my friend are NOT a Buffy aficionado.. and therefore should have NO opinions on it.. POINT BLANK!!!
Oh and I definitely agree about smallville, used to be one of my favourite ever shows but after Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor) left the show, it quickly fell. I haven't even finished the final season...
I don't know how people can talk about buffy's best season being the 7th. I'm a big big fan of Buffy the vampire slayer but the show definitely should have stopped short of the 7th. The new recruits were perhaps the most annoying characters I've ever seen. In my opinion the show was at its best before the "army" came (although there were many good episodes still, then).
I completely disagree about Buffy. That is still my favorite show of all time. I have all 7 seasons on DVD, and have watched them all more than once. I DO think that season 6 was the worst of the 7, however, in my opinion, season 7 was the BEST of the 7. Buffy and Spike are amazing together, and the ending was everything Buffy fans could possibly have asked for. If they made a Buffy and Angel movie, I would be there in a heartbeat. Best show ever.
I don't agree about Dexter. I can't wait for next season!
Prison break had and excellent first season. After that it started going down hill.
Its so sad, but true. The first season of Prison Break was probably one of the most compelling single seasons of television I've ever seen. Once my mom (!) got me to watch the DVD set, I literally sat and watched it start to finish in a single sitting (gross, but true!). I then had my friends visiting me at university, and again we watched the entire season in a single weekend. And then they got out, and it become a bad, grand-coverup, JJ Abrams ripoff, rather than the very thrilling, edge of your seat, action show it had started out as.
Dexter is definitely just getting started. Every season they have had so far has been highly entertaining.
I definitely agree with Smallville. I started watching that show in middle school. I felt like the only reason i kept watching it in college was so i could just see how it ended.
I agree with every single one of these except Buffy, Smallville, and Lost. Lost should have been cancelled early in season 2 when you realised even the writers didnt know what was happening. Buffy on the other hand lasted the perfect amount of time, if it hadnt gone as long as it did, no Nathan Fillion as a bad guy and then theres a fair chance he wouldnt have been picked as Mal Reynolds and Firefly wouldnt have been as awesome as it is! I'm only up to season 3 of Smallville and working my way through, so i cant properly say...but i love it enough so far that its one of those shows i dont want to end! :D
Only other show i'd add to this is Andromeda, was a great show but got silly in season 4.moreless
Sorry Geowolf,
but you've got it the wrong way round with Nathan Fillion. He did his stint on Firefly first. His Buffy gig was job placement by Joss, to make up for putting him on the dole.
(Check out the episode dates on IMDB)
OC - read my mind, one-perfect-one-season-wonder... i'd prefer to say that it shouldn't have ended, but instead... should had a better season two... & maybe even lasted longer
Lost - prefer it to have extended just so more questions could be answered
Buffy - hardcore buffy fan here. totally understand where you're coming from...season 5 is my favourite season, season 6 alright but season 7 was pretty dreary... but i would never give up anything for the series finale Chosen... that was the epicest of all epicness.
I agree that Buffy's first seasons were better with Angel in them, but the last one was great and the ending episode was a killer
Do not agree on the Simpsons and Dexter. Maybe they're not as great as they were but they're still a lot better than much of the garbage shown on TV nowadays.
Stop already with the vampires, werewolfs and other supernatural beings except zombies of course!!!!
Look, if a show has a story to tell, I don't care how long it takes to tell it, as long as it ends well. Friends did that, so did Smallville. Look at Seinfeld. It was a show about nothing and basically no story arc, just filler eps, funny as hell, but people never wanted it to end. Friends had to end with Ross and Rachel togheter, Monica and Chandler with a family, Phoebe married. They tried to end Joey's story nice to separately, but failed.
With Smallville, I think seasons 8-10 were necessary for Clark Kent's story as a journalist. What wasn't necessary were those pointless seasons with him chasing Lana, when we all knew he would end up with Lois after she was first introduced at beginning of season 4.
Stargate SG-1 ended perfectly after season 8, but they thought that there was still a story to tell about the Ancients and they wanted to "milk" the Stargate name for a little more just as they tried to with Stargate Universe which was a pointless show. At least they ended the Ori/Ancients story nicely with the Ark of Truth movie.
The problem with many shows isn't that they should have ended sooner, is that the show still had a story to tell, but it was told poorly and some of the shows fans wish it had ended on a high note. A good example of this is How I Met Your Mother. We still need to find out who the mother is and how he mets it, but the seasons in between are getting pointless.
And to add to the list of this article, I would say NCIS. I was an avid fan for the first 7 seasons, even rewatched them on DVD, but I had to force myself to watch season 8 and I haven't even started watching season 9. Maybe when it's over, I'll watch it all at once on DVD and be done with it in a day or two.moreless
I hope you are kidding about Buffy. The last season was by far the best...
10 episodes from Seasons 8-10 of Smallville are on IGN's Top 25 Smallville Episodes of all time and most fans favourite seasons of the entire show were 8-10.
the show never dropped in quality with each season like most shows, it had plenty of average episodes just like any show but never a bad season, the show changed most of its core cast and its location basically becoming a sequel series, that was the 10 epic seasons of Smallville and there was nothing else like it.
I have to agree here. I really felt that Smallville's quality slumped in seasons 6-7, and actually improved a good deal after Lana and Lex left (as much as I love Michael Rosenbaum, I felt Lex became a weaker character in his final seasons). Seasons 8-10 were a breath of fresh air, and I enjoyed the show quite a bit more right up until the finish line.
Dawson's Creek should also be on this list. Should've ended after season 4.
The X-Files I totally disagree with you on! I think some of the best episodes are in the 8th and 9th seasons (Via Negativa, Three Words, Sunshine Days, Jump the Shark). On ER, the OC, and Lost I do agree. The OC should have ended after season three when Mischa Barton's character died. It would have been a sad ending, but it would have been better to end it there than to struggle through a fourth season that was the series' weakest. ER, I'm not sure when it should have ended, but sometime before it eventually did. Although, I did like the ending very much. The message of life goes on, etc. etc. was a very fitting description for a hospital and especially the ER. Lost, I am not sure on either. There were some good episodes in seasons 4-6 but the first three are my favorite. Of course, I could just be dissing season 6 because I felt let down by the ending. I can't think of any others off hand, most of the ones I can think of should have had MORE seasons.moreless
The Rockford Files ran one season too long for me. The final season focused too much on the characters, had Rockford out of Los Angeles too much, and most of the cases seemed like an afterthought.
Here's an idea for another article: Shows that might have been better if a character had been written out or moved into a new position sooner. For example, I thought Doggett's first season of the X-Files was actually better than Mulder's last full season. My biggest problem with the final season was keeping Scully as a full-time regular (as opposed to being a recurring character) rather than letting Doggett and Reyes take over. Similarly, McCoy becoming district attorney and being replaced as the lead counsel was overdue. That change breathed new life into Law & Order.moreless
I rather liked some Doggett eps as well esp the one where Reyes nearly dies...Audrey Pauley. Interesting story and emotional content very well done I thought.
My favorite Doggett episodes are probably "Redrum," "Patience," "Alone," and "John Doe."
I will have to revisit my XFiles boxsets...:)