Television Shows That Stay Around Way Too Long

[BAYLOR]

Which shows do you think overstayed their welcome and in effect jumped the shark ?

 

[J-Sun]

TV shows basically have two fates - overstaying their welcomes or being cut down too early. Not saying there isn't one, but I can't think of a single show that ended just right. I'm also not a loyalist. I can't think of a single show that lasted more than a couple-three seasons that I watched in original airings from first episode to last except Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. That was out of pure loyalty as season 6 sucked and season 7 just avoided those lows but also avoided the highs.

Probably the shows closest to ending right were Homicide: Life on the Streets and Farscape. The first is the best cop show ever but ran a season too long (though the 7th was still okay - they just had to replace too many cast members and made a mistake in replacing the sets). I only saw the early seasons later on DVD so I might have felt differently otherwise, but that's one that I retroactively saw from first to last. (The very first seasons are so superb that I might have felt there was too much drift to stick through to the end. As it was, the middle seasons were great enough but the drift from them to the last wasn't so bad. And then I only found out later how phenomenal the first ones are, so I still like them all.) And the second ran a season too short, probably - but I doubt they'd have really written season 5 as a finale season the way it should have been if it hadn't been cancelled. And The Peacekeeper Wars at least tried to cushion the blow. But that was one I also saw only retroactively, having caught random chunks of random seasons (stupid local station) in reruns before buying the DVDs.

So, like I say, every show that wasn't premature probably ran too long. But "overstaying their welcome" and "jumping the shark" are two different things. Shows pretty rarely jump the shark, I think, in the strictest sense. And usually not long-running shows - most JTS shows are retoolings of young, near-death shows in desperate attempts to survive. I know the classic examples, such as the namesake Happy Days, are exceptions.

Either way, the lamest shows are the ones where you find there's no bottom or when they try to carry on without essential original cast. The X-Files managed to achieve both. I never watched it, but I gather many Lost fans learned the pain of the bottomless handwaving non-conspiracy conspiracy show, like the X-Files.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Heroes had a superb first season - the developing sense of mystery, the way the story unfolded, and some of the episode climaxes, really astonished me. And then they spoiled it all in the last 30 seconds by keeping Sylar alive just to make a season 2, and end up dismissing all of the plot line they'd already built up.

Supernatural was gripping from the start, then meandered a bit, before reaching a suitably satisfying climax at the end of season 5. The series has continued without the original creator, just to milk its success. I hear it meanders and then improves (I think they're on season 9 now?) but I'd rather see something to a wrapped up finish, than slowly die from its own popularity.

Babylon 5 remains the tragedy of tragedies. It wanted 5 seasons - but was later told to wrap up in 4. Then they got a 5th season anyway, with nothing to fill it with.

 

[BAYLOR]

The X Files , the first 5 seasons were great , they last 4 seasons the show lost it's direction.

 

[Idoru]

Smallville. I enjoyed it, but it just seemed to go on forever. How can you have a Superman origin show called Smallville when they've all moved to Metropolis and started working at the Daily Planet. I think both Buffy and Angel would have benefitted from being one season shorter. The only problem being that in both it should have been the penultimate season that didn't happen.

 

[Parson]

The problem with this thread is that we are looking at this from an arts point of view. Television shows will run as long as they make money and their stars are amenable to, or capable of, continuing in those roles. When either of these stops, so does the show, maybe a year later but not likely longer than that.

 

[ratsy]

I loved Smallville at the start but stopped around season 5. Supernatural was (and is) one of my favorites but after season 4 or somewhere around there it started to wear on me. (I think I have only watched up to season 7) Buffy was good for the first 2 seasons (maybe even a little of 3) but then I couldn't watch it.

I will agree with Brian about Heroes. I loved the first season but it really got bad...

The common thing I see is that I don't ever finish shows! haha

 

[Ashaman]

Battlestar Galactica (the new series) and Enterprise (the 2000 series) I think were finished just on time and the ends were as good as they could go in my opinion. Yes I may have wanted more but both series did not get to be boring and were not ended prematurely.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Twin Peaks. And Lost.

 

[Michael Colton]

SG-1 in my opinion went on too long for what it was. Voyager had one more season in it. The last season of DS9 was disappointing to me.

If we are going to include non-SFF, I consider Seinfeld to be the perfect example of a show ending precisely when it should have.

 

[ratsy]

Seinfeld was one of the few sitcoms that ended in its prime. Shows like Friends, and the Office (US version) went on for at least 2 seasons too long.

 

[BAYLOR]

Seinfeld was one of the few sitcoms that ended in its prime. Shows like Friends, and the Office (US version) went on for at least 2 seasons too long.

If the ratings are still there the Network will keep the show going and milk it for everything it worth

The Show ER which I liked , ran for about 5 seasons too long.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Father Ted didn't run long enough. Poor Dermot Morgan. I still miss him.

 

[J-Sun]

Twin Peaks.

That's a great example - a two-season show that lasted too long. Even the late ones have their interests but it definitely could have ended with the initial solution.

 

[BAYLOR]

That's a great example - a two-season show that lasted too long. Even the late ones have their interests but it definitely could have ended with the initial solution.

It should never have been made into a full television series. As a limited series with defined conclusion it would have worked far better.

 

[J-Sun]

It should never have been made into a full television series. As a limited series with defined conclusion it would worked far better.

Yep, exactly so.

 

[Ashaman]

Got another one for u guys. Grey's Anatomy! 11 seasons too many

 

[BAYLOR]

Grey's Anatomy , a bit overrated.

 

[Ashaman]

A bit he says. I managed to watch the first 2 seasons due to my wife. When the 3rd started and I watched the 1st episode I had a total nervous breakdown and my wife magnanimously permitted me to stop downloading it

 

[RightersBlock]

It should never have been made into a full television series. As a limited series with defined conclusion it would have worked far better.

I felt the same with Heroes. it should have been a mini-series, with the same ambiguous ending. Or continue the show but with a different cast each season/series.