Over the years, some of the greatest shows have suffered from the “don’t know when to end” syndrome. Through this list, we take a look at some of the most popular ones that should have ended sooner than later.
Often, when popular TV shows end, its fans tend to have a longing for the show. They miss their favourite characters, and they wish they could have more of it.
The creators of some of the popular TV show we are about to mention probably obliged to such requests but didn’t know where to stop. Some of them are still on air while some just wish they had ended earlier and kept their legacy intact. Well, they couldn’t, and now they have made it to this infamous list.
Let’s take a look at some of the greatest shows that should have ended earlier than they did!
‘That 70s Show’
The one reason most of the shows on this list lost their charm is that they continued to air even after some of their core characters left the show. The first one on this list is ‘That 70s Show’.
The show lasted for eight seasons to narrate a storyline spanning a virtual timeline of 3 years, 1976-1979, and Eric Forman (Topher Grace) and his friends took five years to graduate high school. The show had some genuinely funny writing and an ensemble cast with great chemistry. Watching Eric Foreman and his friends grow up in his basement was extremely entertaining, at least up till the fourth season.
But once the gang graduated, the show had no idea what to do with them. However, the show should have realized that it had come too far the moment Topher Grace decided to leave the show in season 7. Consequently, Ashton Kutcher’s character, Kelso, left at the beginning of season 8. But even that didn’t stop the creators. They went on to end the relationship of one of TV’s most favourite couple, Jacky (Mila Kunis) and Hyde (Danny Masterson). They also introduced one of TV’s most hated character, Randy, Donna’s (Laura Prepon) love interest after Eric had left.
All these factors combined to put ‘That 70s Show’ on the list of shows ‘which went on for too long’!!
‘How I Met Your Mother’
Firstly, no show should take nine years to introduce its titular character.
By the time ‘How I Met Your Mother’ had ended, the fans and probably Ted’s kids, to whom he was narrating the story, got extremely tired and frustrated. The show made you ship Ted and Robin so hard that it made Robin and Barny coming together a difficult pill to swallow. But only when you had witnessed how perfect Robin and Barny were together, they decided to end it. And the mother, for whom fans waited for nine seasons, was introduced and killed in the same season, with the writers deciding to end the show with Ted and Robin coming together.
Don’t worry you are not alone in finding this super confusing! What were they even thinking? The viewers never got a chance to feel the love between Ted and his kids’ mother, though during earlier seasons they spent more time on some of Ted’s inconsequential relationships.
Basically, the show went on for four seasons too long, especially for fans who tried to look for clues to identify the mother and then were served with an extremely unfulfilling character.
‘Two and a Half Men’
Okay, when we look back at ‘Two and a Half Men’ now, and the character of Charlie Sheen, that went by the name of well, Charlie, we can find a lot of ways in which the show was problematic. But, during its actual run, it was nothing but entertaining to its fans. And the biggest reason for its success was Charlie Sheen’s ladies’ man character, and his chemistry with his brother Alan, the wimpy chiropractor, and his underachieving nephew, Jake.
The show was any way in a downward spiral for a few seasons but the final nail in the coffin was the ouster of Sheen. Charlie Sheen was dismissed after insulting the show and its creator, Chuck Lorre, amongst other things during a public meltdown.
Though Ashton Kutcher is a talented actor, couldn’t save the sinking ship that had already lost its charm.
‘Grey’s Anatomy’
‘Grey’s Anatomy’ is in its 16th season, and it would be an understatement to say that it has overstayed its welcome. After losing count on the number of deaths, breakups, and natural disasters that the show went through, it is still going on. Its core team of actors have also left, started by Katherine Heigl and TR Knight in season 5, Chyler Leigh and Eric Dane in season 8, and Sandra Oh in season 10. The 16th season saw the heart of the show, Justin Chambers, take a leave.
Probably now would be the perfect time for the creators of the show to pull the plug. But the truth is, they should have done that a long, long time ago.
‘Family Guy’
We know that when it comes to art, people’s opinions about its greatness or its longevity are subjective. But what happens when the artist itself agrees with the opinion? In the case of ‘Family Guy’, this is exactly what happened.
Creator Seth Macfarlane told the “Hollywood Reporter”, “Part of me thinks that ‘Family Guy’ should have already ended. I think seven seasons is about the right lifespan for a TV series”.
Sadly, 18 seasons later, it is still making it to people’s TV screens, but we doubt any family or group of friends is really giving it the love it once received.
‘The Office’
The one thing about ‘The Office’ that most of us can agree upon is that whether it dragged itself for too long or not, it will forever remain one of the best shows to ever grace our screens. Probably, if it knew when to pull the plug, it could have arguably been the best.
If you ask fans of ‘The Office’, they’ll tell you the exact moment the showrunners should have ended it. The moment was when the heart of the show, Michael Scott (Steve Carell), decided to leave Dunder Mifflin to live with the love of his life, Holly.
But, the show decided to stick on for longer, focusing on Jim and Pam’s relationship most of the time, and Dwight’s famous antics. They even tried enough to replace Steve Carell with a series of failed managerial recruitments. Rather than this, they should have directly given us the finale episode where everyone comes together, one last time. It would have been a fitting closure to one of the greatest shows ever.
‘Dexter’
By the time ‘Dexter’ came to an end, its killer idea of a serial killer who trained himself to kill bad guys was long dead and gone. An idea that seemed novel and thrilling in the beginning became increasingly annoying and unrealistic as the titular character was always saved from facing the consequences of his actions.
The attempt of the makers to constantly make the character follow his moral code of not killing the innocent made them come up with convenient solutions for way too long. Every time he was close to getting exposed, someone would come in and kill that character. ‘Dexter’ served its last episode in September 2013 and that episode is still widely considered one of the worst finale ever. Well, perhaps not ideal but that’s one way to keep your show in people’s memory.
If you think any other show should have made it to the list, let us know in the comments section below!
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