Shows that should have ended sooner than later

[Joe Washington]

Which TV show or shows would you rather had ended earlier than it did, when it had the chance of ending on a high note than with a whimper?

Me, I would choose the Sopranos (after Season 2), Weeds (after Season 3), Heroes (after Season 1 or 2), Babylon 5 (after Season 4), and Alias (after Season 2).

What about you?

 

[Middle Earther]

Smallville. Not sure when, but it's gotten silly.

 

[Kelthaz]

Buffy and Xena both needed to end after season 5. The following seasons for both shows were absolutely terrible.

 

[Greg Cox]

X-Files was kept alive by extraordinary means long after it should have probably died a natural death.

 

[Mr Light]

Buffy, X-Files, Alias, Andromeda, Earth Final Conflict, Scrubs starting now...

 

[byron lomax]

Oz should have ended at season four - the last two series were very, very weak.

And I agree on The X-Files. I know the last few seasons have their fans, but a small couple of good episodes don't make up for most of seasons 7-9; and I've got a fair few problems with 5 and 6 as well.

It seems these days that shows either die before their time or go on far too long. A natural death is truly a rare thing in modern TV.

 

[Jax]

X-Files
Scrubs (8 seasons was good now leave it ABC)
Smallville
Any and all Reality TV + 90120 hell plus most of CW

and at this rate HEROES.

 

[tomalak301]

ER and The Simpsons

 

[TheGodBen]

I'll go for the obvious choice and say The Simpsons should have ended a decade ago, I saw a clip from it the other night that was so unfunny it was painful. It was once the greatest show on television, but now it is a shadow of its shadow of its former self.

 

[miraclefan]

As much as it pains me to say, but ENTERPRISE. If it got killed after the first season, I don't think I'd care so much about it now. But know I can't help but think what could have been with season 5.

 

[auntiehill]

ER. It should have ended when Carter left.

Stargate SG1. After O'Neil left, they should have brought it an end, and resolved the major plots in the films. Instead, we got two more season that really weren't all that good.

And, quite frankly, I'd be happy as hell if every single CSI show on TV came to a end. Aren't people tired of this yet?

 

[Bad Bishop]

X-Files was kept alive by extraordinary means long after it should have probably died a natural death.

What are you talking about? Ratings were very good until the 9th and final season.

 

[tharpdevenport]

"The Simpsons" -- anything passed season 6 should be burned.

"Stargate: SG1" -- similarly, season 6 would have been a good ending point, with a nice two or three hours finale telefilm.

"The X-Files" -- while some later episodes were quite good, and Doggett wasn't that bad a character, there ultimately ws nothing to justify its run after Mulder left. They should have gotten ride of Mulder earlier in the season, then lead up to a series finale telefilm tieing up lose ends and possibly leaving way for a theatrical film to fully cover everything.


"Enterprise" -- the only thing that kept this bastard child of the bad side of fandom alive was its "Star Trek" backing. If this had been a regular sci-fi show with no Trek background, it would have gotten canned during the first season.


"Scrubs" -- as someone else pointed out. Let it die!

 

[Mr Light]

Ah, how I forget about SG1! Season Eight was a good ending to the show, should have stopped there. ... Enterprise? The last two years were the only good years

 

[Jax]

What are you talking about? Ratings were very good until the 9th and final season.

Yeh but the writing sure hell wasn't.

 

[Gary Mitchell]

I agree with ER and Scrubs. I'll add My Name is Earl, Moonlighting and I really didn't like the second season of Pushing Daisies as much as the first.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

None. If a show bores me, I stop watching.

 

[startrekwatcher]

Roseanne should have ended about 2 seasons before it did. They clearly were running out of ideas. The once great dramedy turned into over-the-top farce.

Dallas should have ended after about 9 seasons.

Without a Trace went on about three seasons too many. Cold Case has been run into the ground and should have ended years ago.

TNG should have ended after season six. Season seven was middling.

Melrose Place should have ended after season 5. After that they just retread stories and had a few heavy cast turnovers and by then most of the fan favorites had left.

Along the same lines The X-Files should have ended after season five. I didn't care for the most part for the last 4 seasons even moreso after Duchovny left and Anderson basically made cameo appearances in the 9th.
Heroes after season two.

nBSG should have just run two or 2.5 seasons and cut out all the useless filler as well as the aimlessness of its final season that existed solely to stretch things out.

It seems these days that shows either die before their time or go on far too long. A natural death is truly a rare thing in modern TV.

The one series that looks to defy both those scenarios is LOST. The writers actually look to have designed the show to run for just the perfect amount of time. Not peaking too soon and declining over the years and not ending before it peaks.

Most shows really can't say that.

None. If a show bores me, I stop watching.

Not for me. If it is a show that I enjoyed for several seasons and was at one time a good show, I feel compelled to see it through until the end no matter how bad it becomes. Now if it is a show that I never cared that much for or it never caught on then I'll quit immediately.

 

[RichMerk]

I'm going to be even more critical with SG-1 than most people. I think it should have ended the season they brought Daniel Jackson back from the grave. That was the season the writing got lazy. They had a few more good episodes later on, but they were the exception rather than the rule.

 

[Kelthaz]

Aw, don't tell me Stargate starts to suck in its second half. I just started watching it a few weeks ago and was looking forward to ten great/good seasons.