Which shows do you think ended too soon, or went on too long?
Which shows do you think ended too soon, or went on too long?
118 comments
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Firefly for too soon
Heroes for too long. It was a strong concept but there’s only so many ways you can write interesting stories with it before it becomes too much
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Did Heroes eventually have a proper ending, or did you also abruptly stop watching as it continued to drag on?
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Not sure if it ever truly ended. They had a short comeback season, and I watched it, but I can’t remember anything about it.
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Heroes suffered from lostism. It was a great show until they completely explained it. We love making wild guesses and hate it when the truth is less exciting than what we were thinking it might be.
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Speaking of Lost, its parody show called Wrecked ended too soon.
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Seeing so many people mention Firefly gives me this warm fuzzy feeling inside.
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Iunno. I'm feeling empty about it. Vindicated but empty.
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ended too soon, or went on too long
Arrested Development satisfies both of these
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Too soon:
The Expanse
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance
Babylon 5: Crusade-
I ferl you on The Expanse but I don't think anyone would have liked it if they'd adapted the last 2 books.
Because of the time jump everyone's middle aged and interested in meetings and things, Amos isn't himself, and people that fans of the show were wondering about (eg Naomi's son Filip) are just not in it, neither is Avasarala.
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And Avasarala was understandably a lot older. So they would have had to get another actress (blasphemy) or do some weird attempt to make her look very old.
Great books and I highly recommend them. I felt it was a good and proper ending to the series
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As involved with the show as the authors were, I could easily see them changing things if and when the show ever comes back. They and the cast have said that they are open to returning to it some day. I could easily see Amazon or another streamer giving it a limited series run, but it needs to cool off a bit.
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I LOVED the Dark Crystal show! The writing, paving, cliffhangers, characters, effects... I was blown away.
I need to watch it again now.
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Props for a Crusade mention. 100%
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The Office (US) could have ended with the proposal in the rain.
It probably should have ended with the wedding in Niagara.
It definitely should have ended when Michael left. Don't give me your Robert California bullshit either. The series was already on fumes and the last two seasons were garbage.
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Unpopular (somehow) opinion incoming. I watched The Office because people talked about it so much and I loved Parks and Rec which I often heard it compared to. And while I found it nowhere near as good as Parks and Rec, I still enjoyed most of it. My least favorite part of the show, however, was Michael Scott. I love Steve Carell in almost everything I've seen him in, but Michael Scott was just such an annoying cringy asshole. I was super glad when he left. He's easily one of my most disliked characters in all of media.
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That really is an unpopular opinion so I respect you for sharing it. I think it might miss the mark a little bit. The point of Michael Scott is that he is the idiot boss, he is supposed to be a cringy asshole, and a way for the rest of the cast to have something in common with the audience (everyone has had a crappy boss). Essentially an American equivalent of the UK's David Brent.
In season 2, they had to rework his character into not quite a lovable idiot but someone who was promoted above their competence level. The show couldn't work with American audiences otherwise. You still aren't supposed to root for him as much as feel bad for him. Then they replaced him with completely irredeemable and unlikable characters. The Office without Michael was like what Parks and Rec would be without Ron.
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I was going to say the exact same thing. The wedding was the perfect ending and Michael leaving would have been the last chance of closing the book. The influx of new characters made the show so chaotic and story lines were boring as hell. Nellie was hands down the absolute worst character in any TV show I have ever seen.
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"so she's basically just here to be the official shit stirrer. She has no character, no dreams or hopes, she is not relatable at all, she's basically just here to cause conflict because we can't think of anything better"
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Too long: The Walking Dead, Money Heist
Too soon: Firefly, Extracurricular
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Mind hunter ended way too soon
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Still mad about it
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Good shout!
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Too soon: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
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Once Upon a Time definitely went on too long.
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I think Brooklyn 99 went on for too long. It started super strong. Whacky funny detective BUT he's also really good at his job.
When i stopped watching it was nothing but whacky. I liked chelsea perettis character in the beginning and then i think she got pregnant or something and after that she was just that omnipotent annoying character who would lise her job every day of the week.-
Fyi no h in 'wacky' unless he's beating people :)
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After Gina leaves it gets a lot more serious. In the final season Rosa has left the force and become a PI over the George Floyd incident. Jake undergoes an arc about internalizing the fact that this doesn't mean Rosa hates him or thinks he's a bad person.
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For me the show ends when Gina leaves the station. Most shows go way downhill as soon as a main character has a child
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The final season was a disappointment for me. It's just Jake relieving all the best moments and for me failed in the execution.
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My list:
Too soon:
- The OA
- Firefly
- Caprica (it was just starting to get interesting)
- Stargate Universe
- Jericho
- Altered Carbon
Too long:
- Game of thrones
- Dexter
- Lost
- Arrested development (they made a huge mistake bringing it back)
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I am still mad that SGU didn't even get a sign-off movie on SyFy. That franchise was a massive property for that network, and the moment one of them faltered in the ratings they just dropped it like it was diseased. Those characters deserved better.
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Altered Carbon season 1 was absolutely amazing. Everything from the cyberpunk aesthetic to Joel Kinnaman's acting was a joy to behold. The story in season 2 was good but Anthony Mackie killed it for me ... In a bad way.
Mackie is just such a limited actor. Why does he continue to get cast in movies?
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Yeah I didn't rate him at all either, and it definitely started off a lot slower, but by the end I was properly into the story of season 2. It's a really shame as like you said season 1 was incredible, they just didn't have the same budget for S2. I would have liked to see more as we would have had a different actor and it never really got finished.
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I recommend watching the redited version of arrested development. It's slightly better and the characters feel less isolated.
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Too soon: dirk gently's holistic detective agency.
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Not 100 percent sure. Season 02 was weaker than 01.
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It was, but I feel like they could have learned from their mistakes.
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I really like both of them. Pacing is maybe a bit weaker, but the worlds building is wonderful, character development is great, I really wanted to know what was next.
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Definitely, and both were very... different from the books.
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Too soon:
Raised By Wolves
Santa Clarita Diet
GLOW
Utopia (the UK version)
Happy Endings
Freaks and Geeks
Popular (did anyone else watch this?)
Firefly
Too long
Big Bang Theory
The Simpsons
Master Chef
Sex And The City
TWD
Too long because started great but went suddenly downhill:
Westworld
Futurama
Arested Development (that final season omgwtf)
Game of Thrones
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This is a great list except for Futurama and formatting issues.
Post-movies Futurama quality improved. I'd say it's on par with the first 2 seasons but not as good as 3-5. The bad episodes can still be funny and the good episodes are absolutely worth it.
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@GlitterInfection have I fixed the formatting? I'm on kbin and lists with no enter between them look ok but I did sort of wonder if they don't on Lemmy.
I'm super old and started not liking Futurama over a decade ago. You guys are convincing me to give it another watch.
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New Futurama is just as good as old Futurama. Fight me.
Arrested Developments Netflix seasons, though different from the original run in format, I found them enjoyable and worth rewatching.
Game of Throne's last half sucked but not because it went on too long, quite the opposite. The producers tried to rush the series to a quick finish so they could go do a Star Wars. HBO offered them extra seasons, they had plenty of source material they downright ignored or went against. The series was best when it was verbatim from the books. In the hands of someone who cared it could have been twice as long and quality all the way through. Obviously I'll die on this hill.
Couldn't agree more on the rest of your list. Westworld would have been a tight one season limited series.
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Futurama seems ok now? People seemed to enjoy the recent season
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@otter have to admit I haven't seen it in a long time, should check it out and see if it's returned to form.
I remember in about 2011 thinking "huh, glad I didn't buy that Planet Express t shirt after all."
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Season 4 of Westworld changed it from "Too Long" to "Too Soon" for me, personally. I didn't really care for season 3 when it aired, but season 4 made me more forgiving of it, retroactively. It seemed like they were setting things up in season 5 which required season 4, which in turn required season 3. Especially given the nature of the show, it felt like they were building some grand story which required these banal meanderings that would all make sense when they clicked into place at the end.
Now I'm really curious what they were planning in 5 and it looks like we won't get to find out.
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@agamemnonymous ah that's interesting. Yeah my partner preferred S4 to S3 but I felt the whole thing had jumped the shark.
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I maintain that Big Bang Theory had 6 amazing seasons spread out over 12.
If someone with too much time and effort to spare could run through and edit out every nerd joke for joke sake, every episode that doesnt advance the characters and so on you would wind up with 6 seasons of damn good tv.
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I was pleasantly surprised at how good Our Flag Means Death turned out to be. I heard they were considering continuing with other characters as the main focus, but waititi thought the blackbeard and stede bonnet story was finished.
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I’m torn on Better off Ted. Obviously it was too soon. But we got a near perfect 2 seasons forever unblemished by time. Bittersweet
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The last season of Scrubs doesn't exist and don't you dare try to convince me otherwise.
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Im sad Norsemen got cancelled after season 3.
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G.L.O.W got cut early too.
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Totally. I really wondered where it was going.
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Profit ended too soon, Dexter went on way too long.
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Too soon: Stargate Universe Too long: most shows over 4 seasons, but specifically, Walking Dead, Big Bang Theory.
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Too soon
Year of the rabbit
1899-
Omg yes I forgot about Year of the Rabbit! Would have been great to have another season or two.
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came looking for 1899... I'm still salty it was cancelled
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The worst "too soon" for me was Rome on HBO
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Stargate SG-1.
Season 7 finale was perfect… and then season 8 happened. It did get better with seasons 9 and 10, but the Ori arc was just a weird tonal shift from the original Egyptian mythos.
I love the show, but that’s my hot take. Should’ve ended with season 7 and just transitioned over to Atlantis instead of running alongside it.
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Season 8 was supposed to be the end. They wrapped up both the replicator and goauld arcs. They were going to make a spin off called Stargate Command, but at some point they changed to title back to SG-1.
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Too soons that I didn't see listed when I looked through the thread:
Dark Matter (I enjoyed this more than Firefly tbh)
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
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Kyle XY. I'm still pissed off at the abrupt cliffhanger ending.
The OA and Sense8... Netflix, you suck. Those were stunning shows.
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Netflix's two-season reputation means they are not to blame when yet another showrunner pretends they're gonna get a third. You know damn well you're not doing Stranger Things numbers. It's on you to provide a satisfying endpoint, or you're just pissing people off and pointing fingers.
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FTR: I agree that Sense8 was a great show. But I disagree that it was Netflix who killed it. It was the creators insisting on a globe trotting production. They priced themselves out by being unwilling to compromise that. And I say this as a fan who enjoyed seeing the actual exotic locales rather than trying to pass off northern Vancouver as Iceland.
(But I also feel the need to trash The OA. That was a great show, but the ending sucked. I have never been so pissed off at a season finale than that. That ending killed the show, not Netflix. You can’t piss off that many fans and expect to get invited back.)
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Rings of Power has been going on way too long.
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I'm slogging through it. It's hard to find the desire to watch it.
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Haha I am rooting for season 2 to be good tho
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Went on too long? Mr. Pickles. I like the show but it continued on past the third season as Momma Named Me Sheriff and it is significantly worse. It just feels like one of those generic crude humor shows by Roger Black and Waco O'Guin that Netflix pumps out.
There's also How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men.
Ended too soon? Jeff and Some Aliens. A great dark comedy cartoon that I have rewatched several times.
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I remember watching MNMS, but the only thing i actually remember was the fat guy eating to the size of a mountain, and something about hats...
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Did anyone else watch Alphas? Stopped abruptly after 2 seasons.
Could not make it today with all the superhero fatigue, but in 2011 it was awesome.
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Too soon: The Critic. We deserved more than 23 episodes of this brilliant show. It's too bad that the first season was on ABC who didn't know what to do with it, as they put it on before Home Improvement which was a completely different concept.
Too late: King of the Hill. It should've ended when Luanne and Lucky got married like it supposed to. Few of the episodes after that were memorable, and the finale wasn't as good as it could've been.
Both: Family Guy. The pre cancellation seasons were funny and the first couple of seasons after the revival were as well, but it insisted upon itself after awhile and the characters became more mean spirited than they originally were.
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Too soon: Counterpart. A truly marvelous science fiction thriller that explored the concept of a parallel universe and starred J. K. Simmons. I'm still fuming that Starz cancelled it after two seasons. It's not even available to stream anymore...
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Ended too soon? Too many to list. My most recent gripe is half bad on Netflix.
Too long? Most recent is nurse Jackie.
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My most recent gripe is half bad on Netflix.
Netflix the notorious unfinisher, was it only truly a quarter bad by its end?
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It was fricking good. At least 3/4s good.
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How to with John Wilson. Not too soon for the usual reasons. I believe he decided he had said his piece. But god damn do I want so much more.
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Even though I'm a fan of both shows 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lone Star have both been going on for far too long, them being forced to keep the teams together and not have any major character deaths, job changes, or major new additions really hampers how much they can do with the characters.
Terra Nova, Whiskey Cavalier, The Premise, and Y: The Last Man all ended too soon as well.
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Kevin Spencer
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250876/
It's a Canadian show and I have no idea how it lasted for more than one season.
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Chop Sockey Chooks.
Ended too soon.
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The Great ended too soon.
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Too soon:
Firefly (obviously)
Black Spot
Too late:
Supernatural (by, like ten seasons)
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I saw the entire broadcast run of Clerks.
All both episodes.
Only six episodes were produced, and they eventually aired, but I did not find this out until years later. The internet ended a longstanding era where you could be aware of and interested in something, but know fuck-all about it, and have no sensible way of learning more. So I'd heard of Kevin Smith movies - but never seen any. Watching the Clerks movie would have taken a trip to a physical video-rental store, with my parents, and then convincing them (and myself) to rent a vulgar black-and-white movie for all of us to watch together. Wasn't happening. I was more likely to rent and watch any of the R-rated films that somehow got cartoon adaptations - which were part of that same impotent awareness. Robocop and Ghostbusters and fuckin' Starship Troopers were advertised anywhere and everywhere, and kids liked the shallow cool parts in the trailers, so executives said "fuck it" and licensed no-budget G-rated spinoffs to sell toys.
Anyway. The Clerks animated series exists because Disney wanted an adult-ish show to compete with The Simpsons. Everyone did. Disney knew they had a gap in their demographics for twenty-something dorks with disposable income. Aaand then they handed the finished episodes to ABC, who used a focus group of old farts and children. Of course it bombed. The first episode aired was a fake clip show full of flashbacks to episodes that did not exist. No, sorry, just checked Wikipedia: that was the second and final episode aired. The premiere ended with a wacky consequence-free style change, where the outsourced animators rebelled and delivered a lolrandom dance party.
At least Clone High got an entire season.
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Disney knew they had a gap in their demographics for twenty-something dorks with disposable income.
Hey, that reminds me, did you watch Mission Hill? I'm kind of split on it, but I feel like it may fall into the too soon territory. However I could also see it having outstayed its welcome if it had been more successful.
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I did not and have not. I've heard good things but never felt much interest.
It does sound like it could've fit the same niche as Bob's Burgers.
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Lockwood and Co ended too soon
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Utopia : John Cusack repeating "what have you done today to earn your place in this world"? still gives me chills. Deserved to be continued. Then I watched the UK version, equally good and aborted too
118 comments