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Good series rarely face a good ending...

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NightGod:
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--- Quote from: AtomSmasher on June 06, 2007, 02:28:34 am ---
--- Quote from: blueznl on June 05, 2007, 03:31:46 pm ---Good series rarely face a good ending.

--- End quote ---
Sad but true.  They almost always either get cancelled to quickly or jump the shark and are on too long, very few end when they should.  I agree about Farscape, I was a big fan and watched it every week when it was on.  I was glad they were able to finish the main storyline in the miniseries.  I used to be a fan of stargate, but after season 3 or 4 it really went downhill.  They still had the occasional good episode, but for the most part it was a disappointment.  I also think they should of ended the show when Macgyver left, but it actually did start to get better this past season.

--- End quote ---
Interesting, and true point.

So, here's a bit of fun-what shows HAVE faced a good ending. In my mind, a good ending is one in which they didn't over-extend their welcome, but had enough time to explore the characters and setting enough so that the viewers didn't feel cheated by the shows demise.

And the first one that comes to mind for me is "Star Trek: The Next Generation". Seven seasons of Trekker goodness (well, six if we ignore most of season one, which we likely should...) and it left behind a group of iconic characters that most any person who's even peripherally a sci-fi fan will recognize, as well as spawning a bunch of movies and dozens of books (which I highly recommend for any TNG fans).

I also think Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended on a solid note, though I have to admit a fair amount of happiness at seeing Joss Whedon publishing Season 8 in comic book form, but that's because I love the characters, not because I felt it ended too soon. Conversely, Angel definitely ended a year too soon-there's talk from Joss that we'll see that story followed through at some point, and I really hope it does happen.

Daybreak is another show I thought ended well (assuming you watched the episodes that they webcast, rather than stopping when they were no longer broadcast on TV). A series that had a definite ending in mind from day one-though they left just enough ambiguity that it could possibly have returned, but I'm personally glad it didn't-I'm actually sort of happy that the ratings were bad enough that it wasn't given a second season, I think it would have felt too forced. If you haven't seen it, find the DVD when it gets released, you won't regret it.

Another one that I see having a strong chance of fitting into this mold is the new Battlestar: Galactica. The producers have announced that next year will be the final season and most people believe that the story line will be well wrapped up by then. They went into the series with a definite plan for a beginning, middle and end and I, personally, am pleased that they have announced plans to end it because the story will be done being told, not because they finally milked every last drop out of the ratings.

leapinlew:
I feel that Dukes of Hazzards was a show that finished well. The hour long psychological thriller usually concluded with the evil masterminded Boss Hogs plots are foiled by the familiar cast of Bo, Luke, Uncle Jessie, Daisy and Cooter. The show was intelligent and could only truly be enjoyed by someone who has read Art of War by SunTzu and was thoroughly versed in criminal psychology. Many of the plots were so in intellectually challenging, that a casual observer would be dumbfounded to try and comprehend what they were watching.

jbox:
Stargate SG-1 had an awesome ending: funny, interesting and even uniquely touching for fans that had "enjoyed the ride". Unfortunately they then got renewed for another two seasons. Oops.  :dunno

B5 had a good end too (I still love that line: "Now get the hell out of our galaxy!") but they also got renewed for another year after that too.  ;D

"Space: Above & Beyond" and "Futurama" both got canned too early, at least they managed to bring Futurama back. "Arrested Development" is another example (along with SG-1 & B5) of where the writers at least got to tie up a whole bunch of stuff nicely when they thought they wouldn't get another chance.  :applaud:

ChadTower:

What was this topic again?  Wait, who gives a crap when we can stare at jbox's avatar?

shardian:
I felt that yes, Angel had a year left but it did go out strong. I think Whedon should just leave it alone.

The same can't be said for Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Even though I'm glad there were two more seasons, it would have been AWESOME if the season 5 finale was the series finale. Season 7 was pretty much torture.

The show Roswell also went out well, even though it could have easily went on for a few more years. They closed their stories up, gave a glimpse into their futures and it was very touching.

As for other shows, it is VERY hard to "close out" a show. In the past, serialized shows were very rare and always fell apart before the end.

For current shows and their ending points, I'll pass on my judgement:
Lost - I have a glimmer of hope, but after they torture us for the next three years by dragging out a single season's worth of story over three years the tank'll be empty. I just want the damn show to be over already! I knew this show would be a love/hate relastionship after the pilot episode. I really feel there is NO WAY the finale of this show can add up to what is expected of it.
24 - How can this show reach a series finale peak??? Every frikkin episode is the equivalent of ANY other shows season finale!
Scrubs - This one is my handsdown favorite for a quality series finale. I just finished watching season 6 and thought it was just as good or better than the previous seasons. It is the ONLY show on tv that has been consistent throughout with their writing, acting, and production. How that is possible over a 6 year period, I have no clue.

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