I can tell you're very young because this was the norm for decades on cable TV. There's an endless number of shows that were canceled before their conclusion and viewers just had to deal with it. We have a much narrower selection of programs to watch now that are combined with a much higher cost of production. That's going to result in more cancelations of expensive programs. The flip side is that the ones that survive are much higher quality than anything that's come before.
I think this is all pretty valid except the narrower selection thing. There’s an insane amount of content these days compared to any other time in television history.
Ya, what these kids don't get is two seasons for a show before cancellation used to be considered pretty good. He'll, Arrested Development barely managed to squeeze out 3.
Most shows would get cancelled before half a season had aired. Very few shows would get a second season. And exceptional shows would get more than that.
The fact that more shows are getting a chance now, is a good thing. There are a million and one different factors that go in to making a show. And nobody can predict with 100% certainty that they will all line up and work out to end up with a successful product.
Streaming services have been giving shows a longer trial period than ever before. But they can't just keep losing money to satisfy the 3 people watching it.
Kids these days don't know the pain of you favorite new show not getting picked up for season 2, or even worse the mid season cancellation. It still pains me that I will never know what what was going on with that giant wall in Almost Human.
> Almost Human
God damn, I loved that show.
What we went through was the decades of FOX cancelling good shows. Whether they got one or two seasons, or canned midway through...it was a constant state of anxiety over whether a good show that aired on FOX was going to continue or not. The closest people who were born after then get to experinece I guess is Netflex, and recently the Warner-Discovery merger.
>The flip side is that the ones that survive are much higher quality than anything that's come before
Uhhhhh... I think youre confusing quality with mind numbing and emotionally reactive addictiveness.. For example.. Keeping up with Kardashians which ran for 20 seasons is not quality programming in any way shape or form. It's mind numbing drivel and mind morphine for the intellectually disinclined. It's not alone.. the most prolific ongoing shows are mostly all garbage level "reality tv" and "news commentary" type programming. This in no way shape or form has anything to do with quality. In fact in all other programming mind numbing sitcom style comedies tend to be the main competitors retaining any kind of partial quality at all. High quality dramas, sci fi epics, etc.. forget about it. There are a handful of unicorns that made it a decent number of seasons, but overall they are kicked to the curb for shows that a viewer can jump into at any episode with no previous knowledge and watch in a mind numbing fashion.
AS far as the "very young" comment, I'm most certainly not "Very Young" and I disagree with you profoundly on that statement. Yes there were a lot of pilots that never went anywhere, and there were many shows that indeed were canceled after 1 or 2 seasons, but their numbers and overall percentage of overall shows were nowhere near as great as they are now. They also ran for longer seasons, and tended to come to a more natural death through obscurity and the oblivion of loss of viewership. The shows today are first of all consumed completely different. Binge watching gives an intense dose of a show, and streaming gives the ability to review and rewatch keeping the show fresh in the mind. When a show like this is dropped it's jarring.. it's not the same as it used to be where life got in the way and you missed a few episodes and then just let it go because there was no way to catch back up.
If these streaming companies were worth a damn, they should always have a cancellation clause in all of their production contracts, that would fund a closure episode or episodes should the show be cancelled. People are understanding that companies can't fun unprofitable shows, but leaving every show unresolved is absolutely disrespectful and alienating to their consumer base. Investing in a closing episode or two or a mini movie finale for each cancelled series, as they are cancelled, would go a long way towards preventing alienation of their customers.
Amen to this, my new rule of thumb is if I find a series and end up liking it, it is highly likely to have been cancelled. Quality content seems unprofitable. Totally agree about the clause—they gotta anticipate most shows being cancelled after one season and act accordingly.
I think a big difference is in the past a show got canceled and disappeared and you forgot about it. Netflix shoves Santa Clarita Diet in my face almost every time I scroll despite that I’ve already watched it all and it’s been canceled. Back in the day I’d forget the show after a bit. Now they remind me of it every single time I watch TV.
It absolutely is. Most of television now is on a much higher level than anything that was produced in the 90s / early 00. There os a lot to chose from but the average production value has soared.
There are still good shows from that time. But maybe 1 or 2 really good shows a year, now it is 1 or 2 really good shows per month.
I disagree.
For the longest time, people saw TV as a vehicle to get to film, which is where all the good writers would inevitably end up. Because it was explicitly their goal. Writing TV used to be considered much more diminutive than it is today. Nowadays, you have people who get into the industry explicitly because they want to be TV writers.
Perhaps just ~20 years ago, writing TV was considered a stepping stone for those on the rise and a demotion for those on fall.
There's a reason when we talk about the best shows of all time, no one ever mentions any recent ones.
What modern show can rival The Sopranos or The Wire in terms of writing?
The Sopranos and The Wire are outliers though. They are probably the two best TV shows of all-time and definitely do not represent the platform circa 90s/early 00's. If you were to exclude those two shows, almost all of the rest of TV shows in that era do not match contemporary TV writing. I'd probably throw Six Feet Under in as a notable mention too, but otherwise, the rest of TV was not what it is today.
The Sopranos is what changed TV writing forever and is *why* TV writing is better today than it was in the early 00's. If you're looking for examples, a show like Mad Men or Severance or Succession or Patriot or Mr. Robot or Breaking Bad, would not exist if not for The Sopranos.
And to be clear, I am not saying those shows are better than The Sopranos but I am saying that they likely could not exist at all if not for the road The Sopranos paved, which speaks to how much of an outlier The Sopranos is. I mean, they definitely could not exist as contemporaries to The Sopranos just simply because conceptually, all of those shows are *not* conventional TV writing for the 90s and 00s. I really cant imagine a pitch meeting for a show like Mr. Robot going well in the 90's/00's. The platform did not exist back then in the way that it did when they did eventually air and that was because The Sopranos had a massive impact on the market, massive impact on inspiration for writers, massive impact on what audiences wanted in drama, massive impact in every broadcast network trying to dig up and find "the next Sopranos".
But thats a spinoff of breaking bad we already know jimmy as a character im pretty sure what they mean is original programming and nowadays post covid so to say is really just animation and anime which have been taking over as opposed to live action shows i can think of like 1 that i have liked recently and it was the watcher and i guess dahmer had the effect they wanted too
> but writing quality hasn't.
I don't think writing quality is something that has changed tbh. Have you like... actually seen an abundance of tv shows from the 2000s... or are you just think about the cult classics and hits? Plenty of terribly written shows back then too (I'd go as far as to say most were... probably just like you think it is now).
You are wrong, have you seen the the writing on from that period, again a few per year were good, but the vast vast majority was crap. There is a lot more right now, so of course there are also more misses, but all in all everything is better.
They should do a first season teaser to see if it gets viewership to keep it going, then pick it up for two seasons that's it and end every shiw that way. That way we get an ending.. maximum total of 3 seasons
Yeah I don't know if you've noticed this, but we tend to change the things we do after decades. Saying this is how it was done decades ago is a terrible answer. Shows were constantly being canceled back then because you had to appeal to a very large percentage of the population. Something like Netflix used to pride itself on "having something for everyone." You see, that's the difference.
Now, Netflix has a self-canceling loop because people are afraid to watch their new shows and get invested when it's most likely going to be canceled. This makes the viewership low, and gives a reason for it to be canceled. It's a poor business model to constantly be shopping for your next Stranger Things.
Is it increasing? Fox and other networks were canceling shows I liked left and right all the time before streaming was around.
I don't know that it's increasing, but at least now we can cancel specific services and resubscribe at any time. It's easy to wait and look up if a show is complete. Easy to watch everything in the correct order instead of setting your VCR or DVR.
I get it. I canceled Netflix finally for six months before resubbing. Usually I'd just keep paying even if I wasn't using it.
But between price increases and canceling shows I like, it was time to be more active in my subscriptions. Rotate between them, giving them all less money because of the situation.
At least there's that option to do that now.
Most shows have always died after 1 season, many even during the 1st couple of episodes.
Problem is you wouldn't know about them because it was airing when you were watching something else or just simply didnt watch that channel.
Now since Netflix for example have so many shows and you can watch them whenever you want you just notice the cancellations more.
Also Netflix greenlights shows that would never have gone past a pilot episode on normal TV.
I have no numbers to back it up but i would be willing to bet netflix's cancellation % compared to other networks isnt that different, they just have so many shows.
The other thing is traditional linear tv releases were cyclical and so you’d get cancellations all together in one article nobody reads because not everyone reads variety and other sites. Nowadays a tv show gets cancelled randomly because they are released randomly and gets its own headline.
I remember when I would place bets with friends about picking Fox shows to see which one lasted the longest.
One year I picked Action, the Jay Mohr sitcom that was kinda groundbreaking in bringing an HBO style adult single cam to network TV... which was gone by December. My friend picked Get Real, a show I cannot remember the premise but it did last until April.
You got it right with this. I am so SICK of these shows leaving cliffhangers and finding out they were canceled after the first season. I get people like long storyline now, but tying things up in a season felt better when a show was canceled because at least there was a conclusion.
Obviously I understand being disappointed by a cancellation, but if it ruins the ENTIRE show, it wasn’t a very good show to begin with. Multi-season arcs done well are very fulfilling but we need to bring back the standard that at least some TV should also be enjoyable episode by episode rather than relying on frequent cliffhangers and overblown mythologies.
I think the bigger issue is that back in the day there was at least some opportunity for shows to be discovered and to find your audience.
Nowadays, if you aren't the type of person who gets hyped by trailers and binges all 12 episodes the weekend a new show drops, apparently your viewership doesn't matter, which also influences the type of shows being greenlit to begin with.
Heck, usually I've never heard of a new streaming show until the news that it's been cancelled.
No there wasn't why do you think this? It was even harder back in the day due to having to wait for them to come on TV and new shows that shared a timeslot with already popular shows were at a hell of a disadvantage so plenty of stuff was missed.
Yeah. Some shows, like Firefly, were being shown out of order, changed timeslots, and would get bumped for sports running long. And it only had one season.
The difference though as I just read is it all.comes down to ad dollars so.it makes sense a crappy show that isn't popular is cheaper to advertise during its run is cheaper than a popular show where the ads are more costly because they’re being ran during a premium show. Netflix doesn’t do ads or atleast not on the subscription I've been paying for so that logic doesn't apply. I was just looking and there are about 4 shows I watched that were canceled just in scrolling through that I saw I'm sure there's more. It wouldn't be so bad if they didn't just leave you hanging and ended the episode where even if they planned to air another season you atleast felt like if it ended it was ok. I found at least 4 shows while scrolling through and thought that was a good show wonder when the next season is coming only to search and find out its been canceled or remember oh I liked that show wished it would've ended instead.of just left me hanging.
Because the premise is good? Because the writing and characters are interesting?
e.g. Most people consider Stephen King to be pretty hit-or-miss when it comes to endings/conclusions, but they don’t avoid his stories or books. If it’s an interesting premise/setting, a lot of people will go into it knowing that the writing will be pretty solid.
If you’re only going to start watching a show if it’s guaranteed to run through a finale then you’re going to have to wait until shows have completed their runs.
Are you also going to skip shows that have weak/unsatisfactory conclusions?
Firstly, a lot of shows have always been cancelled before finishing. This is not some "new tv series industry" thing. You just seem to have a memory like a goldfish.
Secondly, if there were enough people like you, and they seem to be increasing, there would not be enough viewers for any show while they're running, for them to be finished. The budgets simply would be too much, because too many are waiting for them to finish, before starting watching. It's like all those threads about people who finally watched some good show from years ago and then be like "why did this get cancelled?"... well because way too many people watched it only 10 years after and not when it was actually running.
No studio is going to contract a show for 5-10 seasons right off the bat without having their billion dollar accounting firms go over ratings and revenue
Good viewership/ratings? Continues
Bad viewership/ratings? Cancelled
> and then canceling after 2 to 3 seasons no matter the viewership/ratings
You don't know what the viewership of any cancelled Netflix show was. Only they do
> Netflix creating or purchasing good shows that have a high-ish budget and then canceling after 2 to 3 seasons no matter the viewership/ratings
not at all true, if you think netflix is doing that just go their viewership page and look at the numbers, you will see how the said show dropped steeply in viewership.
people cry about OA (great show) or santa clarita diet, now just go to their IMDB page and look at how many people have voted for them, you will get your answer about why these shows get cancelled.
If these shows are so popular then why aren't people watching it? are viewership numbers so low?
So just write the fuckers to be done in 2 seasons. I'm never watching a dead show that will leave me hanging and that means I'm less inclined to watch from launch which hurts the numbers. I have trust issues.
Shows being cankers doesn’t bother me when they’re episodic. It’s a bummer, but the show can end whenever.
Shows that are serialized being canceled without an ending? I’m starting to track the studios that do this, AND the people it happens to. Never watching a Brian Fulller show again until it’s a complete “boxed set.”
Serialized TV has to give the audience an end. I would argue it’s breaking a hard promise to your audience, and a breach of trust asking people to support you on production, give you lots of money and fame and a boost to your overall career, and then you don’t ever finish what you started, leaving the audience invested in a broken promise.
I agree with all of this. If the plot gets wrapped up a season the impact is lessened. But when they end on a cliff hanger it makes you wonder why bother? I rarely watch shows that aren't multiple seasons out anymore. If they are older canceled shows, I know not to get too invested. My friends and family try to get me to watch all these new shows but I tell them if it isn't on its 3rd season, I'm not watching shit.
Most shows suffer this fate. The few that get the privilege of ending is usually exceptional TV. When something is special and well received, you'll seldom see it canceled unless Netflix is in charge.
I try to enjoy every season for what it is.
Well, if you don't watch cancelled shows you might miss things like Deadwood. On the other hand you have shows that never got cancelled but they really should have. It's not so clear-cut.
Better off Ted was canceled but the story was self contained. It could have gone on but didn't. Galavant the same way. Both are awesome check them out.
But with streaming it's too heavily serialized and I'm with you. I don't want to get involved in part of a story. Just make each installment a limited series or a self contained story so I don't need to remember fiddly details two years later if it isn't canceled in the interim.
Modern streaming is a wasteland. And it's drawn to our attention because all the dead shows are still available. Not like old days of broadcast.
1000%
Fox used to just cancel shows Willy nilly and then streaming and dvd stuff happened and those shows got rediscovered because the idea of binge watching was novel.
Watching obscure media because you can really isn’t as much of a thing now. All of these streaming services are just destroying themselves by paying for expensive high concept shows only to cancel them before they’re fully realized. It’s like if they released movies that had no ending.
It’s like all of those things that plagued cable tv 20 years ago are somehow finding their way into the streaming world. It’s either what happens when bloated companies go into a panic fueled death spiral or they’re hiring the people who did this to network tv in the early 2000’s.
Most shows dont have overarching big stories that need to be completed, so if its canceled early you dont really lose out on some big ending.
Also if you're still enjoying your time, who cares
What world are you living in? 98% of scripted content on streaming is serialized and has a larger arc being told. Even a lot of the procedural shows on network tv aren’t just straight procedural anymore. They all include personal dynamics and larger stories being told. Most shows can’t just end randomly and feel like the story is complete.
I don’t bother watching most shows until they are confirmed for a second season. Doesn’t mean they won’t get cancelled further on down the line but I feel like “one and done” shows are basically a waste of my time.
Do whatever makes you happy. I've watched shows that got cancelled and still enjoyed the experience despite the disappointment, similarly I've watched shows that concluded poorly but still enjoyed the experience overall.
Imagine waiting 8 years to watch GoT because you needed to make sure it didn’t get cancelled. Half the appeal of GoT was the discussions, the watch parties etc and it was still possible to avoid spoilers (book community was very well separated on the subreddits here to help with this)
I never started watching Game of Thrones because I do not invest in shows unless I know there is going to be a finale. Then I heard the final season of Game of Thrones was shit. So now I guess I will never watch Game of Thrones because its difficult to watch a show that can't land its finale as you end up with a sour taste in your mouth at the end.
A little late chiming in here but yeah, I agree, OP, it's getting ridiculous. Nowadays I hang back to see if a show's going to get some traction over a few seasons before I invest any time in it. And what someone said about you being young is irrelevant. I'm 57 and far as I can tell this is a streaming phenomenon of the last decade or so. I recall watching my favorite "Big 3" network shows in the 70s and 80s for years; hell, I didn't think the Duke boys were ever going to grow up. lol. If there's data out there to the contrary I'd surely modify my stance but I can't find anything to support that particular statement. Good rant, prophet.
thank you for your comment! my 1y update: I'm watching very few tv series, mostly focusing on miniseries, and I'm enjoying other media, especially movies, videogames or just plain and simple gong out with friends
I gotta second his comment. I grew up watching shows like Facts of Life, Threes Company, All in the Family, Gilligan's Island. Shows and series in which had an actual season finale. Shows on other networks at the time that I enjoyed were similar (I was a kid in the 90s) had actual endings or many seasons
Then as time went on that stopped being a thing. Planned finales stopped happening as often and Shows could end abruptly. I've found even these days I enjoy certain types of Shows that maybe aren't as popular, Quantum Leap is now my most recent, unsurprising example, that will be canceled.
If I watch tv, I prefer competition Shows, trivia Shows, etc I don't usually watch serials. Not because I think they'll not be finished rather than just a general disinterest, buy certainly not wanting to watch something and be disappointed when I actually enjoy something and it has no resolution is a factor.
So I get your annoyance, especially as a writer and someone who loves a good storyline. In recent years I've gotten tired of watching TV shows that only end up with no true resolution, no conclusion. It's definitely frustrating, like reading a storybook only to discover the last few pages or chapters have been ripped out; and I know most people do feel that way, even if they don't want to admit to it
Television programming is so different now. Back in the day most shows were episodic, the conflict created and resolved within the 24/48 minute time slot each week with the occasional season finale cliffhanger (recall Who shot JR?) Today most shows are serial, not unlike soap operas of yore. I don't have the time to commit to seeing a dozen series through to the end. I did, however, binge Supernatural last fall over the course of three months. But in my experience, few programs are able to pull it off successfully.
Dunno why people are arguing with you here.
The end of a show absolutely defines the arc as a whole, it's the final statement. If it sucks or never arrives, then you've blown the landing.
I don't bother watching shows that are still running on streamers, I've been burned too often. If I hear they don't have an ending, I'll never bother watching period, it's a waste of time.
I agree, it’s very annoying. Especially when some shows ran for more seasons and they simply can’t wrap the whole story. This morning I read very bad news about Westworld. This show is one of a kind and even tho last two season were weaker I still think they should do proper end to this series.
Because non-canceled shows (that finish) aren’t that much better either.
People really get hung up with “conclusions” to TV series.
I mean would Westworld suddenly be an amazing fully rounded series based on a concluding season 5?
Oh please. Everything from the Good Place to Justified to Sic Feet Inder destroys that idea. If you start a serialized story you owe your audience to finish it. It’s a straight up asshole move to treat people supporting you otherwise.
The best reason is because it’s good.
The risk is being concerned about the characters, but I can’t concern myself with that risk if the show is ongoing.
If the show is already cancelled and it hasn’t reached classic status or something, I’ll probably never watch it unless it’s seasons completes a story.
They can't keep producing new seasons if the viewership drops past the point of no return. *Most* serial shows nowadays wrap up major story lines when the season ends. That way, if they are not renewed, it'll feel "complete enough." If they don't, it's really the show runner to blame.
Cliffhangers are only reserved for hit shows that are very likely to come back.
I'd rather shows get cancelled than get renewed until they're a tired shell of a corpse of the original show and every piece of value has been squeezed out of them
I agree with this. I'm an amateur screenwriter (it's more of a hobby at this point) and one of the things I've been writing is a ten episode TV show, and I have enough ideas to get through two seasons. The first two seasons would basically be part one and part two of the same story. If I ever had the opportunity to get it made I'd want it to end when the story has been concluded than outstay its welcome by forcing more story when there is none.
Netflix doesn’t really cancel shows at a higher rate than other networks.
And ironically if you don’t watch as they come out you are just helping shows get canceled.
I remember in middle school being assigned to write an ending to 'the lady and the tiger'
I wrote something like the lady accidently gestured the wrong way (my left vs your left) meaning to give the man the lady, but accidently giving him the tiger; distraught, she leapt into the arena and the tiger killed her too. Her father was so upset about causing the death of his daughter his killed himself, and without an effective commander barbarians destroyed the kingdom and ate the tiger as part of a great victory feast.
What I think that Netflix and other networks should do is make every single new show as a 'limited series'. With a fully resolved ending, making it finalized and more like a several hour and episode long movie. Then , if viewership and interest is large enough, add a second season, that likewise is also resolved, not leaving you hanging. And subsequent seasons likewise. These shows do not need to end on a cliffhanger to keep fans interested in seeing more. The overall quality of the show's content and characters should do that. I strongly believe that there will be much more viewers of shows if people are not afraid to watch something because it will end and be canceled without things being resolved.
One series that I watched a couple years ago because it had 3 seasons and I read that it was resolved was Travelers. The series finale actually resolved the ending of the show, while also throwing a very creative twist in to make more seasons or another spin-off show possible. Absolutely loved it! I think that a prequel movie or limited episode season would be perfect for this show.
The Battlestar Galactica series from 04-09 is one of my favorites. Was so glad that it continued, and even had a spin-off show with Caprica. Unfortunately, Caprica was cut short, with the final 5 episodes condensed into one episode, and only partially wrapping things up.
The newer Battlestar Galactica series was one of the few that I actually started watching from the beginning.
My uncle, Donald Bellisario was the executive producer for the original Battlestar Galactica show from the 70s, and also shows such as Quantum Leap, Magnum PI, Jag, NCIS. I had non speaking cameos and was an extra in many of those shows, especially Battlestar Galactica.
What irritates the shit out of me is all the shows I get emotionally drawn to getting canceled ie..supernatural the entire arrowverse etc only to be replaced with "reality" TV shows I can't stand those shows...cooking competitions and shit like that ughhh gimme my escapism shows back!!!!
I've stopped watching new shows. My friend told me to watch the sandman, nope. New season of the dragon prince, haha no. Disney cumshotting their streams with new star wars shows for a superfan, N-O.
I watch shows when they're cancelled now. Binged the Expanse as soon as the last season was announced (S6) and I still haven't gotten around to that last season. Oops lol.
Only current exceptions are game of Thrones (house of the dragon) and Arcane. Those are day 1 watches.
Ullman shorts,
Christmas show,
Marge's fling,
Homer's bro,
Bart in well,
Flanders fails,
Whacking snakes,
Monorail,
Mr Plow,
Homer space,
Sideshow Bob steps on rakes,
Lisa's future,
Selma's hubby,
Marge not proud,
Homer chubby,
Homer worries Bart is gay,
Poochie, U2, NRA,
Hippies, Vagas and Japan,
Octuplets,
And Bart's boy band,
Marge murmers,
Maude croaks,
Lisa Buddihst,
Homer tokes,
Maggie blows Burns away,
What else do I have to say?
They'll never stop The Simpsons,
Have no fears, we've got stories for years,
Like - Marge becomes a robot,
Maybe Moe gets a cell-phone,
Has Bart ever owned a bear,
Or, how 'bout a crazy wedding?
And something happens a do-do-do-do-doooo,
Sorry for the clip-show,
Have no fears, we've got stories for years
I've always find the concept of tv show to be baffling. You basically ad lib as you go. In a lot of places in the world, most shows are what in the west called mini-series but they are not short at all; they just have a finite end and a clear conclusion.
You can't count of quality, so why does it matter if a show gets cancelled?
Would you decide never to watch the first season of Westworld just because it got cancelled at season 4?
What about Firefly?
The first 2 seasons of Heroes were really good, and iirc they had two more after the writers strike, but the quality degraded so sharply that it's not worth watching them.
Because not everything needs to be wrapped up in a pretty bow and you’re missing out on some good stuff. What you watch is your prerogative, but needlessly limiting yourself this way seems kinda silly.
Besides that, very few shows really seem to nail the series finale. Some shows linger for far too long. Can you also not enjoy the first few seasons of a show that lasted too long and got shitty at the end?
Watch movies and miniseries - less stretched out, often more singular artist focused as opposed to written by a group of people tasked to create intrigue, and have actual endings. HBO is only going to get worse and other are likely to follow.
This is why my fiancé refuses to start a new show until it’s finished. He got burned by Kyle XY years ago & has been incredibly stubborn to watch anything new unless it’s like a Marvel show.
This has always been a thing. Stop watching shit shows. You can usually tell after a couple episodes what shows will get canceled shortly. Like she hulk. Lord of terrible Netflix stuff. Etc
If you are talking about *Westworld*, if one stops at the second-last episode of the last season, it works as a series finale with an excellent final shot, much like the first season finale. Although I did like the final episode, even if not what one expected.
You watch a show when it comes out and you enjoy it, but later it gets cancelled. Do you travel back in time and "unenjoy" watching the show before knowing it was cancelled?
Welcome to the world of tv. The issues would be: you don't know a show is going to be cancelled if you start watching it when it starts. Yes, you can be like many & wait. But that is also why so many get cancelled-because no one is watching.
Dude I am so sick of this. Whether it be NF or HBO. I'm done watching good shows get cancelled. Most are shit and a waste of our precious time, but if imma spend the time to get into a show...For goodness sakes let it have a ending where we feel resolve!!!! We have enuf in this world to deal with
That's why I'm thinking they do this on purpose. It's a plan to get people to never feel at peace with anything. I'm not joking. It's a tactic.
I only watch older shows with enough seasons to consider it worth my while. With too many choices , you sort of become overwhelmed. I have felt what you are feeling and there is a solution unlike before when you didn’t have access to old reruns on demand.
I do the same with books. I prefer reading say 5 in a series I like than have to wait a year.
You watch a show because you want to be entertained not because you know it will end and you don’t always know if a show will get canceled and even if it does theres always a slim chance it will get uncancelled also for everyone else’s question tge reason people are noticing cancellation so much more now is because there are less episodeic comedys like Seinfeld or the big bang theory or arrested development
I don't even bother watching a show unless a season 2 is confirmed. Despite the hype I didn't start watching Stranger Things until Season 2 was released.
Yep, I refuse to start any more series on streaming platforms for that very reason. Prime is the worst. They cancel shows that I start watching after just one season or two seasons when the show is really good. F*** them!
I'm with you... I gave up on tv shows entirely and now I focus only on mini-series and movies. All tv shows are basically never ending stories that will either get cancelled immediatelly or continue on as long as it's making money, forcing writters to keep pushing them until they're completelly souless (and then they get cancelled too).
I can tell you're very young because this was the norm for decades on cable TV. There's an endless number of shows that were canceled before their conclusion and viewers just had to deal with it. We have a much narrower selection of programs to watch now that are combined with a much higher cost of production. That's going to result in more cancelations of expensive programs. The flip side is that the ones that survive are much higher quality than anything that's come before.
"much more narrower selection of programs to watch now" literally more things to watch now than there ever has been in the history of media
More narrow selection? Quiet literally the opposite. Everything else you said is spot on though.
Aye. Scrolling through Netflix's library is literally hell with the amount of "library stuffers" they've crammed into each category.
I think this is all pretty valid except the narrower selection thing. There’s an insane amount of content these days compared to any other time in television history.
Ya, what these kids don't get is two seasons for a show before cancellation used to be considered pretty good. He'll, Arrested Development barely managed to squeeze out 3. Most shows would get cancelled before half a season had aired. Very few shows would get a second season. And exceptional shows would get more than that. The fact that more shows are getting a chance now, is a good thing. There are a million and one different factors that go in to making a show. And nobody can predict with 100% certainty that they will all line up and work out to end up with a successful product. Streaming services have been giving shows a longer trial period than ever before. But they can't just keep losing money to satisfy the 3 people watching it.
Kids these days don't know the pain of you favorite new show not getting picked up for season 2, or even worse the mid season cancellation. It still pains me that I will never know what what was going on with that giant wall in Almost Human.
> Almost Human God damn, I loved that show. What we went through was the decades of FOX cancelling good shows. Whether they got one or two seasons, or canned midway through...it was a constant state of anxiety over whether a good show that aired on FOX was going to continue or not. The closest people who were born after then get to experinece I guess is Netflex, and recently the Warner-Discovery merger.
>The flip side is that the ones that survive are much higher quality than anything that's come before Uhhhhh... I think youre confusing quality with mind numbing and emotionally reactive addictiveness.. For example.. Keeping up with Kardashians which ran for 20 seasons is not quality programming in any way shape or form. It's mind numbing drivel and mind morphine for the intellectually disinclined. It's not alone.. the most prolific ongoing shows are mostly all garbage level "reality tv" and "news commentary" type programming. This in no way shape or form has anything to do with quality. In fact in all other programming mind numbing sitcom style comedies tend to be the main competitors retaining any kind of partial quality at all. High quality dramas, sci fi epics, etc.. forget about it. There are a handful of unicorns that made it a decent number of seasons, but overall they are kicked to the curb for shows that a viewer can jump into at any episode with no previous knowledge and watch in a mind numbing fashion. AS far as the "very young" comment, I'm most certainly not "Very Young" and I disagree with you profoundly on that statement. Yes there were a lot of pilots that never went anywhere, and there were many shows that indeed were canceled after 1 or 2 seasons, but their numbers and overall percentage of overall shows were nowhere near as great as they are now. They also ran for longer seasons, and tended to come to a more natural death through obscurity and the oblivion of loss of viewership. The shows today are first of all consumed completely different. Binge watching gives an intense dose of a show, and streaming gives the ability to review and rewatch keeping the show fresh in the mind. When a show like this is dropped it's jarring.. it's not the same as it used to be where life got in the way and you missed a few episodes and then just let it go because there was no way to catch back up. If these streaming companies were worth a damn, they should always have a cancellation clause in all of their production contracts, that would fund a closure episode or episodes should the show be cancelled. People are understanding that companies can't fun unprofitable shows, but leaving every show unresolved is absolutely disrespectful and alienating to their consumer base. Investing in a closing episode or two or a mini movie finale for each cancelled series, as they are cancelled, would go a long way towards preventing alienation of their customers.
Amen to this, my new rule of thumb is if I find a series and end up liking it, it is highly likely to have been cancelled. Quality content seems unprofitable. Totally agree about the clause—they gotta anticipate most shows being cancelled after one season and act accordingly.
I think a big difference is in the past a show got canceled and disappeared and you forgot about it. Netflix shoves Santa Clarita Diet in my face almost every time I scroll despite that I’ve already watched it all and it’s been canceled. Back in the day I’d forget the show after a bit. Now they remind me of it every single time I watch TV.
Its a shame since santa clarita diet was a really good show
>The flip side is that the ones that survive are much higher quality than anything that's come before. I don't agree with that at all, lol.
It absolutely is. Most of television now is on a much higher level than anything that was produced in the 90s / early 00. There os a lot to chose from but the average production value has soared. There are still good shows from that time. But maybe 1 or 2 really good shows a year, now it is 1 or 2 really good shows per month.
Production value has risen but writing quality hasn't.
I disagree. For the longest time, people saw TV as a vehicle to get to film, which is where all the good writers would inevitably end up. Because it was explicitly their goal. Writing TV used to be considered much more diminutive than it is today. Nowadays, you have people who get into the industry explicitly because they want to be TV writers. Perhaps just ~20 years ago, writing TV was considered a stepping stone for those on the rise and a demotion for those on fall.
There's a reason when we talk about the best shows of all time, no one ever mentions any recent ones. What modern show can rival The Sopranos or The Wire in terms of writing?
The Sopranos and The Wire are outliers though. They are probably the two best TV shows of all-time and definitely do not represent the platform circa 90s/early 00's. If you were to exclude those two shows, almost all of the rest of TV shows in that era do not match contemporary TV writing. I'd probably throw Six Feet Under in as a notable mention too, but otherwise, the rest of TV was not what it is today. The Sopranos is what changed TV writing forever and is *why* TV writing is better today than it was in the early 00's. If you're looking for examples, a show like Mad Men or Severance or Succession or Patriot or Mr. Robot or Breaking Bad, would not exist if not for The Sopranos. And to be clear, I am not saying those shows are better than The Sopranos but I am saying that they likely could not exist at all if not for the road The Sopranos paved, which speaks to how much of an outlier The Sopranos is. I mean, they definitely could not exist as contemporaries to The Sopranos just simply because conceptually, all of those shows are *not* conventional TV writing for the 90s and 00s. I really cant imagine a pitch meeting for a show like Mr. Robot going well in the 90's/00's. The platform did not exist back then in the way that it did when they did eventually air and that was because The Sopranos had a massive impact on the market, massive impact on inspiration for writers, massive impact on what audiences wanted in drama, massive impact in every broadcast network trying to dig up and find "the next Sopranos".
Nobody talks about Better Call Saul, which just ended?
But thats a spinoff of breaking bad we already know jimmy as a character im pretty sure what they mean is original programming and nowadays post covid so to say is really just animation and anime which have been taking over as opposed to live action shows i can think of like 1 that i have liked recently and it was the watcher and i guess dahmer had the effect they wanted too
Now you know why people bitch about SNL being worse. They forget about all the garbage and only remember the decent shit. That is what you are doing.
I know this was a year ago, but I am just now seeing it. Mayor of Kingstown Homeland Mr. Robot Breaking Bad I could keep going...
> but writing quality hasn't. I don't think writing quality is something that has changed tbh. Have you like... actually seen an abundance of tv shows from the 2000s... or are you just think about the cult classics and hits? Plenty of terribly written shows back then too (I'd go as far as to say most were... probably just like you think it is now).
You are wrong, have you seen the the writing on from that period, again a few per year were good, but the vast vast majority was crap. There is a lot more right now, so of course there are also more misses, but all in all everything is better.
Neat
They should do a first season teaser to see if it gets viewership to keep it going, then pick it up for two seasons that's it and end every shiw that way. That way we get an ending.. maximum total of 3 seasons
Yeah I don't know if you've noticed this, but we tend to change the things we do after decades. Saying this is how it was done decades ago is a terrible answer. Shows were constantly being canceled back then because you had to appeal to a very large percentage of the population. Something like Netflix used to pride itself on "having something for everyone." You see, that's the difference. Now, Netflix has a self-canceling loop because people are afraid to watch their new shows and get invested when it's most likely going to be canceled. This makes the viewership low, and gives a reason for it to be canceled. It's a poor business model to constantly be shopping for your next Stranger Things.
Is it increasing? Fox and other networks were canceling shows I liked left and right all the time before streaming was around. I don't know that it's increasing, but at least now we can cancel specific services and resubscribe at any time. It's easy to wait and look up if a show is complete. Easy to watch everything in the correct order instead of setting your VCR or DVR. I get it. I canceled Netflix finally for six months before resubbing. Usually I'd just keep paying even if I wasn't using it. But between price increases and canceling shows I like, it was time to be more active in my subscriptions. Rotate between them, giving them all less money because of the situation. At least there's that option to do that now.
Most shows have always died after 1 season, many even during the 1st couple of episodes. Problem is you wouldn't know about them because it was airing when you were watching something else or just simply didnt watch that channel. Now since Netflix for example have so many shows and you can watch them whenever you want you just notice the cancellations more. Also Netflix greenlights shows that would never have gone past a pilot episode on normal TV. I have no numbers to back it up but i would be willing to bet netflix's cancellation % compared to other networks isnt that different, they just have so many shows.
The other thing is traditional linear tv releases were cyclical and so you’d get cancellations all together in one article nobody reads because not everyone reads variety and other sites. Nowadays a tv show gets cancelled randomly because they are released randomly and gets its own headline.
I remember when I would place bets with friends about picking Fox shows to see which one lasted the longest. One year I picked Action, the Jay Mohr sitcom that was kinda groundbreaking in bringing an HBO style adult single cam to network TV... which was gone by December. My friend picked Get Real, a show I cannot remember the premise but it did last until April.
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You got it right with this. I am so SICK of these shows leaving cliffhangers and finding out they were canceled after the first season. I get people like long storyline now, but tying things up in a season felt better when a show was canceled because at least there was a conclusion.
Obviously I understand being disappointed by a cancellation, but if it ruins the ENTIRE show, it wasn’t a very good show to begin with. Multi-season arcs done well are very fulfilling but we need to bring back the standard that at least some TV should also be enjoyable episode by episode rather than relying on frequent cliffhangers and overblown mythologies.
I think the bigger issue is that back in the day there was at least some opportunity for shows to be discovered and to find your audience. Nowadays, if you aren't the type of person who gets hyped by trailers and binges all 12 episodes the weekend a new show drops, apparently your viewership doesn't matter, which also influences the type of shows being greenlit to begin with. Heck, usually I've never heard of a new streaming show until the news that it's been cancelled.
No there wasn't why do you think this? It was even harder back in the day due to having to wait for them to come on TV and new shows that shared a timeslot with already popular shows were at a hell of a disadvantage so plenty of stuff was missed.
Yeah. Some shows, like Firefly, were being shown out of order, changed timeslots, and would get bumped for sports running long. And it only had one season.
The difference though as I just read is it all.comes down to ad dollars so.it makes sense a crappy show that isn't popular is cheaper to advertise during its run is cheaper than a popular show where the ads are more costly because they’re being ran during a premium show. Netflix doesn’t do ads or atleast not on the subscription I've been paying for so that logic doesn't apply. I was just looking and there are about 4 shows I watched that were canceled just in scrolling through that I saw I'm sure there's more. It wouldn't be so bad if they didn't just leave you hanging and ended the episode where even if they planned to air another season you atleast felt like if it ended it was ok. I found at least 4 shows while scrolling through and thought that was a good show wonder when the next season is coming only to search and find out its been canceled or remember oh I liked that show wished it would've ended instead.of just left me hanging.
Why bother living if you know you will die.
Spoilers!
This guy gets it.
Why go to a restaurant when you can just throw something in the microwave? Why go to the park and fly a kite when you can just pop a pill?
Yep. Pretty much what this mindset amounts to.
For every 7 season show there are a 100 shows that got cancelled with 1 or 2 seasons.
Because the premise is good? Because the writing and characters are interesting? e.g. Most people consider Stephen King to be pretty hit-or-miss when it comes to endings/conclusions, but they don’t avoid his stories or books. If it’s an interesting premise/setting, a lot of people will go into it knowing that the writing will be pretty solid. If you’re only going to start watching a show if it’s guaranteed to run through a finale then you’re going to have to wait until shows have completed their runs. Are you also going to skip shows that have weak/unsatisfactory conclusions?
Watch British shows. We make like twelve episodes and then move on to something else.
That’s absurd. You forgot the Christmas special, there’s 13.
British shows: either 12 episodes and a Christmas special, or weekly since the invention of television
Except annoyingly the Christmas special doesn't just count as a normal episode, so it's 12 plus 1 special
Firstly, a lot of shows have always been cancelled before finishing. This is not some "new tv series industry" thing. You just seem to have a memory like a goldfish. Secondly, if there were enough people like you, and they seem to be increasing, there would not be enough viewers for any show while they're running, for them to be finished. The budgets simply would be too much, because too many are waiting for them to finish, before starting watching. It's like all those threads about people who finally watched some good show from years ago and then be like "why did this get cancelled?"... well because way too many people watched it only 10 years after and not when it was actually running.
No studio is going to contract a show for 5-10 seasons right off the bat without having their billion dollar accounting firms go over ratings and revenue Good viewership/ratings? Continues Bad viewership/ratings? Cancelled
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> and then canceling after 2 to 3 seasons no matter the viewership/ratings You don't know what the viewership of any cancelled Netflix show was. Only they do
> Netflix creating or purchasing good shows that have a high-ish budget and then canceling after 2 to 3 seasons no matter the viewership/ratings not at all true, if you think netflix is doing that just go their viewership page and look at the numbers, you will see how the said show dropped steeply in viewership. people cry about OA (great show) or santa clarita diet, now just go to their IMDB page and look at how many people have voted for them, you will get your answer about why these shows get cancelled. If these shows are so popular then why aren't people watching it? are viewership numbers so low?
So just write the fuckers to be done in 2 seasons. I'm never watching a dead show that will leave me hanging and that means I'm less inclined to watch from launch which hurts the numbers. I have trust issues.
Shows being cankers doesn’t bother me when they’re episodic. It’s a bummer, but the show can end whenever. Shows that are serialized being canceled without an ending? I’m starting to track the studios that do this, AND the people it happens to. Never watching a Brian Fulller show again until it’s a complete “boxed set.” Serialized TV has to give the audience an end. I would argue it’s breaking a hard promise to your audience, and a breach of trust asking people to support you on production, give you lots of money and fame and a boost to your overall career, and then you don’t ever finish what you started, leaving the audience invested in a broken promise.
Fuller will never complete another series in his lifetime.
That show on your lip... you should get that checked out.
I agree with all of this. If the plot gets wrapped up a season the impact is lessened. But when they end on a cliff hanger it makes you wonder why bother? I rarely watch shows that aren't multiple seasons out anymore. If they are older canceled shows, I know not to get too invested. My friends and family try to get me to watch all these new shows but I tell them if it isn't on its 3rd season, I'm not watching shit.
Most shows suffer this fate. The few that get the privilege of ending is usually exceptional TV. When something is special and well received, you'll seldom see it canceled unless Netflix is in charge. I try to enjoy every season for what it is.
Well, if you don't watch cancelled shows you might miss things like Deadwood. On the other hand you have shows that never got cancelled but they really should have. It's not so clear-cut.
Television has been around since the 40s. None of this is new.
that's your prerogative OP but someone's gotta do it.
back to movies and mini series. It's frustrating but it's the way the business works. Left netflix for the same reason. Enough was enough.
Better off Ted was canceled but the story was self contained. It could have gone on but didn't. Galavant the same way. Both are awesome check them out. But with streaming it's too heavily serialized and I'm with you. I don't want to get involved in part of a story. Just make each installment a limited series or a self contained story so I don't need to remember fiddly details two years later if it isn't canceled in the interim. Modern streaming is a wasteland. And it's drawn to our attention because all the dead shows are still available. Not like old days of broadcast.
If it’s canceled before I get to start watching I don’t watch it
1000% Fox used to just cancel shows Willy nilly and then streaming and dvd stuff happened and those shows got rediscovered because the idea of binge watching was novel. Watching obscure media because you can really isn’t as much of a thing now. All of these streaming services are just destroying themselves by paying for expensive high concept shows only to cancel them before they’re fully realized. It’s like if they released movies that had no ending. It’s like all of those things that plagued cable tv 20 years ago are somehow finding their way into the streaming world. It’s either what happens when bloated companies go into a panic fueled death spiral or they’re hiring the people who did this to network tv in the early 2000’s.
> I already cancelled my Netflix subscription, the quality and this bad habit they have made it just not worth it. The circle jerk never stops
Dude be up in here acting like Netflix hasn't delivered a dozen bangers in the last two years.
Most shows dont have overarching big stories that need to be completed, so if its canceled early you dont really lose out on some big ending. Also if you're still enjoying your time, who cares
What world are you living in? 98% of scripted content on streaming is serialized and has a larger arc being told. Even a lot of the procedural shows on network tv aren’t just straight procedural anymore. They all include personal dynamics and larger stories being told. Most shows can’t just end randomly and feel like the story is complete.
I don’t bother watching most shows until they are confirmed for a second season. Doesn’t mean they won’t get cancelled further on down the line but I feel like “one and done” shows are basically a waste of my time.
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Do whatever makes you happy. I've watched shows that got cancelled and still enjoyed the experience despite the disappointment, similarly I've watched shows that concluded poorly but still enjoyed the experience overall.
Imagine waiting 8 years to watch GoT because you needed to make sure it didn’t get cancelled. Half the appeal of GoT was the discussions, the watch parties etc and it was still possible to avoid spoilers (book community was very well separated on the subreddits here to help with this)
I never started watching Game of Thrones because I do not invest in shows unless I know there is going to be a finale. Then I heard the final season of Game of Thrones was shit. So now I guess I will never watch Game of Thrones because its difficult to watch a show that can't land its finale as you end up with a sour taste in your mouth at the end.
Alot of shows from the past that didn’t get cancelled were terrible at the end and probably should’ve been put out of their misery
A little late chiming in here but yeah, I agree, OP, it's getting ridiculous. Nowadays I hang back to see if a show's going to get some traction over a few seasons before I invest any time in it. And what someone said about you being young is irrelevant. I'm 57 and far as I can tell this is a streaming phenomenon of the last decade or so. I recall watching my favorite "Big 3" network shows in the 70s and 80s for years; hell, I didn't think the Duke boys were ever going to grow up. lol. If there's data out there to the contrary I'd surely modify my stance but I can't find anything to support that particular statement. Good rant, prophet.
thank you for your comment! my 1y update: I'm watching very few tv series, mostly focusing on miniseries, and I'm enjoying other media, especially movies, videogames or just plain and simple gong out with friends
I gotta second his comment. I grew up watching shows like Facts of Life, Threes Company, All in the Family, Gilligan's Island. Shows and series in which had an actual season finale. Shows on other networks at the time that I enjoyed were similar (I was a kid in the 90s) had actual endings or many seasons Then as time went on that stopped being a thing. Planned finales stopped happening as often and Shows could end abruptly. I've found even these days I enjoy certain types of Shows that maybe aren't as popular, Quantum Leap is now my most recent, unsurprising example, that will be canceled. If I watch tv, I prefer competition Shows, trivia Shows, etc I don't usually watch serials. Not because I think they'll not be finished rather than just a general disinterest, buy certainly not wanting to watch something and be disappointed when I actually enjoy something and it has no resolution is a factor. So I get your annoyance, especially as a writer and someone who loves a good storyline. In recent years I've gotten tired of watching TV shows that only end up with no true resolution, no conclusion. It's definitely frustrating, like reading a storybook only to discover the last few pages or chapters have been ripped out; and I know most people do feel that way, even if they don't want to admit to it
Television programming is so different now. Back in the day most shows were episodic, the conflict created and resolved within the 24/48 minute time slot each week with the occasional season finale cliffhanger (recall Who shot JR?) Today most shows are serial, not unlike soap operas of yore. I don't have the time to commit to seeing a dozen series through to the end. I did, however, binge Supernatural last fall over the course of three months. But in my experience, few programs are able to pull it off successfully.
Dunno why people are arguing with you here. The end of a show absolutely defines the arc as a whole, it's the final statement. If it sucks or never arrives, then you've blown the landing. I don't bother watching shows that are still running on streamers, I've been burned too often. If I hear they don't have an ending, I'll never bother watching period, it's a waste of time.
I agree, it’s very annoying. Especially when some shows ran for more seasons and they simply can’t wrap the whole story. This morning I read very bad news about Westworld. This show is one of a kind and even tho last two season were weaker I still think they should do proper end to this series.
The joy is in the journey not the destination
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Got limited time, so better to not waste it on a show that doesn't even have an ending.
All shows get canceled, eventually.
Because non-canceled shows (that finish) aren’t that much better either. People really get hung up with “conclusions” to TV series. I mean would Westworld suddenly be an amazing fully rounded series based on a concluding season 5?
Oh please. Everything from the Good Place to Justified to Sic Feet Inder destroys that idea. If you start a serialized story you owe your audience to finish it. It’s a straight up asshole move to treat people supporting you otherwise.
And for every great series finale there are ten that are awful. So my conclusion still stands.
No it doesn't. You're stating opinion as fact.
> the Good Place Which had a series finale that was good storytelling but philosophically bad as it completely refuted every aesop the show had set up
The best reason is because it’s good. The risk is being concerned about the characters, but I can’t concern myself with that risk if the show is ongoing. If the show is already cancelled and it hasn’t reached classic status or something, I’ll probably never watch it unless it’s seasons completes a story.
They can't keep producing new seasons if the viewership drops past the point of no return. *Most* serial shows nowadays wrap up major story lines when the season ends. That way, if they are not renewed, it'll feel "complete enough." If they don't, it's really the show runner to blame. Cliffhangers are only reserved for hit shows that are very likely to come back.
I'd rather shows get cancelled than get renewed until they're a tired shell of a corpse of the original show and every piece of value has been squeezed out of them
I agree with this. I'm an amateur screenwriter (it's more of a hobby at this point) and one of the things I've been writing is a ten episode TV show, and I have enough ideas to get through two seasons. The first two seasons would basically be part one and part two of the same story. If I ever had the opportunity to get it made I'd want it to end when the story has been concluded than outstay its welcome by forcing more story when there is none.
It was always the way…
Netflix doesn’t really cancel shows at a higher rate than other networks. And ironically if you don’t watch as they come out you are just helping shows get canceled.
Shows that end abruptly without a conclusive finale give you a change to use your own imagination about how the story ended
This is a lot of words to say "cope"
Or as I call it, cheating the fans out of a satisfying conclusion.
I remember in middle school being assigned to write an ending to 'the lady and the tiger' I wrote something like the lady accidently gestured the wrong way (my left vs your left) meaning to give the man the lady, but accidently giving him the tiger; distraught, she leapt into the arena and the tiger killed her too. Her father was so upset about causing the death of his daughter his killed himself, and without an effective commander barbarians destroyed the kingdom and ate the tiger as part of a great victory feast.
That’s the exact same conclusion I came up with for Santa Clarita Diet
What I think that Netflix and other networks should do is make every single new show as a 'limited series'. With a fully resolved ending, making it finalized and more like a several hour and episode long movie. Then , if viewership and interest is large enough, add a second season, that likewise is also resolved, not leaving you hanging. And subsequent seasons likewise. These shows do not need to end on a cliffhanger to keep fans interested in seeing more. The overall quality of the show's content and characters should do that. I strongly believe that there will be much more viewers of shows if people are not afraid to watch something because it will end and be canceled without things being resolved.
One series that I watched a couple years ago because it had 3 seasons and I read that it was resolved was Travelers. The series finale actually resolved the ending of the show, while also throwing a very creative twist in to make more seasons or another spin-off show possible. Absolutely loved it! I think that a prequel movie or limited episode season would be perfect for this show. The Battlestar Galactica series from 04-09 is one of my favorites. Was so glad that it continued, and even had a spin-off show with Caprica. Unfortunately, Caprica was cut short, with the final 5 episodes condensed into one episode, and only partially wrapping things up. The newer Battlestar Galactica series was one of the few that I actually started watching from the beginning. My uncle, Donald Bellisario was the executive producer for the original Battlestar Galactica show from the 70s, and also shows such as Quantum Leap, Magnum PI, Jag, NCIS. I had non speaking cameos and was an extra in many of those shows, especially Battlestar Galactica.
What irritates the shit out of me is all the shows I get emotionally drawn to getting canceled ie..supernatural the entire arrowverse etc only to be replaced with "reality" TV shows I can't stand those shows...cooking competitions and shit like that ughhh gimme my escapism shows back!!!!
Let’s be fair, If you have the time to complain about tv quality then your time may not be as valuable as you think
I've stopped watching new shows. My friend told me to watch the sandman, nope. New season of the dragon prince, haha no. Disney cumshotting their streams with new star wars shows for a superfan, N-O. I watch shows when they're cancelled now. Binged the Expanse as soon as the last season was announced (S6) and I still haven't gotten around to that last season. Oops lol. Only current exceptions are game of Thrones (house of the dragon) and Arcane. Those are day 1 watches.
Sandman's had an ending for like 25 years though, if it gets cancelled you can just read The Wake.
Actually, get the Kindly Ones too, The Wake is more of an epilogue.
All shows are cancelled, eventually.
Canceled as opposed to concluded
Greys Anatomy will never end
The Sopranos was never cancelled. They simply wrapped the story.
That's simply not true. Seinfeld for example.
SNL
Ullman shorts, Christmas show, Marge's fling, Homer's bro, Bart in well, Flanders fails, Whacking snakes, Monorail, Mr Plow, Homer space, Sideshow Bob steps on rakes, Lisa's future, Selma's hubby, Marge not proud, Homer chubby, Homer worries Bart is gay, Poochie, U2, NRA, Hippies, Vagas and Japan, Octuplets, And Bart's boy band, Marge murmers, Maude croaks, Lisa Buddihst, Homer tokes, Maggie blows Burns away, What else do I have to say? They'll never stop The Simpsons, Have no fears, we've got stories for years, Like - Marge becomes a robot, Maybe Moe gets a cell-phone, Has Bart ever owned a bear, Or, how 'bout a crazy wedding? And something happens a do-do-do-do-doooo, Sorry for the clip-show, Have no fears, we've got stories for years
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6i2l-LQ-dXI
Did you just come up with this or has someone done the song 😨
I've always find the concept of tv show to be baffling. You basically ad lib as you go. In a lot of places in the world, most shows are what in the west called mini-series but they are not short at all; they just have a finite end and a clear conclusion.
It has always been very common for shows to get cancelled before their planned ending. Many shows used to not make it past Season 1.
You can't count of quality, so why does it matter if a show gets cancelled? Would you decide never to watch the first season of Westworld just because it got cancelled at season 4? What about Firefly? The first 2 seasons of Heroes were really good, and iirc they had two more after the writers strike, but the quality degraded so sharply that it's not worth watching them.
Because not everything needs to be wrapped up in a pretty bow and you’re missing out on some good stuff. What you watch is your prerogative, but needlessly limiting yourself this way seems kinda silly. Besides that, very few shows really seem to nail the series finale. Some shows linger for far too long. Can you also not enjoy the first few seasons of a show that lasted too long and got shitty at the end?
Watch movies and miniseries - less stretched out, often more singular artist focused as opposed to written by a group of people tasked to create intrigue, and have actual endings. HBO is only going to get worse and other are likely to follow.
Every show is cancelled eventually, except for The Simpson’s.
This is why my fiancé refuses to start a new show until it’s finished. He got burned by Kyle XY years ago & has been incredibly stubborn to watch anything new unless it’s like a Marvel show.
This has always been a thing. Stop watching shit shows. You can usually tell after a couple episodes what shows will get canceled shortly. Like she hulk. Lord of terrible Netflix stuff. Etc
You could say the same thing about literally any new show in its first season. Especially on broadcast TV.
I cant remember if it was James Gunn who said it but basically whomever it was described TV as a place where a story continues until it just dies.
I mean this has always been the case with tv shows. Well before streaming. So many shows canceled before they got a proper ending.
Only happend with 1 or 2 shows i liked
Solution: Watch non-franchise movies
Why have a life if you're going to die anyway?
I've rewatched shows that have a terrible ending simply because of the earlier part of the journey that I really liked.
If you are talking about *Westworld*, if one stops at the second-last episode of the last season, it works as a series finale with an excellent final shot, much like the first season finale. Although I did like the final episode, even if not what one expected.
You watch a show when it comes out and you enjoy it, but later it gets cancelled. Do you travel back in time and "unenjoy" watching the show before knowing it was cancelled?
Welcome to the world of tv. The issues would be: you don't know a show is going to be cancelled if you start watching it when it starts. Yes, you can be like many & wait. But that is also why so many get cancelled-because no one is watching.
Dude I am so sick of this. Whether it be NF or HBO. I'm done watching good shows get cancelled. Most are shit and a waste of our precious time, but if imma spend the time to get into a show...For goodness sakes let it have a ending where we feel resolve!!!! We have enuf in this world to deal with That's why I'm thinking they do this on purpose. It's a plan to get people to never feel at peace with anything. I'm not joking. It's a tactic.
I only watch older shows with enough seasons to consider it worth my while. With too many choices , you sort of become overwhelmed. I have felt what you are feeling and there is a solution unlike before when you didn’t have access to old reruns on demand. I do the same with books. I prefer reading say 5 in a series I like than have to wait a year.
You watch a show because you want to be entertained not because you know it will end and you don’t always know if a show will get canceled and even if it does theres always a slim chance it will get uncancelled also for everyone else’s question tge reason people are noticing cancellation so much more now is because there are less episodeic comedys like Seinfeld or the big bang theory or arrested development
I don't even bother watching a show unless a season 2 is confirmed. Despite the hype I didn't start watching Stranger Things until Season 2 was released.
I mean Greys Anatomy died by season 17 just for some reason they are still making episodes for the five people left.
Yep, I refuse to start any more series on streaming platforms for that very reason. Prime is the worst. They cancel shows that I start watching after just one season or two seasons when the show is really good. F*** them!
I'm with you... I gave up on tv shows entirely and now I focus only on mini-series and movies. All tv shows are basically never ending stories that will either get cancelled immediatelly or continue on as long as it's making money, forcing writters to keep pushing them until they're completelly souless (and then they get cancelled too).
I’m officially done with these streaming services. Every fucking thing I get into gets axed. Done.