Master Nairb
Member
Arrested Development: Season 4 is just ... Yep ... You know ... I can't bring myself to say it.
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TV Shows That Were On Far Too Long
- Thread starter MormaPope
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The Librarian
Banned
I haven't seen Arrested Development (I'll eventually get around to watching the first three seasons), but I was always weary of the idea of people wanting it to be brought back. Shows that have been cancelled and then got permission to air again due to popular opinion don't exactly have a great track record of being as good as before they went off the air.
Rhomega Beta
Member
Babylon 5 didn't need a fifth season.
Escape Goat
Member
Heroes
The Office
X-Files
Star Trek Voyager
The Office
X-Files
Star Trek Voyager
ThisWreckage
Banned
Mad Men. Possibly the most nuanced one note show on television. I personally felt like the quality peaked around season three and it's been a slow descent sense then. Maybe Weiner is so meta that the show is mirroring Don Draper's fall. That's what obsessive, blind fans would have you to believe, anyway.
Freeza Under The Shower
Member
the fourth season was actually getting a bit better though. At least the Robert Knepper plotline.
the sheer jump in writing quality with the one episode Fuller wrote in later seasons does illustrate just how much worse the other writers are / were though. Can't believe I stuck with that show.
There is one thing I do appreciate about it: the bad writing provides ample material for knowing what NOT to write or do should you want to.
PaleFolklore
Member
Weeds, Dexter, Supernatural, House, Fringe I think are the worst offenders.
Aside from one or two duds, the new Futurama seasons are great.
KeeSomething
Banned
Season 7 was a step back in the right direction, and it sets up for the final upcoming season. I recommend it.
acheron_xl
Member
M*A*S*H
Went on at least 5 years too long.
Went on at least 5 years too long.
ThoseDeafMutes
Member
Do it asap.
The Power Of Snap
Member
Everything on fox sunday night.
Messypandas
Member
I've been watching Married with Children reruns on VH1 classic for the last few months. I didn't really see much of it when it was still running. I just saw the later seasons. The more I watch of it, the more I wish it had ended around the time Steve left. The show got way too cartoonish near the end and they ruined the characters.
TheAbsolution
Member
Bob's Burgers and American Dad would like to have a word with you.
The problem that I find with showtime shows are that most of them start out being lighthearted but then try to shoehorn in some real drama or a change in location then get worse after that.
24 should have ended after Season 5. Season 7 was okay, but everything else was pretty much junk.
Dexter should have ended after Season 4. S4 was really good, but that ending essentially destroyed the series. S5 was so bad I stopped watching it completely.
The Office got absurdly bad. I don't even remember the last season I watched. I think the season before Michael left, whenever that was. It just got to be unbearable. It should have ended when Jim and Pam got married.
Dexter should have ended after Season 4. S4 was really good, but that ending essentially destroyed the series. S5 was so bad I stopped watching it completely.
The Office got absurdly bad. I don't even remember the last season I watched. I think the season before Michael left, whenever that was. It just got to be unbearable. It should have ended when Jim and Pam got married.
Broder Salsa
Banned
Dexter. Fuck me, stop it.
TAJ
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Wat. She was the worst thing about the show.
You're right about The Simpsons, though.
dead souls
Member
andthebeatgoeson
Junior Member
Thought I was going to be the first to mention 24. Was such a drag by the last season I have no desire to watch the seasons I missed and bought on DVD.
It'll be fine. There's lots of good stuff in both those books, especially AFFC. The TV show can cut out the boring bits.
Well it's coming back next summer for a limited season of 12 episodes, so you just have to join in on the GAF episode threads!
Season 8 gave us one of the greatest fanservice moments ever in the series, so it was of more value than 6 for sure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-iDguioxV8
Seriously, the series is at its best when it focuses on Jack being the unstoppable mofo that he is.
Dexter and Weeds are definitely at the top of my list. I have a feeling Homeland will be on the list too; the first season was great, but the second season just sort of feels like it's trying to keep the ball rolling without really knowing how. I don't see much point in having a third season, hopefully it will be their last because she show has been on the ramp for a while and all it takes is one gentle push to be over shark-infested waters.
Edit: Fuck, Simpsons too. By a lot. Family Guy too, I remember hearing Seth McFarlane is sick of the show and is trying to purposely push Fox as much as he can to end it.
I'd agree, except The Tudors ran pretty much exactly as long as it needed to, giving plenty of time for the majority of major characters and events without dragging them out.
Definitely the exception to the rule, though.
Edit: Fuck, Simpsons too. By a lot. Family Guy too, I remember hearing Seth McFarlane is sick of the show and is trying to purposely push Fox as much as he can to end it.
I'd agree, except The Tudors ran pretty much exactly as long as it needed to, giving plenty of time for the majority of major characters and events without dragging them out.
Definitely the exception to the rule, though.
Deified Data
Banned
How was this not the first post?
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
Dexter's problems weren't that it went on too long, it's problems were that it's writers would constantly shit the bed, be afraid to take risks, and would have great premises that they couldn't execute well.
"Nebraska" could have been an entire season and the Dexter writers are flat out morons for wasting so much potential on what was a pointless, one-off episode.
The Simpsons
The Office
Californication
Dexter
Entourage
It's Always Sunny (I assume, as I haven't watched it in like 6 years)
Prison Break
Family Guy
Futurama
24
House
The Sopranos ended fine but should have completely cut out season 5 - and condensed the first half of season 6 - on its way to getting there.
Homeland went on too long once it was renewed.
You not liking a tv show? I'm shocked.
The Office
Californication
Dexter
Entourage
It's Always Sunny (I assume, as I haven't watched it in like 6 years)
Prison Break
Family Guy
Futurama
24
House
The Sopranos ended fine but should have completely cut out season 5 - and condensed the first half of season 6 - on its way to getting there.
Homeland went on too long once it was renewed.
You not liking a tv show? I'm shocked.
I just started watching Weeds on Netflix, halfway through season 2 and I'm really liking it, but just looking at all the future episodes I have no idea how they could possibly keep the show interesting for so long. I'm hoping to get 3 solid seasons out of it.
I've also started to watch Buffy since I hear good things and gawd damn, it's a lot, I'm guessing it runs into the same problem?
I've also started to watch Buffy since I hear good things and gawd damn, it's a lot, I'm guessing it runs into the same problem?
Doctor Decimate
Member
Scrubs. and i'm not even referring to the 9th season thing, the show should've been maybe five or six at most. though each one besides 7 has quite a few highlights, so there's really no point where i'd say "cut it here", either.
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
A perfect example.
turnbuckle
Member
Weeds should've ended after three seasons.
Scrubs should've ended after maybe 4 or 5 at the most.
The Office - I stopped watching around season 5 and that was going on too long for me by then.
Dexter - if we chopped off the 5th and 6th seasons, kept the 7th and ended it with the 8th it would be fine. Season 5 and 6 really killed the show; season 7 was excellent for the most part but the two previous seasons took away so much of the suspense.
Scrubs should've ended after maybe 4 or 5 at the most.
The Office - I stopped watching around season 5 and that was going on too long for me by then.
Dexter - if we chopped off the 5th and 6th seasons, kept the 7th and ended it with the 8th it would be fine. Season 5 and 6 really killed the show; season 7 was excellent for the most part but the two previous seasons took away so much of the suspense.
Henchmen21
Banned
I'd agree with that but change it to when Bud hits college/Kelly's acting career.
walkmetothelake
Banned
Just curious but without too many spoilers where would you have preferred for it to end? I'm currently making my way through the series and am in season 6. The only season I didn't really like was 4. The finale of 5 could've been a decent stopping place still.
I'd say outside of Season 6, they all had their moments. It's just that when you compare them to the first few seasons there is clearly a drop in quality. But yeah, I might join in on that thread when the new mini season begins. I'm actually fairly excited for it! Even though not doing the whole 24 hour thing goes against what 24 is all about, I think it'll actually work in the show's favor and be a tighter season. Here is to hoping anyway!
And yes, that clip you posted made Season 8 so worth it. Logan made Season 8 worth it too. God I love Logan.
Dexter Spoilers:
Exactly;
the idea that he finally gives in completely to his Dark Passenger and abandons Harry's Code is a great direction for the show to take. On the heels of a great Season 4, exploring themes of fatherhood (dealing with both Dexter's own offspring and adopting Lithgow's character as a fatherly mentor), jumping into what happens when that father figure disappears should have been a no-brainer.
The fact that his "good side", depicted externally as his father, disappears and is replaced by his brother (who was essentially Dexter without his father's guidance) was rich for exploration. It set the stage for a completely internal struggle, played out by external characters; a triangular struggle between Dexter, Harry and Brian. The two sides fighting for Dexter's soul while a more realistic, drawn-out response to Rita's Death (seriously, it took them all of two episodes to sweep that under the rug) carries on around him? Could have been amazing.
It also helps that eery time James Remar is in a scene, the show gets better.
The fact that his "good side", depicted externally as his father, disappears and is replaced by his brother (who was essentially Dexter without his father's guidance) was rich for exploration. It set the stage for a completely internal struggle, played out by external characters; a triangular struggle between Dexter, Harry and Brian. The two sides fighting for Dexter's soul while a more realistic, drawn-out response to Rita's Death (seriously, it took them all of two episodes to sweep that under the rug) carries on around him? Could have been amazing.
It also helps that eery time James Remar is in a scene, the show gets better.
Buffy should have stopped after season 5. Season 6 is problematic but at least tries whereas season 7 is just lazy, burnt-out writing.
NYR
Member
Maybe one season, let's face it, season 4 was likely the best season of TV EVER, so it was going to fall no matter what.
RatskyWatsky
Hunky Nostradamus
Homeland.
John Rabbit
Banned
buffy. should have ended with season 5 even though its a completely shit ending. everything after is fan service-y bullshit and meandering plot lines.
Seraphis Cain
bad gameplay lol
Without S7 of Buffy we might not have gotten Spike in Angel. I'm okay with it just for that alone.
Byakuya769
Member
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