# Shows that need to stop beating the old horse and put her out to pasture
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-need-to-stop-beating-the-old-horse-and-put-her-out-to-pasture/590660
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [July 28, 2011, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-need-to-stop-beating-the-old-horse-and-put-her-out-to-pasture/590660 "2011-07-28T19:44:15Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2011, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-need-to-stop-beating-the-old-horse-and-put-her-out-to-pasture/590660/1 "2011-07-28T19:44:15Z")
I’m talking about shows that perhaps haven’t jumped the shark necessarily but they’re just old and need to be put out to pasture. They were once goog but now they’ve done all they can and it’s going to end badly if they keep going on.
Two for me:
**30 Rock** - I used to love it but now every episode is pretty much the same: everybody’s wacky wacky wacky and it’s all driven by their already well set and defined personalities. Tracy says something that is obviously nuts, Jack says something that is obviously ultra conservative, Liz says something that is clueless, Kenneth says something about his southern gothic upbringing, Jenna says something amazingly shallow and neurotic, and every character is completely utterly self absorbed. There’s just really no place to go with it, and if they decide to get Liz and or Jenna pregnant that would make it worse, not better. (Few shows were ever improved by a character’s pregnancy.)
**Burn Notice** - Miami is a big city, but even so, how many times can Michael realistically go undercover and infiltrate a criminal gang before he becomes recognized? How many times can he talk in an accent or strange speech pattern, befriend a paranoid crime boss, convince said crime boss to trust him, and then screw him over in the interest of the good guys at the last minute before one of the plans fails and said guy just says “Waste him”? (True, Michael’s in good shape and can take care of himself in a fight, but his house is not bazooka proof and he has to sleep sometime.)
Again, just… bow out now, you had a good run, you made a lot of money for everybody involved. I have trouble keeping interest in episodes now, let’s end it before it gets really embarrassing.
Any shows you’d add?
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### Author:  [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2011, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-need-to-stop-beating-the-old-horse-and-put-her-out-to-pasture/590660/2 "2011-07-28T19:52:06Z")
\*\*Dexter \*\*and **True Blo** od come to mind first.
\*\*Amazing Race \*\*can probably hang it up, as can \*\*Project Runway \*\*and even **Top Chef**. All too repetitive and the editing beats are easy to read at this point.
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### Author:  [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-need-to-stop-beating-the-old-horse-and-put-her-out-to-pasture/590660/3 "2011-07-28T20:10:48Z")
Chuck. Great show in its prime, but the network has been so wishy-washy that they’ve had a half dozen series finales now, any one of which would have been fine. They’ve also long outgrown the original premise, to the point that half of the characters have been irrelevant for years now, requiring incredibly awkward shoehorning to keep them in the show.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2011, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-need-to-stop-beating-the-old-horse-and-put-her-out-to-pasture/590660/4 "2011-07-28T20:15:24Z")
**Next Food Network Star** - Until they can actually scare up some, you know, potential _stars_. This year’s lot are pathetic. Start doing it \*every other \*year or so. bigger pool of chefs that can actually cook.
**CSI: Elevator Inspectors** - [xkcd](http://xkcd.com/897/)
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### Author:  [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2011, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-need-to-stop-beating-the-old-horse-and-put-her-out-to-pasture/590660/5 "2011-07-28T20:19:08Z")
I think almost any show after a few seasons if they don’t substantially change up the premise, or the actors. I think X-Files went on too long and I love X-Files. Now Doctor Who is on its sixth season but they’ve had three main actors so it feels more like there was three shows, with one at one season, one at four, and one at two so far.
But I am a big proponent of having shows end after a certain point.
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### Author:  [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2011, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-need-to-stop-beating-the-old-horse-and-put-her-out-to-pasture/590660/6 "2011-07-28T20:20:23Z")
It’s the DVR test for me. How many days recorded shows just sit there before I watch them. I agree with **Burn Notice** for all the reasons above.
Others:
**Rescue Me** has been on fumes for a while now. They’re barely in the firehouse at all anymore.
**Deadliest Catch**. Hate to say it, but I think I’ve reached my limit on this one.
**Pawn Stars**. Still interesting, but I can’t get past the obvious and insulting “Subway” vignettes.
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### Author:  [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2011, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-need-to-stop-beating-the-old-horse-and-put-her-out-to-pasture/590660/7 "2011-07-28T20:20:26Z")
**House.** People complain about the formula, but part of why the first few seasons worked so well is that people \*liked \*the formula. Weird disease, House acts like House, tries a few things that fail, then has a flash of insight based on something totally unrelated (usually a Wilson comment) and brilliantly solves the puzzle.
Ever since they started paying more attention to the personal lives of the characters than the medical mysteries, it’s just been trundling slowly downhill. This season it ran off a cliff.
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### Author:  [@Mr.Greenjeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Greenjeans)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2011, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-need-to-stop-beating-the-old-horse-and-put-her-out-to-pasture/590660/8 "2011-07-28T20:25:33Z")
Isn’t **The Simpsons** the poster child for this thread?
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2011, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-need-to-stop-beating-the-old-horse-and-put-her-out-to-pasture/590660/9 "2011-07-28T20:25:44Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#):
>
> \*\*Dexter \*\*and **True Blo** od come to mind first.
If Dexter ended this year, I think it would be perfect. It started off with a bang, had a great run and would end on a high note.
True Blood OTOH, can’t really end now. There’s so much stupid crap going on right now. I mean, I suppose they could tie up all the loose ends and be done with it, but I’m really hoping they kill off a good chunk of the characters and get back to what they’re good at. This could be the season that we just pretend never happened.
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### Author:  [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-need-to-stop-beating-the-old-horse-and-put-her-out-to-pasture/590660/10 "2011-07-28T20:28:57Z")
> [@Infovore](#):
>
> Ever since they started paying more attention to the personal lives of the characters than the medical mysteries, it’s just been trundling slowly downhill. This season it ran off a cliff.
This happens to all hour-long TV dramas, with the notable exception of Law & Order: eventually the soap opera shit takes over and the series takes a nosedive.
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### Author:  [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2011, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-need-to-stop-beating-the-old-horse-and-put-her-out-to-pasture/590660/11 "2011-07-28T20:54:57Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#):
>
> If Dexter ended this year, I think it would be perfect. It started off with a bang, had a great run and would end on a high note.
It would be better if every season weren’t the same basic arc: While stalking another serial killer Dexter meets somebody he thinks he can spend the rest of his life killing people with. This year I’m curious to see how he and his real life ex-wife play off each other.
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### Author:  [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2011, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-need-to-stop-beating-the-old-horse-and-put-her-out-to-pasture/590660/12 "2011-07-28T20:56:32Z")
I disagree about _Burn Notice_. Not that I disagree with the logic; in real life, Michael would be a notorious Miami pariah by now! But the acting, dialog, schemes, scenery, and Michael’s little accents/personas are still so good that I can willingly suspend a little disbelief about that.
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### Author:  [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2011, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-need-to-stop-beating-the-old-horse-and-put-her-out-to-pasture/590660/13 "2011-07-28T21:01:48Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#):
>
> \*\*Amazing Race \*\*can probably hang it up, as can \*\*Project Runway \*\*and even **Top Chef**. All too repetitive and the editing beats are easy to read at this point.
**America’s Next Top Model** seems a parody of itself with its track record of producing models anyone sees again after their obligatory Covergirl commercial. I suppose calling it “Tyra Wastes Some Young Women’s Time For A Season” wouldn’t fly.
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### Author:  [@audit1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audit1)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2011, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-need-to-stop-beating-the-old-horse-and-put-her-out-to-pasture/590660/14 "2011-07-28T21:05:31Z")
**NCIS** I love the show, but it is time to end the run before it is too late.
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### Author:  [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2011, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-need-to-stop-beating-the-old-horse-and-put-her-out-to-pasture/590660/15 "2011-07-28T21:05:33Z")
> [@Morbo](#):
>
> **Pawn Stars**. Still interesting, but I can’t get past the obvious and insulting “Subway” vignettes.
I’m going to have to call in a buddy to take a look at this one.
It’s as predictable as Law & Order became.
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### Author:  [@audit1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audit1)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2011, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-need-to-stop-beating-the-old-horse-and-put-her-out-to-pasture/590660/16 "2011-07-28T21:10:16Z")
**MYTHBUSTERS** is close to running out of myths and things to blow up.
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### Author:  [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2011, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-need-to-stop-beating-the-old-horse-and-put-her-out-to-pasture/590660/17 "2011-07-28T21:19:37Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#):
>
> I disagree about _Burn Notice_. Not that I disagree with the logic; in real life, Michael would be a notorious Miami pariah by now! But the acting, dialog, schemes, scenery, and Michael’s little accents/personas are still so good that I can willingly suspend a little disbelief about that.
I think it might benefit by transitioning from a weekly hour long series into a occasional two hour (or more) movies.
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### Author:  [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2011, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-need-to-stop-beating-the-old-horse-and-put-her-out-to-pasture/590660/18 "2011-07-28T21:23:21Z")
> [@silenus](#):
>
> **Next Food Network Star** - Until they can actually scare up some, you know, potential _stars_. This year’s lot are pathetic. Start doing it \*every other \*year or so. bigger pool of chefs that can actually cook.
Apparently this year’s [Justin Balmes](http://www.foodnetwork.com/justin-balmes-overview-page/package/index.html) was a fantastic cook, and he’s hot. But would YOU watch his sorry ass on TV telling you about it? And [Penny](http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2011/06/food-nextwork-star-meet-penny-davidi-of-los-angeles-.html)’s food was apparently as delicious as her attitude was bitchy. I would have screamed bloody murder if she had won.
I love the _process_ of it, (and I can’t explain it but I love Bob & Susie) but the contestants are almost always pretty weak, in my opinion. I don’t know if they just suck at picking people to begin with, or if the talent pool is really that crappy. This is year seven, and the only star to emerge is Year Two’s Fieri. (I wanted Reggie, although I think Fieri obviously turned out to be the right choice, in a huge way. Gotta love [this guy](http://www.chefnathanlyon.com/), too: I met him at my local farmer’s market a few times, and he was absolutely determined to end up with his own show, and he DID!)
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### Author:  [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2011, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-need-to-stop-beating-the-old-horse-and-put-her-out-to-pasture/590660/19 "2011-07-28T21:32:14Z")
> [@Smeghead](#):
>
> Chuck. Great show in its prime, but the network has been so wishy-washy that they’ve had a half dozen series finales now, any one of which would have been fine. They’ve also long outgrown the original premise, to the point that half of the characters have been irrelevant for years now, requiring incredibly awkward shoehorning to keep them in the show.
You realize that next season will be the last.
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### Author:  [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2011, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-that-need-to-stop-beating-the-old-horse-and-put-her-out-to-pasture/590660/20 "2011-07-28T22:31:30Z")
**Weeds** has become a caricature of itself, and excepting Andy, none of the characters are likeable or intriguing. I am actually rooting for Nancy to get caught and go back to prison at this point.
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