# shows you loved but only had one season vs shows that drag on forever **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 29, 2016, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-you-loved-but-only-had-one-season-vs-shows-that-drag-on-forever/764442 "2016-08-29T23:18:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-you-loved-but-only-had-one-season-vs-shows-that-drag-on-forever/764442/41 "2016-08-30T19:02:28Z")
Well, “Firefly,” of course. A show that could have evolved through ten seasons. Vs. “The Good Wife,” a three-ep miniseries that refused to die for seven long, repetitious seasons of sulky RBF. Jesus, I don’t think anything on earth could have made that woman happy. “Carnivale” was two seasons but technically only Book 1 of three. That one I sorely miss having all of. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-you-loved-but-only-had-one-season-vs-shows-that-drag-on-forever/764442/42 "2016-08-30T20:04:49Z")
Pig Sty. There was this funny guy that had to live in a walk in closet with the dog. Cancelled after one season. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-you-loved-but-only-had-one-season-vs-shows-that-drag-on-forever/764442/43 "2016-08-30T21:56:55Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > \*\*[Quark\*\*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quark_(TV_series)) > > \*\*[Captain Nice\*\*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Nice) > > \*\*[Mr. Terrific\*\*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Terrific_(TV_series)) > > \*\*[The Good Guys\*\*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Good_Guys_(1968_TV_series)) > > Classic comedy gold (at least to my 10 year old self for the earliest examples) and done too soon. **Qadgop** , “The Good Guys” ran two seasons. I STILL REMEMBER THE THEME SONG!! MAKE IT STOP!!! I’m a good guy, hey, you’re another one, too. Oh, my brain hurts. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-you-loved-but-only-had-one-season-vs-shows-that-drag-on-forever/764442/44 "2016-08-30T22:24:44Z")
I would say **The Paper Chase** , I know Showtime did make more episodes but that was many years later. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-you-loved-but-only-had-one-season-vs-shows-that-drag-on-forever/764442/45 "2016-08-30T22:30:42Z")
Before Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Edgar Wright hit it big with Shawn of the Dead, they made an absolutely brilliant and hilarious British show called “[Spaced](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaced)”. It ran for 2 serieseses, BUT there was only 14 total episodes. I highly advise everyone who likes those 3 to go find and watch all 14 episodes. ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-you-loved-but-only-had-one-season-vs-shows-that-drag-on-forever/764442/46 "2016-08-30T22:42:14Z")
I didn’t give it a chance at first because I was bored to death with the “kooky civilian for some unlikely reason helps straight-laced cop solve case of the week” procedurals. But Limitless was actually a decent show. Every other show with that formula, from Castle to The Mentalist, shouldn’t have lasted as long as they did. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-you-loved-but-only-had-one-season-vs-shows-that-drag-on-forever/764442/47 "2016-08-30T23:40:38Z")
No one’s mentioned “Journeyman” yet. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-you-loved-but-only-had-one-season-vs-shows-that-drag-on-forever/764442/48 "2016-08-31T00:18:01Z")
> [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser](#): > > I didn’t give it a chance at first because I was bored to death with the “kooky civilian for some unlikely reason helps straight-laced cop solve case of the week” procedurals. But Limitless was actually a decent show. > > Every other show with that formula, from Castle to The Mentalist, shouldn’t have lasted as long as they did. I didn’t watch it regularly, but _Forever_ seemed like a good series in this genre. And therefore it only lasted a single season. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-you-loved-but-only-had-one-season-vs-shows-that-drag-on-forever/764442/49 "2016-08-31T00:41:00Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > No one’s mentioned “Journeyman” yet. > [@D\_Odds](#): > > My top 5 one season wonders (in no particular order), excluding _Firefly_: > > 1. _No Ordinary Family_ > 2. _Flashforward_ > 3. _The Tick_ > 4. _The Cape_ > 5. _Terriers_ > Honorable Mention: _Journeyman_, _John Doe_, _Freaks & Geeks_, _Almost Human_, _Action_ > > Lots of shows go on ‘forever’ that I’ve no interest in. That said, _Married with Children_ is still my all-time favorite sitcom. From this point on, your opinion on any and every subject is suspect and likely very, very, very wrong. :dubious: 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-you-loved-but-only-had-one-season-vs-shows-that-drag-on-forever/764442/50 "2016-08-31T01:21:34Z")
I enjoyed “Trophy Wife” and “Surviving Jack”. Breaking the rules a bit “Happy Endings”. Loved that show. ---
**Author:** ![IT\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3ec8ea/32.png) [@IT\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IT_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-you-loved-but-only-had-one-season-vs-shows-that-drag-on-forever/764442/51 "2016-08-31T16:00:51Z")
[Q.E.D. (Quentin E. Deverill)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q.E.D._(U.S._TV_series)); lasted one month, six episodes.☹ Was going to mention [That Was The Week That Was (TW3)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That_Was_the_Week_That_Was), but it appears to have lasted a season and a half. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-you-loved-but-only-had-one-season-vs-shows-that-drag-on-forever/764442/52 "2016-08-31T16:35:01Z")
“The Highwayman” with Aussie footballer Jacko Jackson as the sidekick. 10 episodes on NBC in '87 then abruptly gone. SNL has been Saturday Night Lame for at least two decades now. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-you-loved-but-only-had-one-season-vs-shows-that-drag-on-forever/764442/53 "2016-08-31T16:56:06Z")
“Under One Roof”: six episodes on CBS in '95 with James Earl Jones as the grandfather, for which he received an Emmy nomination. Has there ever been a successful drama with a predominately black cast in this country? ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-you-loved-but-only-had-one-season-vs-shows-that-drag-on-forever/764442/54 "2016-08-31T21:02:50Z")
> [@TCMF-2L](#): > > **Justified** lasted six seasons and coincidentally I am finishing the sixth season right now. > > I like the show, the characters, the language and the basic world they have constructed. For me the biggest weakness is the lack of a clear story arc. In the end it boils down to a Raylon versus Boyd feud. Quite honestly I didn’t realise they hated each other so. I probably wasn’t paying enough attention. > > TCMF-2L I continue watching because I find both Timothy Olyphant and Walton Goggins hypnotically fascinating actors. I also don’t find there is a compelling nor clear story arc, but I’ll finish the series just for these two characters. Olyphant was also the chief reason I finished _Deadwood_. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-you-loved-but-only-had-one-season-vs-shows-that-drag-on-forever/764442/55 "2016-08-31T21:07:14Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > Before Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Edgar Wright hit it big with Shawn of the Dead, they made an absolutely brilliant and hilarious British show called “[Spaced](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaced)”. It ran for 2 serieseses, BUT there was only 14 total episodes. I highly advise everyone who likes those 3 to go find and watch all 14 episodes. This is one of my favorite Britcoms! Did you also like _Black Books_? (I think this is the title – it’s about a misanthropic bookstore owner). _Green Wing_ is also a truly funny, surreal series. IMHO, though there are many British series I could watch for multiple seasons, there is something to be said for having just two or three short seasons and ending before its milked to death like American series tend to do. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2016, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-you-loved-but-only-had-one-season-vs-shows-that-drag-on-forever/764442/56 "2016-09-01T00:43:29Z")
> [@beagledave](#): > > [Life](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_(NBC_TV_series)) Maybe it’s a problem with shows based on Eastern mysticism, but as much as I loved **Life** and **My Name Is Earl** , they both seemed to go off the rails by season two. Then there’s the show that started the grousing about short-lived sci-fi: Star Trek. I know it got three seasons, but I wish Veronica Mars had gotten a longer run. And let’s not forget, the original “Flash” with John Wesley Shipp. I dunno about **Supernatural** going on too long. Yeah, I stopped watching _years_ ago, but I can’t say it got worse. I just got tired of the plots repeating. Here’s a controversial pick - **Buffy the Vampire Slayer.** Should have ended when she died. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2016, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-you-loved-but-only-had-one-season-vs-shows-that-drag-on-forever/764442/57 "2016-09-01T02:31:40Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > Maybe it’s a problem with shows based on Eastern mysticism, but as much as I loved **Life** and **My Name Is Earl** , they both seemed to go off the rails by season two. Life only had 2 seasons. > [@](#): > > I know it got three seasons, but I wish Veronica Mars had gotten a longer run. At least there was a movie. > [@](#): > > Here’s a controversial pick - **Buffy the Vampire Slayer.** Should have ended when she died. Which time? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2016, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-you-loved-but-only-had-one-season-vs-shows-that-drag-on-forever/764442/58 "2016-09-01T04:12:58Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > This is one of my favorite Britcoms! Did you also like _Black Books_? (I think this is the title – it’s about a misanthropic bookstore owner). _Green Wing_ is also a truly funny, surreal series. Black Books is pretty good, but I do find that while I like the characters on it, it was not all that well written. IT Crowd was Graham Linnean’s superior show. Dylan Moran, however, is a great comedian. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_John_Marcej)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2016, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-you-loved-but-only-had-one-season-vs-shows-that-drag-on-forever/764442/59 "2016-09-01T04:18:28Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Black Books is pretty good, but I do find that while I like the characters on it, it was not all that well written. IT Crowd was Graham Linnean’s superior show. > > Dylan Moran, however, is a great comedian. Anyone here ever see **The Smoking Room**? (I was going to include it here but noticed they had 2 seasons) I loved the concept, every episode taking place only in one room (we never leave it the entire series) and the characters come and go (to smoke) and to get involved in conversations. I remember seeing it WAAAAYYYYY back when BBC America used to air BBC shows. ---
**Author:** ![stosh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@stosh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stosh)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2016, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-you-loved-but-only-had-one-season-vs-shows-that-drag-on-forever/764442/60 "2016-09-01T18:49:42Z")
I have “police squad” and “fawlty towers” on DVD and they still make me laugh. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-you-loved-but-only-had-one-season-vs-shows-that-drag-on-forever/764442.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-you-loved-but-only-had-one-season-vs-shows-that-drag-on-forever/764442.md?page=4)