# TV Shows That Just Collapsed At The End **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 20, 2008, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-just-collapsed-at-the-end/464399 "2008-09-20T02:58:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2008, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-just-collapsed-at-the-end/464399/61 "2008-09-22T17:34:31Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > _The Real Ghostbusters_. What had been a fairly erudite cartoon drawing material from a wide variety of mythological sources became, irredeemably, a kid’s show. Next time you’re in Charlotte, you’ve got a beer comin’ to you. ---
**Author:** ![ArrMatey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrmatey/32/3522_2.png) [@ArrMatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArrMatey)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2008, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-just-collapsed-at-the-end/464399/62 "2008-09-22T17:56:23Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Carnivale. And I’d have to disagree, especially as it was a set-up for a pre-planned six seasons. The first two seasons were, I believe, intended as a prequel, to be followed by two more two-season plot lines with the ultimate result being the equivalent of a trilogy of novels. Sadly declining viewership combined with high production costs ( large cast, location shooting ) scuttled them. To add to this explaination: Knauff had pitched the show to HBO as a single season, single-storyline sort-of thing. The guys at HBO, assuming it would be a hit, told him they wanted him to stretch it out to six seasons. So, stretch he did, and then after season 2 it got the axe. Having read some of the ‘upcoming’ mythology that was supposed to be revealed afterwords, I’d really wished Knauff could’ve finished the story. As it is, I tell everyone that I get to watch it, “Cut out the last 7 minutes of season 2, and it works as a somewhat incomplete but still interresting series.” ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2008, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-just-collapsed-at-the-end/464399/63 "2008-09-22T18:00:53Z")
> [@Indyellen](#): > > Actually, the story arc was written all the way through for 5 seasons. They ended up thinking they weren’t going to GET the 5th season, then they did, but Claudia Christian (Ivanova) bailed and JMS had to re-write parts of the 5th season and assign bits that were supposed to be Ivanova (and would have made more sense that way) and give them to other characters. The problems here were strictly of network management screwing up - not the writer(s) not knowing what to do. I thought that Claudia Christian left because she wanted more money in her contract but didn’t get it. And I also feel that the story lines were bad. I didn’t like the last season, not because Ivanova was gone, but because of the plots. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2008, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-just-collapsed-at-the-end/464399/64 "2008-09-22T18:07:14Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > My nomination is for **Monk** , whose arc seems to be mimicking that of the _X-Files_. The first two or three seasons were vital, fresh, and orginal (and they had an intriguing back story, just like The Syndicate back story of the X-Files), but now it’s just turned into “How many silly quirks can we show Adrian having?” and “monster of the week.” I agree. I used to love the show and now it’s showing signs of becoming downright asinine. To wit: that last episode where a hypnotized Adrian started living through a second childhood. What tripe. Afterwards, I had to watch the movie _The Man Who Wasn’t There_, specifically Shalhoub’s soliloquy about the German scientist, to remind myself what a fine actor he is. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2008, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-just-collapsed-at-the-end/464399/65 "2008-09-22T18:24:49Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > _The Real Ghostbusters_. What had been a fairly erudite cartoon drawing material from a wide variety of mythological sources became, irredeemably, a kid’s show. Oh man, I almost forgot about that show. I remember an episode wherein some loose ectoplasm (or something) congealed into ghostly dopplegangers of the ghostbusters themselves, and began chasing down the ghostbusters trying to “bust” the living. Freaked me the hell out, for some reason. Please tell me that was one of the earlier better episodes and not one of the later kiddie type episodes. -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2008, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-just-collapsed-at-the-end/464399/66 "2008-09-22T18:43:25Z")
**Miami Vice** crashed and burned pretty badly. If I remember correctly, there was a lame storyline about Crockett having amnesia and believing he was a drug lord. He also married Sheena Easton before that. ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2008, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-just-collapsed-at-the-end/464399/67 "2008-09-22T19:12:07Z")
The worst crash I can think of was the somewhat cheesy but cute **American Dreams**. Apparently it persistently suffered from low ratings and high production costs (especially licensing the music), so it was killed off. The series ended with the main character (Meg) running away to California with her stoner boyfriend that fans of the show hated. There was never any real resolution otherwise; the show just ended. I seem to recall the producers saying they begged NBC to let them wrap it up properly with another season, as they had an ending planned that would have satisfied everyone, but the show was already doomed. The stuggles continue still, as they only released the first season on DVD, and it looks like the final two may never materialize. Another random one that came to mind was a one-season wonder called **Hyperion Bay** , with Mark Paul Gosselaar. I barely remember the show now, but I recall it starting off as a charmingly understated small town type drama. Apparently that wasn’t working because about midway through the season, it did a complete 180 and turned into a Melrose Place style crazyfest. Carmen Electra was added to the cast (always a bad sign), and wild-ass sex and murder storylines flew in all directions. I don’t even remember how it ended, or if it even did properly, but man what a nosedive. **Law & Order** has been dipping its toe in the water of this thread for a while now. I still watch the show when I can, but it’s nowhere near the quality that it used to be. Especially the last season, where every episode had some horribly contrived revelation or moment that turned the case around. Example that springs to mind: The case where the guy kills his wife because he think she’s a Scientologist (or he thinks the Scientologists made him do it, I can’t recall). The trial ends up in a hung jury (due to the scary specter of Scientology being present throughout the proceedings), and he’s a free man at least for the time being. For some reason, he and his lawyer ends up in ADA Cutter’s office for a chat, at which point Cutter starts talking all creepily, insinuating that he’s a Scientologist too. The guy freaks out and takes a deal, while his lawyer sits there with his thumb up his ass. Makes sense to me! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2008, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-just-collapsed-at-the-end/464399/68 "2008-09-22T19:32:41Z")
Clearly **Farscape**. The first three seasons were first-class SF space opera. It started flagging a bit toward the end of the third season (about the time went from being Pure Evil to Sort-of-bad-but-misunderstood), but was still tolerable. The final season dropped off the cliff. They added some pretty lame characters (Noranti, especially – the only tolerable epsodes of that season were those where she didn’t appear), dumber than dirt plots (the fetus who had his father’s knowledge – I’m all for suspension of disbelief, but that’s not even good magic, let alone good science), and a penchant for believing that if you had the characters shout at each other a lot, it was a sign that there was some action to the story. It was pretty much unwatchable. I steeled myself to watch the finale, which was as bad as all the rest, with the ending just plain stupid (Instant Chrichton – just add water). ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2008, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-just-collapsed-at-the-end/464399/69 "2008-09-22T19:50:55Z")
When a show brings a new kid to replace ones that grew up and left, egads Brady Bunch and Cosby are the two biggest examples. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2008, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-just-collapsed-at-the-end/464399/70 "2008-09-22T19:53:48Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Carnivale. And I’d have to disagree, especially as it was a set-up for a pre-planned six seasons. Be that as it may, the way that it was ended was just so … crappy. ---
**Author:** ![Apocalypso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Apocalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apocalypso)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-just-collapsed-at-the-end/464399/71 "2008-09-23T00:04:48Z")
\*\*Married…With Children. \*\* In season seven they brought in a kid named Seven (appropriate enough, I guess), but apparently viewers hated him and he was quickly dropped. It was clearly a desperation move, and the show was running out of steam. The Bundys limped along a few more years before calling it quits, but I consider Seven the “jump the shark” moment in the series. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-just-collapsed-at-the-end/464399/72 "2008-09-23T00:11:23Z")
> [@Apocalypso](#): > > \*\*Married…With Children. \*\* In season seven they brought in a kid named Seven (appropriate enough, I guess), but apparently viewers hated him and he was quickly dropped. It was clearly a desperation move, and the show was running out of steam. The Bundys limped along a few more years before calling it quits, but I consider Seven the “jump the shark” moment in the series. At least the writers were able to poke fun at this later. I remember an episode where Kelly had to learn a bunch of stuff real quick, and because she was so dumb the new stuff was pushing old stuff out. They did a scene where they showed facts and figures going in one ear and random images going out the other. One of those images was of the kid who played Seven. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Prize](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d2c977/32.png) [@Sir\_Prize](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Prize)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-just-collapsed-at-the-end/464399/73 "2008-09-23T02:13:10Z")
> [@Jolly\_Roger](#): > > Has anyone mentioned Highlander: the Series? i know many people didn’t like it all, but I did. the first season was pretty lame, but it got better (at least to me) after Tessa died. Then it got downright stupid by the last season. Yeah I got into the series right after Tessa died. It was a great series. When I finally saw the movie that inspired it I was disappointed. The last season did go downhill though. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-just-collapsed-at-the-end/464399/74 "2008-09-23T04:34:47Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > When a show brings a new kid to replace ones that grew up and left, egads > Brady Bunch and Cosby are the two biggest examples. Yeah, 'cause the Brady Bunch was actually good at one point. Oh, wait… 😉 **CSI** is drastically threatening to do it, or maybe already has. There’s room for debate. Character development is all well and good, but they’re starting to drift away from what made the show good in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-just-collapsed-at-the-end/464399/75 "2008-09-23T08:28:15Z")
**Roswell** on the WB. That’s right…I said it. Season One and two were good for a teen drama. Good chemistry, mature themes, mature relationships, but nothing got too serious. In a startling development most kids actually have very functional relationships with their parents. Then the WB drops the show after Season Two and it gets picked up by UPN. Season Three opens up with two of the main characters in biker gear committing armed robbery with an assault rifle. :smack: After seeing every single episode for two seasons, we watched the first episode on UPN and never tuned in again. ---
**Author:** ![Coil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Coil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coil)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-just-collapsed-at-the-end/464399/76 "2008-09-23T08:39:23Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > ST:TNG–the last season seemed to feautre every main and most supporting characters starring in a single episode in which they went nuts. No real season arc or anything. Does any other season really have an arc? My problem with TNG is that there is so little connection between various episode. Apart from a few double episodes it seems to me like they start fresh every episode. The only longer storylines I can recall are the Borg. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2008, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-just-collapsed-at-the-end/464399/77 "2008-09-23T12:49:32Z")
> [@Coil](#): > > Does any other season really have an arc? My problem with TNG is that there is so little connection between various episode. Apart from a few double episodes it seems to me like they start fresh every episode. The only longer storylines I can recall are the Borg. AIUI, it was basically a requirement in writing the show that they had to have a reset button at the end of every episode. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![akrako1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@akrako1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akrako1)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-just-collapsed-at-the-end/464399/78 "2008-09-24T21:13:57Z")
Another sign of a collapsing show is the desperate addition of a new cast member in the hopes that they will reinvigorate or save a dying show… typically an annoying, cutesy character. I know there are more, but these come to mind: 1. Diff’rent Strokes: Mr. D. getting married, and the addition to the case of so-cute-you-want-to-pound-his-face Sam. 2. The Cosby Show: adding Raven-Symoné as sass talkin’ Olivia. 3. Growing Pains: Aging the cast a few years so little Chrissy could be a wise-talkin’ 3 year old, and ever so cute. Throw in some Leo DiCaprio for the girls… ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-just-collapsed-at-the-end/464399/79 "2008-09-24T21:22:32Z")
Flintstones: The Great Gazoo. aaaaarrrrrrrggggghhhhhh ---
**Author:** ![Iggins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Iggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggins)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-just-collapsed-at-the-end/464399/80 "2008-09-24T23:01:29Z")
Sadly, I think **Arrested Development** falls into this category. The last few episodes of season three seemed desperate and unfocused, understandably. And the Rita storyline wasn’t very good. Overall, still funny, but not as good as the first two seasons. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-just-collapsed-at-the-end/464399.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-just-collapsed-at-the-end/464399.md?page=5)