# Which shows should be watched, but abandoned before the final season? - possible spoilers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 8, 2011, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-shows-should-be-watched-but-abandoned-before-the-final-season-possible-spoilers/605521 "2011-12-08T16:29:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-shows-should-be-watched-but-abandoned-before-the-final-season-possible-spoilers/605521/21 "2011-12-09T02:02:44Z")
This is just one man’s opinion and I know that a lot of people will disagree, but I still think \*\*The Wire \*\* is better if you pretend that they never made a fifth season. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-shows-should-be-watched-but-abandoned-before-the-final-season-possible-spoilers/605521/22 "2011-12-09T03:23:35Z")
_Married with Children_ did have its ups and downs but was usually a funny show. However, it rapidly deteriorated in its last season. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-shows-should-be-watched-but-abandoned-before-the-final-season-possible-spoilers/605521/23 "2011-12-09T03:27:39Z")
> [@Dr\_Doom](#): > > After watching the finale, the “big explanation”, I have no desire whatsoever to ever watch a single episode of LOST ever again. EVER. Exactly, which is why I have to disagree with you. The entire show, for me at least, was contingent on what the final was going to be. It was basically a giant cock tease for which there is no payoff at all. Edit: I take that back; if you watch the show ironically, it can be a good time–which I started doing around season 3. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-shows-should-be-watched-but-abandoned-before-the-final-season-possible-spoilers/605521/24 "2011-12-09T03:39:19Z")
The first eight seasons of _Stargate: SG1_ are good and wrap up nicely. Seasons nine and ten introduce a new villain, a new team leader for SG-1 and does not conclude in a satisfying way. They’re still good - especially when Ba’al gets more screentime - but the end of season eight is a more satisfying endpoint than the end of season ten. Hell, just skipping the last episode of season ten makes for a better show, IMO. I’ll second _Heroes_ (great first season that decended into mediocrity) and _Battlestar Galactica_ (everyone develops a terminal case of stupid to set up the epilogue). ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-shows-should-be-watched-but-abandoned-before-the-final-season-possible-spoilers/605521/25 "2011-12-09T03:44:05Z")
Honestly, it’s easier to make a list of shows that stayed good all the way through their last episode. Whatever freshness/creative genius/perfect execution that appealed to us in the first or second season will probably either be worn out or else we take it for granted by the fourth or fifth season. Back when Jump the Shark was an actual website instead of a fond memory, then had a list of shows that by consensus “never jumped.” It was a damned short list. In fact, the only one I can remember right now was _Barney Miller_. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-shows-should-be-watched-but-abandoned-before-the-final-season-possible-spoilers/605521/26 "2011-12-09T04:17:03Z")
Some of mine have been mentioned, but I’ll add my comments to them if I disagree with when to stop watching. 1. **Prison Break** - The first season was great. Until it dawned on me a few shows in that if the prison break was successful, there would be no need for a second season. If it wasn’t successful, the next season would be what, another attempt at a prison break? I would watch season 1 again, but that’s it. 2. **M_A_S\*H** - I think it started going downhill when Henry left. Wayne Rodgers left first, and then Henry, and the show started to slip…Those first seasons were excellent, but even the characters that stayed changed. Radar’s decline into a personal morality and immaturity was the strangest. In the first season or two he drank martini’s in the swamp, whiskey in Henry’s office, and mailed a jeep home. He also knew his way around the red tape of the army. He also had sex (at least it was heavily implied) in the first two seasons. He then changed into a grape nehi drinking virgin. 3. **Big Love** - HBO’s polygamy show. Completely unwatchable after season 2. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-shows-should-be-watched-but-abandoned-before-the-final-season-possible-spoilers/605521/27 "2011-12-09T04:21:16Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > _Married with Children_ did have its ups and downs but was usually a funny show. However, it rapidly deteriorated in its last season. Agreed. The kiss of death was adding that little kid, which seems to be one very good indication that a show should no longer be watched. what was that kid’s name, Seven? ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-shows-should-be-watched-but-abandoned-before-the-final-season-possible-spoilers/605521/28 "2011-12-09T05:13:35Z")
\*\*The Closer \*\* - Currently in its last season, which seems to be a rehash of last season, where it had already lost much of its magic. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-shows-should-be-watched-but-abandoned-before-the-final-season-possible-spoilers/605521/29 "2011-12-09T05:15:37Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > The first eight seasons of _Stargate: SG1_ are good and wrap up nicely. Seasons nine and ten introduce a new villain, a new team leader for SG-1 and does not conclude in a satisfying way. They’re still good - especially when Ba’al gets more screentime - but the end of season eight is a more satisfying endpoint than the end of season ten… The producers of SG-1 had a highly unusual problem for their industry; they kept unexpectedly getting _renewed_ after being told “this season will be the last” and being given enough notice to wrap up their storylines. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-shows-should-be-watched-but-abandoned-before-the-final-season-possible-spoilers/605521/30 "2011-12-09T05:19:10Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Is it worth watching the last, Phil Hartmanless season of **NewsRadio**? Yes. Despite the loss of Hartman, News Radio remained funny throughout it’s entire run. Putting Jimmy James on trial as being the secret identify behind D.B. Cooper was just awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-shows-should-be-watched-but-abandoned-before-the-final-season-possible-spoilers/605521/31 "2011-12-09T05:27:05Z")
> [@simster](#): > > \*\*The Closer \*\* - Currently in its last season, which seems to be a rehash of last season, where it had already lost much of its magic. I’m gonna disagree with this one. Massive civil suit, mole in the squad - good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Woodhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@Miss\_Woodhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Woodhouse)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-shows-should-be-watched-but-abandoned-before-the-final-season-possible-spoilers/605521/32 "2011-12-09T05:32:14Z")
I find News Radio completely unwatchable after Hartman, but mostly because I find the actor they replaced him with completely unwatchable. I can’t do it. I’ve tried. He’s just one of the most annoying actors in Hollywood and he’s only got the one awful character he plays in every part. Horrible. The rest of the cast could be completely brilliant with fantastic scripts and I wouldn’t be able to tell. I came into the thread to say only watch one season of Veronica Mars and Heroes. Both are fantastic television in the first season. The other seasons will just ruin the shows for you. ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-shows-should-be-watched-but-abandoned-before-the-final-season-possible-spoilers/605521/33 "2011-12-09T05:50:07Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > **Scrubs.** > > It ended. They did a final episode and everything. > Then, inexplicably, it kept going for one more season with a completely different setting and format. Absolutely terrible. Came in here to say this. My friends and I loved sitting down and watching the entire series in college. I watched one episode of the last season and couldn’t make it through five minutes of it. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-shows-should-be-watched-but-abandoned-before-the-final-season-possible-spoilers/605521/34 "2011-12-09T05:50:15Z")
_La Femme Nikita_. I don’t recall exactly when it went wrong but it was good for maybe two or three seasons. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-shows-should-be-watched-but-abandoned-before-the-final-season-possible-spoilers/605521/35 "2011-12-09T06:13:39Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > _La Femme Nikita_. I don’t recall exactly when it went wrong but it was good for maybe two or three seasons. Huh, it turns out there are not one but two TV series. I only knew about the original film. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-shows-should-be-watched-but-abandoned-before-the-final-season-possible-spoilers/605521/36 "2011-12-09T09:23:26Z")
Skip the last season of **That 70’s Show**. Donna went from redhead to blonde, Eric’s gone, (Randy was his obvious and awful replacement) Kelso left, Jackie and Fez hooked up, it’s all stupidity! ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-shows-should-be-watched-but-abandoned-before-the-final-season-possible-spoilers/605521/37 "2011-12-09T09:54:35Z")
**The Walking Dead** - Call it a hunch, from the way things are going. Hopefully they keep it on the air far too long, just for the irony. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-shows-should-be-watched-but-abandoned-before-the-final-season-possible-spoilers/605521/38 "2011-12-09T11:53:40Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > Huh, it turns out there are not one but two TV series. I only knew about the original film. I wasn’t aware of the second TV Series. I was referring to the first one, with Peta Wilson. I assume the second one you’re referring to is this: > **[Nikita (TV series)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikita_%28TV_series%29)** > > Nikita is an American action thriller drama television series that aired on the CW from September 9, 2010, to December 27, 2013, in the United States. The series is an adaptation of Luc Besson's French film La Femme Nikita, the second such adaptation after the 1997 Canadian TV series La Femme Nikita. > The series focuses on Nikita (Maggie Q), a woman who escaped from a secret government-funded organization known as "Division" and, after a three-year hiding period, is back to bring down the orga... I’ll have to check it out. Edited to add: I think there were also two films. ---
**Author:** ![breezman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@breezman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/breezman)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-shows-should-be-watched-but-abandoned-before-the-final-season-possible-spoilers/605521/39 "2011-12-09T12:55:08Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > _Married with Children_ did have its ups and downs but was usually a funny show. However, it rapidly deteriorated in its last season. I disagree about the final season. MWC had a real slump for a few years around seasons 6 and 7–especially when they added the nephew Seven (as mentioned by someone else upthread). But by season 8, the show was pretty solid again, and they had some really good episodes in the last four seasons. Adding the nephew was a mistake, and it was sort of acknowledged on the show. They dropped him after a season or so, never to be seen again except in two gags. His face was on a milk carton in one episode, and in another episode images of things that Kelly was forgetting were popping out of her head, and Seven’s picture was one of them. Fox really did the show wrong in the last few seasons, by moving it temporarily to Saturday and not letting them film a final episode. ---
**Author:** ![breezman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@breezman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/breezman)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-shows-should-be-watched-but-abandoned-before-the-final-season-possible-spoilers/605521/40 "2011-12-09T13:06:56Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Yes. Despite the loss of Hartman, News Radio remained funny throughout it’s entire run. Putting Jimmy James on trial as being the secret identify behind D.B. Cooper was just awesome. Agreed. Season 5 had some great episodes, including the ones in the D.B. Cooper story arc. A lot of people malign Jon Lovitz in that season, but I think that is unfair. He was funny, but he had huge shoes to fill. Season 5 also had some of the best Joe-centered episodes. I think my favorite is Flowers for Matthew, when he makes the smartdrink and Matthew becomes a temporary genius. The episode where he hypnotizes Matthew and Jimmy to cure Jimmy’s fear of hippies is also hilarious. The first S5 episode, “Bill Moves On,” was really sad and funny, and a great tribute to Phil Hartman. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-shows-should-be-watched-but-abandoned-before-the-final-season-possible-spoilers/605521.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-shows-should-be-watched-but-abandoned-before-the-final-season-possible-spoilers/605521.md?page=3)