# Will you watch a TV show if it's over/cancelled before you begin? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 9, 2013, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-watch-a-tv-show-if-its-over-cancelled-before-you-begin/649826 "2013-02-09T22:45:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-watch-a-tv-show-if-its-over-cancelled-before-you-begin/649826/1 "2013-02-09T22:45:35Z")
There have been times when I’ve started DVR’ing a show intending to watch it and then it gets cancelled before I get around to watching any episodes. I usually just delete the episodes without watching them, because I feel like the BEST I can hope for is that I won’t like them, and therefore won’t care that the show is gone. I am sure I would LOVE the show “Firefly,” and for that reason I have never watched any of it, because knowing there are so few episodes of it out there would overshadow any pleasure I took in watching it. What say you, Dopers? is it better to have loved and lost a show than never to have loved at all? ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-watch-a-tv-show-if-its-over-cancelled-before-you-begin/649826/2 "2013-02-09T22:53:25Z")
You should watch and savor what there is of “Firefly”. I think it’s great! Like everyone, I see the relentless promos for new shows, but I’m very picky these days about what I’ll try and quick to dump something if it doesn’t grab me after a few episodes. “New Girl” and “Elementary” met with swift cancellation at my house. (Yet I’m still watching “Glee”, so go figure.) Lately, I’ve been patting myself on the back for never trying out shows which get quickly cancelled. I guess I’m developing a sixth sense after all these years of TV viewing. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-watch-a-tv-show-if-its-over-cancelled-before-you-begin/649826/3 "2013-02-09T22:56:26Z")
Never seeing the later seasons of _Firefly_ is tragic. Never seeing what little we have would have been even more tragic. Yes, I would rather have loved and lost. My answer is even more definite for series that are over (by which I understand, have come to their natural conclusion). I think that the best works of art must have a definite end, and so knowing, going in, that the story I’m considering does so, will make me even more interested in it. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-watch-a-tv-show-if-its-over-cancelled-before-you-begin/649826/4 "2013-02-09T22:56:40Z")
Every movie I’ve ever watched was finished well before I saw it. Why would I not want to watch shows just because they are now cancelled? (The reason for cancellation is important - network shenanigans is one thing, an awful concept, writing or acting is quite another.) ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-watch-a-tv-show-if-its-over-cancelled-before-you-begin/649826/5 "2013-02-09T22:58:17Z")
I try hard not to watch shows that were cancelled before they got going good. I have seen several that I was really getting into when their plug was pulled and that made me wary of doing such again. The last one to piss me off bigtime was _Terriers_ and I was saddened to see that _The Killing_ is coming back (it should have been killed after the first season.) I enjoy Netflix version of shows I never saw when they were being broadcast, but it’s their notoriety and buzz that draw me to them. And, by definition, they would have been cancelled at some point. Just not assassinated. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-watch-a-tv-show-if-its-over-cancelled-before-you-begin/649826/6 "2013-02-09T23:11:03Z")
Hell, that’s about the only circumstance under which I’d start watching something–knowing that I’ll eventually pick up all the seasons on DVD used, or (once I gets mah internets back) on Netflix. I gave up on trying to watch regularly-scheduled TV in realtime (or even video tape it and watch it the next day) ten years ago. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-watch-a-tv-show-if-its-over-cancelled-before-you-begin/649826/7 "2013-02-09T23:28:41Z")
I must admit there are shows that I have had recommended that I don’t bother watching because they were cancelled early. I can understand that people who have \*_already seen them may advocate me watching what exists, but for me it is like watching a half made movie. I don’t think a movie that consisted of the first hour only of Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather or_ Pulp Fiction \*would rate very highly. And it’s not like there is nothing complete available to watch. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-watch-a-tv-show-if-its-over-cancelled-before-you-begin/649826/8 "2013-02-09T23:53:45Z")
I don’t have a DVR so this doesn’t come up for me, but I think it would depend on how long the show ran and whether it was canceled with a bunch of important things never being resolved or if the existing episodes stand alone pretty well. Every show ends sometime, and there have been a few that dragged on longer than they should have. If for instance _Community_ had been canceled after season three I would still consider it worth watching for anyone with the right sense of humor, but I see how a series with a big story arc that got chopped off or that had a season finale cliffhanger that turned out to be the last episode could be too frustrating to bother with. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-watch-a-tv-show-if-its-over-cancelled-before-you-begin/649826/9 "2013-02-10T00:02:26Z")
I watched the _Firefly_ box set. Unlike the rest of the universe I didn’t think it was all that great, though I would’ve watched it if it had continued on. Another show I had the entirety of before beginning was _Day Break_, with Taye Diggs. It was really good, it’s a shame it didn’t continue, though it also ended conclusively so maybe it worked best as a single season show. I can’t think of any others. The closest I get is joining a show two or three seasons in, which I’ve done a few times. ---
**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:** [February 10, 2013, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-watch-a-tv-show-if-its-over-cancelled-before-you-begin/649826/10 "2013-02-10T02:32:18Z")
Firefly is worth it. I never saw X-files until it was over and it was worth it. Of course, there were 9 seasons of episodes so it was not painful experience. It was more of a joy knowing how much we had left. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-watch-a-tv-show-if-its-over-cancelled-before-you-begin/649826/11 "2013-02-10T03:31:09Z")
I would totally watch a show that’s already been canceled, and I often have. It can be a good thing, since in the US we tend to run a show into the ground long after the stories are done. Smallville should have ended when Clark graduated high school. Buffy should have ended after season 5. Supernatural should have wrapped a season or two back. Meanwhile, I wouldn’t want to have missed **Veronica Mars** , **Wonderfalls** , **Pushing Daisies, Firefly** or **Daybreak** , even if they didn’t run for a decade. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-watch-a-tv-show-if-its-over-cancelled-before-you-begin/649826/12 "2013-02-10T03:51:28Z")
I don’t really get the OP. Other then the Simpson’s, which at this point looks like its run will outlast the eventual heat-death of the Universe, isn’t the fate of every show eventual cancellation? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-watch-a-tv-show-if-its-over-cancelled-before-you-begin/649826/13 "2013-02-10T04:14:06Z")
Heck, I’ve watched plenty of shows that were cancelled before I was born. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-watch-a-tv-show-if-its-over-cancelled-before-you-begin/649826/14 "2013-02-10T04:51:34Z")
the American system of cooking up storylines on the fly instead of a fixed story like everything else is foreign to me. however, i have gotten used to it and have now no expectations for a series resolution. since they seem to have no idea how long a series will run before it ends, i find most series finales to be cobbled together anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Fugazi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@Fugazi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fugazi)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-watch-a-tv-show-if-its-over-cancelled-before-you-begin/649826/15 "2013-02-10T05:24:06Z")
I actually prefer it. I hate waiting a week, or sometimes months between episodes. By the time a new season rolls around, I forget quite a bit of what happened the previous season. ---
**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:** [February 10, 2013, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-watch-a-tv-show-if-its-over-cancelled-before-you-begin/649826/16 "2013-02-10T05:50:09Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > I don’t really get the OP. Other then the Simpson’s, which at this point looks like its run will outlast the eventual heat-death of the Universe, isn’t the fate of every show eventual cancellation? Yes, but a few shows ( **The Lucy Show** , or **30 Rock** ) get to run long enough that their creators end them on their own terms then rather have have them by the network be cancelled. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-watch-a-tv-show-if-its-over-cancelled-before-you-begin/649826/17 "2013-02-10T05:57:21Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Another show I had the entirety of before beginning was _Day Break_, with Taye Diggs. It was really good, it’s a shame it didn’t continue, though it also ended conclusively so maybe it worked best as a single season show. I never did see the end of that. After cancellation, they put the remaining eps on [ABC.com](http://ABC.com), but their player was a pain, and worked like crap on my connection, so I only got through a few of them. Please, no one feel the need to give a synopsis or anything, it’s been way too long, I would need to rewatch the show from the beginning for any of it to have meaning now. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-watch-a-tv-show-if-its-over-cancelled-before-you-begin/649826/18 "2013-02-10T06:39:26Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > I never did see the end of that. After cancellation, they put the remaining eps on [ABC.com](http://ABC.com), but their player was a pain, and worked like crap on my connection, so I only got through a few of them. > > Please, no one feel the need to give a synopsis or anything, it’s been way too long, I would need to rewatch the show from the beginning for any of it to have meaning now. It’s on Netflix if you ever want to catch up. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-watch-a-tv-show-if-its-over-cancelled-before-you-begin/649826/19 "2013-02-10T16:35:15Z")
I recently started watching _Fringe_ . . . just in time to Tivo the final episode, which I will not watch yet, of course. But the reruns are out of order, so I have to mentally fill in the blanks for ones I haven’t seen yet. It’s actually more fun this way. ---
**Author:** ![whc.03grady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a6a055/32.png) [@whc.03grady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whc.03grady)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-watch-a-tv-show-if-its-over-cancelled-before-you-begin/649826/20 "2013-02-13T04:17:07Z")
My wife and I watched Twin Peaks for the first time, 20-plus years after it was cancelled. Cancelled, though not wrapped up, which would seem to be an important distinction. It was worth it, but there are so many never-to-be-answered questions, more than most shows which are canned without a chance to tie things up. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-watch-a-tv-show-if-its-over-cancelled-before-you-begin/649826.md?page=2)