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Sucks, but better than overstay your welcome (Dexter) or get cancelled with a big cliffhanger (My name is Earl)
overstay your welcome (Dexter)
I blame the late Manny Coto for that. I blame him for a lot of bad TV, actually. lol (ENT was the exception, somehow)
or get cancelled with a big cliffhanger (My name is Earl)
Wasn't that due to the Writer's Strike? Regardless, showrunners should never end a season on a cliffhanger when the studios have shown they'll pull the plug for any reason whatsoever.
During an interview with the "Slick & Thick" podcast, Ethan Suplee, who portrayed Randy Hickey, revealed that, ultimately, the cancellation was due to communication issues between NBC, the show's network, and Fox, the show's studio.
"We were a hit. And the network called the studio and said, 'We want to license the show for another year,' and the studio said, 'Well, we want more money. We want to renegotiate our deal with you.' And the network basically did not respond for two weeks," said Suplee. "And then the studio called back and said, 'We'll take your deal,' and the network said, 'Too late.'"
Looks like plain old incompetence killed the show.
Ah, shame, but not surprising.
I always assumed it was a victim of the Writer's Strike around the same time (not blaming the writers, obviously).
Thanks for that.
It's definitely a possibility that it had something to do with why the studios were so far behind that next year. Even shows that weren't cancelled at the time suffered terribly (Heroes comes to mind).
Regardless, showrunners should never end a season on a cliffhanger when the studios have shown they’ll pull the plug for any reason whatsoever.
I guess if contracts are signed, it's okay, but even then it's a risk (e.g. strikes). For the most part I agree, though. You need to end on a note that, at the bare minimum, could serve as a slightly unsatisfying pausing point.
overstay your welcome (Dexter)
That show overstayed its welcome inside the third season. It would have been a better show as a British style 3-episode / 4-season mini-ish series. But there was sooooo much filler and soooo much recycling of plots, the edginess of killing and dismembering a guy was downright trite by the time Jimmy Smits got to the set.
I'm fine with a show grinding itself into a shadow of its former self. Long term shows like It's always Sunny had downturns but then came back.
With Simpsons, you can pick out a few episodes each new season and put together a full good season out of 4 years of mediocrity.
Especially given that seasons today are 10 episodes whereas DS9 was 20+ episodes a season.