The Unofficial Guide to a TV Shows Preferred Ending.

Uh oh! Its that time of the month again! That’s right! I get to chat about some irrelevant and obscure pop culture topics. Gross, what did you think I was talking about? 

So you might have heard of this little show called Game of Thrones, and how they recently had a finale that seemed to disappoint a lot of people. There is no shortage of petitions and public opinions on the matter and I’m too insecure to not be apart of something so I wanted to throw my own perspective into the ring. Although I’m not going to talk about thrones or any type of competition that may be surrounding them, today I want to focus on a similar aspect of that conversation. Would we be better off if the season hadn’t even been made? And furthermore, can we apply that line of thinking to every show out there?

If there is one thing I’ve learned from being naked in front of people, it’s that some people feel entitled to certain experiences in life and once they are given that thing, they are very quick to judge, become unappreciative, or as why your hair is so patchy. I have always subscribed to the thought that I would rather have a little of a great thing, than a lot of something mediocre. So I’m just going to dive in, but who knows we might discover something fun. 

For starters lets begin with an easy one. 

1) The Simpsons. Something I think we can all agree on is that this show is tired and antiquated and it has been for a while now. The debate of when exactly the show permanently took its turn for the worse is never gong to be agreed upon, but I would argue that season 8 and more specifically ep. 14, “The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show” is the intellectual and comedic peak the show will never consistently achieve again. This episode is a look at how TV shows often try to revitalize their series after the flair has left. While it pokes fun at shows that have and eventually will “jump the shark” it’s a thinly vailed reference to itself as The Simpsons rounds out its 8th season (in 1996). Lisa Simpsons literally says in the episode “There’s not really anything wrong with the itchy and scratchy show, it’s as good as ever, but after so many years the characters just can’t have the same impact they once had.” It’s the perfect mic drop on the industry and, seeing what the future of the Simpsons looks like, would have been a perfect way to finish off the show. But alas, that’s not how the industry works and we are going to see more and more Simpsons episodes until it stops making money for Disney. It was Bart himself who said, “Quality-Smality! If I had a TV show I would run that sucker into the ground.” Who knew Bart would make such a good TV executive when he grew up!

2) Glee. This. Show. Slaps.

Seriously. it’s terrible. I can’t get over how insanely popular a show is that was nothing more than a glorified kids bop album. That being said, the pilot episode is so good it makes me angry. There is unique character development, the songs have emotional relevance, the cast is interesting, and it feels like the show has something to say. They should have ended it after that first episode. Leave the rest of the show to be re-written on some shitty fan fiction site, because there, the characters might have actually developed in some realistic term. (that joke may need some explaining. Its funny because most fan fiction online is written by young kiddos that don’t bother with pacing or character development... Ya, not my most cerebral joke.)

3) Archer. So the newest season is airing right now, and despite my absolute love for the show when It came out in 2009, I just cannot get myself to care in the slightest bit. Archer continues to reinvent itself every season and its absolutely exhausting. (I’m actually working on a video about this right now so I will keep this brief.) I think this show was at its absolute best until season 4. We got to explore the characters, they were tested to their extreme and we got to put them in circumstances that caused a lot of growth and change. Season 1-4 of archer was quite possibly one of the best animated TV of all time. But now, with every shift in plot and style, the characters become less unique and begin to shift into simplified, bombastic versions of themselves and it all becomes predicable. -- Archer pisses off Lana – Cyril needs to be saved – Mallory is distant and glib while Pam does something Man-ish. It’s hard to care when you already know the vibe of the show that is trying to be new and inventive. This is a unique circumstance where I would have loved to see a spin off. A lot of the characters in archer were very well defined and specific by the end, so I would have loved to see a new show with similar themes or characteristics emerge instead of the the same show but a different plot like we got in archer vice and the others. Anyway, we will see what happens this season. I’m sure it will be perfectly mediocre. 

4) Arrested Development. I don’t know a more iconic or groundbreaking show when it comes to framing comedy. Despite all the praise and awards I don’t think it gets enough credit for being the pioneer of story driven comedy. The show was ahead of its time in that I think it was written to be binged on Netflix. The jokes and pace are disrupted if you’re not watching at least 2 or 3 episodes back to back simply because of all the information they pack in every scene. But as I finish the most recent season 5 on Netflix, I just want to take all my compliments back. Jokes fall flat, the pace is slow, characters don’t feel like they are making unique choices and a lot of the plot feels very contrived. In a way I wish this show was just left as a relic of the past. A lot like Donkey Kong 64, an amazing experience that we will likely never see again due to the team and collaborative pieces all being split up and working on different projects. On a sadistic bright side, I think this is the last of Arrested Development we are going to see, this season was the most poorly rated and watched. I think the spectacle of the show Is gone and currently it doesn’t have legs to stand on. 

5) 30 rock. Possibly my favorite show of all time. If I could be ½ as talented as Tina Fey, I would be content in this life. I actually think 30 rock has one of the strongest final seasons and final episodes of any comedy out there, but there is one episode in season 5 that perfectly encompasses the show and Fey’s comedy I don’t think I would have been angry if it had ended right there. Season 5 episode 16 – TGS Hates Women. Liz finds herself in the middle of public outrage when she’s accused of not supporting women enough. (a judgment she has received in real life as well) She hires a female writer who turns out be a huge bimbo and what Liz perceives to be a laughing stock. Liz’s intentions become blurred as she claims to be helping the new writer despite judging her and trying to change her. I’m no going to spoil the ending but it ends with Jack Do—squaring off with a 12-year-old, and Wonder Woman gets her period. OK, so. Not only does this single episode stride to comment on how woman unknowingly judge others in life and the workplace, it also hits home about how I perceive my own insecurities in the outside world. I often lash out at things I am lustful or jealous of in the outside world because I know I can’t have them. Although the way people live their loves has nothing to do with me, I still make it about me, and that mirrors what Liz struggles with in the episode. Its hilarious, it’s honest and I wish more people watched it and loved it as much as I do. 

Anyway, I’m going to wrap this up because this was a much longer article than I thought it was going to be. When I started I assumed I would be making a list or something, a couple paragraphs later and I’ve given you a fucking reading assignment. Anyway. Comment down below if feel strongly about a certain way a show did or didn’t end, and ill have pliantly more content coming to you as soon as I get off my ass and start writing it. 

Thank you again and have an amazing day!!!