When to Say Goodbye

Next year. The Office, 30 Rock, and Breaking Bad will all be wrapping up their runs. 30 Rock and Breaking Bad are going out before they get tired. The Office is leaving well after its creative peak, although this last season has gained back some of its spark. Meanwhile, shows like South Park and The Simpsons keep chugging along, the former still at times pretty strong, while the latter mostly settled into a comfortable rut of mediocrity.

One thing fans of shows like to mull over is the lifespan of a show. Not exactly meaning how long the show actually goes, but how long it should go. Some shows were cancelled too soon, as any Browncoat still in mourning will attest. Others lived on well past their "sell by" date.

While we fans of good TV lament those shows cancelled before their time, we tend to focus far more on the shows that go on too long. How many pages of words have been spent in forums and blog comments on the post golden age episodes of The Simpsons*, or seasons 4-7 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or season 7 of Star Trek: The Next Generation with its iguana cats and ghost orgasms.

Very few shows get to go out while at or near the top. For every Seinfeld leaving at the height of its popularity, there are many other shows like Roseanne or Scrubs that became shells of their former selves. If the ratings, particularly those in the ever important 18-49 bracket, are still good, the network has no real reason to cancel it. Neither does the production studio, particularly after it hits the magic number for syndication. As long as the salaries of the cast don't outweigh the potential revenue, there really isn't an financial reason for a show to end. This is especially true on troubled networks such as NBC, where even moderate ratings are cause for celebration.

Of course, shows on premium and basic cable have somewhat different rules than the broadcast networks. Many of these shows have particularly powerful executive producers who have definitive ends in mind for their shows. Shows like The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, and others end because that is when their creators wanted them to end. Ratings and cost still matter (see: Deadwood), but the economics is a bit different with 10 or 13 thirteen episodes instead of 22 or 26.

A rare but increasingly more common occurrence is a show that was cancelled to soon, brought back, and then becomes a show that lived on too long. The best example of this is Family Guy, which was cancelled initially by Fox, got great ratings for reruns on Adult Swim, and then was renewed by Fox. Its second run has dwarfed the first run in quantity, while oftentimes lacking in quality. Another example is Futurama, which came back with new episodes on Comedy Central after four (mostly) wonderful seasons on Fox, and four good but not great straight to DVD movies. We'll have to see if Arrested Development, resurrected by Netflix, will suffer the same diminishing returns.

Regardless of the timing, it is hard to see a show go. I'll be sad when The Simpsons, even if probably should have ended long ago. Likewise, I'll be sad when another favorite show (such as Parks and Recreation) leaves the air, whether too soon, too late, or exactly the right time. When that last episode ends, that's it. Never again will it be able to disappoint, or rise back up to its highest highs. Like life, saying goodbye to a TV show is always hard, if far, far less painful or difficult.


*The definition of The Simpsons "Golden Age" is subject to debate. Some consider it over after season 8, while others argue for seasons 9,10, and even occasionally 11. For what it's worth, I think the "Golden Age" started with "Radio Bart" in season 3, and ends with "Behind the Laughter", the season 11 finale. Sure, there are great episodes before ("Lisa's Substitute", "Krusty gets Busted") and after ("HOMR", "Trilogy of Error"). However, that wonderful, giddy balance between heart, satire, and absurdity is at its peak during those 8+ seasons where it's at its peak.