Name an Episode or Season where you wish/pretend a show ended

[The Batman]

TV is littered with shows that ended badly. Many of these kinds of shows have a better alternate ending. Name some examples here.

For me, I'm going to go with "The Sign of Three" from Sherlock. That's pretty much the last episode before the show makes some really polarizing decisions. Also, I actually think it could work as a conclusion due to the implications of Watson having a child.

 

[Shinobi Shaw]

In hindsight I wish that Buffy The Vampire Slayer ended completely on The WB with season five. The latter two seasons saw a loss in quality, but the fifth season was just perfection.

Glory, The Body, the fight sequences and the writing overall just couldn’t be topped after that.

 

[The Batman]

I'm at the point where I treat BTAS Batman and TNBA/BB/JL/JLU Batman as separate entities, but BTAS didn't really have a proper ending, so I just pretend either MOTP or Subzero is the last BTAS "episode".

 

[DarthSkywalker]

In hindsight I wish that Buffy The Vampire Slayer ended completely on The WB with season five. The latter two seasons saw a loss in quality, but the fifth season was just perfection.

Glory, The Body, the fight sequences and the writing overall just couldn’t be topped after that.

The thing is, that would eliminate some all time episodes. So while they definitely have warts, I couldn't pass them up.

I wish iZombie ended with season 3. While I miss out on maybe my favorite episode, the overall noise dive in quality was insane. Season 3 kind of started it, but it drove right off the cliff at that point.

 

[Erik20]

I like to pretend that last season of Scrubs doesn't exist. It's just weird seeing all those characters back, but without JD. They already gave it a perfect ending with that flash forward. Then you also have a new main character going through all the stuff we've already seen before...

Chuck. They kind of ruined it for me in season 4 when it turned out he wasn’t just some regular guy, and it wasn’t as fun anymore when everyone was in on the secrets.

Community. Those first 3 seasons are what the show is supposed to be. I like some of the episodes after that, but it was never the same without Dan Harmon. Season 4 seems like someone's fan fiction. I hated what they did with the Troy/Britta relationship, wasted everything they slowly built before that. It's as if the (new) writers were really into seeing Britta and Jeff together. Also everyone was just acting out of character. Then at the end they lost most of the main cast. (I don't want to see Abed without Troy) It turned into a completely different show.

I'm sure there are bunch of other shows I'm not thinking of right now. Often when a show loses their lead or important supporting characters. I still watch TWD, but I feel it should've ended with Rick. (Still might, I guess...)

 

[DarkKnight88]

The Office - Season 7 - Goodbye, Michael

The Simpsons - Season 11 - Behind the Laughter

 

[henzINNIT]

Scrubs is a textbook example. A show that literally ended and then had some body parts taped back together for one last season.

House is a big one for me. It felt like the show had really told the story by the end of season 5, when House's addiction issues finally caught up with him. Season 6 has a great 'movie' like opener with him cleaning up. Everything afterward felt superfluous, and got progressively worse too.

A UK one for me is Misfits. Really liked the show, but that had a different problem where it just bled out all of its main characters. Robert Sheehan was the centre-piece character and wanted out after series 2. He was replaced, but just 12 episodes later the show would have lost all 4 of the remaining original cast. The new guys were mostly good but it was just a different show by then. Probably should have ended at 3

In hindsight I wish that Buffy The Vampire Slayer ended completely on The WB with season five. The latter two seasons saw a loss in quality, but the fifth season was just perfection.

Glory, The Body, the fight sequences and the writing overall just couldn’t be topped after that.

I have gone back and forth with this myself. For a while I viewed The Gift as a better finale and conclusion. In the end though, for the issues I have with s7 and particularly s6, things like the musical make them worth keeping. Chosen is still a pretty great finale, even as an admitted second one. Buffy sharing her power is a nicer beat to end on too.

The Simpsons - Season 11 - Behind the Laughter

Me too. Although I'd go a touch further. I cut off the DVDs at 10 when I was buying those. Nice round number and the last Phil Hartman appearances are there. If I could bump Behind the Laughter to the end of that run, it'd be just about perfect.

 

[Spider-Fan83]

HIMYM the final season (an especially the final epiosde) were kind've a mess

 

[Shinobi Shaw]

I have gone back and forth with this myself. For a while I viewed The Gift as a better finale and conclusion. In the end though, for the issues I have with s7 and particularly s6, things like the musical make them worth keeping. Chosen is still a pretty great finale, even as an admitted second one. Buffy sharing her power is a nicer beat to end on too.

I mean in rewatching it, I did like the themes they tackled in season 6 about adulthood and depression, but it just lacked that Buffy magic that the previous seasons had (outside of episodes like OMWF). And then with Season 7, yeah I agree Chosen is a great finale, but getting there was bumpy. Too many episodes with Buffy written OOC, a few characters not fully fleshed out, and then some like Andrew being shoved down our throats.

They both really pale to season 5 though, IMO.

 

[metaphysician]

Heroes, season 1. If Heroes had been cancelled at that point, we would probably be talking about it today in the same voice as stuff like Firefly.

 

[henzINNIT]

I mean in rewatching it, I did like the themes they tackled in season 6 about adulthood and depression, but it just lacked that Buffy magic that the previous seasons had (outside of episodes like OMWF). And then with Season 7, yeah I agree Chosen is a great finale, but getting there was bumpy. Too many episodes with Buffy written OOC, a few characters not fully fleshed out, and then some like Andrew being shoved down our throats.

They both really pale to season 5 though, IMO.

Can't argue with that tbh. I liked 'life is the big bad' as a concept in season 6, but I feel like they really fumbled the ball in execution. It felt no more realistic, money issues seemed to come and go, and it just became a depressing soap opera where the characters hurt each-other over and over. Season 7 weirdly feels like there is a lot of plot but also none of it makes sense. So many macguffins invented, and it feels kinda aimless at times. And yeah, Andrew grew a bit tiresome in both seasons. The writers loved the nerds much more than audiences did I think. They might have cared for Jonathan because there was some history, but Andrew didn't bring much to the table. He has some fun moments with Anya though so I don't mind him too much.

 

[The Batman]

Community. Those first 3 seasons are what the show is supposed to be. I like some of the episodes after that, but it was never the same without Dan Harmon. Season 4 seems like someone's fan fiction. I hated what they did with the Troy/Britta relationship, wasted everything they slowly built before that. It's as if the (new) writers were really into seeing Britta and Jeff together. Also everyone was just acting out of character. Then at the end they lost most of the main cast. (I don't want to see Abed without Troy) It turned into a completely different show.

That Season 3 finale even feels like a potential last episode. I forget if Harmon wrote it like that on purpose.

 

[Deck Rickard]

You’re the Worst could have ended with the finale of Season 4. It kind of felt like a wrap-up, while still open ended. The fifth and final season had some good moments but it still felt like they didn’t know what to do, from the weird premiere to the way Gretchen tanks her professional life to the horrible way Lindsay’s arc wraps up to the stupid fake out ending. That whole season felt like they were just throwing **** at a wall.

 

[Shinobi Shaw]

I also kinda wished The X-Files ended with season 8.

Scully, Mulder and their miracle baby all together, and the two kissing would've been a satisfying ending to the show. Even though the future seasons had some gems, the Season 8 finale was way better than that infuriating 'My Struggle' arc.

 

[Drizzle]

The Walking Dead should have ended when Andrew Lincoln wanted out. Maybe not in the same way it went down but it would have been better if it had ended with at least the original lead.

 

[Dr.]

...For me, I'm going to go with "The Sign of Three" from Sherlock...

Speaking of SH… The season six finale of Elementary was a very satisfactory conclusion to the show — with Holmes and Watson ending up as partners (again) at Baker Street in London. But then the series was unexpectedly renewed for a seventh season (which was… serviceable, but nothing special).

 

[The Batman]

I think online Whovians definitely overrate the 12th Doctor and his era. That being said, "World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls" was the last truly great episode of modern Doctor Who, and would've been a fitting ending for the show.

"Day of the Doctor" could've also been a fitting ending.