Why shut down a well-liked series?
Because actors leave, creators finish telling their stories, or a network is ready to move
on.
Here's a look at all the TV shows that will have told the stories they needed to tell
by the end of 2019.
But be warned: Spoilers ahead!
Legion simply isn't the kind of show that can go on and on forever.
For one thing, the possibly real, possibly not-real adventures of Dan Stevens' character
David Haller are just so wildly out there, there's no way creator Noah Hawley and his
writing staff could've kept up the pace indefinitely.
After all, the story involves a man who spends much of his time in a mental institution and
doesn't quite have a firm grip on reality…or his burgeoning superpowers.
"Who were the people at the hospital that day?"
"No, no, no, no, you're, you're lying, trying..."
"David…"
It's up to the writers to advance the story to a certain place, especially since Legion
relates to the world of the X-Men: David is evidently the mutant son of the famed Professor
X.
FX announced that the twisty, turny, highly-engrossing sci-fi hit will conclude with its upcoming
third season, which began airing on June 24th.
Fortunately, it sounds like this is all in accord with Hawley's master plan: He evidently
wanted the series to only run for three seasons.
Speaking at a Television Critics Association event in February 2019, he said:
There's no denying that Batman has always been a popular character.
The never-not brooding Bruce Wayne and his rogue's gallery of colorful villains are bonafide
pop culture fixtures, no matter how you slice it.
There are decades' worth of comic books.
The Tim Burton films from the '80s and '90s.
A slew of animated shows.
And, of course, Christopher Nolan's truly iconic Dark Knight trilogy.
And then there's Gotham, a clever reimagining of the Batman story that chronicled the adventures
of a young Bruce Wayne, and also introduced us to younger versions of Commissioner Gordon,
the Joker, the Penguin, and the Riddler.
Since the show was always building towards young Bruce Wayne's ultimate transformation
into Batman, it was a concept that eventually had to reach its foregone conclusion.
Evidently recognizing that fact, Fox renewed Gotham for a fifth and decidedly final season
during the presentation of its 2018-2019 programming slate.
Honestly, Gotham fans should feel lucky the show got another season at all.
It ranked a not-so great Number 129 in the 2017-2018 TV ratings.
It also managed to survive a cancellation massacre at Fox that involved execs axing
Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Mick, Lucifer, and The Exorcist, all in one fell swoop.
Fortunately, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Lucifer were ultimately rescued by NBC and Netflix,
respectively…and Gotham got a chance to wrap up its story on Fox.
On the surface, Broad City was a wild and wacky comedy about two young women dealing
with nutty characters and situations in New York City, but underneath all the zaniness,
its five-season run was low-key groundbreaking.
It's arguably the first New York-based comedy that ultimately didn't glamorize New York.
In every episode, co-creators Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer portrayed two kooky young
women battling a grimy, confusing, apathetic, and ludicrously expensive Big Apple.
But it's funny!
"Hello sir, we'd like to report that the sound was really subpar."
"Woof!"
"The Dolby was nowhere near 5.1…Great, okay."
An endlessly entertaining and eccentric comedy series, Broad City was, at its core, all about
the deep unconditional love shared between these two best friends.
Broad City perfectly encapsulated how friendship often propels you through your twenties…particularly
when you're flailing in the big city, and on your own for the very first time.
Ultimately, the co-stars and co-creators aged out of that period in their lives, and so
did their characters.
That's why the show had to come to an end.
As Jacobson told TV Line:
The Big Bang Theory's gang of socially awkward California scientists always managed to bring
in huge numbers, even at the end of its 11th season.
In fact, it was the top-rated show on broadcast TV for the 2017-2018 season.
In advance of the show's 12th season, the season in which the show surpassed Cheers
and became the longest-running multi-camera sitcom in history, TV execs began negotiating
seasons 13 and 14.
And that's when actor Jim Parsons balked, despite the fact that he was being paid roughly
$1 million per episode to portray quirky genius Sheldon Cooper.
A well-deserved salary, to be sure.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the four-time Emmy winner effectively said no to $50 million
dollars when he turned down two more seasons.
According to Deadline, Big Bang co-creator and executive producer Chuck Lorre gathered
the cast in his office after a table read in August 2018.
That's when a tearful Parsons told his castmates that he intended to leave the show at the
end of the season.
And then Lorre announced that the 12th season would, in fact, be the last one for everybody.
He preferred ending The Big Bang Theory altogether rather than continue on without Jim Parsons.
Or Sheldon Cooper, for that matter.
HBO's monster hit Game of Thrones was quite possibly the last true "appointment viewing"
to ever air on television.
In the age of Netflix binge-watching and DVRs, millions gathered to watch the show when it
first aired on HBO Go on Sunday nights...both to avoid online spoilers, and to immediately
find out what was happening with Jon Snow, the Lannisters, and Daenerys Targaryen, the
Mother of Dragons.
Based on the series of bestselling fantasy novels by George R.R. Martin, the Westeros
saga reeled viewers in from its very first episode in 2011.
But the eighth season, which consisted of six oversized episodes, was definitely the
show's last.
At least audiences finally know who was destined to sit on the Iron Throne: No one!
But why would HBO force millions of people to live in a cold, empty world without the
promise of a new Game of Thrones episode?
Well, the show reportedly concluded because season eight was the end of the calculated
storytelling plan concocted by show creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.
In 2016, Benioff told Deadline:
To that end, Game of Thrones certainly wasn't like other TV shows, which often consist of
self-contained episodes or season-long plot arcs.
As Benioff explained:
Whether or not they succeeded is something you'll ultimately have to decide for yourself.
At some point, History Channel realized that historically-based TV programming could include
more than just World War II documentaries.
In 2013, the channel delved into scripted shows for the first time with Vikings.
Possibly the most violent TV series that's also ostensibly educational, the drama explored
the lives, families, and seafaring fights of eighth-century Norse warrior Ragnar Lothbrok
and his kin.
It's just like Game of Thrones…except possibly sort of real!
Creator and writer Michael Hirst based the show on the written sagas of Lothbrok, so
Vikings is sorta-kinda based on a true story…and a true story that ends.
All Hirst set out to do was tell the complete tale.
And over the course of six well-regarded seasons, he did just that.
The decision to end Vikings was ultimately his own.
In January 2019, he told Variety:
Over the last decade, USA has established itself as a major player in quality cable
television, offering viewers plenty of breezy, almost airless dramas that usually involve
some element of the law, and lots of extremely attractive people.
The network's slate of hits includes Psych, White Collar, Royal Pains, and Suits…the
last of which centers around Mike Ross, portrayed by Patrick J. Adams.
He's a fiercely intelligent man and quite the brilliant attorney…despite the fact
that he doesn't even have a law degree to his name.
Winning case after case while maintaining his secret, Mike soon meets his match in paralegal
Rachel Zane, portrayed by Meghan Markle.
The show's juicy legal and romantic storylines brought in millions of fans…and according
to The Sun, a certain Prince Harry was among them.
When Markle began dating Prince Harry in 2016, it spelled the eventual end of the show.
As you probably know, the couple fell in love and got married in a royal wedding for the
ages in 2018.
"All that I am I give to you."
Presumably because she'd be living in England and devoting her life to charity work and
public appearances, Markle left Suits at the end of the show's seventh season.
Adams evidently figured that was a good time to leave too, and Suits' writers crafted a
sweet exit for the couple: They got married and moved to Seattle to run a law firm.
"You're the husband I've always wanted.
And I can't wait to begin our adventure together."
Suits returned for Season 8 in 2018, without two of its main characters…and the departure
of Markle and Ross proved too much of a loss to weather.
Producers called it a day, choosing to end the show in 2019 after the ninth and final
season of 10 episodes.
Now, they're reportedly focusing on Pearson, a Suits spinoff starring Gina Torres's character.
HBO isn't the only place to find quality programming on a cable network for a few extra bucks a
month.
In recent years, Showtime has also made a name for itself with critically acclaimed
and award-winning fare like Homeland, Shameless, Ray Donovan, and The Affair.
In 2017, Showtime debuted SMILF, a dark, gritty comedy from the mind of actress Frankie Shaw.
The Mr. Robot co-star created, wrote, directed, and starred as Bridgette, the titular single
South Boston mother with a sex drive and a social life.
"I am sorry."
"I'm sorry."
"Okay, I'm sorry.
No, I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry."
"No, I'm sorry."
The show attracted a sizable audience and a second season was quickly ordered, but some
serious controversy eventually reared its head…and it directly led to SMILF's early
and abrupt demise.
In December 2018, SMILF writers reported to the Writers Guild of America that Shaw had
allegedly separated staffers by race.
Meanwhile, co-star Samara Weaving claimed that Shaw forced her to film a nude scene
despite her "no nudity" contract clause.
In March 2019, the network said in a statement that:
And that, as they say, was that.
Transparent aggressively evolved over the course of three seasons.
The quiet, ultra-subtle Amazon series took on a premise that had never been fully explored
on American television.
Jeffrey Tambor starred as Maura Pfefferman, a college professor who finally starts living
her truth: She identifies as a woman.
In other words, she's a "trans parent."
Over the course of four seasons, Transparent ambitiously expanded into a show that was
not only about gender identity, but sexual and cultural identity, too...particularly
in how the Pfefferman family explored their Jewish faith and background.
But Maura's journey remained the core theme of the show…that is, until producers and
Amazon fired Tambor.
The company launched an investigation after cast member Trace Lysette accused Tambor of
multiple acts of sexual harassment, and one instance of assault.
Tabor's assistant Van Barnes also accused the actor of inappropriate behavior.
"It ran the gamut of sexual harassment, physical harrassment, and verbal abuse constantly."
With Tambor gone, the show's writers decided to wrap up the series with a special two-hour
finale that's set to air on Amazon in September 2019, according to Variety.
The death of Maura will figure prominently in the storyline... and the episode is actually
going to be a musical, if you can believe it.
"Let's take it from the top."
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