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It's been moved around so much on the schedule and arguably stayed on the air too long.
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I agree. This is an example of a show where the stories got less and less appealing, as the child characters grew older.
I was thinking about starting a thread about this very subject. I was curious as to what people think is the ideal duration for a series. Obviously, it's very subjective.
My favorite shows have tended to be between three and five seasons. For me, shows that run longer tend to become repetitive and I often lose interest -- with a few exceptions (
Cheers, Law & Order, NYPD Blue). I think everyone would agree it's better for a show to call it quits when the producers decide, rather than getting canceled -- especially without enough notice to create a decent finale. Far too many shows just limp along, losing viewers, waiting for the inevitable cancelation.
A list of our favorite shows that have been canceled too soon would be
very long. But how about a list of shows, considered popular or acclaimed, that lasted past their prime -- missing the opportunity to bow out with some dignity? A few examples I can think of:
Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, M*A*S*H, Dallas, Beverly Hills 90210, The X-Files, All in the Family, Knotts Landing, Murder She Wrote, That '70s Show, Magnum P.I., 7th Heaven.
For me, these shows became redundant, often "jumping the shark" (
literally! -- in the case of
HD.) Although I may have enjoyed them at one time, they are the type of shows that I have little interest in collecting on DVD, at least as complete series.
Any thoughts? Would this make an interesting topic for its own thread?
EDIT: I found this website that lists shows that have at least 160 episodes:
http://www.angelfire.com/trek/proutsy/
