Your cut-off point for TV series which you don't want to own in their entirety (1 Viewer)

[Jack P]

So far, I haven't gotten S7 or S8 of Gunsmoke because I like the show better at a half hour. It was more compact and crisp in the storytelling whereas at an hour it just seemed more bloated. I'll probably though continue at least to the end of Dennis Weaver's tenure since I really don't like the character of Festus.

 

[Hollywoodaholic]

I'm certainly not the biggest fan of the fourth season of Twilight Zone but I think that, in addition to the 3 episodes that you mentioned, Miniature, Printer's Devil and The New Exhibit are good as well.

Thanks for mentioning these; New Exhibit terrified me as a kid and it still works. It was particularly fun to watch the wax 'killers' hold their positions. I would have loved to been in on that casting session. Perhaps they just cruised Venice Beach to find some statue guys (if they had those performers back then). Miniature with Robert Duvall and Printer's Devil with Burgess Meredith are just classic performance showcases for those actors. And Jess-Belle has always been one of my favorites of all time for Jeanette Nolan's great witch, but particularly for Anne Francis at the pinnacle of her hot-ness.

"And Thursday We Head for Home" is worth the whole 4th season.

A thread could run on seasons where there was one episode that makes it a necessity to have that season. For most TZ fans, this would probably be one. Season 5 of X-Files for the Darren Morgan episode (forget the title) might be another. Star Trek TOS season three might be another, though most would disagree which episode is worth the season.

 

[FrankPitt]

There are several series that I bought/will buy until a particular cut-off point...

ER - My DVD collection ends with Season 8, with the death of Mark Greene. The season itself went on for another episode and the series continued for years, but although I watched the whole thing when it was broadcast and liked it well enough, Season 8/episode 21 is a fitting series finale.

Laverne and Shirley - nothing could make me buy or watch this show after Season 5. I only wish the first episode of Season 6 was included on the previous DVD release, for closure's sake.

All in the Family - the cut-off for me is the end of Season 8, when Mike and Gloria leave. After that, it became a different show (and then literally a different show, with Archie Bunker's Place). The bittersweet ending of that season's finale perfectly wraps up the series.

 

[Ethan Riley]

I think a general rule of thumb for very long-running shows is...the problem with Season 6. Every show you can think of started to wobble in Season 6. Never fails. That's about the time when the series has run through all the storylines 2 or 3 times and some of the lead actors have walked away. That's the season where some of the head writers have grown creatively exhausted and have quit and been replaced with lesser writers who don't understand what makes the series tick. Never fails.

Suffer through Season 6 of any show if you must, but never continue on to Season 7!

 

[jcroy]

I think a general rule of thumb for very long-running shows is...the problem with Season 6. Every show you can think of started to wobble in Season 6. Never fails. That's about the time when the series has run through all the storylines 2 or 3 times and some of the lead actors have walked away. That's the season where some of the head writers have grown creatively exhausted and have quit and been replaced with lesser writers who don't understand what makes the series tick. Never fails.

Suffer through Season 6 of any show if you must, but never continue on to Season 7!

Some shows I felt which didn't nosedive during season 6, were in the Law & Order franchise.

In the original Law & Order, I liked the first nine seasons. I also liked the final three seasons (18-20).

In Law & Order: Criminal Intent, they brought back Chris Noth's character Mike Logan as a regular in the 5th season. (Noth played Mike Logan in the first five seasons of the original Law & Order). The Logan character was fleshed out much better over the next several seasons of L&O:CI than in the original L&O.

 

[Ron1973]

I think a general rule of thumb for very long-running shows is...the problem with Season 6. Every show you can think of started to wobble in Season 6. Never fails. That's about the time when the series has run through all the storylines 2 or 3 times and some of the lead actors have walked away. That's the season where some of the head writers have grown creatively exhausted and have quit and been replaced with lesser writers who don't understand what makes the series tick. Never fails.

Suffer through Season 6 of any show if you must, but never continue on to Season 7!

The Beverly Hillbillies took its nosedive in the last 2 seasons which would've been 8 and 9. Actually, parts of season 8 were fairly close to the original spirit of previous seasons.

 

[FrankPitt]

I think a general rule of thumb for very long-running shows is...the problem with Season 6. Every show you can think of started to wobble in Season 6.

You might have something there. I reminded me that my Supernatural DVD collection ends with Season 5 (which is probably where the show itself should have stopped).

 

[Ron1973]

I'll also offer that Bonanza got BETTER in its later run after Adam left. I caught up with the "lost episodes" on Encore and they best any of the early years.

 

[Roy Wall]

OK...let me further elaborate on this topic.

Bonanza: I bought season 4 vol.2 and season 5 vol 1. I did this to get my favorite episodes of Bonanza.
S4 V2 contains episodes "My Brother's Keeper" (Adam accidentally shoots Little Joe while hunting) and "The Boss" Ben Cartwright in a fight with treacherous Carroll O'Connor). S5 V1 is almost like a greatest episodes DVD with "Twilight Town" (Bonanza's closest step toward the Twilight Zone)., "The Legacy" (The boys character is put to the test when their father has been kidnapped and apparently murdered), "A Quality Of Mercy" (Little Joe sees a friend put his severely injured father-in-law to death and has to wrestle with the matter), "Hoss and the Leprechauns" (Hoss is seeing Little Green Dressed fellers hiding gold and appearing outta nowhere around the Ponderosa), "Ponderosa Matador" (The Cartwright boys try their hand at bullfighting striving for the affections of the same girl) and "Alias Joe Cartwright" (A bad guy that looks exactly like Joe Cartwright is causing havok in Virginia City).

Have Gun Will Travel: I passed on Season 5 and season 6, Vol 2 because of way too many week episodes. Season 6 Vol. 1 is a ball of fire with "Genesis", "Memories Of Monica", "The Predators", "A Place For Abel Hix" and "Marshal Of Sweetwater". The last episode on the set, "The Treasure", stars Trek's DeForest Kelley, Lee Van Cleef, Dallas' Jim Davis and recently deceased Jeanne Cooper.

Gunsmoke: Disagree with those planning to stop at season 11....although I do see your point of view. At minimum...I would like the first color season in the library. I love this show and will get all 20 if Paramount releases them.

Superman (George Reeves): Agreed with season 1 owners only...but certainly understand those wanting season 2 and beyond as I bought my grandsons all seasons but I have only season 1 in my library.

Twilight Zone: I pass on season 4.

The FBI (Efrem Zee): The two seasons with Stephen Brooks is all I want.

Hawaii 5-0: Have seasons up through 7 as these are rated highly except season 4 (a weak year) and I passed on it so Ihave seasons 1-3 and 5-7.

TAGS: Like most everybody else...through season 5.

Barnaby Jones: Season 1

Hill Street Blues: Want ALL...same for Rawhide, Green Acres and The Big Bang Theory.

Northern Exposure, Deadwood, Foyle's War, Mary Tyler Moore, Dick Van Dyke, Columbo, The Honeymooners, I Love Lucy, The Fugitive, Wanted Dead Or Alive, Star Trek (TOS), M Squad, Fawlty Towers, and Danger Man have ALL.

 

[Regulus]

I know of a show that lasted 19 seasons, and IMO it NEVER "Jumped the Shark" even though it had a major change of format in its 11th season.

 

[Gary OS]

I'm pretty sure I know which show you are talking about, Regulus. And if it's the one I'm thinking of (Lassie) then I completely agree with you. It certainly didn't tank after S6. Not by any stretch. Neither did Ozzie & Harriet or Gunsmoke, imho.


Gary "but overall there's no doubt that most series don't continue strongly after more than half a dozen years" O.

 

[Professor Echo]

I'm watching the fifth and final season of FAMILY AFFAIR and it's not surprising to see that the show went from being in top 5 the previous four seasons to not even making it in the top 30 for this one. The stories are mainly retreads of earlier episodes, continuity gets tossed out the window, a totally superfluous character is introduced and Brian Keith looks like he was woken up from a nap just before every scene. There have been some nice episodes, but it's obvious that everyone, from personnel to viewer, was fading away.

From the same exec producer, Don Fedderson, I have similar troubles with the last seasons of MY THREE SONS. They tried to kickstart it again by having Steve and Chip get married, but it never really took off in this incarnation. It was a long way from its black and white seasons. The image of Steve sitting in an ice cream parlor with Dodie, smoking his smelly pipe while everyone was trying to eat and looking more like her grandfather is an image I never need to see again.

 

[jimmyjet]

i have never seen pre-timmy lassie. but i recall as a kid, when timmy left.

at that stage of my life, it was not as good to me, with timmy gone.

but i dont say i didnt like it.

i pretty much want to get every episode of shows, even if i knew i did not like some years/characters as well.

cuz i want to see just what happens, if nothing else.

 

[jimmyjet]

i see many of you guys are using the phrase "jumping shark" ?

it seems to mean that the show started going downhill ?

 

[BobO'Link]

i see many of you guys are using the phrase "jumping shark" ?

it seems to mean that the show started going downhill ?

"Jump the Shark" is a phrase used to describe the moment in a television show when it begins a decline in quality that is beyond recovery. This is usually a particular scene, episode, or aspect of a show in which the writers use some type of "gimmick" in a desperate attempt to keep viewers' interest.

The phrase comes from a scene in the fifth season premiere episode of Happy Days titled "Hollywood: Part 3". They visit Los Angeles where Fonzie answers a challenge to his bravery by wearing swim trunks along with his leather jacket and jumps over a confined shark on water skis. It was a low point for the series. The phrase was created by Jon Hein who published a list of shows and when they "jumped" on a web site, jumptheshark.com. That site was quite fun and allowed visitor input as to when a particular show "jumped", or began to go downhill. He sold the site to Gemstar (owners of TV Guide) in mid-2006 who bastardized it to the point that it, too, "Jumped the Shark". The last I checked the URL redirected to a lame sub-site on TVguide.com that is a pale reworking of the original.

 

[Ejanss]

The phrase comes from a scene in the fifth season premiere episode of Happy Days titled "Hollywood: Part 3".
That site was quite fun and allowed visitor input as to when a particular show "jumped", or began to go downhill. He sold the site to Gemstar (owners of TV Guide) in mid-2006 who basterdized it to the point that it, too, "Jumped the Shark". The last I checked the URL redirected to a lame sub-site on TVguide.com that is a pale reworking of the original.

In fact, think the clip was posted (with spoiler mask) a page back.
And now that TV Guide owns the trademark, TV Guide Channel runs their "50 Greatest Jump-the-Shark Moments" series on their network pretty....constantly.
Can't recall the order, but the categories that get mentioned most frequently:- New kids to update the old ones (Cousin Oliver on the Brady Bunch, Archie Bunker and LIttle Orphan Annie, and the milk-carton kid on Married With Children)
- Bad-idea seasons turning into "dreams" (Bobby Ewing in the shower, Roseanne wins the lottery)
- Characters move out of where they make sense (Laverne & Shirley in Hollywood)
- Stars exit for more money and don't find it (Moonlighting without Dave & Maddie, Alice without Flo, Beast without Beauty)
- The cast starts getting a taste for musical numbers (Head of the Class was doing it long before the Drew Carey Show)

Eh, I should watch the show again. If I turn the channel on at random, it should be on in one out of three tries.

 

[Lee Smith]

At one time I wanted to get all seasons of a series once I started buying the DVDs for that series.

But, after a few years I realized that for most series, I really wanted just the first 3 or 4 seasons of a long running show (more than 5 seasons). I was not interested in later seasons.

Three seasons of Rawhide, Have Gun Will Travel, MASH, Wagon Train, MTM, Roseanne.

Four seasons of Perry Mason, Hawaii 5-O, The Rockford Files. ER

If a series has only 5 seasons I usually get all of the seasons. Unfortunately, although I get the 5th season of a show, I have found that the last season has usually a significant drop-off in the number of re-watchable episodes. Sliders & Las Vegas are examples.

Gunsmoke: the first 6 seasons. Did not like it when it expanded to 1 hour.

Bonanza: Have not started buying seasons yet but will skip the Adam Cartwright years.


I have started buying blu-ray versions of some series that I had the complete series on DVD. And I find that am not getting all of the seasons on blu-ray.
I skipped season 4 of The Twilight Zone and the first two seasons of Star Trek TNG.

 

[Gary OS]

The last I checked the URL redirected to a lame sub-site on TVguide.com that is a pale reworking of the original.

You got that right. The original website was great, but ever since TVGuide took it over it's been pretty pathetic. I haven't been back there in years.


Gary "sometimes change is NOT a good thing" O.

 

[Regulus]

The origional owners of JTS created a new site called http://bonethefish.com. It's just as good as the original site was before TV Guide bought and ruined it.

 

[Gary OS]

The origional owners of JTS created a new site called http://bonethefish.com. It's just as good as the original site was before TV Guide bought and ruined it.

Wow! Thanks for that info, Regulus. I had no idea about this site.


Gary "great stuff" O.