Everyone has their list of TV shows that either went or have gone on too long, I have compiled my list of ten TV shows that I think should have thrown in the towel long before they actually did or have yet to do.
Here’s my list:
Happy Days was the creator of “Jumping the Shark”; so it seemed fitting it be the first show on the list. Although the show lasted for many seasons after it literally jumped a shark, it still lasted well beyond its creative high. Once a show has reached its creative peak I think the right thing to do is start working toward the shows end. Unfortunately as long as a show is still bringing in the ratings and the money, the actually quality of the content doesn’t seem to matter too much. My list consists of shows that I have personally stuck with even though I think they reached their creative peak long before they ended. Some of these shows are still going, I can only hope they wrap it up soon because it’s going to be tedious watching such mediocre television. I know you could tell me to just stop watching but I like to stick things out, I have to see them through to the end, I secretly hope that they will redeem themselves. Happy Days is available from Amazon.com
Weeds was once a clever show about a single mother trying to raise her children and make a living selling weed. I suppose you could say that, that is still the premise of the show but now after having just finished airing its seventh season its more like she’s kicking a dead horse. In its first three seasons Weeds was a great show with a unique premise, the contrast of the quaint little suburb with the drug dealing mother was brilliant and funny. Once they left the suburb and Nancy became involved with a Mexican drug ring the show sort of lost its appeal. Nancy never learns from her mistakes and she is a terrible mother, at first she seemed to be doing what she thought was best for her children but now it seems she just looks out for herself. There is no growth among any of the shows characters and it becomes more and more annoying watching these people do the same stupid things over and over. Weeds has been picked up for an eighth season and lets hope they wrap it up. The show got tired four seasons ago and needs to know that it is time to quit. Weeds is available from Amazon.com 
That ’70s Show was one of a kind when it first came out, it was a new show about older times. It was great for someone like me who didn’t grow up in the 70’s to see what it was like for my parents. It was funny, clever and cheeky. It remained to be these things for most of the series but when two of the shows more popular actors wanted out they should have decided to end the show. Instead they tried to make it work without them; they weren’t successful. The show was too late into its run to try to go on without Ashton Kutcher and Topher Grace who had become the face of the show. You can get away with replacing main characters within your first few seasons but after that people start to get too attached and don’t like it when they go. When Kutcher and Grace left so did a lot of the audience. If the show had wrapped up at the end of season seven it probably wouldn’t be on this list. That ’70s Show is available from Amazon.com
The Office is currently in its eighth season but I think it lost its appeal at least two seasons ago. Steve Carell left the show at the end of the seventh season which I think should have been their cue to end the show but they are still trying to make it work. The Office started very strong, it was fun and new, even though it was based on a British series, most Americans hadn’t seen anything like it. Unfortunately it should have learned from the British Office and ended while it was still great. The story lines have become tired and the jokes the same. Steve Carell’s exit certainly didn’t help but the show had run its course long before he left. The newest season has been hit and miss, a couple of episodes have made me laugh but for the most part it is the same old stuff. I think they need to wrap it at the end of this season and allow the cast to move on to new projects. The Office is available from Amazon.com
Fifteen seasons and an amazing amount of changes in the core cast later ER finally ended. I was done with ER around the time that Dr. Green died, the stories were still interesting and moving and the characters all likable in their own ways. I continued to watch ER for many seasons after Dr. Green’s death but it was never the same, I was never as involved or moved by the characters and their stories. The drama seemed to become over the top and bordered on ridiculous most of the time. The show remained entertaining over the years but it lacked the focus and depth of the earlier seasons. ER became more of a soap opera than anything else, if it had ended around the ninth or tenth seasons it could have been a really excellent series, those extra five seasons were unnecessary and underwhelming. They should have quit while the going was good. ER is available from Amazon.com
I started watching 30 Rock because it was smart and witty and Alec Baldwin was hilarious, they had fantastic guest stars and ridiculous stories that made me laugh out loud. Now when I am watching 30 Rock I find I am hearing the same joke over and over again. The show has gotten boring, the jokes are still the same but now they aren’t funny. I have seen enough, I want something more, something new but instead I keep getting the same thing from week to week. I don’t think the show has done anything wrong, I just think it is time to end the show. It had a good run and now it is done. They are ruining the original quality of the show by allowing its once dedicated audience to get annoyed and walk away from it. If the show finishes at the end of its current sixth season then it will be doing the right thing. We don’t need anymore from 30 Rock. 30 Rock is available from Amazon.com
When the hell are we going to meet the mother? Already seven seasons in and we haven’t met the mother, I sure hope the series closes with this meeting and doesn’t give us a few more seasons of life with the mother. I loved the first few seasons of How I Met Your Mother, it was clever and a little different from the others, Neil Patrick Harris as Barney was perfect, but it lost its sights somewhere after the third season. We have been on this mission to find Ted’s wife for so long that I find myself not caring anymore. I just want him to meet her and get it over with. I am finding the characters are not growing and learning anymore, they are at a standstill and keep making the same dumb mistakes. The latter seasons of the show have had way too many filler episodes where the story doesn’t get advanced at all and we are no where closer to finding Ted’s wife. I find myself rarely laughing and just waiting for the episode to end, I have come this far so I have to stick it out but I sure am hoping the end is near. How I Met Your Mother is available from Amazon.com
When Grey’s Anatomy started out I was in love, the sexy and dramatic hospital setting had me hooked, it was a well acted soap opera with some depth. There was always controversy surrounding the show which I think helped in getting it to its eighth season but it’s just not as good as it was in its first four seasons. The characters seem to have stopped growing and developing, they keep running into the same problems, the drama is over the top and the stories lack the depth they once had. Grey’s lost a couple of its main characters half way through the show and its never really felt the same. I think that this should be their last season, I believe they are about to lose a couple more of their main characters if it isn’t. I will stick it out until the end but I know I won’t enjoy it as much as I did in those first few seasons. Grey’s Anatomy is available from Amazon.com
Dexter for me has been an up and down roller coaster but lately more down than up. I loved the first season, it drew me in and I was hooked, I enjoyed the second season but they lost me in the third. Then came season four, I absolutely loved season four, it was dark and twisted and thrilling. John Lithgow was the perfect villain and the finale shocked me, I was excited about the show again. Then season five and six fell completely flat, the stories were less than thrilling and I didn’t find myself caring much anymore. Season six left off on a cliffhanger that could make for a great seventh season but I have lost my faith in the show and think that if you can’t be better than season four then you need to stop. Dexter is available from Amazon.com
It pains me to put Scrubs on this list, as it is one of my favorite shows. I like to think that Scrubs ended after the eighth season and that season nine just doesn’t exist. For eight seasons Scrubs was great, it was funny and quirky but it had a lot of heart too. For some reason they decided to try to spin the show off into this weird direction, the main cast became guest stars and the new cast just didn’t stand up to them. They changed the setting and the story, it was basically a new show with the same title. Scrubs was cancelled in season nine but the damage was already done, instead of ending on the high note that season eight ends with, they are stuck with these 13 extra episodes of a pretty unlikable show. In my mind it ends at season eight but I wish they had of known better and just quit while it was still good. Scrubs is available from Amazon.com
So that’s my list, did I leave anything off that you think should be on here? Or did I put something on the list that you disagree with? Share in the comments section below! My 10 Shows Gone too Soon blog will be up soon!
