Thursday Talk Week 14

J: The flip side of last week's question - which TV shows went on for too long?

Mira: I'm going to run the gamut with the CW (formerly known as the WB)...
1. One Tree Hill: I cannot believe this show is still on air. A good measurement for when a show needs to end is this -- if it's a show about high school kids, when they graduate high school; if it's a show about college kids, when they graduate college (thank you Greek producers!); if it's a show about single people, when they all get married (ahem How I Met Your Mother)... Well One Tree Hill went through high school, jumped straight over college and now they're adults being weird and crazy and angsty just like when they were in high school? Okay, I truthfully am not in a place to truly judge -- I stopped watching before the graduated from high school... But here's where you know it REALLY needed to end -- the show is still going on without 2 out of 4 of the MAIN characters. Plus the mom of one of the characters started having an adult relationship (meaning completely legal) with one of the kids now turned adult.
2. Seventh Heaven: So I watched this show on and off for the first few years, back when all the Camden kids were kids. So a few years ago when I heard it was the series finale of the show (this was timed with the ending of the WB), I turned it on just for nostalgia. This series finale was beyond bizarro. Something strange like Lucy was preggerz with twins and so was Mary and so was Simon's girlfriend or something. Basically a LOT of babies were to come. Super duper corny, but hey!, at least it was over, right? Nope, WRONG. Over the summer the CW decided it wanted to pick it up again. So what was already a show that had aired too long became a show that was airing for even longer. So stupid!
3. Gilmore Girls: I know this was on my list last week, but as I said then, it was because I didn't get the full Luke-Loralie relationship that I wanted so badly. The real reason I didn't get this was because the show went on for TOO LONG. Seriously, Rory being a brat and sleeping with Dean and dropping out of college was unnecessary. Actually, all of Rory's college years were unnecessary (minus the occasional highlight of Paris-Doyle cuteness). Then April entering Luke's life; that, too, was unnecessary. Then Luke and Loralie breaking up because Luke wanted more time with April, more unnecessary. Then Loralie sleeping with Christopher in the 5 minutes she was broken up from Luke, even more unnecessary. THEN, Loralie eloping with Christopher, thus ending any hope for a Luke-Loralie relationship that season? UGH! EXTREMELY unnecessary.

Jennifer:
1. 24: In the beginning part of me actually thought that 24 should start with an entirely new cast and story each season. But of course, TV execs never want to take that kind of a risk, especially with a formula that was so successful. It did keep working for quite awhile--Jack Bauer and his dammits are definitely cemented into pop culture history and season 5 with President and Martha Logan was actually pretty fantastic, but the past three seasons have just felt like overkill. I didn't finish seasons 6 and 7 and didn't even bother starting season 8. I hated that favorite characters of mine kept getting killed off, like Tony and Michelle and Bill Buchanan. And I especially hated that Tony's death was retconned to have him come back as a villain. I guess the show still has its fans but I don't know how many people are still getting excited by it. Thankfully this season will be the last!
2. Scrubs: This was a weird one. Last season it had a very complete finale, the episode was even entitled "My Finale," but then for some reason it was renewed and came back in an altered form without much of the main cast. I watched a few episodes of the new "Med School" format and while some of the new characters were interesting, it just felt...unnecessary.
3. The X-files: So I actually liked Agents Doggett and Reyes in the last two seasons but it was just stupid to continue the show without David Duchovny being on full-time. Thankfully he returned to finish out the series properly.
4. Alias: I mean, how many times did Sloane flip flop between being good and bad? The show was really only good for about a season and half; then there was that whole Francie-bot thing and Lauren as Vaughn's wife (worst character EVER) and things just spiraled downhill from there for 3 more seasons! I still shudder whenever Rambaldi comes up....