Shows That Overstayed Their Welcome.

[onairb]

All in the Family should have stopped after the sixth season

The beginning of the end for that show may have been when Nixon resigned.

Once Jimmy Carter got elected, they tried a little role reversal, with Meathead defending the President and Archie railing against him.

Once they saw that that wouldn't fly (Stivic's character is a "smartest guy in the room" contrarian, not a defender of the establishment), they toned down the political bickering, and focused more on Archie buying the bar and Stephanie coming in.

There were very few jokes about Ford or Carter on 'AITF',outside of the obligatory 'peanut jokes' about Jimmy, and Gerry 'playing football without a helmet'. I think Archie and Mike had a wager on the outcome of the '76 election, but afterwards, other than Archie dismissing Carter with an 'Aw, jeez' every once in a while, and maybe a 'Camp David Accord' joke,the political commentary was dead.

 

[FredLeonard]

I hate to say it, but Carol Burnett probably should have folder her tent when Harvey Korman left. The last season was not up to par - especially the episodes with Dick Van Dyke.

 

[Rollo-Smokes]

Here's my list, and when the shows should have ended in my view:

Married...with Children (season 7)
Full House (season 6)
Family Matters (season 6)
Beverly Hills, 90210 (season 7)
Diff'rent Strokes (season 6)
The Facts of Life (season 6)
The Jeffersons (season 7)
the original Hawaii Five-O (season 8)
Roseanne (season 6)
The Love Boat (season 6)
Happy Days (season 7)
Good Times (season 5)
ER (season 7)

Of current series, The Simpsons, Family Guy, Two and a Half Men, American Idol, America's Next Top Model, Grey's Anatomy and How I Met Your Mother need to end already. Thank goodness The Office is done, but I never cared much for it anyway.

 

[vjm]

All in the Family should have stopped after the sixth season

The beginning of the end for that show may have been when Nixon resigned.

Once Jimmy Carter got elected, they tried a little role reversal, with Meathead defending the President and Archie railing against him.

Once they saw that that wouldn't fly (Stivic's character is a "smartest guy in the room" contrarian, not a defender of the establishment), they toned down the political bickering, and focused more on Archie buying the bar and Stephanie coming in.

There were very few jokes about Ford or Carter on 'AITF',outside of the obligatory 'peanut jokes' about Jimmy, and Gerry 'playing football without a helmet'. I think Archie and Mike had a wager on the outcome of the '76 election, but afterwards, other than Archie dismissing Carter with an 'Aw, jeez' every once in a while, and maybe a 'Camp David Accord' joke,the political commentary was dead.

Exactly...Meathead's whole deal was raging against the machine, especially with Nixon, and Archie was at his best trying to defend said machine.

Once the machine was gone, (and especially when Stivic's guy was in charge), AITF lost some bite, and only a perfunctory attempt at role reversal was made (Archie complaining, Mike defending).

That's why from '77-on, it was all about buying the bar and finding "Steffie" on the doorstep.

 

[Mario500]

the original Hawaii Five-O (season 8)

I believe you meant to post "8" with the word "season". It changed into an emoticon because the code for posting that emoticon on this message board consists of both the number 8 and the parenthesis curved to the right in that order. 

 

[Rollo-Smokes]

the original Hawaii Five-O (season 8)

I believe you meant to post "8" with the word "season". It changed into an emoticon because the code for posting that emoticon on this message board consists of both the number 8 and the parenthesis curved to the right in that order.

Duh, I know that and so does everyone else. Now, let's get back to the topic...

 

[WMC2006]

Duh, I know that and so does everyone else. Now, let's get back to the topic...

Using my best Johnny Carson impression: I did not know that!

Thanks Mario. ;D

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

My submissions: Two And A Half Men (post-Charlie Sheen)
Big Bang Theory*

* BBT is particularly scarey. People actually watch it. And they vote!

 

[LKellerIII]

My submissions: Two And A Half Men (post-Charlie Sheen)
Big Bang Theory*

* BBT is particularly scarey. People actually watch it. And they vote!

Whole heartedly agree with both of those comments, but I would adjust Two and a Half Men to say pre the Charlie Sheen departure. The show had gotten old for me at least a season before the Sheen debacle

 

[landtuna]

Whole heartedly agree with both of those comments, but I would adjust Two and a Half Men to say pre the Charlie Sheen departure. The show had gotten old for me at least a season before the Sheen debacle

Agree. Season 6 (last Sheen season) he was phoning it in. You can tell he was abusing all manner of things by his gruff voice and he seemed out to lunch on a lot of his lines.

 

[MCarney]

I agree with a lot of what's posted, but I'll add a few more:

"Laverne and Shirley" - should have cancelled before they moved to California (the sure sign they ran out of ideas)
"Bonanza" - definitely season 14 should have been shut down when Dan Blocker died, but it could have been cancelled earlier when Jaime joined the Cartwrights
"Andy Griffith" - really suffered after Barney left, but got worse when it became obvious that Andy didn't want to be there
"Lassie" - the ranger years were really a waste, it should have ended with the end of the Timmy episodes

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

My submissions: Two And A Half Men (post-Charlie Sheen)
Big Bang Theory*
* BBT is particularly scarey. People actually watch it. And they vote!

Whole heartedly agree with both of those comments, but I would adjust Two and a Half Men to say pre the Charlie Sheen departure. The show had gotten old for me at least a season before the Sheen debacle

Yes, writers did seem to be running out of ideas in season 6, but they were still a damn sight more creative than the crappy story lines following Charlie H's "accidental" demise. Might be more interesting if the writers would take a leap by milking Charlie's collision with an on-coming train, inside the "tube". Imagine the quality of dark humor bound to ooze from a Rose-Goes-OnTrial-For-Homicide-By-Train storyline. Surely it would beat the tar out of the scripts they're doing now.

 

[vjm]

I agree with a lot of what's posted, but I'll add a few more:

"Laverne and Shirley" - should have cancelled before they moved to California (the sure sign they ran out of ideas)
"Bonanza" - definitely season 14 should have been shut down when Dan Blocker died, but it could have been cancelled earlier when Jaime joined the Cartwrights
"Andy Griffith" - really suffered after Barney left, but got worse when it became obvious that Andy didn't want to be there
"Lassie" - the ranger years were really a waste, it should have ended with the end of the Timmy episodes

"Andy Griffith" completely became a different show when Barney left. It became drier and duller. Aunt Bee, Howard Sprague, and Emmitt the fix-it-guy (whom a lot of the later seasons featured prominently) just couldn't hold a candle to Barney, Ernest T Bass, and Otis (don't discount losing Ernest T and Otis...they added some spark as well, and Barney goes without saying).

Lassie's ranger years were all right. It was the one year of her traveling alone and the ranch years where you could tell it was getting time to call it a day.

 

[FredLeonard]

"Andy Griffith" completely became a different show when Barney left. It became drier and duller. Aunt Bee, Howard Sprague, and Emmitt the fix-it-guy (whom a lot of the later seasons featured prominently) just couldn't hold a candle to Barney, Ernest T Bass, and Otis (don't discount losing Ernest T and Otis...they added some spark as well, and Barney goes without saying).

It wasn't just Don Knotts who left. The show's producer left and most of the show's writers. The later series were flat 60s sitcom scripts. The surprising thing is Griffith and Sheldon Leonard never seemed to notice. What the heck? Ratings were still good and the money was coming in. Actually, the Danny Thomas Show was out of production by then and Sheldon Leonard had moved on to a production deal with NBC (I Spy), so he was out of the loop as a practical matter. Dick Van Dyke had also shut down and Griffith was the only Thomas-Leonard show left in production.

 

[onairb]

I agree with a lot of what's posted, but I'll add a few more:

"Laverne and Shirley" - should have cancelled before they moved to California (the sure sign they ran out of ideas)
"Bonanza" - definitely season 14 should have been shut down when Dan Blocker died, but it could have been cancelled earlier when Jaime joined the Cartwrights
"Andy Griffith" - really suffered after Barney left, but got worse when it became obvious that Andy didn't want to be there
"Lassie" - the ranger years were really a waste, it should have ended with the end of the Timmy episodes

"Andy Griffith" completely became a different show when Barney left. It became drier and duller. Aunt Bee, Howard Sprague, and Emmitt the fix-it-guy (whom a lot of the later seasons featured prominently) just couldn't hold a candle to Barney, Ernest T Bass, and Otis (don't discount losing Ernest T and Otis...they added some spark as well, and Barney goes without saying).

Emmett basically replaced Floyd after Howard McNear, who had been too sick to be in season 7, died in early 1967. Although McNear's health obviously changed Floyd as a character, even a 'sick' Floyd added more to the show than Emmett ever did.
Otis, from what I understand, was dropped because a new 'family friendly'/women-oriented sponsor objected to the character's behavior.

 

[onairb]

"Andy Griffith" completely became a different show when Barney left. It became drier and duller. Aunt Bee, Howard Sprague, and Emmitt the fix-it-guy (whom a lot of the later seasons featured prominently) just couldn't hold a candle to Barney, Ernest T Bass, and Otis (don't discount losing Ernest T and Otis...they added some spark as well, and Barney goes without saying).

It wasn't just Don Knotts who left. The show's producer left and most of the show's writers. The later series were flat 60s sitcom scripts. The surprising thing is Griffith and Sheldon Leonard never seemed to notice. What the heck? Ratings were still good and the money was coming in. Actually, the Danny Thomas Show was out of production by then and Sheldon Leonard had moved on to a production deal with NBC (I Spy), so he was out of the loop as a practical matter. Dick Van Dyke had also shut down and Griffith was the only Thomas-Leonard show left in production.

In '67-68, Thomas had his own short-lived anthology on NBC('The Danny Thomas Hour'); a mix of dramas, comedies(including 'Make Room for Daddy' specials) and dramas, in which he either was the star or the host (sort of like 'Bob Hope Presents Chrysler Theater', which had just ended that spring). I'm assuming Thomas and Leonard were in on that.

 

[Wright County Guy]

"Barney Miller" went at least one-season too long.

 

[FredLeonard]

In '67-68, Thomas had his own short-lived anthology on NBC('The Danny Thomas Hour'); a mix of dramas, comedies(including 'Make Room for Daddy' specials) and dramas, in which he either was the star or the host (sort of like 'Bob Hope Presents Chrysler Theater', which had just ended that spring). I'm assuming Thomas and Leonard were in on that.

At that point Thomas was working with Aaron Spelling.

 

[onairb]

"Barney Miller" went at least one-season too long.

The death of Jack Soo really took a lot of the energy (ironic choice of word!) out of the show. Soo took up some of the slack after Abe Vigoda departed, but Soo/Yemana simply could not be replaced.
James Gregory also temporarily departed in '79, when he had his own short-lived ABC sitcom, 'Detective School'(not a spinoff of Barney).

 

[Marckd]

The Simpsons is far overdue for cancelation - With well over 500 episodes - you can only do the same things so many times - since 2005 the Simpons have been mostly remakes of earlier episodes. The Simpsons jumped the shark back in 2003 and should have been put to pasture by 2007.