27 Shows That Actually Stuck the Landing

Thank you to whoever didn’t let these great shows die slow deaths
27 Shows That Actually Stuck the Landing

These merciful creators let their shows keep their dignity, and it was a win-win for all of us. Well, a win-win-win, really. The creators can hold their heads high as noble, non-money grubbing artists, the shows got themselves mostly satisfying wrap-ups and we the audience enjoyed a pleasurable viewing experience. Oh, and the networks got millions of fans tuning in, so there’s a fourth win in here too.

Even if we wanted more at the time, we grew to appreciate what we were given. So thank you, TV creators. It’s rare, but you managed to get everyone on the tarmac safe and sound.

Schitt’s Creek

EASTER EGGSTRA REFERENCES & HIDDEN MEANINGS CRACKED.COM SCHITT'S CREEK The last scene. Emily Hampshire, who plays Stevie, said that the final scene is an Easter egg, in that it really was the last scene all of them shot together, making those goodbyes very real.

Golden Girls

GOLDEN GIRLS CRACKED.COM The first 5 seasons had over 20 million viewers per episode, but ratings started to drop with 16.5 mill in season 6, and 13.1 mill in 7. On May 9, 1992, the beloved series finale centered on Dorothy's wedding to Blanche's uncle (played by Leslie Nielsen) and brought in 27.2 million viewers.

Happy Days

HAPPY DAYS CRACKED.COM After almost being cancelled in the 1st season, creator Garry Marshall made it a loud, kid-friendly, multi-camera comedy that spanned 11 seasons, and multiple spin offs. Years after jumping the shark, the show's ratings peaked in the series finale with 30.5 million viewers.

Star Trek

STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION CRACKED.COM Despite its success, the 7 season series ended on May 23, 1994 to shift focus to the films. Season 7 received an Emmy nom for Outstanding Drama, the series finale, All Good Things, is hailed as one of the show's best episodes, and was watched by 31 million viewers.

Everybody Loves Raymond

EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND CRACKED.COM In its 5th season, it began topping Friends and Frasier in ratings, with 20.4 million viewers per episode. Proving that everyone indeed loved Raymond, the series finale, which aired on May 16, 2005, pulled in 32.9 million viewers.

Frasier

FRASIER CRACKED COM Frasier aired its series finale on May 13, 2004, after 11 seasons. The episode finds him getting off a plane in Chicago with 33.7 million viewers - its biggest audience since October 2000.

Home Improvement

HOME IMPROVEMENT CRACKED.COM After 8 seasons, we got to see Wilson's full face. The ratings had slipped dramatically in the last few seasons, losing nearly 60% of its audience. On average, 15 million viewers were tuning in, but the series finale on May 25, 1999 brought in 35.5 million viewers.

Full House

FULL HOUSE CRACKED.COM Through its 8 seasons, the TGIF hit averaged 9.6 to 15.9 million viewers per episode, but the series finale had 24.3 viewers. Even though John Stamos said, When we got canceled, we knew like a week before, so we thought we were just doing a regular last show of the season.That finale still had a solid ending that fans were happy with.

Family Ties

FAMILY TIES CRACKED.COM In season 5, the show peaked at 28.6 million viewers, but dropped to 15.4 by the end. On May 14, 1989, the family comedy ended its 7 season run on a high note with 36.3 million viewers.

All in the Family

ALL IN THE FAMILY GRAGKED.COM The groundbreaking comedy aired for 9 seasons before ending on April 8, 1979 with the usually gruff Archie expressing his love for Edith. For 5 seasons they averaged 20-21 million viewers, but that finale raked in 40.2 million.

Magnum, P.I.

MAGNUM P.I. CRACKED COM First canceled in season 7, they aired a series finale with Magnum's death. Fans protested, and season 8 opened with a wounded Magnum having dreamed his death. The actual series finale aired on May 1, 1988, and had 50.7 million viewers.

Friends

FRIENDS CRACKED.COM With Ross & Rachel getting together for real this time, and Chandler & Monica deciding to raise their adopted twins in the suburbs, the finale aired on May 5th 2004. In all 10 seasons, viewership ranged from 20-30 million, but that tearful finale had 52.5 million.

Cheers

CHEERS CRACKED.COM The bar where everybody knows your name aired its finale on May 20, 1993, after 11 seasons. Diane (Shelley Long) returns after 6 years, but Sam realizes the bar will always be his biggest love. The 98-minute finale was seen by about 40% of the U.S. population at the time - 84.4 million viewers.

M*A*S*H

M*A*S*H CRACKED COM With a 2 hour finale on February 28, 1983, CBS honorably discharged M*A*S*H. The famous ending had stones spelling out goodbye as Hawkeye flew off, and the 105.9 million viewers made it the most watched TV event of all time, until the 2010 Super Bowl nudged it out with 106.5 million viewers.

I Love Lucy

i love lucy delivered crazy ratings right up to the end H CRACKED.COM FIRST SEASON LAST SEASON I Love Lucy was TV's top-rated show in its final season. At the time, it was the first show to end its run while still number one. Lucy kissed Desi goodbye as they taped the final episode and she filed for divorce the next day.

Flight of the Conchords

flight of the conchords was a victim of exhaustion CRACKED.COM FIRST SEASON LAST SEASON Flight wasn't grounded because of low ratings or high costs. The pressure of writing original music for each episode just wasn't fun, its Bret McKenzie. We're retired sex symbols.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

unbreakable kimmy schmidt still may have stories to tell KIMMY SCHMIDT THE LEGENDS OF GREEMULAX® CRACKED.COM FIRST SEASON LAST SEASON Kimmy producers Tina Fey and Robert Carlock ended the Netflix series after only four seasons, and so far, Carlock's whispers of a follow-up film haven't come to fruition. Damnit.

Parks and Rec

parks and recreation never was a ratings monster CRACKED.COM FIRST SEASON LAST SEASON Parks and Rec got to have its cake and eat it too: It stopped before storylines got tired but the finale featured several flashes into the future so we could learn the fates of our favorites. So many feelings!

Six Feet Under

six feet under began and ended with death CRACKED.COM FIRST SEASON LAST SEASON The Six Feet Under finale was lauded for something many series endings fail to provide: a sense of closure. Showing each character's eventual demise made total sense for a series about funeral life. Good grief.

Mad Men

fans had lots of finale theories about mad men CRACKED.COM FIRST SEASON LAST SEASON But creator Matthew Weiner had the ending of the show figured out by the end of Season 4, including Betty's fate and Don's iconic commercial. Jon Hamm jokingly proposed a spinoff: Better Call Pete.

Breaking Bad

breaking bad would not go the way of mulder and scully CRACKED.COM FIRST SEASON LAST SEASON Why did Breaking Bad end when its popularity was at its peak? Creator Vince Gilligan learned from his experience on X-Files: You don't want to leave the party too late. You want to leave folks wanting more.

Seinfeld

seinfeld had no hugging or learning, right to the end CRACKED.COM FIRST SEASON LAST SEASON NBC offered Seinfeld the most lucrative deal in TV history for a return but Jerry said no thanks. For me, this is all about timing. My life is all about timing. As a comedian, my sense of timing is everything.

The Office

the office influenced a generation of sitcoms GRACKED.COM FIRST SEASON LAST SEASON The BBC Office lasted only two 6-episode seasons and a Christmas special. I didn't want to repeat myself... so I just left it as it was, says Gervais. The US version could have learned something from its ancestor.

The Fugitive

the fugitive producers had to fight for a resolution CRACKED.COM FIRST SEASON LAST SEASON ABC didn't want a definitive ending for The Fugitive, arguing it would hurt the show in reruns. But producers believed viewers deserved to see Dr. Kimble get justice, and the final episode was the most-watched of all time.

The Good Place

the good place was mapped out start to finish CRACKED.COM FIRST SEASON LAST SEASON Creator Mike Schur knew four seasons would be the end. Jamella Jamil reveals why: 'Because is the classiest motherforkingshirtball ever and wanted to leave you at the right time in the right way.'

Chappelle’s Show

chappelle's show was done when dave walked away CRACKED.COM FIRST SEASON LAST SEASON Chappelle ended his groundbreaking sketch show after only two seasons. One reason: Не wasn't sure if the bits were satirizing racial stereotypes or reinforcing them.

The Wire

the wire had the attention of powerful people CRACKED.COM FIRST SEASON LAST SEASON Then-Attorney General Eric Holder jokingly asked producers for a sixth season. Creator David Simon agreed if the Department of Justice is equally ready to reconsider and address its continuing prosecution of our misguided, destructive and dehumanising drug prohibition.

Tags:

Scroll down for the next article

Must Read

VIRAL ON CRACKED

A WEEKLY
NEWSLETTER OF
JOKES + TRIVIA

?