Yahoo Lifestyle 17 Times Hollywood Simply Could Not Let A TV Show Or Movie Franchise End
There are obviously spoilers ahead!
1.First, Ted Lasso felt like it came to a very natural conclusion with Season 3. However, it was recently revealed it will be returning for Season 4, with several main cast members reportedly expected to return, and I'm not sure it's necessary now.
I didn't think Season 3 of Ted Lasso was the strongest, mostly because of the Roy and Keeley aspect of it all, but I still think it gave us a pretty solid series finale. Now, will I be excited to see the cast as these characters again? Sure! But if we aren't going to have the full cast back for Season 4, I don't want it to tarnish their Season 3 finale endings. Reportedly, Phil Dunster won't be a series regular due to a scheduling conflict, and I just don't want new episodes without Jamie Tart.
Personally, I would've rather had a spinoff series where we see Keeley and Rebecca starting their women's football club, which was teased in the Season 3 finale.
2.The Toy Story movies were a perfect trilogy. In fact, Toy Story 3 had one of the best (and most heartbreaking) endings for a movie trilogy, in my opinion. However, there have now been two more movies, which make it feel like my tears were for nothing.
I am one of the very many who absolutely bawled my eyes out while watching Toy Story 3 in theaters. I mean, whether it was when it looked like Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the toys were going to be incinerated or when Andy gave his old friends to Bonnie, the whole movie felt like the perfect ending. But no. Toy Story 4 happened, which had Woody leaving Buzz and everyone behind...and now there's going to be a Toy Story 5, which will also undo THAT.
I've loved some of the newer, original Pixar movies, like Turning Red and Soul, and I would personally see more of those instead of undoing the great endings for the Toy Story characters over and over again.
3.Big Little Lies was a perfect limited series with a brilliant cast. And while Season 2 featured Meryl Streep joining the already star-studded cast, the show should've never gone past Season 1.
Big Little Lies is a perfect book-to-TV adaptation for me. I think it brilliantly adapted Liane Moriarty's book into a compelling limited series. Key words being: limited series. I loved this show as a self-contained, one-season story. The acting was great, the storylines were so good, and it did not need to continue past seven episodes.
I would've rather had a completely new TV series or movie that reunited some of these cast members instead of creating brand-new storylines for a Season 2 that wasn't needed.
4.The first two seasons of Euphoria were appointment TV for me because I loved watching live with everyone on the internet and seeing the memes and discourse. But I really think the show doesn't need a Season 3 at this point.
As I said above, Season 1 and Season 2 of Euphoria were appointment TV for me. I loved watching live and talking about everything that happened with friends, and the rest of the internet. However, I think the show has had its moment. So much has happened for that cast between Season 2 and when filming is scheduled to begin for Season 3 in 2025.
Hunter Schafer recently opened up about how hard it will be to return for Season 3 following Angus Cloud's death, as well as producer Kevin Turen. The Euphoria cast has had such a boom in their careers, I would be more than fine with letting the Season 2 finale be the series finale and letting the show end there.
5.The first two Home Alone movies remain classic Christmas movies to this day. However, Hollywood somehow decided to make four more movies after Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, and Macaulay Culkin wasn't even in them.
Home Alone and Home Alone 2 are two Christmas movies I hold very near to my heart. Macaulay Culkin and Catherine O'Hara are two of the reasons why just because I adore their performances in both movies. Now, the thing with Hollywood is even when a main actor doesn't return, they will still churn out sequels, and even the Home Alone franchise wasn't safe from it.
I understand the concept of leaving a child home alone and seeing what they would get up to isn't revolutionary, but calling the subsequent films Home Alone and making it feel like they were all in one connected universe is just not it. I only acknowledge the first two movies, and this franchise should've stopped there.
6.Grey's Anatomy will always be one of my favorite TV shows of all time. I stuck with it after Sandra Oh's Cristina left, when Patrick Dempsey's Derek died, and even when Ellen Pompeo cut back her involvement as Meredith, but now I'm begging for a final season.
I am a ride-or-die Grey's Anatomy viewer. I have watched live every single Thursday since I caught up using Netflix DVDs way back when. I will sob hysterically whenever Seattle Grace/Grey Sloan closes its doors, and I have to say goodbye to Meredith, Bailey, Richard, and more. All of that being said, it's time for it to happen. This past season, I was bored. The storylines are all reused, and I feel like there is nothing going on. Station 19 was better than this show for the past few seasons, and yet, somehow, that ended before Grey's.
I want one final season where I know it's the last hurrah so I can enjoy saying goodbye to everything and the magic Shonda Rhimes created. Please.
7.Frozen should've been a standalone movie, but I didn't mind Frozen 2. However, the fact that we are now getting Frozen 3, and possibly Frozen 4, seems a little much.
Frozen will always be one of the best Disney movies. From the music to the characters to the plot twists, I genuinely believe it is one of THE best. Now, Frozen 2 was not necessary but I did also love it. I loved seeing Anna and Elsa again. The music was great. I had fun. Now, all of that being said, that does not mean I need TWO more movies. Give me a little Frozen Disney+ special for Anna and Kristoff's wedding, and call it a day. I don't want to get tired of this universe because I do love it, but I feel like I am going to eventually hit new Frozen movie fatigue.
8.Supernatural creator Eric Kripke notably left the series after Season 5, which concluded the original five-season arc for the show he envisioned. And personally, the Season 5 finale would've made a better series finale than Season 15.
I love the Winchester boys so much. Sam and Dean's brotherhood is one of my favorite things Supernatural gave us. I also loved their weekly demon-hunting sprees, and just the entire vibe of this show. However, I think it overstayed its welcome. The first five seasons are some of the very best TV, and if you love a procedural but make it spooky and, well, supernatural, I cannot recommend this one enough. I wish this show had ended after Season 5.
You'll notice I don't mind an ending that leaves us with some unanswered questions, and I wouldn't have cared if that's what happened with Supernatural, too. I think Sam and Dean are the heart of this show, and what happens with them in the Season 5 finale should've been the perfect series finale.
9.The Indiana Jones movies should've just remained a great trilogy, with Harrison Ford hanging up Indy's iconic hat after The Last Crusade. But no, we've now gotten two more movies since 1989.
Is the original Indiana Jones trilogy perfect? No. In fact, I really only like Ke Huy Quan's Short Round in Temple of Doom. However, I still think this franchise worked best as a trilogy. It might be unpopular, but The Last Crusade is my favorite Indiana Jones movie, and I think it works perfectly as a finale. I love having Indy team up with his dad. I love the entire Holy Grail plot.
But then, 19 years later, we got another movie. It wasn't great. Then, we got ANOTHER one in 2023, and it really lost me because it decided to include time travel... so yes, this is another movie franchise I wish quit while it was ahead and never looked back.
10.The first season of The Handmaid's Tale was enthralling, terrifying, and must-watch TV. But the show really lost me after Season 2, and now it has been two years since Season 5, and the sixth season is still on the way but hasn't even filmed yet.
The first two seasons of The Handmaid's Tale were phenomenal TV. Deeply upsetting and hard to watch, but Elisabeth Moss, Alexis Bledel, Ann Dowd, and the rest of the cast gifted us with stellar performances I still think about to this day. I don't need a happy ending from this show because the reality is there isn't going to be one in this world.
Somehow, the show is STILL GOING. We have one final season left, and it has already been two years since the last one. I'm going to forget everything that happened, TBH because the wait has been so long. The Handmaid's Tale should've been a limited series or a three-season show. Why are we still making new episodes?
11.The Pirates of the Caribbean movies remain three of my favorite movies of all time. But, notice I said THREE, because this movie franchise should've stopped after At World's End.
The first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies are arguably three of my favorite films of all time. I watch at least one of them every single year. Will, Elizabeth, and Jack are such a good trio to lead these movies, but then, when you take away Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley from the subsequent films and without a strong storyline, they just fall flat.
I wish At World's End had concluded this franchise because so much impactful stuff happened in this one, and I think it just felt like a natural conclusion. Yes, Jack could continue being a pirate for 100 more movies, but I feel like the magic of these first three just isn't there with the other two films. Best thing those extra two movies gave me was seeing Will and Elizabeth's son, and the brief moment they all reunited in an epilogue.
12.The Walking Dead is one of my favorite shows of all time, but even I can see that the series should've ended after Andrew Lincoln left. And now, even though the show has ended, we still have several spinoff series.
My obsession with The Walking Dead is one of my defining hyper-fixation eras. I love this show. Glenn Rhee is one of my favorite TV characters of all time. The first six seasons of this show are so good, and I've rewatched them so many times. Now, as a comic book reader, I knew Glenn's death was going to happen, and I don't think the show should've ended there because I love seeing Negan and the fallout from that traumatic event. However, when Andrew Lincoln left, we really should've called it a day. There is no The Walking Dead without Rick Grimes.
The main show continued for several seasons after that, and now we have countless spinoff shows. The show hasn't REALLY ended because we are still seeing Negan, Rick, Michonne, Daryl, Maggie, Carol, and more as their stories continue. I'm tired of a solid or even shocking ending being undone when these characters are dusted off for a reboot or spinoff. Let their stories end.
13.Squid Game would've been a perfect limited series. That's it. It should never have gotten a second season because Episode 9 perfectly completed the story but also left us with questions I don't really need the answer to.
Now, Season 2 of Squid Game hasn't been released yet, so I could very well end up loving it, and how the story continues, but for right now, I maintain Squid Game should've been a one-season limited series. The show was perfect. It was so well thought out and plotted, with some truly jaw-dropping twists, that I just don't know how you top it. It felt like a moment in TV history we'd all remember fondly, but I don't need to return to it if that makes sense.
Once again, I don't mind shows or movies ending with unanswered questions. Look at The Sopranos. That show ended 17 years ago, and we all still talk about the ending. I like the mystery. Squid Game closed enough storylines where I didn't feel like I was left with a cliffhanger but left just open enough that my friends and I could still chat about and debate what we thought everything was about. So, yes, I am worried Squid Game is just going to be another example of a show that should've stayed done and not come back.
14.Although controversial, 13 Reasons Why should've been a limited series that ended after the Season 1 finale. Instead, Netflix kept renewing it, and we got three more seasons that were completely unnecessary and a series finale that was not good.
Absolutely 100% this show should've been a limited series, and nothing should've happened after Season 1. Adapted from Jay Asher's novel, I never felt the need to know more about this universe following the conclusion of Hannah's tapes and finding out what happened to her before her death. But, no, 13 Reasons Why ended up going on for four seasons.
The series finale ultimately undid some of the great character growth we saw in longtime characters, namely Justin Foley, so it wasn't even like the show had a solid ending. Everything after Season 1 was just totally unnecessary. I didn't need it and it's sadly another example of a show overstaying its welcome just because Season 1 was a success.
15.Dexter delivered some of the most jaw-dropping TV moments of all time. However, the original series overstayed its welcome — and could've ended after Season 6 — and now there was a limited series, an upcoming prequel, and ANOTHER spinoff series.
I often recommend Dexter as a great show to binge-watch if you've never seen it. Michael C. Hall is so good as Dexter Morgan, and the show gifted us some of the best TV villains of all time. Like John Lithgow's performance has stuck with me for years. But the show lasted wayyyy too long. Eventually, the show could not outdo what it did in previous seasons, so everything fell flat, and there were so many unnecessary storylines. It famously even gave fans an ending that was criticized for years.
Now, Dexter has lived on and become its own TV franchise. There's an upcoming prequel and an upcoming continuation starring Michael as Dexter again. Both of these shows come after there was already a limited series called Dexter: New Blood. How about we come up with a new intriguing show about a serial killer instead of continuing Dexter forever.
16.For All Mankind is one of my favorite underrated shows to tell people to watch. Seasons 1–3 are top-tier television in my book. However, Season 4 kind of lost me, and now I'm wondering if the show has overstayed its welcome.
This might be a more niche entry on this list, but For All Mankind deserved so much more praise and awards season love during its first three seasons. I loved this show, and I loved how it put women at the forefront of the space race. That being said, it really lost me after Season 3. Most of the characters I had grown to love in the early seasons left the show, so now there is a whole new group of characters I just wasn't connecting with as much. I love the premise of For All Mankind, where each season is a new decade, but that also means you lose characters pretty fast, which worked well in the beginning, but now I've lost interest. So, sadly, I wish this show would come to an end sooner.
17.And finally, the first three seasons of American Horror Story remain some of the best TV. Murder House, Asylum, and Coven are legendary. But somehow, we're now on Season 12, and it's just not good anymore.
American Horror Story was in its prime during the first three seasons. It was a must-watch TV. Sarah Paulson, Jessica Lange, Evan Peters, and more were delivering such good horror performances that if you weren't watching AHS, you felt like you were missing out on a big conversation. I know an anthology series can keep going forever because you just keep changing the characters, actors, and stories, but I think AHS has run its course. We are somehow on Season 12, and Kim Kardashian was a main cast member. Truly, "What happened to the original plot of the movie?"
It's time to just let AHS fizzle and we can look back and remember Murder House, Asylum, and Coven as the PEAK TV that it was.
We can't fit everything into one post, so what other TV shows and movie franchises do you think overstayed their welcome and should've ended sooner? Tell us in the comments below!
