While revivals seem to be at the height of their popularity, there are some shows that have already ended on a high note and would only be harmed if they brought the show back. One of the biggest difficulties with any TV show is the question of when to end it. Dragging out a great series too long can lead to a drop in quality, and ending too soon can leave audiences hungry for more.
However, even if a program ends on time, there is a significant challenge in how to end it. Audiences become attached to characters on screen, so your favorite characters need a proper send-off. Whether the show ends happily ever after or with a satisfying big reveal, it needs to find the right balance. But when a show manages to deliver a near-perfect ending, it’s important to preserve integrity and avoid revivals that could rewrite the ending for the worse.
10
Home
First, Home is an iconic medical drama that also loosely adapts Arthur Conan Doyle’s popular Sherlock Holmes characters. The central protagonist, Dr. Gregory House, is a brilliant but incredibly troubled doctor who leads a team of spectacular diagnosticians to discover and diagnose the world’s rarest diseases. However, House often puts others at risk with his unconventional methods and excludes those closest to him in self-destructive ways.
The final seasons of the series saw House become increasingly unstable, as his team, his romantic partner, and his best friend abandoned him. With these seismic changes, House is on a path to destruction, but just in time for the series to end, House sees the value of his relationship with his closest friend, James Wilson, and fakes his death to spend more time with his friend, whose diagnosis Terminal means you only have five months left to live. It’s a beautiful ending, which would be cheaper and emptier with a revival.
9
Friends
Friends followed a group of six twenty-somethings finding their way in life, love, and their careers in New York City. In the prime of life, these friends become family and spend their days hanging out, discussing the future and making the most of the present. However, as everyone continues to grow and establish themselves in relationships and careers, their lives begin to go in different directions.
The finale saw these friends go their separate ways, leaving the apartment behind and moving on to the next chapters of their individual lives. However, they decide to have one last coffee at the coffee shop near their building, and this touching goodbye was the perfect ending to the series. It wouldn’t make sense to get this group back together, because that would probably mean their own independent lives would go wrong along the way. Instead, the ending hints at a better future that would only be dulled by a rebirth.
8
Breaking Bad
On a very different note, Breaking Bad explores the life and legacy of Walter White. A former high school science teacher who became California’s most notorious drug lord. As Walt delved into the world of selling drugs as a way to pay medical bills and support his family after his death, he became greedy and, recognizing his incredible talent for preparing drugs, he built an empire.
However, Walt was always going to die, and in the run-up to that moment, his life imploded. His brother-in-law was killed, his wife abandoned him, his partner in crime was afraid of him, and he was on the most wanted list. Walt was never the good guy, but his complex story was gripping and gripping until the end, and when he went out in a blaze of glory, having achieved his goal of providing for his family, it felt like the right ending for the show. Reviving the series to tell another story simply wouldn’t make sense.
7
The Sopranos
The end of The Sopranos is seen as one of the smartest and most creative endings in TV show history. After years of running the mob and handling shady criminal work, Tony Soprano has dinner with his family at a local restaurant. The show repeatedly directs attention to the door as the doorbell rings and new guests enter, but there is also an air that something is happening and that someone is there for a reason.
In the final moments of the show, Tony spots someone who could be a killer, but when the screen goes black, the ending doesn’t seem to show the audience what happened. However, the cut to black intends to show Tony’s perspective, when he is killed, ending his story. Bringing the show back would undermine the artistry and creativity of the ending, potentially redefining it, which would be terrible for the original ending.
6
Mister Robot
Mister Robot it ran for a total of four seasons, which followed the protagonist, Elliot, trying to uncover the elaborate hacking and chaos caused by a mysterious figure. Elliot uses his considerable skills as a hacker and software engineer to follow the trail of the mysterious arbiter of anarchy, but no matter how close he gets, he always seems to be a few steps behind.
The show is compelling, dramatic and intense, but it isn’t until the final episode that the truth behind the mystery is revealed. In reality, Elliot was the hacker all along and suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder. This revelation adds a layer of meaning to the show that is extremely satisfying to watch, but continuing the narrative with a revival would likely lessen the impact.
5
Hannibal
Hannibal was one of the most brilliant psychological explorations of the popular character in modern history. The series deftly navigated the relationship between Dr. Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham with incredible suspense and tension. The most compelling element of the show also came mainly in the elements that were not shown explicitly, as many important events happen in the background, which influence the story.
Following this course, the show’s final season saw Will and Hannibal grow closer and their relationship and connection deepen. Ultimately, this leads Will to embrace his dark side and become a brutal killer like Hannibal, with the ending exposing both men as their true selves. Continuing the show past this point wouldn’t make sense, because it was all about anticipation, and the ending revealed the truth about the characters.
4
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Another show that generated tension and excitement throughout its run was Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Over the course of seven seasons, the show explored the life and adventures of Buffy Summers, a seemingly typical high school student who led a double life as the Chosen One, destined to fight supernatural enemies and protect the Earth. Despite her divine calling, Buffy struggled to balance this burden alone and enlisted the help of her closest friends to overcome it.
However, the end of the show provides great final moments for each of the characters. Willow, who started out as a shy young girl, becomes a powerful witch, and is capable of activating all the Slayers in the world, thus protecting the world in a much more definitive way. Spike, a vampire who fell in love with Buffy, sacrifices himself to kill the First, and the Scoobies live to fight another day and plan a future. Continuing the show would only cheapen the ending and reintroduce threats that the team overcame in the original season.
3
The good place
All over The good placeA misfit group of recently deceased people have the misfortune of being sent to the Bad Place. However, over the course of the show, these mismatched groups learn more about the inner workings of the afterlife and ultimately find a way to reform and upgrade the systems that have been sending everyone to the Bad Place for years. However, the journey to get to this point is long and full of twists and turns.
But when the series came to an end after four incredible seasons, the series did an excellent job of tying up all the loose ends and giving everyone a happy ending. Having learned and grown, they all got the things they wanted most from life or the afterlife, and it was like an incredible full circle moment. Unfortunately, this also means that the show has achieved pretty much everything it set out to, and a revival would only cause more confusion and a lack of development.
2
Lost
Lost has one of the most controversial endings of any show. At the time of its release, many people found it deeply frustrating, and almost as if the show had erased any reason for the events leading up to that moment. However, in the following years, the reputation of Lost the ending improved dramatically. The side flash and afterlife scene provide a satisfying conclusion to the large cast.
That said, trying to revive the show would be an incredibly reckless move. Initially, it would be necessary to undo everything the series has built, dismantle years of narrative and take the characters in new and probably less satisfying directions. For this reason, it wouldn’t make sense to revive the series.
1
The office
Finally, The office. A sitcom that was framed as a documentary about a group of people who work in a random sales office where they sell paper to companies. Over the course of the series, characters go from strangers to familiar, and there is considerable growth for each person in the office. And although the last few seasons have said goodbye to series star Michael Scott, played by Steve Carell, the rest of the office staff has continued to progress, especially characters like Dwight.
For much of the show, Dwight is a ridiculous, exaggerated caricature of a man. However, the end of the show shows him becoming a good friend, husband, and head of the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin. Additionally, Carell returned for the finale, revealing the new life Michael Scott has built with his beloved Holly. Reliving The office it would mean bringing everyone back to Scranton, or working under one roof, and that feels like a betrayal of the character growth that has happened.