Final Days of TV Series: How Many TV Series Did They End? (Two Shows That End) Their Runs in 2022
To win a gold medal in the diving or gymnastics Olympics, the last step is to stick the landing. It is also true for TV series, which may have been popular, but if they mess up their finales, it can leave a sour aftertaste.
The shows that ended their runs this year are not included on the list, but there are some notable shows that did end their runs. The show was canceled after its fourth season because the producers knew they were coming to an end and didn’t have a chance to finish it.
Here are some of the series that said farewell in 2022, and whether they performed well in front of the judges.
The finale of the AMC spinoff, “Better Call Saul,” included weaving in some original characters to say goodbye, as all of the teases of a black-and-white future finally came together. The payoff and Saul’s act of contrition seemed to be the perfect combination of what preceded it.
A family that does things together seems to stay together even though the Byrdes leave behind a trail of destruction in their final dangerous chapter, and in the process brought their children into the family business. The series was a wonderful one, with Laura Linney and Josh Thomas leading the way.
The finale of ‘This is Us’ was very sentimental and romantic and reflected the show’s tone throughout its run. It also created a strong showcase for Mandy Moore, while capturing the challenges of caring for and saying goodbye to an aging parent.
“Atlanta” (FX, November 10): Anyone expecting some kind of closure clearly wasn’t paying attention to this long-delayed final season, which was even more lyrical, scattered and occasionally surreal than those leading up to it. Still, the Donald Glover series went out entirely on its own terms, which was interesting simply on that level, yielding great moments along the way more than a cohesive whole.
During its eight-season run, ABC’s sitcom featured plenty of memorable episodes. The ambitious finale wasn’t necessarily one of them, but after everything from a New Orleans-style funeral to a cameo by gymnast Simon Biles, it sweetly closed with the reminder that sitcoms might end, but life goes on. Like “The Walking Dead” (see below), the show wasn’t helped by the determination to spin it off with “grown-ish” and “mixed-ish,” another example of franchise fatigue.
“After Life” (Netflix, January 14): Ricky Gervais’ melancholy series about dealing with grief cut against the grain by choosing a less-uplifting finish than most movies and TV devoted to this theme, accepting that not everyone can happily move on after experiencing tragedy. The thoughtful payoff couldn’t elevate this to the level of “The Office” and “Extras” co-creator’s top-tier efforts.
The two shows are about the odd friendship between two women, beginning with Jane Fonda and Lilly Tomlin, and ending with a bit, both of them providing a nice showcase for older stars. Both flirted with death in their last seasons, as “Dead to Me” centered on the bond between Jen (Christina Applegate) and Judy (Linda Cardellini), even if the twists leading up to it, starting with the whole James Marsden twin thing, had begun to grow a bit tedious.
“The Walking Dead” (AMC, November 21): The main problem with the ending of this AMC staple is that it really wasn’t an ending at all, as all those promos for spinoff series featuring prominent characters made clear. Mostly, it felt like an OK way to complete the season after the drawn-out Commonwealth plot. Beyond that, it’s basically an intermission on the “Dead” franchise, in part because the network is so heavily invested in this “zombie-verse” it has to keep lurching onward.
“Killing Eve” (BBC America, April 10): Setting aside the tired nature of the “Bury your gays” trope, this once-addictive series concluded with an episode that was as chaotic as it was unsatisfying. The first scene of the spy dramedy, in which Eve and Villanelle played a cat-and-mouse game with one another, should be remembered, even though it turned the young assassin into a bankable character.
Here, however, are some of the biggest disappointments of the year, other than beginning with movies before moving to TV. Antiheroes or fifth seasons of Emmy-winning dramas didn’t have a good year.
Nevertheless, there was a lot of movies and TV shows that were loaded with pre-recognition, committed fans, prior track records, and intriguing creative partnerships, that didn’t pan out the way expectations would have you believe.
The mixed cast led by Christian Bale, David O. Russell and John David Washington didn’t help this film’s message about the dangers of the military-industrial complex.
The movie with the most creative team of cast and crew, including Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans and Ana de Armas, was out of place and not up to the mark. (Notably, de Armas came close to doubling up with another Netflix movie, “Blonde,” though expectations weren’t that high, despite her own excellent performance.)
Dwayne Johnson’s star power couldn’t elevate another DC antihero, in a movie that blunted his charisma and seemingly squandered an opportunity to introduce the Justice Society of America. Despite teasing a sequel that no longer appears to be in the immediate cards.
With a fairly low bar for live-action Disney classics, this reteaming of director Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks managed to limbo under it.
Expectations play a major role, since the sequel to the Lord of the Rings is just boring. The characters did not rise to the occasion, despite its budget being translated to the screen. “The Rings of Power” had its admirers, and its grandeur reflects Amazon’s massive investment in and commitment to the project. While all that made it difficult to ignore, watching it to the end provoked more ennui than enthusiasm.
It was a challenge to sell “Moon Knight” under the best of circumstances and even so, in a weird year for Disney+, this was the least satisfying of the bunch.
The Death of the First Ladies (The White Lotus): What Netflix is offering to save “The Crown” from the Annihilation
The terrific cast that includedViola Davis,michelp Pfeiffer and Gillian Anderson as former First Ladies could not save this disappointing show, which was supposed to be an ongoing.
Although the series was adapted from the book, it did give the lead character Theo James the chance to spend time with his wife. Happily, James fared considerably better in his other 2022 contribution to the network, “The White Lotus.”
“The Crown” Season 5 (Netflix): Reloading with new players in the key roles, Netflix’s usually beguiling look into the lives of the Royal Family delivered its clunkiest season to date, taking some perplexing detours along the way. Those deficiencies felt worse after the heights achieved in season 4.
“The Handmaid’s Tale” Season 5 (Hulu): Hulu’s landmark series remained very much of the moment in the context of the Supreme Court’s ruling on abortion rights, but the show’s downward creative trajectory since its first two seasons has sped up as it has moved farther away from the book that inspired it, juggling arcs in the US and Canada as well as Gilead. Victimized in part by a multi-season order that slowed its pace, the prospect of wrapping up the show with the sixth season offers hope of achieving greater narrative urgency and reclaiming its place among TV’s best dramas.