shows that never had a finale...

[treky]

what are some shows that never had a finale? I'll start:

"BEWITCHED"
"I DREAM OF JEANNIE" (it was supposed to, but NBC was forced to switch some episodes around in the final season)
"I LOVE LUCY"
"THE LUCY SHOW"
"HERE'S LUCY"
"STAR TREK"
"GUNSMOKE"
"BONANZA"
"GREEN ACRES"
"THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES"
"PETTICOAT JUNCTION"
"GET SMART"
"THE HONEYMOONERS"
"PERRY MASON" (I think)
"IRONSIDE"
"DRAGNET" (both versions)
"ADAM 12"

[Jude The Obscure]

Regarding Jeannie, are you referring to the Hurricane episode where Tony is shown what would happen if he told Dr. Bellows the truth about Jeannie?

As for Here's Lucy, a series finale was filmed in the 5th season(about Harry closing down the employment agency and he and Lucy reminisce), but when Lucy relented to do a sixth season, a quick tag with Lucy hanging a sign on the door saying something like "closed, just temporarily" was done and tacked on when it aired.

[treky]

Regarding Jeannie, are you referring to the Hurricane episode where Tony is shown what would happen if he told Dr. Bellows the truth about Jeannie?

As for Here's Lucy, a series finale was filmed in the 5th season(about Harry closing down the employment agency and he and Lucy reminisce), but when Lucy relented to do a sixth season, a quick tag with Lucy hanging a sign on the door saying something like "closed, just temporarily" was done and tacked on when it aired.
yes, I am reffering to that hurricane episode of Jeannie (which was titled "Hurricane Jeannie").
That was supposed to be the last episode, but NBC had to preempt it a couplle times in the last season for coverage of the Apollo 13 crisis (making that clip of "IDOJ" in the movie "APOLLO 13" wrong) and some special; so they filmed a new ending to the episode and made another one the last show.


(ironically; the episode mentioned 2 astronauts named "Ford" & "Matingly" who Tony had to "talk back from the moon" and those were the last names of 2 of the Apollo 13 astronauts)


For those who don't know the episode, it's the one where Roger and Dr. Bellows are forced to spend the night at the Nelsons during a hurricane.

[masterdkd]

1.Newsradio
2.Married with Children
3.Adventures of Brisco County Jr.
4.Werewolf-The TV Series (Late 80's or Early 90's)
5.Thundarr the Barbarian(animated)(early 80's)
6.Dungeons and Dragons(animated)(early 80's)

[DSfan]

You can't really say that Honeymooners should have had a finale, though. There was no ongoing storyline throughout the show. It was pretty much here are the 4 characters and here is one crazy scheme that's going to try to be pulled off. There was really no story arc and therefore no need for a finale, in my opinion.

[Jude The Obscure]

1.Newsradio
2.Married with Children
3.Adventures of Brisco County Jr.
4.Werewolf-The TV Series (Late 80's or Early 90's)
5.Thundarr the Barbarian(animated)(early 80's)
6.Dungeons and Dragons(animated)(early 80's)

D and D had a finale written but was never produced, except as a radio type show.

[MrRetro_08]

Taxi
Back To You
Buck Rogers In The 25th Century
The A - Team

[MikeL]

the jeffersons

All in the family

Diff Rent Strokes

sanford and Son

Bosum Buddies

Alf

Incredible Hulk

Simon And Simon

[comedyfreak]

Mork and Mindy
Laverne & Shirley
Welcome Back Kotter
Archie Bunker's Place
Lost In Space
SOAP

[Tubehead]

Early edition it never had season fineal. i would like to know how and why gray got the paper

the incdabile hulk has fineal season. its tv moive callled the death of the incdabile hulk with billy bixiy. you might check out the return of the hulk and trail of the incdabile hulk . you can buy them both togther.

[OOliver]

I don't think THE BRADY BUNCH ever had a proper finale either. It would have been nice if they sold the house and moved as a finale.

[megamanj2004]

Simon & Simon - this show did have a finale, it's just that up until this show started its syndicated reruns, they never aired the finale. The finale was that the Simon Bros. closed down their agency.

I got some:

That's My Mama!

Batman (1960s series)

Baretta

Rockford Files, The - there weren't very many episodes made during the final season so its hard to tell

Benson - like ALF, the ending of the last episode kinda left off on a cliffhanger note.

[MikeL]

was that episode called simon says goodbye think i saw it though it suck if they closed it down

[James28]

There are lots of TV shows that have been cancelled without a finale, including Girlfriends, The Jeffersons, Mannix, Ironside, Maude, Family Matters, Jesse, Boston Common, and Union Square. I think ending with a proper series finale is a privilege and not a right. And I am left with the option of petitioning the network that has aired new episodes of a show for four or more seasons to give that show a finale. If it is not given a finale, years later I have to fake-renew it for an additional season in order to give it a proper finale.

And treky, Adam-12 DID have what I think is a series finale. It was a two-parter. And the first part of the Married With Children two-part finale was actually one long scene and the second part featured Kelly Bundy getting married.

[treky]

There are lots of TV shows that have been cancelled without a finale, including Girlfriends, The Jeffersons, Mannix, Ironside, Maude, Family Matters, Jesse, Boston Common, and Union Square. I think ending with a proper series finale is a privilege and not a right. And I am left with the option of petitioning the network that has aired new episodes of a show for four or more seasons to give that show a finale. If it is not given a finale, years later I have to fake-renew it for an additional season in order to give it a proper finale.

And treky, Adam-12 DID have what I think is a series finale. It was a two-parter. And the first part of the Married With Children two-part finale was actually one long scene and the second part featured Kelly Bundy getting married.
"ADAM-12" had one? What was it about?
Strange that it did, and "DRAGNET" didn't.

[James28]

the episode is titled "Something Worth Dying For". It involves Jim Reed leaving to leave the patrol division and Pete Malloy for a desk job.

[Big3sCompanyFan]

Gilligan's Island and the Jeffersons and they both really deserved one.

Hasn't ANYONE on Sitcoms Online seen "The Jeffersons on Stage"?? It was a tour they did after the show ended since they never got a series finale. With all the thousands and thousands of posters in all the years SO has been here it's amazing no one has said how it was and what the story was for that.

[MikeL]

im wondering that as well i would loved to hear how it was if anyone saw it to bad it cant be ondvd release or something like that

[MikeL]

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,306248,00.html


found this on ew.com about the stage version of jeffersons printed in 1993

[Big3sCompanyFan]

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,306248,00.html


found this on ew.com about the stage version of jeffersons printed in 1993


HEY, thanks for finding that. I have never been able to find anything on it but they don't say the PLOT of the series finale that they did for Jeffersons on Stage.

Anyone on SO know what the actual STORY was for that final Jeffersons (stage) episode ever?

[treky]

the episode is titled "Something Worth Dying For". It involves Jim Reed leaving to leave the patrol division and Pete Malloy for a desk job.
chalk that up then, for another show from that era that had a finale. (until the late 70s/early 80s; shows very rarely had finales)

[megamanj2004]

There are lots of TV shows that have been cancelled without a finale, including Girlfriends, The Jeffersons, Mannix, Ironside, Maude, Family Matters, Jesse, Boston Common, and Union Square. I think ending with a proper series finale is a privilege and not a right. And I am left with the option of petitioning the network that has aired new episodes of a show for four or more seasons to give that show a finale. If it is not given a finale, years later I have to fake-renew it for an additional season in order to give it a proper finale.

The only things I understood about Mannix's finale was that:

1). The house where the final fight took place at is actually the old Brady Bunch house on the Paramount studio lot.

2). It was so sad that John Ritter who was one of the final guest stars on Mannix was killed not by Mannix but a bad guy.

[McGillicuddy]

Actually, I don't think any shows in the 1950's and '60's/early 70's had finales, with maybe a few exceptions. I think the first really significant finale of a sitcom was The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and since then most long running shows have them. Before that shows would get cancelled without any notice.

[spunkygirl]

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman

The Adventures of Superman(cause of George Reeves' sudden death)

[Zebra 3]

Hogan's Heroes (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/forumdisplay.php?f=71)

[Tubehead]

early edition

[browneyes106]

Sports Night
8 Simple Rules

[jimpickens]

Gilligan's Island had to wait 15years to get off that island what a pisser
Battlestar Galactica the original and not Galactica 80
Dukes Of Hazard
Lost In Space
Angel

[browneyes106]

Early edition it never had season fineal. i would like to know how and why gray got the paper

the incdabile hulk has fineal season. its tv moive callled the death of the incdabile hulk with billy bixiy. you might check out the return of the hulk and trail of the incdabile hulk . you can buy them both togther.

I always wished Early Edition would have had a finale.

[James]

The Wonder Years. Enough said.

[janet42]

Full House.

I wish Hogans Heroes had a finale. That would be cool to see.

[steevo]

WKRP didn't have what I would call a finale, either. Although the last scene (Herb tripping and spilling the cake on Andy) was hysterical, you got a sense that there were more stories that were coming (not to be since it was canceled). Even the New WKRP (which I didn't like as much) finished with a cliffhanger involving a crashed plane.

[browneyes106]

what are some shows that never had a finale? I'll start:

"BEWITCHED"
"I DREAM OF JEANNIE" (it was supposed to, but NBC was forced to switch some episodes around in the final season)
"I LOVE LUCY"
"THE LUCY SHOW"
"HERE'S LUCY"
"STAR TREK"
"GUNSMOKE"
"BONANZA"
"GREEN ACRES"
"THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES"
"PETTICOAT JUNCTION"
"GET SMART"
"THE HONEYMOONERS"
"PERRY MASON" (I think)
"IRONSIDE"
"DRAGNET" (both versions)
"ADAM 12"


I wish a lot of these shows had finales. I saw a lot of them on TV Land and Nick-at-Nite and I was sort of disappointed that they didn't have official series finales.

[James28]

Bumping this thread to state that a "defacto series finale" (like a regular season finale) never provides a proper conclusion for a series or (any or all of) its storylines.

[loaferman]

Rockford Files, The - there weren't very many episodes made during the final season so its hard to tell


James Garner was in chronic pain from knee replacements and filmed as many episodes as he could stand. He was ordered to stay off his feet by a couple of doctors if I remember correctly or risk serious health issues. The network who was allegedly owing Garner due to syndication money may have taken it as a ploy of some kind and shut the show down. I have heard from people who know Mr. Garner that he did intend to return and was upset that the network put people out-of-work when he had medical reasons and just needed a break to heal. The original plans were to do 5 seasons but they ended up with a short 6th season. CBS aired several successful "Rockford" movies in the 90's, but after many highly rated ones they moved them to terrible time slots and the last movie sat on the shelf for a long time before finally airing. Had they known what CBS would do, I feel like there would have been a formal finale in the last movie.

[Schmoopie]

SOrry if this is a 'repeat' b/c I don't feel like going through the entire thread but "Joan of Arcadia" never had a finale. Such a shame too b/c the second season was leading up to some good stuff before they canceled. it. Oh well...

[loaferman]

The great series "Veronica Mars" had a pretty good last scene, but never had a real finale. The last scene kind of served as an ending of sorts. I prefer it to one of those finales where everyone moves away or gets married or has a baby all at the same time.

[James28]

I guess the only way for a scripted television series to get a proper series finale episode these days is that it has continuing multi-episode story arcs.

[Regulus]

Several of the Hanna-Barbera Cartoon series featured characters who found themselves separated from their homeland and never found their way home. these include:

Dino Boy

The New Adventures of Huck Finn

Shazzan

[William Hogan Jr]

The Munsters, Mister Ed, The Big Valley, Wild, Wild, West, Soldiers of Fortune, The Adventures of Robin Hood(1955)

[McGillicuddy]

I guess the only way for a scripted television series to get a proper series finale episode these days is that it has continuing multi-episode story arcs.

....or, if they know its their last season. (Thirty Rock, The Office)

[UMFaninMD]

V: The Series, ended on a cliffhanger with Kyle sneaking aboard the Visitor ship to be with his hybrid girlfriend Elizabeth. Diana placed a bomb on the ship, but none of the other characters realized this. If the show would have done another season, we would have learned Kyle, Elizabeth and the alien leader survived the blast.

The 4400 also ended on a cliffhanger, with everyone developing supernatural powers, not just the ones who were abducted and one of the main characters, debating whether to take the drug that would give him powers too. It was a shame USA cancelled it because it was one of their better shows at the time.

[Fleet]

I don't think THE BRADY BUNCH ever had a proper finale either. It would have been nice if they sold the house and moved as a finale.
They should have moved to a house which had more than one bathroom for 6 kids!

[treky]

I wish McHALES NAVY would have had one. Maybe the war would end and McHale gets promoted to an admiral or something with Parker becoming his aide, and Capt. Bingmington gets demoted down to Lt. and ends up under McHales command.

[MrCleveland]

"The Hogan Family" never had a finale. If they did, maybe the Hogans sons move-out and Jason Bettmann's character gets married.

Then the ending has the Hogans playing football one last time with the instrumental version of the song playing.

[bencasey]

Most of them didn't. A much shorter list would be the shows that DID have one. I can't think of very many.

[Will and Grace Fanatic]

At least of a few of the shows listed got reunion movies that kind of gives them a good sign off. Some shows don't even get a reunion movie so they never get a sign off.

[McGillicuddy]

I don't think THE BRADY BUNCH ever had a proper finale either. It would have been nice if they sold the house and moved as a finale.
But it was cool to see the Bradys still living in the house for The Brady Girls Get Married, A Very Brady Christmas, and The Bradys!

[Tubehead]

Early edition

[ThomasE]

The Wonder Years. Enough said.


But The Wonder Years did have a finale. Kevin's voice over wrapped up everything by stating what happened to all the major players of the series.

[D-Dey]

I wish Hogans Heroes had a finale. That would be cool to see.
Maybe one where the captives at Stalag 13 find out just how bad the Nazis really are and go ape-s### on Klink, Schultz, and the rest of the Luftwaffe.

Most of them didn't. A much shorter list would be the shows that DID have one. I can't think of very many.
Absolutely true. I thought somebody here was going to mention Victorious, though.

[MikeL]

victorious final sucked it deserved a better one then that

[MurphyCarmichael]

No Ordinary Life ~ Just kind of left you wondering what happened to them all. Nothing really came to any end in the last episode.

Missing ~ She found her son in the last episode, but they just left it where it appeared that she was kidnapped and there was blood where she was, so you didn't know what happened to her. Should have at least just left it where she found her son. Would have been a nice ending instead of just leaving it not knowing what happened to her.

Sordid Lives ~ I didn't like the ending. Rue McClanahan's character fell and hit her head and you just had to assume she died, then the other lady went to jail, and that guy got out of the insane asylum. Just left me wondering "Was Rue's character dead?... Did the other lady ever get out of jail?... What ever became of the guy who got out of the insane asylum?" They should have at least let you know what became of them all.

[D-Dey]

victorious final sucked it deserved a better one then that
As a finale, yes it did suck. But it wasn't really that bad of an episode.

[McGillicuddy]

All In The Family/Archie Bunker's Place

All though there was never a finale (per se) there were touching episodes that offer closure:

1) When Mike & Gloria left for California (and were gone from the show)

2) The last episode of AITF leaves us with Edith & Archie embraced, and kissing, as the camera slowly fades out.

3) At the end of the episode of ABP, when Archie finds Edith's slipper and breaks down, as it hit's him that she's gone.

[spunkygirl]

victorious final sucked it deserved a better one then that

That's cause it wasn't a finale, just a regular episode

[Neutronman67]

Diff'rent Strokes never had a final episode i feel sorry for the people who grew up with this show for 8 long years and find out that the last episode of the show was lame and boring,they could have made the final episode where Mr Drummond and the family move to another apartment in another state.