To think the problem with Netflix is nothing ever finishes.

[Sowingbees]

Everything has to have more than one bloody season. Nothing has an ending, just so the last drop cam be eeked out of an idea.

Just watched 'Pieces of her' and it is left unfinished, cue another season with no real content.
Bates Motel, dragged on until it was unwatchable

There are loads more, why can't there just be one series (not season) and have a conclusion?

That thing has been going for my entire 12 year marriage

It's when it out lives it that I really worry.

Aside should have read the write up to Liar 😨

Lucifer came to a final ending courtesy of Netflix though.

I really wish that Supernatural had ended way sooner, the last three seasons were just dire (I never thought I'd say that!) The whole Sam's dead, Dean's dead one or both of them are evil thing got really boring.

Squid Game
As soon as the series ended they announced a second season. But it was fine as a one of limited series. None of the characters you've got to know would be in it, it wouldn't have the same mystery or shock value because you know all about it already

I agree! They either keep pumping out new seasons or leave things with many unanswered questions so they can rake back over it all a few years down the line with a new season/spin off.

The Sinner was the worst for this! Completely pointless 4th season with no closure to a major theme they mention constantly 🙄

I’ve been watching Godless - found it yesterday and it’s 7 episodes and only 1 series so a stand alone one which won loads of awards. Really good TV actually - Michelle Dockery is in it. Check out the trailer :)

I have the same issue and off the back of this started watching Korean dramas and other foreign series. A finite number of episodes for most of them. I can't face even starting things knowing there are 4, 5, or 6 seasons to get through.

It's getting another season, I literally just saw the confirmation about 20 minutes ago. I didn't watch it and I've no idea how #1 ended so can't comment further but #2 is definitely confirmed.

I can highly recommend the Korean dramas on Netflix! They usually run for one season and the story is completed. This isn't the case for all though, so be discerning if you fancy giving them a go.

@KellynchHall cross post! Sorry.

Not Netflix, but Ipcress Files was brilliant.

This has been the problem with many (most?) American tv shows. They rarely get a satisfactory conclusion because they get eked out infinitely and often really really badly.

Absolutely gutted Mindhunter probably won't be finished though. I loved that.

This isn't a Netflix thing. It's a US TV thing. Basically the aim was to get your series to 100 episodes to make it marketable for syndication purposes. As American dramas are usually 22 episodes per series, you hit the magic number somewhere during season 5. Most actors are given a 6 season contract for this reason.

It's definitely been around since the 90s - they did it with Dawson's Creek. I believe it's probably been going on for longer.

There's actually a really easy American answer for this: syndication.

Particularly in the old model of tv (so, more than 5 years ago), the real goal was to be syndicated. That's when they show re-runs of your show on other networks.

It's a huge pot of money. They can sell off old episodes of really popular shows for millions of dollars per episode, and they can do it multiple times. Seinfeld has earned over a billion in syndication alone, and that's after it was done airing on NBC.

The old benchmark for syndication was 100 episodes.

Most American network shows have 22 episodes a season. So even shows that were getting kind of stale by the fourth season might have been given another one to hit that 100 mark. And if there's still any life in the franchise, they keep going. (Not to mention that shows have loyal fans who will still watch, driving ad revenue for the original network.)

That's the answer.

Actors don't mind it, as they get a cut of the syndication fees (if their agents were any good). The Friends actors earn tens of millions a year, every year, without having to work, from residuals alone.

/this ends my TED talk.

/crosspost with JADS who said it much more succinctly than I did!

Yeah, just look at Coronation Street.
I'm expecting Albert Tatlock to suddenly appear in The Rovers, having just taken a shower...

Yeah that's more irritating. And happens more often on Netflix.

I am another one gutted about Mindhunter. It was absolutely excellent.

Agree, I can't do with 22 episodes and never ending seasons, it puts me off.

They destroyed it and made it a completely different show. They sucked the fun out of it.

So many American series drag on too long. It's worse with comedies.

If it is a really good series then 3 seasons is great as looking forward to it but I agree with you that Bates Motel which started off great then was torturous to finish at the end and dragged out so much that we were actually laughing at it. Same with Ozark as it was really good and then the ending was just so abrupt and pissed us off as no thought gone into it whatsoever so in that case yes better to finish it a season earlier if it is gone to crap. There are some good shows but just cannot get invested in them as 6/7 seasons and just far too much to watch. I think Netflix has gone to crap as so much rubbish on there.

The Good Place was 5 series but it kind of needed that, and ended perfectly.

lol OP, this is the PERFECT example of a show that did not need a second season.

Ahh syndication makes sense as to why many popular long running series then seem to fall flat right at the end.
I get fed up of watching the ones that get cancelled before there's a proper conclusion to the story when I'm now invested in the characters.