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April 11, 2021 10:17 am  #1


A New Way To Say Goodbye To A Long Running TV Series

The Internet has certainly created an entirely new venue for fans of cancelled or ending TV series. You may recall the bizarre drunken appearance by the cast of Cheers on The Tonight Show after its much hyped and celebrated final broadcast in 1993. Things have changed since then. 

If you're a fan or have followed "Shameless," a Showtime U.S. cable series that also runs in Canada, you probably know that Sunday is the final episode, after an impressive 11-year run. (The show is actually based on a British series and most of these remakes rarely last so long. This one did.) 

But that won't be the end of the Gallagher clan. The cast and the producers are holding a free online event celebration of the series at 10 PM (EDT) just after the final show airs in both countries. It's at a specially created website called "gallagherhouse.com." 

I think this is an interesting new way to say goodbye to a program beloved by those who watched it. And they really don't have to do it. There's clearly no more money to be made from this thing with its cancellation. Yet the cast felt it was a way to give closure not only to the fans but to themselves. 

I wonder if this is the beginning of a trend we'll be seeing more of, when long running TV series wrap up instead of just disappearing from the airwaves. It's a great behind-the-scenes way to help those who enjoyed the show to say a final goodbye. And I just wish it had been around at the time of the Mary Tyler Moore Show or M*A*S*H!

Gallagherhouse.com


 

 

April 11, 2021 3:41 pm  #2


Re: A New Way To Say Goodbye To A Long Running TV Series

Probably one of the best series finales was the May 1990 episode of "Newhart"  where Bob wakes up in bed with Suzanne Pleshette and explaining to her that he had a crazy dream about him being an innkeeper in a small Vermont town.

 

April 11, 2021 3:44 pm  #3


Re: A New Way To Say Goodbye To A Long Running TV Series

While it was never aired, some similar was done on the finale of Breaking bad.  You can find it on YouTube if you are so inclined.
 

 

April 11, 2021 3:53 pm  #4


Re: A New Way To Say Goodbye To A Long Running TV Series

mace wrote:

Probably one of the best series finales was the May 1990 episode of "Newhart"  where Bob wakes up in bed with Suzanne Pleshette and explaining to her that he had a crazy dream about him being an innkeeper in a small Vermont town.

Absolutely the gold standard for finales. I still don't know how they ever managed to keep it secret. 

The Mary Tyler Moore show finale was likely the pinnacle before that one. The "how do we get out of this room?" as they're all huddled together has stayed with me for years. 

I thought M*A*S*H's farewell was kind of disappointing, even if it was the most watched TV episode ever up until that time. Seinfeld similarly missed the mark for most.

Not so well known or appreciated is one of my all-time favourite finales and I'm sure CHCH will get to it one of these days. It's the concluding episode of the underrated "The Odd Couple" in which Felix finally remarries Gloria and moves out of Oscar's apartment. The last scene is one of the best and most true to both characters I've ever seen. It rarely gets mentioned in the best farewell episodes, but it was the perfect wrap-up to the entire series. 

   

     Thread Starter
 

April 11, 2021 4:33 pm  #5


Re: A New Way To Say Goodbye To A Long Running TV Series

I was one of the few who liked the Seinfeld finale. I thought it covered all the bases.

But my favourite finale was the one for Barney Miller in 1982, which I can't find on the Internet.

 


"Life without echo is really no life at all." - Dan Ingram
 

April 11, 2021 5:31 pm  #6


Re: A New Way To Say Goodbye To A Long Running TV Series

Dale Patterson wrote:

I was one of the few who liked the Seinfeld finale. I thought it covered all the bases.

But my favourite finale was the one for Barney Miller in 1982, which I can't find on the Internet. 

Well, if you can live with inverted credits, for some reason, you can find the final episode of the three-parter, called "Landmark" here.  

     Thread Starter
 

April 11, 2021 5:44 pm  #7


Re: A New Way To Say Goodbye To A Long Running TV Series

One my favorite finales was The Wonder Years' last episode, where it's revealed the adult Kevin Arnold, who's been narrating the series the whole time (voice of Daniel Stern) now has a son of his own. It's the only time a different voice is heard in that part of the show. 



The other ending that I personally loved but critics and viewers universally hated was the finish to St. Elsewhere. In the very last scene, Dr. Westphall comes home to his apartment dressed as a construction worker, saying hello to Dr. Auschlander, who is suddenly his father. 

The viewer is going what the f---? Until it's revealed that Westphall's autistic son, who has been in the series for many years as a minor character, has been imagining the goings on at the hospital through a building in a snow globe. People were outraged that such an insignificant character would have been behind the whole thing, but I thought it was hilarious and exactly the kind of twist ending you would have expected from such a creatively written show, to my mind still the best doctor program ever on TV.

The writing - especially the inside jokes that were sprinkled throughout the dialogue in all its years on the air - was spectacular. There has never been another one quite like it. (Not to mention the closing credits, where the MTM cat literally expires on camera in the last few seconds. One last brilliant touch.)    

     Thread Starter
 

April 11, 2021 7:13 pm  #8


Re: A New Way To Say Goodbye To A Long Running TV Series

The final scene of St. Elsewhere was quirky, just like the series, up to the MTM Cat flatlining in the end credits.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIT8tgW-SyQ

Last edited by Dale Patterson (April 11, 2021 7:15 pm)


"Life without echo is really no life at all." - Dan Ingram
 

April 11, 2021 7:36 pm  #9


Re: A New Way To Say Goodbye To A Long Running TV Series

RadioActive wrote:

Dale Patterson wrote:

I was one of the few who liked the Seinfeld finale. I thought it covered all the bases.

But my favourite finale was the one for Barney Miller in 1982, which I can't find on the Internet. 

Well, if you can live with inverted credits, for some reason, you can find the final episode of the three-parter, called "Landmark" here.  

All three episodes are also available in Uncle Earl's Classic TV Channel [No Inverted Credits]

 

April 11, 2021 8:51 pm  #10


Re: A New Way To Say Goodbye To A Long Running TV Series

Dale Patterson wrote:

The final scene of St. Elsewhere was quirky, just like the series, up to the MTM Cat flatlining in the end credits.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIT8tgW-SyQ

Apparently, even the cast was highly divided on that bizarre finish. 

'St. Elsewhere': About that snow-globe ending   

     Thread Starter
 

April 11, 2021 9:49 pm  #11


Re: A New Way To Say Goodbye To A Long Running TV Series

Dale Patterson wrote:

I was one of the few who liked the Seinfeld finale. I thought it covered all the bases.

But my favourite finale was the one for Barney Miller in 1982, which I can't find on the Internet.

 

I agree, the 2 part finale was brilliant bringing back all of the outstanding characters from 9 seasons.  Newman finally gets the better of Jerry.  All of the self centred main characters end up in jail for not helping and actually mocking an overweight man getting robbed and carjacked.   Perfect ending for the show about nothing, very funny and well done in my opinion.  
 

 

April 11, 2021 10:03 pm  #12


Re: A New Way To Say Goodbye To A Long Running TV Series

It would appear the site crashed before it got started.

 

April 11, 2021 10:55 pm  #13


Re: A New Way To Say Goodbye To A Long Running TV Series

How about radio goodbyes?

This one - with Mark Simone and the late Ted Brown signing off the legendary 1130 WNEW on a snowy Friday night - in December 1992 is one of my favourites. Still brings a tear to my eye. The few seconds of dead air between the final song and the TOH Mutual newscast is a nice touch. Don't know if it was planned that way however, but it works.

Dig those WNEW jingles!

"Have a little cry tonight, will ya."

http://rockradioscrapbook.ca/wnew-simone-dec11-92.mp3




 

Last edited by Dale Patterson (April 11, 2021 11:03 pm)


"Life without echo is really no life at all." - Dan Ingram