Criminal Minds and 4 Other TV Series That Have Been Running Too Long
These shows have taken up too much of our lives, and it's time to let them go once and for all.
Getting hooked on a TV show is a risky business. Some shows seem to go on forever. But even the most brilliant ones have a nasty tendency to die creatively long before their popularity is fully exhausted.
As a result, you run the risk of getting stuck on a show you don't even like anymore, but it's a shame to give it up – there are too many fond memories from the past.
1. Criminal Minds, 2005-...
The BAU team has been catching the most elusive and perverse criminals for 18 seasons now, and for the last three seasons they have been doing it under the title Evolution.
What has changed? Well, one of the fan favorites, Dr. Spencer Reid, has left and the investigations have become much more boring. Fans almost unanimously agree that the creators should have stopped after 11 seasons:
“After season 11, I think the writers just ran out of steam and just started using the spaghetti method.”
2. The Young and the Restless, 1973-...
The CBS soap opera about the complicated relationships between a rich and a poor family continues to be, if not a hit, then a show with enough ratings to stay on the air for half a century.
Once known for its revolutionary, even by '70s standards, discoveries such as the expressive use of light, The Young and the Restless is now indistinguishable from the general soap crowd.
At the same time, many fans feel that the show has only lost ground in recent years:
“The last 3 years it has been awful. Insane plots. Making all of the women have mental issues. It's become an irresponsible downer.”
3. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, 1999-...
Spinoffs often end up being pale imitations of the originals, but it is not the case with Law & Order.
Dick Wolf's crime procedural was already a hit when it was canceled after its 20th season (but has since been resurrected), but its spinoff, Special Victims Unit, has not only surpassed its predecessor: it is one of the longest-running American shows in history.
SVU is about to finish its 26th season and has already been renewed for a 27th season, but most fans agree that it should have had 12 seasons:
“Seasons 13 and 14 were still watchable, but nothing will compare to old SVU (1-12).”
4. Grey's Anatomy, 2005-...
Grey's Anatomy, showrunner Shonda Rhimes' first major success and the longest-running of her career to date, is the first soap opera of the 21st century that has a chance to rival the giants of the past – the show is already in its 21st season.
According to fans' comments, the show should have ended with Season 10 when Cristina, played by Sandra Oh, left:
“I don’t know if I could stand to rewatch anything of it past season 10!! Maybe I could get through season 12 but it’s all just been so lackluster especially without Sandra Oh.”
5. The Simpsons, 1989-...
The longest-running animated series of all time, and the one that predicted it all. The Simpsons was never going to end, despite much criticism of its later seasons, but with Fox's TV division now under Disney's control, the show is only likely to continue.
It's just a business mistake to get rid of one of the most famous pop culture icons of the last few decades.
The Simpsons is currently in its 36th season, but most fans think it would have been better if it had ended on Season 12:
“After Season 12, the number of good episodes plummets to well under half a dozen per season, and only for the next couple of seasons.”
