I’ve heard that the powers-that-be thought that if the castaways were rescued at the end, nobody would watch the show in reruns, since we already knew how it would turn out. Lots of respect for the intelligence of the viewers.
Better question is, how did everyone’s clothing stay in such good repair for three years – and how did the men manage to always be so clean shaven? After three years on the island they should have all started looking like extras from Planet of the Apes.
The Howells were filthy rich. They probably thought they needed all of that luggage for a three hour tour! lol
@Jo Clear: I completely agree with you. After watching a show, in some cases for years, we deserve a good ending where all the loose ends are nicely tied up. So many just end, sometimes in mid-arc, and you never know what becomes of the characters.
The worst ending IMHO was The Fugitive.(For those old enough to remember!) Many of us felt Lt. Gerard should have been the murderer with the one armed man being a witness. That it ended the way of the plot line has always bugged me!
Trapper John, I read it a long time ago in an article or a book about television shows. Even if the show was cancelled suddenly, it doesn’t prove I’m wrong – it might be there was never any intention to end the story with a rescue, for exactly the reason I stated. But based on the obnoxious tone of your comment you are a know-it-all who has everything figured out, so obviously I was mistaken.
I only saw The Fugitive in reruns in the 70s or 80s, and I thought the ending was pretty good (and it was planned from the start that Kimble would be exonerated at the end of the series). I agree that having Gerard turn out to be the murderer would have been an amazing twist. If they’d done that, it would have ranked up there with the classic finale of Newhart. But I can also imagine much of the audience feeling cheated and misled by such a resolution. I also doubt it would have gone over very well in the 1960s. Even the original premise – that Kimble was wrongly convicted, and that the audience would know this to be true because of the opening narration – was described by one network exec to whom the show was pitched as the most un-American thing he’d ever heard.
Later, CBS execs were so smart they cancelled their entire “rural” lineup (Green Acres, Beverly Hillbillies, etc.) because they wanted a younger audience.The new shows were hits, but the audience stayed the same!
Couldn’t resist coming back here to see the additional comments on this topic. I agree with you about Seinfeld – not so much the show, but the really boring finale. Always loved Night Court – though I don’t really remember how it ended. Never watched Dexter or Breaking Bad, so no comment. As for The Prisoner, I liked it when I discovered it in the reruns in the 70s, and I’ve always been fascinated by it. But I never understood it – especially the end. I’m just not that good at analyzing these things.
Among the worst finales: Roseanne. The final winning-the-lottery season was a disaster, and the ending — that it was all Roseanne’s fantasy and that Dan really had died of a heart attack — was terrible. The show started with a really sharp edge and the first few seasons were great, but toward the end it went way downhill.
Rod Gonzalez almost 11 years ago
One of the great mysteries of life.
Swalb%515 almost 11 years ago
……And they were cancelled after 3 years, and never got off that island !!
2578275 almost 11 years ago
Panels before the last one led me to believe this was headed for JFK and Dallas.
GROG Premium Member almost 11 years ago
The Howells were probably on a lay over to their next destination.
paullp Premium Member almost 11 years ago
I’ve heard that the powers-that-be thought that if the castaways were rescued at the end, nobody would watch the show in reruns, since we already knew how it would turn out. Lots of respect for the intelligence of the viewers.
Better question is, how did everyone’s clothing stay in such good repair for three years – and how did the men manage to always be so clean shaven? After three years on the island they should have all started looking like extras from Planet of the Apes.
alise.duhon almost 11 years ago
The Howells were filthy rich. They probably thought they needed all of that luggage for a three hour tour! lol
@Jo Clear: I completely agree with you. After watching a show, in some cases for years, we deserve a good ending where all the loose ends are nicely tied up. So many just end, sometimes in mid-arc, and you never know what becomes of the characters.
rshive almost 11 years ago
I’m not sure when the “grand finale” came into style for TV. The first I remember was MASH. Were there others before?
chizzel almost 11 years ago
Some people are into that. Concrete blocks. 6 packs of beer ect. Seen that on Worlds Dumbest
sbchamp almost 11 years ago
Nah. Mary Ann!
EarlP2 almost 11 years ago
Are they crystal?
tahoeh2o almost 11 years ago
Three years and no children…
GROG Premium Member almost 11 years ago
That luggage was probably stuffed full of cash.
Asharah almost 11 years ago
I think it one episode, Ginger had made a make-up kit using various berries. Red berries for lips, blue for eye shadow, etc.
atsatso almost 11 years ago
The worst ending IMHO was The Fugitive.(For those old enough to remember!) Many of us felt Lt. Gerard should have been the murderer with the one armed man being a witness. That it ended the way of the plot line has always bugged me!
JP Steve Premium Member almost 11 years ago
I think most people “got” the strip. We also recognized that it had to end up somewhere else to be funny.
Swalb%515 almost 11 years ago
And the 22th of November this year is also a Friday, just like the day of the assasination of JFK in 1963. Spooky !!!
paullp Premium Member almost 11 years ago
Trapper John, I read it a long time ago in an article or a book about television shows. Even if the show was cancelled suddenly, it doesn’t prove I’m wrong – it might be there was never any intention to end the story with a rescue, for exactly the reason I stated. But based on the obnoxious tone of your comment you are a know-it-all who has everything figured out, so obviously I was mistaken.
paullp Premium Member almost 11 years ago
I only saw The Fugitive in reruns in the 70s or 80s, and I thought the ending was pretty good (and it was planned from the start that Kimble would be exonerated at the end of the series). I agree that having Gerard turn out to be the murderer would have been an amazing twist. If they’d done that, it would have ranked up there with the classic finale of Newhart. But I can also imagine much of the audience feeling cheated and misled by such a resolution. I also doubt it would have gone over very well in the 1960s. Even the original premise – that Kimble was wrongly convicted, and that the audience would know this to be true because of the opening narration – was described by one network exec to whom the show was pitched as the most un-American thing he’d ever heard.
edward thomas Premium Member almost 11 years ago
And if the Professor was so smart, with all those trees, why didn’t he build a boat to get them off the island?
edward thomas Premium Member almost 11 years ago
Later, CBS execs were so smart they cancelled their entire “rural” lineup (Green Acres, Beverly Hillbillies, etc.) because they wanted a younger audience.The new shows were hits, but the audience stayed the same!
paullp Premium Member almost 11 years ago
truecanadianliberal,
Couldn’t resist coming back here to see the additional comments on this topic. I agree with you about Seinfeld – not so much the show, but the really boring finale. Always loved Night Court – though I don’t really remember how it ended. Never watched Dexter or Breaking Bad, so no comment. As for The Prisoner, I liked it when I discovered it in the reruns in the 70s, and I’ve always been fascinated by it. But I never understood it – especially the end. I’m just not that good at analyzing these things.
Among the worst finales: Roseanne. The final winning-the-lottery season was a disaster, and the ending — that it was all Roseanne’s fantasy and that Dan really had died of a heart attack — was terrible. The show started with a really sharp edge and the first few seasons were great, but toward the end it went way downhill.