Stop Cancelling Shows Without Adding an Ending!

I don't always binge watch TV shows, but when I do they're usually shows that were cancelled before having any semblance of a final resolution....

Netflix has done it again; the coordinators have left me in a state of anger and dissatisfaction. No disclaimer told me that the show I eagerly binge watched had been cancelled. It wasn't until I saw the final dramatic episode of season 2 and immediately googled The Order Season 3 that I was hit with the truth: there won't be a season 3. I'd like to say this is the first time I've been caught unaware of a show's lack of formal ending; however, that would be a lie. It seems like every time I'm lured into a show's description of magic, fantasy, adventure, or the supernatural, I dive right in unprepared. A quick browser search would let me know ahead of time if the show has been lost to the great abyss of show cancellations, but, alas, I plunge right in without a life jacket and am left drowning at the end.

Everyone remembers their first time, and this is no exception. The first time I felt betrayed and abandoned by Netflix was almost a decade ago. The show was Terra Nova, and it had elements I look for in a binge-worthy show: otherworldly (or other-timely) settings and an interesting plot. It was the first time I finished a season in record time, and it was the first time I Googled when the next season would appear, only to be left with a knot in my stomach. I had been duped. I had been lured in with false promises of a good story with a good ending, only to be abandoned. Yes, it had been good while it lasted, but our relationship ended bitterly. For days I felt angry. Why couldn't there have been some sort of disclaimer: "Hey, I know I'm exactly what you're looking for in a show, but beware--I was cancelled. Don't waste your time creating an emotional connection to me, because I will never be able to fully satisfy you."

I vowed it would never happen again. I would never let another show break my heart. Over the years, I have invested time into shows that have seen me through to the end: Supernatural, Jericho (even though it was cancelled, the show pulled together a reasonable ending instead of leaving viewers hanging), Lost, Game of Thrones. Although I haven't always liked the endings, at least I felt some sort of resolution. More often that not, however, I am left hanging. With no life support at all. If it's a show that's already been cancelled, there should be a warning before adding it to my queue. Or a color-coded system: green means the show is still in production, yellow means the series was concluded and has an ending, red means the show was cancelled without a resolution.

Which brings me to my next point: come on, producers! One final episode is all it takes. If you choose to cancel a show, why not write and produce one final episode, so viewers can be left feeling at least semi-full? It may not be the ending viewers deserve, but at least it doesn't leave us feeling helpless and lost. I am forever scarred from my TV show love interests suddenly abandoning me without warning, especially when I thought things were good between us. At least use the whole, "It's not you, it's me" line and try to wrap things up in some way! It'd still hurt, but it would hurt less. For future reference, don't leave me gripping the edge of a cliff waiting to see what happens next. Either help me up or push me down, but don't just leave me hanging.