So what have you guys been watching lately?

[marurun]

It’s so rare for a creator/show-runner to just say “I’d rather do other things right now,” rather than get run out or cancelled.

[MrPopo]

I don't know that I'd say that. Often creators are like "this is good as is" and then the executives want more content. Lots of creators have walked away from that (and many others have stayed because they want at least a measure of control).

[marurun]

I have heard of that. That’s true. I do t know that this feels precisely the same, but maybe I’m misreading the situation.

[REPO Man]

The biggest bug up my ass about shows getting cancelled is when they're cancelled without a conclusion that ties up all the loose ends. One that really burned my ass was The Midnight Club. As a fan of '90s nostalgia, horror anthologies and (as for three years ago) a fan of retro YA horror, I really dove deep into The Midnight Club, having read the book ages before the show was even announced. I even got excited when I found out that Netflix actually snagged the rights to many of Pike's novels. Though if they're looking to do another horror anthology based on Pike's other books, I actually have a rough idea for a series based on Masters of Murder, one that adapts the book of the same name while also expanding on its narrative. For those who don't know, it's about a 17-year-old who unbeknownst to everyone but his agent and little sister is a famous novelist who finds out that his secret identity isn't so secret and that sometimes truth really IS stranger than fiction. I'd reimagine other Pike novels as the main character's other books, even weaving in the narrative from his books about a teenager's murder.

And speaking of '90s nostalgia and horror anthologies, I was watching Are You Afraid of the Dark while doing laundry today. One of the episodes, "The Tale of Old Man Corcoran", was an episode I don't really remember much from my youth (fun fact: it aired exactly ten years ago last week), but as an adult I saw it and if anyone else has seen it (it's on Paramount+, Paramount+ via Prime Video and The Internet Archive), I have a question...

Is it possible that Marshall lured the children to play hide-and-seek in the graveyard and that this led to their deaths, after which their ghosts forever play the game they played before they died? In fact, Cissy Vernon even states how she thought no one else would be joining their game after she did. Before the protagonists are found by Old Man Corcoron, Cissy Vernon demands they leave and she doesn't want them here, but it's unclear if she's afraid for their safety or if she's just being a brat. Eventually they find Marshall, who adamantly begs them to hide in a grave he found and even said "Don't you want to play? They can NEVER find you in here!"

Now, granted one COULD say the ending is left vague enough to where one's probably meant to draw their own conclusions. But I think it's less vague the more you look into it.

[MrPopo]

If you're going to demand that ever production is guaranteed a proper ending you are going to see a lot less overall content, and especially content that you, Repo, will like, given your esoteric tastes.

[Raging Justice]

The biggest bug up my ass about shows getting cancelled is when they're cancelled without a conclusion that ties up all the loose ends. .

Sometimes it's better this way. I've seen some pretty awful endings to some of my favorite shows. Lost was far too ambitious, making it impossible for it to have a satisfying ending. Genndy Tartakovsky has a knack for awful endings. Primal being the most recent example with possibly the worst ending I've ever seen to an animated show. Samurai Jack's ending was not too great either.

At least when a show doesn't get an ending you can imagine one that's great, rather than getting an actual one that sucks.

[REPO Man]

No. An ending that ties up all loose ends is best. And the Samurai Jack ending did just that.

And it's one thing if we're talking about a show that's not serialized. Tales from the Crypt, Dexter's Lab, and so on are allowed to end without as many issues.

And look at Scrubs' ending. It perfectly did everything an ending did... until they crapped out a new season that was supposed to be a new series.

And The Golden Girls did the same thing. Great definite finale, decent spin-off (I personally liked it but can see how others wouldn't), spin-off had a bog standard season finale that would serve as the last episode.

And if you want to leave the door open for a continuation, that's fine. Ironically VR Troopers and Big Bad Beetleborgs did this, with the villains getting a semi-definite defeat that ties the loose ends but doesn't close the book completely.

Not Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog. Their last episode just HAD to feature a final scene setting up a second season that Saban ultimately abandoned to free up more cash for Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, which ironically didn't need to happen since the previous series ended everything so much more nicely.

Just give us closure, and if not as another season, then at least in a film or complimentary work.

[Raging Justice]

Personally, if I were a writer, I would write every season finale as a series finale. Cobra Kai has done that a few times. I think Joss Whedon had that approach with Buffy. It's a nice safe way to not get caught in a situation where you leave people with an unfinished story.

[PretentiousHipster]

No. An ending that ties up all loose ends is best. And the Samurai Jack ending did just that.

How to feel about tv shows and films with ambiguous endings intentionally? It is a different case than a show getting cancelled before it can be tied up, but it also doesn't tie all the loose ends.

[Raging Justice]

It's not enough to tie up all loose ends. An ending has to also be emotionally satisfying. Samurai Jack's ending was not. This is even more true for Primal's awful ending, though since my last post I've learned that Primal might be getting a third season. I can't imagine why anyone would want to watch it.

The Expanse ended not long ago. It didn't tie up every loose end, but it provided an exciting, epic finale with lots of great action, it gave every character a meaningful moment that did justice to their personal journeys, and the big bad villain of the season was dealt with in a satisfying manner. There are still questions unanswered though, problems unsolved, and looming threats still unaccounted for, but it felt like at least one chapter of the show's ongoing narrative came to an end and did so in a satisfying manner. I was very happy with it. The showrunners said they could return to this universe one day, possibly even in a movie. For now however, they are done with The Expanse and I think they ended it on a high note.

There are multiple ways to end a story properly, and yes, that can even include an ambiguous ending (as PretentiousHipster said), or even a cliffhanger ending (Joss Whedon's Angel). It all depends on the show and the type of story that you're telling. There isn't really a one size fits all answer when it comes to writing a story. Ambiguous endings I have noticed get used a lot in movies.