- 2 days ago
Some shows take their sweet time to conclude, testing even their most devoted fans. Join us as we countdown shows that were amazing but kept us waiting far too long for their finales! From crime dramas with years-long hiatuses to beloved series interrupted by strikes and scheduling conflicts, these critically acclaimed shows made viewers exercise extreme patience.
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00:00And what I've seen, what I've seen really clearly these last few days is how much he is nothing like you.
00:08Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the TV shows that, despite their greatness, took way too long to end.
00:15Also, spoiler alert.
00:16One thing's clear, Joe Goldberg will never be free again.
00:22Number 10, Better Call Saul.
00:24Better Call Saul is the amazing spinoff and prequel of Breaking Bad that brought us into the life of Jimmy McGill.
00:30A lawyer with a scam artist soul becomes the legendary Saul Goodman.
00:34You have a choice, okay?
00:36You can pay up now or bleed to death in court, so I say be smart and write that check.
00:46From 2015 to 2022, its six seasons and 63 mind-blowing episodes had everyone on the edge of their seat.
00:52True fans waited two years for the two-part final season, which included a seven-week break, but the long wait was worthwhile.
00:59Jimmy redeems himself, confesses his crimes to protect his great love, Kim, and ends up behind bars in a jaw-dropping, bittersweet finale.
01:06How did you...
01:08Uh, turns out my New Mexico bar card doesn't have an expiration date.
01:12The whole fandom agreed.
01:13It was an epic, emotional landing that felt like a masterpiece, even though it took forever to drop.
01:18With good behavior? Who knows?
01:22Number 9. Curb Your Enthusiasm.
01:25HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm hilariously portrays Larry David as a bolder version of himself who unleashes chaos.
01:31I'm glad you're here.
01:32Are you? Never thought I'd hear those words come out of your mouth.
01:36The comedy also features lots of cameos and gets him into the most hilarious situations for saying what many of us think but dare not to say.
01:42Running from 2000 to 2024, this series had 12 seasons, but with a six-year hiatus between seasons 8 and 9.
01:49Just as it was being circulated that the series creator and lead actor had had enough of the project, season 8's last episode concluded with what could have been a series finale.
01:58After half a dozen years went by, and with fans and colleagues pushing Larry, he finally felt like picking up the project again and returned with season 9 in 2017.
02:06Meanwhile, the series' actual conclusion in 2024 not only gave a nod to the Seinfeld finale, a series that David co-created, but also pleased the fans.
02:14Oh my god.
02:17This is how we should have ended the finale.
02:20Oh my god, you're right. How did we not think of that?
02:24Number 8. Atlanta
02:26Atlanta is an FX gem that follows the lives of Earn, a music manager with dreams, his cousin, Paperboy, an up-and-coming rapper, and the people close to them in a whirlwind of rap, racial issues, surrealism, and crazy moments in Georgia.
02:39Make sure you tell them to watch out for Florida, man.
02:44What's Florida, man?
02:48These include Van, his super smart ex, and mother of his daughter, and Darius, their strange but thoughtful friend.
02:54Actor, author, and rapper Donald Glover is the mastermind behind the series, which ran for four seasons and 41 episodes.
03:01What flavor is a Flamin' Hot Cheeto?
03:03Hot.
03:10I am tasting hot.
03:12Throughout its run, the surrealist comedy drama actually went on hiatus twice, between 2016 and 2018, due to Glover's many projects, and between 2018 and 2022 because of scheduling conflicts and the pandemic.
03:24However, the final episode's dreamlike journey had critics raving, while others touted Glover's genius and his unique storytelling.
03:30We've been told time and time again, the only person you can trust is yourself, right?
03:46Number 7.
03:48Yellowstone.
03:48Yellowstone is a neo-Western drama following the Duttons, led by Kevin Costner's John Dutton, as they defend their Montana cattle ranch against developers, a Native American reservation, and Yellowstone Park.
03:59Cattle don't know the difference between your land and ours.
04:02Neither did we till the government showed us.
04:04But it's not just the drama that's the hook for this series.
04:07The landscapes are breathtaking.
04:08From 2018 to 2024, its five seasons and 53 episodes attracted millions of viewers.
04:14You find out real fast who's willing to ride for the brand when they learn they gotta wear it.
04:19The final season was split in two, with an almost one-year wait between 2023 and 2024 due to writer and actor strikes.
04:26Costner also left for his Horizon project during this time.
04:29Good luck in there.
04:31I'm not far behind you.
04:32The finale, which saw the ranch sold to the reservation, divided fans.
04:36Few loved it, though many considered it fitting but predictable.
04:39Number 6.
04:40Sherlock.
04:41Sherlock is the BBC's contemporary adaptation of Sherlock Holmes, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular character and Martin Freeman as John Watson.
04:48The name's Sherlock Holmes and the address is 221B Baker Street.
04:52This duo solves crimes in a modern-day London, facing multiple perpetrators, including criminal mastermind and Sherlock's archenemy, Jim Moriarty.
05:00The lead's chemistry kept fans eagerly awaiting new episodes, with classic crimes now given a modern twist through technology.
05:07Okay, this is too much. We need to be more careful.
05:09It's got flaps. Ear flaps. It's an ear.
05:12John.
05:13What do you mean more careful?
05:14From 2010 to 2017, the show aired four seasons of only three episodes each, as well as a 2016 special episode.
05:21Why so few episodes in seven years?
05:23Sherlock's leads are busy actors, and projects like Doctor Strange and The Hobbit made scheduling difficult.
05:27The series' last episode, The Final Problem, left critics and fans alike torn, with praise for the acting, but dislike for the melodrama.
05:35Open your eyes.
05:38I'm here.
05:42You're not lost anymore.
05:44Number 5.
05:45You.
05:46Can an obsession become boring?
05:48Well, hello there.
05:51Who are you?
05:52You is a psychological thriller about Joe Goldberg, an obsessed bookseller who pursues his love interests from different cities with disturbing tactics.
06:00Its gripping narrative, with interior monologues that immerse you in Joe's mind, the ongoing tension from his crimes, and outstanding performances by actors such as Penn Badgley and Victoria Pedretti, are addictive.
06:10Um, Joe?
06:14What's wrong?
06:16I think we need to go to couples therapy.
06:18From 2018 to 2025, the show's five seasons and 50 episodes were delayed due to a change in networks, the writers' and actors' strikes, and the pandemic.
06:26Despite the previously entertaining seasons, the last one was described as repetitive, while its finale had critics using words like rubbish and insulting.
06:33So, in the end, my punishment is even worse than I imagined.
06:43Number 4.
06:44The Handmaid's Tale.
06:45The Handmaid's Tale is a Hulu dystopian drama about Elizabeth Moss' June Osborne, one of the titular handmaids, forced to procreate in Gilead, which is a totalitarian government ruled by Christian law, replacing the U.S. after a fertility crisis.
06:57I know this must feel very strange, but ordinary is just what you're used to.
07:06This may not seem ordinary to you right now, but after a time it will.
07:13Moss' visceral performance, the show's striking red-coated visuals, and its overall raw narrative reflecting female oppression are iconic and relevant to today.
07:21It's changing, Luke. This country is changing.
07:28The release of the series' six seasons and 56 episodes, which ran from 2017 to 2025, were prolonged due to the pandemic in 2021, and writers' and actors' strikes in 2023.
07:38Following a three-year gap between season 5 and season 6, the 2025 finale will be met with mixed reviews.
07:43A chair, a table, a lamp, and a window with white curtains.
07:57Number 3. Arrested Development
07:59Arrested Development is a satirical sitcom about the Bluce, a dysfunctional family that loses its wealth after the arrest of family patriarch George Sr.
08:07Responsible son, Michael, played by Jason Bateman, tries to maintain the family business and sanity while dealing with egos, secrets, and absurd situations.
08:15That's it. I'm done. I'm sick and tired of the greed and the selfishness and all the taking. Forget it. I've got a son to think about.
08:22Ron Howard's wry narration, the cast's chemistry, the recurring gags, the handheld camera style, and hilarious cameos all helped build its fandom.
08:30Cancelled after three seasons because of low ratings, the show came back seven years later on Netflix in 2013, but with a different format due to scheduling conflicts.
08:38Although the last two seasons allowed the show to have a more proper conclusion, fans and critics expressed that it didn't quite match the quality of the earlier seasons.
08:45I would like to call Lucille Bluth the accused mother.
08:50Number 2. Stranger Things
08:52Set in the 1980s in Hawkins, Indiana, this sci-fi horror series follows a group of young friends as they encounter eerie events from the Upside Down.
09:00I'm not messing around, okay? This is about Will. Over.
09:04What about Will?
09:05Inspired by the likes of Steven Spielberg and Stephen King, the nostalgic show features iconic characters like Eleven and a captivating synth soundtrack, quickly becoming a hit.
09:13Only good, I make a deal with God, I get into swamped leases, I runnin' out of you, I runnin' out of you.
09:25However, once again, the pandemic, as well as the ambitious scale of season four, led to a nearly three-year gap between seasons three and four.
09:32Meanwhile, the Hollywood Strikes delayed season five, with another gap of about three years in between the show's penultimate and final season, the latter of which was announced to be airing in late 2025.
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10:02Number 1. Happy Valley
10:06Not all gaps between seasons are due to unexpected events or scheduling conflicts.
10:10While the seven-year wait between series two and series three of Happy Valley was partially due to the pandemic, and creator Sally Wainwright's other writing projects, it was also to allow time for actor Rhys Kona to grow up.
10:21Hello. Do you remember me? I'm, uh, I'm your dad.
10:29Do you remember?
10:31Yeah.
10:32Starting at age 10, the actor played the role of Ryan, the grandson of protagonist Catherine Cowood, who raises him following her daughter, Ryan's mother's death.
10:40Not only did Wainwright not want to recast Kona, but she also wanted the actor to be able to tell the story they wanted to tell, with the character as a teenager.
10:47What was it about?
10:48No, it was about me being blamed for something, which Chesco said, which Chesco admitted, and then he tried to chase us, on his bikes, in his car.
10:58The crime drama was notable for its writing, acting, and intensive narrative, mixing crime with personal pain.
11:05In 2023, Catherine finally achieved some emotional peace after confronting the man who assaulted her daughter.
11:10There's a difference between getting someone pregnant and being a dad.
11:14Though some were left wanting more, many critics praised the ending.
11:17In your opinion, what's the greatest show to take its sweet time to come out with new episodes?
11:21Let us know in the comments.
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