Cartoons seem to portray themselves as this magical universe where nobody ages, nothing ever changes to a vast degree, and a lot of the time, the show itself never looks to be heading towards the finish line. There are many factors that go into whether a show continues or not. Sometimes it might be out of the studio’s hand, as there is a bigger party pulling the strings of their viewing output.The biggest cartoon in recent memory to receive an ending wasBojack Horseman.The show only had six seasons, and whether or not it should have had more time, it still managed to wrap things up in its classic reality-driven style. Whether it is through ratings, nostalgia, fan demand, ora return from beingcanceled, some shows just don’t seem to know how to end.RELATED:#NewDeal4Animation: An Explainer On The Fight Behind Fan-Favorite CartoonsAdult comedies such asThe Simpsons, Family Guy,andSouth Parkare still releasing episodes in 2022, and with the first two lacking in a lot of continuity, it’s hard to see them coming to a natural end.South Parkmay look like the only one of these long-running adult comedies to come to an end due to its release schedule over the last couple of years. Of course, the pandemic halted their schedule, butSouth Parkcreators Matt Stone and Trey Parker reduced the number of episodes per season years ago, giving them a continuous story, and now there are shorter seasons andmore specials on the way. There has even been a look into the futures of theSouth Parkcharacters and for a show that’s always trying to get itself canceled, it looks like if Stone and Parker really wanted to end their creation they could do at any moment.South Parkis a show that could confidently end.
Looking atThe Simpsonsuniverse and what continues to produce lower-rated episodes and seasonswith a few exceptions,the show continues to move along with the times as if the earlier content never happened (besides a few throwback moments). The show has been faced with criticism in recent years due to having a white cast voicing non-white characters and the lower number of live viewers it receives every year. Viewing behaviors have changed over the years with streaming, but still, the show continues to trend lower-scoring episodes and viewing numbers that are less than a third of its golden age era. Through Disney+,The Simpsonsreceived what could be considered a nostalgic renaissance with people revisiting the show with ease. The show has started to release short spin-off episodes, although these are usually tied in with another ofDisney+‘sprogramming and aren’t the first long-runningadult cartoon to create spin-offsof its original content.
With an aging cast and voicework that is not as up-to-scratch as it once was, some fans hooe that show could find a high note to end on and not dwindle until it dies out. As the show is already renewed for a 34th season and is the longest-running animated series currently on the air today, the best way to finish would be to round it up to the 35th season and answer any questions the show still has. Even former writer Conan O’Brien joked that the show should have a dark ending with Marge finally leaving Homer, but even though the show continues to beat the dead horse around the two’s marriage, it would seem cruel to split the family up.
The Simpsons’sister show,Futuramawhilst popular, has seen multiple cancellations throughout its history. Each time the show has been canceled it has always ended on a note that is respective to the series and would be a comfortable finish. This usually centers around the relationship between Fry and Leela. Now,Futuramawill be returning once moreon Hulu.Futuramawas a show that knew how to conclude when faced with cancelation, whereas a lot of shows get to continue and have no need to worry about canceling. That may be the overall issue: without a threat, these cartoons will not stop. Even the long-running children’s showArthurfinally came to an end after 25 years on the air and used the future lives of the main cast as its ending gimmick. This has also been seen in shows likeDigimon,and works well in concluding cartoons.
If factors such as viewing numbers, audience appeal, new audience numbers, story quality, and animation budgets were all taken into consideration, that would certainly have a knock-on effect. Animation is more expensive every year, but with popular FOX shows now owned by Disney their budgets may not be a problem. Viewing numbers for all animated shows are now lower than expected and the story quality does appear to be lacking when compared to the early days of the aforementioned animated shows. All things considered, it may be time to hang up the boots of some beloved classics. No doubt each show will still have core fans enjoying the newer episodes, but for a lot of franchises that now rely solely on their TV output, it is a bitter end that must be faced.
A show likeAvatar: The Last Airbenderis a perfect example of how a show should build up to its finale; however, in comparison, it is a show that has character development and a timeline, making it easier to write off an animated show. As previously mentioned,The Simpsonsjust follow trends and have no main plot, so it doesn’t worry about the same issues. There are more shows that get it wrong than those that get it right before they meet their end, but at the same time, it is out of an animation studio’s control. A cartoon should end under the control of the studio in association with the larger third party to please fans after storylines are exhausted, and viewer numbers continue to decrease below the millions.
