In relatively recent months we've seen the end of a number of shows that Tobie and I have followed together over the years. In September Adventure Time finally came to an end and more recently Steven Universe also wrapped up. And today we just finished the second half of the final season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
It's interesting to go through how the creators of these different shows decided how to end their stories. We're not talking about abrupt cancellations but instead cases when the creators had an opportunity to plot an actual ending for their stories and their characters.
The small screen (including the streaming stuff) is not known for complete stories. There are so many shows that don't survive past a pilot (Global Frequency!) or first season (like the weird Dresden Files series) or just disappear mid-story (we'll never get a truly proper ending for Utopia). So many shows try to achieve success and there will always be a chance the one you've begun to invest in ends up losing the rat race.
And for the most part I enjoyed how these three shows ended. Adventure Time celebrate its legacy of a creative, heart-felt world. Steven Universe brought us a fulfilling end to an emotional and clearly personal journey. And Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt used its last season to have a different brand of fun with its characters, really explore what they mean to one another and ultimately give them all a happy ending. In all three cases their finale stories managed to focus on what worked for each show and really remain true to their core themes.
One can only admire the great writing that went into these shows and many others.
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