Before embarking into the fall TV season, fans must brace themselves for some hard goodbyes.
On NBC, two shows will be making their final rounds. The family drama Parenthood [27]will enter its sixth and final season on Sept. 25.
The show has constantly struggled with ratings and has faced cancellation more than once, but the network allowed writers to say a proper goodbye to their fans who weathered the ups and downs in 13 episodes.
The season five finale, titled “The Pontiac,” [28] wove in a few new threads for the Bravermans. Haddie (Sarah Ramos) came home from college with a girlfriend. Julia (Erika Christensen) and Joel (Sam Jaeger), who had been separated for most of season five, had a breakthrough when their adopted son Victor (Xolo Maridueña) presents a speech at school.
Sarah (Lauren Graham) and Hank (Ray Romano) are forced to acknowledge the romantic tension as well as Hank’s Asperger syndrome. Zeek (Craig T. Nelson) and Camille (Bonnie Bedelia) sell their home, which is a big deal to all of the kids.
But probably most intriguing is Amber’s (Mae Whitman) storyline. After she and her on-again-off-again fiancé, Ryan (Matt Lauria), reconnect in a hospital after an accident, there’s a pregnancy.
Don’t get upset. It’s not a spoiler. Here’s the proof:
There are a lot of somewhat loose ends, but fans will hopefully soon have the whole package. There is speculation, however, that one of the Braverman clan will die.
Parks and Recreation [29] also says goodbye. No word on an airdate, but the seventh season will be its final one. Viewers were left with a three-year flash-forward at the end of season six. Leslie (Amy Poehler) and Ben (Adam Scott) had their three triplets and were able to convince the National Parks Service that Pawnee, Ind., is the best location for the regional branch which she now (in the future) heads up.
It will be interesting to see whether the show sticks with this flash-forward or goes back to the golden days of the parks department. It will also be interesting to see whether Anne (Rashida Jones) and Chris (Rob Lowe) return for the final season.
For FOX, Glee [30] will begin its sixth and final season in January. After actor Cory Monteith’s death in real life and Finn’s on the show [31], viewership dropped and continued on that trajectory. Instead of waiting for the verdict from the network, the producers took it upon themselves to wrap up the show and bow out gracefully.
Gleewill try to reunite with its past, bringing back old fan favorites Dianna Agron (Quinn) and Heather Morris (Brittany). McKinley High will still have its continuing story thread, but my hope is that this is featured as little as possible. Gleeks fell in love with Finn and Rachel, and the newer characters pale in comparison to the original New Directions.
I’m feeling nostalgic for the Glee beginnings. So here is a trailer for the first season.
CBS's Two and a Half Men [32] is coming to a close. It had quite the long run, with its 12th and final season premiering on Oct. 30. During its time on the air, two of the show’s main characters had public incidents.
Charlie Sheen’s infamous meltdown [33] went viral in early 2011 where he talked of tiger blood, magic, Alcoholics Anonymous and said the word "winning" a lot. He came back to set with a chip on his shoulder, and after the completion of season eight, Ashton Kutcher stepped in to take his place.
The show then lost the "half" part of its name when Angus T. Jones [34] started speaking out against the hypocrisy of the show…while he was still on it. Jones was baptized as a Seventh Day Adventist in 2012 and began feeling like his morals didn’t align with his character's on the show. He finished up at the middle of season 11 in 2013.
Only one of the original men remains for this last season, and for that, it might be best to say goodbye.
AMC's award-winning Mad Men [35] bids adieu by splitting its seventh season in two parts. Part one aired this past spring, and part two will air this coming January. Set in 1969, the Mad Men and women are working their way into the groovy era of the '70s.
Don (Jon Hamm) has been put on leave, his wife Megan (Jessica Paré) has left him for California and he is grappling with his own sobriety.
The ad agency is in flux as leadership shifts, and staff dynamics change as the women in the office are finally recognized as having authority.
While parting is such sweet sorrow, this is a good place for the show to end. The crazy antics of the ad executives are starting to feel a little tired.
And finally, FX says goodbye to its pack of gun-toting rough riders. Sons of Anarchy [37] began its last ride on Sept. 9. If you thought the show was crazy before, look out.
Everyone dies and everyone gets shot. There are no happy endings!
I just made most of that up, but writer and executive producer Kurt Sutter never fails to make me cry out in anger as another character gets murdered. Also, the trailer for the season is titled "Revenge." So you can draw your own conclusions about the last season.
I will most definitely miss Charlie Hunnam’s brutish character, Jax. And by brutish, I mean toned and well built. But I'm sure another show will come along and sweep viewers of their feet.
