Yeah - ever since Moonlighting it is rare that I care about characters to that extent (though ST:TNG gets really, really close); in the former's case that crushingly depressing last episode still haunts me...lol...I think MASH was a show where I was really involved with the characters (though I was really young when it debuted and watched it mostly in syndication...I remember weeping when the final episode aired and I still do when I see it). ST:TNG had such a great bunch of actors and characters that it really holds up; and of those characters my favorites were Picard, Worf, and Data...especially Worf, as his character had a lot of depth and story to him. It doesn't get old going back and watching his story arc develop.Eric Paddon wrote:I literally blame the downfall of "Moonlighting" for driving me away from being a regular network TV viewer for good in the early 90s. Almost everything that debuted from that point on, I've never watched regularly during its first run because what happened with "Moonlighting" exposed the danger of how you can come to care too much about a TV show and then be disappointed by it. It makes you feel gypped for having been involved to begin with.
It's an interesting question to think about - was there ever a TV show you loved in which you were completely committed and invested in the characters only to be soured by how it all ended that it changed the way you watch TV? Or what experiences have you had with show arcs and final episodes that fulfilled you as a fan of a show in which you were completely committed and invested in the characters? I'll start another thread for discussion so as not to hijack this one.