TV shows are just one of those things that people become fans of. From the serial week to week commitment to the lovable characters, there's always something to keep you coming back season after season. A well-placed cliff-hanger in May creates a grueling 3-month wait until the Fall Season premiere. But what do you do when you run out of cliff-hangers?
Eventually, every good thing comes to an end, and unfortunately, this little life adage does not exclude TV shows. Some shows are ripped off the air after a bad pilot, some make it one season, some are popular with a niche audience but can't make it big time, and some shows switch networks. No matter what the reason, all good shows (and bad shows) eventually come to an end.
This can be a heart-wrenching experience for loyal fans, but for truly popular shows, the entire world becomes aware of its demise. How does the show end? Who lives? Who dies? Who gets married? All questions that hopefully get answered definitively by the final episode. But will they? Only time will tell. Here is a list of some of the more fan-popular shows that are ending in 2019, so make sure to catch the final seasons when they air so can be in the know about all of the vital plot points that will be the gossip of your workplace or school after the episode airs.
1. "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"
Network: Netflix
Status: Ending January 25, 2019
First aired: 2015
This show was originally on NBC but moved to Netflix for all its subsequent seasons. It's a comedy following a young woman named Kimmy Schmidt who escaped a doomsday cult in Indiana and moved to New York. During its run, the show has been very popular with audiences and critics and has been nominated for 18 Emmy Awards.
2. "Shadowhunters "
Network: Freeform
Status: Canceled and airing final season in 2019
First Aired: 2016
This fantasy-supernatural show is based off a series of novels by Cassandra Claire titled "The Mortal Instruments." It follows teenager Clary Fray as she learns that she is descended from a race of supernatural warriors called shadowhunters. She fights alongside fellow shadowhunters Jace Wayland, Alec Lightwood and his sister Isabelle, her best friend Simon, and a warlock named Magnus. The show is very popular among fans, and there was even a petition circulating online following the announcement of its cancellation to entice the network to renew the show. It was unsuccessful, but the cast did go back and film an additional two episodes so that the entire six book series will be covered in the show.
3. "Game of Thrones"
Network: HBO
Status: Ending in 2019
First Aired: 2011
Honestly, even people that don't watch the show know that GoT is ending in 2019. It shouldn't really be news that it's on this list. For anyone who doesn't know, the show is based on the series of novels by George R.R. Martin that tells the story of the fantasy land of Westeros and the different kingdoms that exist there. To be completely honest, the plot is much too complicated for me to summarize in a simple Odyssey blurb, but take my word for it: if you haven't watched this show, stop what you're doing and catch up before Winter Comes back on TV in 2019.
4. "Jane the Virgin"
Network: The CW
Status: Ending in 2019
First Aired: 2014
This CW comedy follows Catholic, hard-working, Latina woman Jane as she accidentally becomes pregnant after an accidental artificial insemination. It parodies many tropes common to Latin telenovelas, and actress Gina Rodriguez won the Emmy award for Best TV Actress in a Comedy or Musical for her role as Jane at the 72nd Emmy Awards.
5. "Gotham"
Network: Fox
Status: Ending in 2019
First Aired: 2014
Gotham is the DC-TV universe's take on the Batman story. The pilot episode begins with the murder of Martha and Thomas Wayne, with young Bruce Wayne meeting rookie Detective Jim Gordon. It looks at the origin story of how Bruce Wayne became Batman but places a special emphasis on the villains and Detective Gordon. Several Batman fan-favorite characters appear in the series such as Ed Nigma a.k.a. The Riddler, Selina Kyle a.k.a. Catwoman, Ivy Pepper a.k.a. Poison Ivy, and Oswald Cobblepot a.k.a. The Penguin, along with Bruce Wayne (Batman) himself and several characters that were created specifically for the show.